About me – Nature's Posy

I’m Debbie Richards, founder of Nature’s Posy, a flower farm growing seasonal british flowers on the Cambridge/Essex border.

I’ve always loved gardening and for some time had been thinking about whether I could turn my hobby into something more.

And so in March 2019 with a vague plan and a leap of faith I left behind the office lifestyle and my career in Human Resources to set up a cutting garden/flower farm. The aim was simple; to supply seasonal and sustainable flowers to the local Cambridgeshire market. I want to bring real British flowers to people; flowers that smell like flowers, haven’t been sprayed with goodness knows what and haven’t travelled thousands of miles to get here!

In March 2020 I moved out of growing in my garden and onto my 1/2 acre flower field which is when the hard work really began! Gradually I created flower beds, sowed thousands of seeds and invested in perennial plants to turn the bare patches of dirt into a sea of colour. I even provided a home to some of the local wild hares!

My ethos

I grow in an eco-friendly way. This means encouraging natural predators such as birds and ladybirds to help with pest control and using natural fertilisers such as home-made compost, green manure or nettle tea. I use minimal plastic and where I do use it, for example in plant pots, I re-use and re-use. I’m completely no-foam in all of our floristry. You can read the Sustainability policy here.

I’m also an advocate of the mental health benefits of growing, giving and receiving flowers. I think that connecting with nature is so important for all of us to maintain our well-being. One of the reasons I chose the name ‘Nature’s Posy’ was as a reminder of this.

To keep up to date with the goings on at Nature’s Posy, you can follow me on Facebook or Instagram, or check in to the blog with news on what’s in season and some top tips for growing some of the flowers yourself!