In this Blog we welcome another of my supplier chums, Susie from Wivenhoe Flowers to answer my probing questions about who she is and what she does.
I first meet Susie at a wedding fair and was struck by her beautiful floral arrangements that were all grown by her fair hands, sustainably, in poly tunnels and fields about 10 minutes from where I lived. Because they were seasonal the arrangements were kinder to the environment and also held a losser form than some of the bouquets you see that are packed solid with roses and gypsophilia.
Anyway, enough waffle from me, here’s the lovely Susie…….
Your Name: Susie Ross
Your Business Name: Wivenhoe Flowers
What do you do? I’m a flower farmer and florist, growing sustainable flowers for gifts, weddings and funerals in the North Essex countryside.
What do you love about what you do? I love the feeling of delivering beautiful flowers which I’ve nurtured from tiny seeds, and that the flowers that I’ve grown help to create memories at really important moments of my customer’s lives.
How did you start out? I’ve always loved growing, but when I got my first allotment in 2020, the need to grow flowers turned into a full obsession, and soon I realised that I had more than I could fit in my house. At the same time, I became aware of the growing movement of British flower farming, and 2021 I found a field to rent. The rest is history!
What sets you apart from the rest? There’s a huge problem with sustainability in the floral industry. Nearly 90% of the flowers sold in this country are imported, with a giant carbon footprint, grown and transported with intensive use of pesticides and fungicides, and usually wrapped in plastic. My flowers are organically grown in a way which supports nature, and I specialise in flowers that have scent, movement and texture. I aim for my arrangements to look like they’ve been freshly gathered from a beautiful garden – because they have been!
What do you hate to see in the industry? Waste. When I work with wedding clients, I always suggest designs that can be easily taken home or given away to guests at the end of the event so that the flowers can be enjoyed for a long as possible. I also never, ever arrange using floral foam (which is a harmful micro plastic), and use containers which can be easily re-used or recycled. For my funeral work, I specialise in arrangements that are fully compostable, and also arrangements that are easy to divide up to be shared after the ceremony.
What do you love to see in the industry? I love it that weddings are often becoming smaller, more relaxed and led by the seasons. I offer DIY wedding flowers, or a combination of bouquets and buttonholes made by me with DIY flowers for other elements, and I absolutely love seeing the arrangements that my clients make with their families and the joy that they get from working with seasonal flowers.
What is your favourite venue type? I absolutely love a relaxed barn venue, or somewhere with a lot of beautiful outside space. Did you know there is a huge chestnut tree in Essex which is licensed for wedding ceremonies? That’s perfect! I also really love a smaller wedding which is hosted at a restaurant – the couple and the guests can all properly relax and just enjoy time together, and the flowers can really elevate the space into feeling special.
Who is your ideal client? My ideal client is one who is happy to embrace the best of the season for their flowers – I love to be given a colour palette (or even better, a steer on the vibe) and being able to delight my client with flowers that they won’t have seen on a Pinterest board. For example, peonies have only a very short season, but for flowers with gorgeous ruffled peony energy, how about a huge double tulip in Spring, or incredible dahlias in summer and autumn?
For my funeral work, I love to make tributes which reflect the person’s love of their garden, or of nature, and I can even include special flowers cut from a family garden in the arrangements.
What causes do you contribute towards or believe in? I’m a huge advocate of sustainable growing practices – I grow without the use of peat, and I teach cut flower growing to a small group each year where we learn how to grow flowers from seed using only organic methods. I’m also a member of the Farewell Flowers Directory, which is a network of florists who are committed to sustainability in funeral work.
What awards or accolades do you have? I was a finalist in the Muddy Stilettos Awards for Essex this year.
Why do you love working with Celebrants? I love weddings (and funerals) which are a beautiful reflection of the individuals, where the planning is a joyful rather than stressful experience without the pressure to conform to a template. I love that celebrants play such an important part in bringing that joy to the planning as well as the day itself. My recommendation is Shelley Bell Celebrant http://shelleybell.co.uk\
How can people get in touch with you? You can find me at https://www.wivenhoeflowers.co.uk/, and to see what’s happening at the flower field I’m always popping up on Instagram @wivenhoeflowers
If you want to treat yourself to a bunch of Susie’s flowers you can find them at Skylark Social in Ardleigh most weekends or you can order a bouquet from her website.
