A year in the trade

This time last year we were starting out on our first year of trading. What a year it was! I feel more prepared going into this new growing season for the challenges which lay ahead. Growing plants for a living is an amazing job, and for someone like me who started out on this path to fulfil my passion for plants it allows me to indulge that passion and try to make a living at the same time...

It's not as idyllic as it may sound though, as anyone that runs a nursery will tell you there is seldom a spare minute to stop and enjoy the plants you are growing. Add to that the fact you spend a lot of time doing paperwork and menial tasks and I guess the reality of running your own business becomes clear.That said I can't imagine being employed by someone else again and I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life! 

Eryngium x zabelii 'Jos Eijking'

We attended quite a few plant fairs last year and met some great people on our travels. Our plants and ethos were well received by most and the quality of our plants hopefully shone through. My favourite fair had to be at Yarlington House in Somerset, it's a very well attended fair and had a real buzz. Plant Fairs are a great way for people that love plants to find unusual treasure that are hard to get, all the nurseries offer great quality plants and the prices are very reasonable in comparison to your local garden centre.

Our display at Chettle House in Dorset 2013.

After a few years work at the nursery site I am finally starting to see my vision become a reality. Things are much more organised now and all the little parts are fitting into place nicely. I will post some progress pics of what we have been doing soon, for now here is one of our new labels. All the descriptions written by yours truly, It's a hard task trying to fit all the information about a plant into a few little lines but I think I'm getting there.

New labels!

Marley enjoying the polytunnel.

In the beginning...

Today marks a new chapter of my life. Not that I have decided to join the 21st century and start a blog! But setting out on a new journey to start our plant nursery.

It has been in the pipeline for a good few years now. I started out in horticulture 6 years ago at the tender age of 21 after gaining an apprenticeship with a local landscaping company. My horticultural journey has evolved in many ways since then. I went to Sparsholt College to gain a qualification in horticulture which was a good start from which to progress and develop.

After working for different gardening company's all over the south of England my passion for plants was developing and I knew I had to follow my dream of starting a nursery.
I gained a keen interest in naturalistic planting styles and observing plants in their natural habitats. Influenced by the work of great plantsman like Piet Oudolf, Noel Kingsbury and Neil Lucas I knew I was on the right track.

After months of searching we found a perfect site for Blooming Wild nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of North Dorset. We are renting a plot of land in an existing plant nursery, which has the added bonus of having two natural water sources.

We have done a lot of clearing work already and are looking forward to carrying on. This is our year to set up the nursery so we can have a full growing season next year.

This blog will be a place for us to share our experiences of setting up our business. We are expecting many highs and lows! Watch this space........

Here is a few pics to show you what we have been up to.

After a lot of elbow grease we got the site cleared.

Much more work to be done!