Nicola
Founder
Grower/Florist
RHS Trained
The idea of ‘The Flower Tree’ began during the summer holidays when I spent life as a teacher in a primary school. My mum was a Florist and Horticulturist for nearly 20 years, so flowers have always been around me. These summer months allowed me to spend more time experimenting with the growing side of things. I’ve always loved being outside and feel my most comfortable when wearing waterproofs, wellies and kneeling in flowerbeds … so the rest is history really! Fast-forward 9 years (three children and one site move later), here we are growing a lot of flowers, nurturing a lot of plants and my dream has become a reality!
Bryony
Head Gardener/Grower
RHS Trained
Bryony came to us in 2021, looking to move away from working in environmental education to horticulture. Two years later Bryony is our Head Gardener/Grower and a key part of the team. She has a wealth of horticultural knowledge and is a dab hand with excel which has been a huge bonus in helping us plan the farm's future. Bryony shares her working week working at The Flower Tree and as a gardener at Cannington Walled Gardens.
Mel
Field Cafe &
Marketing Manager
Mel joined the team in 2023 to help us in our Field Cafe. Having worked in hospitality for several years, she is a real asset to The Flower Tree. Mel always goes the extra mile to make sure everyone’s visit is a special one. As well as managing the cafe, Mel also is the brains behind our Marketing and Social Media platforms. Mel has two beautiful children who keep her busy when she isn’t helping to keep us organised!
Sarah
Wedding Florist
Sarah retrained as a florist, after spending time in the fashion and arts industries. She set up her own floristry company Tilda Rose after completing here City and Guilds. Her work embraces the seasons, using locally grown flowers and she specialises in blending the wild with the more classical to create soft natural and romantic floral designs that are inspired by nature. Over the past 9 years Sarah has flowered over 250 weddings at some of the most beautiful venues in Somerset and beyond, including Hestercombe House, Crowcombe Court and Maunsel House. As well as her own work, Sarah freelances for other well known South West florists as she finds working with others invaluable, in terms of sharing knowledge, growth, gaining different experiences and most importantly having a good chin wag and laugh whilst creating. Outside of the flower world Sarah owns and runs The Shed café in Taunton with her daughter Tilly.
Lesley
Head of Propagation
RHS Trained
Lesley (aka Mum) is the queen of propagation. Having owned her own floristry business ‘The Garden Room’ for nearly 15 years and trained with the RHS in horticulture, my mum has been a large part of The Flower Tree since day one. There isn’t an idea that I have had that I haven’t consulted her first about; it has really been a joint effort (although she definitely prefers to stay in the backroom). The most green-fingered person I know, she is happiest in her greenhouses nurturing the seedlings we plant that go on to produce thousands of blooms each season. All the plug plants that we post she treats as her babies before they get sent off to new homes!
MEET THE TEAM
Peter
Head of Landscape/Planning
Maintenance (the list could go on)
Over Qualified
Without Peter (aka Dad) I would have wonky beds, polytunnels without doors, plants without irrigation, fields without rabbit fencing, a café without tables… the list goes on. You get the idea, there isn’t a job that Dad cannot or will not do. And when he does it, it is done to the highest quality. Spending all his working life as doctor.
Gracie
Assistant Grower
Gracie is currently in her last year of school and studying hard. She has been working at the plot for the last 2 seasons and is always on hand to help in the cafe or out in the field - our little saving grace around the place just always happy to help with any job at hand!
Chris
Head of Big Machines
Forester
Chris, my extremely supportive husband, is the one who drives the big machines when we need them. He is a very useful part of the team. I have to steal pockets of his time when I can, as he runs a his own forestry company during the week.
Freddie, Edith & Mabel
Head of Distraction
These little people don’t directly help with work at The Flower Tree as such, but they keep me present in the moment and life in perspective.