Join flower farmer and florist Georgie Newbery at her artisan flower farm for a day looking at what it takes to become a person who grows flowers for sale.
Georgie has been selling flowers from her seven-acre plot between Bruton and Wincanton in sunny Somerset since 2010, and has always believed that the skills and strategies she’s developed during that time are worth sharing with others who’d like to make a living doing something similar.
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The day is split into three sessions:
During the first session, we'll be looking at what kind of flower farmer you might like to be. There are many ways to earn a living selling flowers, and before heading out into the fields, Georgie helps every group of students consider why they’d like to move to this new career, and therefore what kind of a flower grower they might become. This group discussion is extremely important as it’s easy to look at flower farming from outside and think that there are only one or two ways to be a flower farmer, when, on the contrary, there is a way of growing flowers for sale to suit every person.
For the second session, we'll walk around the farm to see how Georgie and Fabrizio grow, harvest, and get to market their cut flower crop. Georgie encourages students to look at how she and Fabrizio work with a very critical eye, seeing where efficiencies could be made, understanding the ethos behind this couple’s business, and so beginning to see how each student could apply what they learn on this day to their own plot, whether they already have it, or are looking for land to grow on.
A break for lunch at The Kiitchen at Kimbers’ allows time for some of the information from the morning to be discussed, for the group to get to know each other better, for ideas to begin to settle in peoples’ minds.
The afternoon session looks at pricing, marketing and social media. Georgie always says that growing flowers is the easy part: finding your market and selling them at a price which will mean you have enough profit to make the process worth your while is not always so obvious. Georgie will share the system she has developed to help her price her flowers, and many ways to get your crop to market – from having customers collect from the farm through delivering your crop to customers all around the country by courier. The day wraps with a look at how social media can help you sell your crop: you may not love social media, but it’s free, and small businesses like ours can benefit from the communities we build on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and more in many many ways.
Suitable for:
Anyone who is exploring the idea of turning their love of flower growing into a business.
Here's what some recent students had to say about this workshop:
"I really enjoyed the career change workshop at Common Farm Flowers. The day was packed with information and it was great to learn from someone like Georgie who is clearly so passionate about everything she does. I left feeling very inspired with the next steps I need to take and new avenues to explore that I hadn’t thought of."
"I joined Georgie for her marvellous Career Change Flower Farmers workshop yesterday and it was as informative, inspiring and energising as I had hoped it would be! I've come away with so much to take forward and action, to give my business and flowers the best start possible. Georgie is so open and honest in her teaching and I've learned so much in just one day."
Why do a workshop or demo with Common Farm Flowers?
Georgie Newbery has been building her small business growing flowers for sale and creating floristry with material she’s grown on the farm since 2010. She is a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Floristry Judge, RHS dahlia trials committee member, and Garden Media Guild New Talent Award Judge.
Georgie does not see other flower farmers and florists as competition, but rather as potential colleagues and collaborators. Georgie knows that it is in her interest to teach her students everything she knows. And she spends a great deal of time talking to other flower farmers and small business owners and learning as much as she can around the subject of running small businesses and farming gardens and small acreage.
There are no secrets held back from you at a Common Farm Flowers workshop.
Information about all our workshops at the farm:
You are welcome to join our workshops whether you grow for pleasure or profit, although some workshops will be more suited to flower farmers or small business owners. This should always be clear in the workshop description.
Full day workshops at the farm generally take place between 10am and 3pm.
Workshop numbers are generally restricted to a maximum of 10 students.
The cost of a full day workshop includes lunch at a local farm shop. It is important that you please advise us of any food allergies / intolerances / other preferences at the time of booking. Please bring any mid morning / afternoon snacks you might like.
Workshops at Common Farm Flowers take place in our studio barn, as well as out on the farm where there is no cover. Please wear clothes suitable for the weather (eg layers, waterproof clothes) and bring shoes / boots that are designed to walk on rough, grassy paths. Even on a sunny day flip flops and sandals aren’t advised and we suggest long trousers where possible due to the risk of ticks, bites and stings. A sun hat and sun protection are also advised, as we can’t always stand in the shade.
We will be in touch a few days before the workshop with your joining instructions. This email will come from nicola@commonfarmflowers.com. If you’ve not heard from Nicola 48 hours before the session takes place please email nicola@commonfarmflowers.com but do please first check your junk / spam items and make sure you are checking the inbox of the email address you used to book your place.
Please familiarise yourself with our terms and conditions in case you need to cancel your workshop place.
Nearby Bruton and Wincanton are full of lovely places to stay to suit every budget. See our links page for good ideas or get in touch and we will do our best to help.
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