Meet Liv Carter- from Stowford Flowers
Meet Liv Carter of Stowford Flowers -grower of British flowers & Honesty stall holder in the beautiful East Devon countryside.
My photographs in this journal post are from a recent visit to the field and farm in East Devon on a beautiful summer’s evening in golden hour. There is a really lovely interview with Liv for you to enjoy reading too xx
Can you tell us a little bit about you?
I’m Liv, a self-taught Flower Grower and Florist. Located in East Devon, between picture- perfect villages and the terracotta cliffs of Budleigh Salterton, sits Stowford Farm - a very special place for me and my family. Not only is it our farm and home, it is now my workplace. I grow my own beautiful British blooms here on the farm, and then retreat to my Flower studio - The Old Dairy - to transform the stems into wild, natural bouquets that bring people a little slice of joy. I have established a loyal and very lovely set of local customers who receive my bouquet subscription service, trust me to create their wedding flowers and attend various flower based workshops at the farm which I run. Working in nature and making people happy with my flowers is not only my job, but something that brings me pure joy, there is truly nothing better.
Your flower field is in the beautiful East Devon countryside. What inspired you to start growing flowers, and have you always loved growing things?
I’ve only been growing for three years. It was during lockdown when I discovered seeds. My parents have a vegetable patch at the bottom of the garden which they’ve always taken such care of, and sort of out of nowhere, I ended up spending all of my time there. I quickly became fascinated with the growing process, nurturing tiny seedlings, potting them on and planting them out into the patch. My mum was given a greenhouse by neighbours down the lane, and I just remember thinking that I couldn’t wait to start filling the shelves with tiny vegetable plants! I soon discovered growing flowers, and that was it – I was hooked! It was definitely my parents who inspired me to start growing, without their love for plants and the outdoors, I’m sure I wouldn’t have become as interested in it.
In Liv’s flower studio- a vase of freshly picked cosmos flowers, lavender & mint from the field.
How do you plan what to grow in your flower field seasonally?
I had quickly outgrown my mum’s greenhouse (thanks mum!) and remember saying to my parents that I thought a polytunnel would be great for growing lots of flowers in. A couple of months later, we had built a second-hand polytunnel, nestled in between a haybarn and the bottom of our grass field. As I stood inside this empty 60ft long tunnel, my parents asked me“out of curiosity” what I was planning on growing in here; my answer, “ I have no idea.” And it was true, I had no idea and absolutely no experience. I’ve never been a planner or a note-taker, so my first year, before my business properly got going, I totally just embraced the “winging it” effect and luckily, ended up with a lot flowers. Three years later, there isn’t a spare bit of soil in the tunnel or field, and now I grow everything from my own experience, I just know what needs going in the soil and when. I plan it all in my head!
Bunches of freshly cut flowers drying in Liv’s flower studio.
What flowers do you love growing most in Spring and in Summer?
I love all flowers in Spring, it’s definitely my favourite time of the season. To see everything bursting into life, the feeling never gets old. I love Spring bulbs the most, double frilly tulips, alliums that multiple every year, ranunculus – known as the spring rose. Also my biennial plants, like Hesperis, and Digitalis. I plant these out in the field in autumn, where they grow slowly over winter. These plants spent weeks being frozen last winter, and come spring, they are flowering so much! It always amazes me how much our plants put up with. My summer flower has to be a Cosmos, if I could grow just a field of these I would be more than happy!
Cornflowers in the flower field.
What do you love most about your flower field?
How I notice something new each time I am there. Also the joy that my family and friends get from it.
I love your flower studio in the converted milking parlour- what do you love most about your studio space?
I love how much character it has. It still has lots of old quirks, like the pump machine that would go into the milk tank, and the steps which the cows would stand up onto to be milked. The heavy sliding door where my Dad would stand to call the cows in by name. The parlour was built back in the 60’s and has seen hundreds of cows through its doors over the years. We all loved the cows so much. After many, many years in the dairy industry, my dad now focuses on the arable side of farming… and so, The Old Dairy is used for something slightly different these days!
Evening light in the flower field.
Strawflowers & Dahlias in the flower field.
I think you have created one of the loveliest Honesty Sheds I have seen in the West Country! Gorgeous bunches of seasonal flowers, seasonal veg along with tea & cake, somewhere to sit and enjoy the countryside views for customers too! What made you think of offering this from the farm?
A lot of people discovered our little corner of East Devon during the Pandemic, looking for quieter places to go for their daily walks and I guess people realised how lovely (and peaceful!) it is here. I started putting little flower posies at the farm gate, and walkers/cyclists were picking them up each day. We have quite a few empty barns on the farm, so I thought it could be nice to turn one of our old farrowing houses into a flower shed for passers by to pick up a bunch to take home. I then had an idea to put a kettle, and a mini fridge with milk and teabags there too. I’ve always loved honesty stands, and know how much I would love to come across one like mine on a walk in the middle of nowhere!
Liv picking flowers in the evening sunshine.
Do you have any top tips for growing flowers for beginners?
Patience! When I first started growing flowers, I was so desperate for quick germination and became really addicted on checking them every day, looking out for that first tiny little shoot popping up out of the soil. I’ve learnt now, that nature does it’s own thing, and you can’t rush it - they’ll flower when they want to and the wait is always so worth it.
What plans do you have for the future of Stowford Flowers?
I don’t have too many plans at the moment. Just to take each day and to remain working the way I am. I’m really happy with the way things are going; I’m learning every day, whether it’s growing related, or the “admin” side of actually running a business.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I’m normally up around 6ish most days, throw on my work gear and get outside straight away. I instantly feel better for getting out into the fresh air. I normally start off by cutting flowers. If I’m cutting for weddings, I could be out in the field for up to two hours just cutting buckets of blooms. I will then water all my plants and seedlings – no matter the time of year, there’s always something growing - I don’t have irrigation systems in place, so I water everything with a hosepipe or watering cans, which is very time consuming! I may then do a couple of local bouquet deliveries to villages close by, I never like to drive too far. Checking on the seedlings, and some pricking out, potting on, or planting will happen most days. Weeding and staking plants and just generally keeping on top of things in the field too. If it’s a Thursday/Friday during summer, I will most likely be in my studio prepping and creating wedding flowers, getting ready to go to the venue to set up for that weekend’s wedding. There’s never a quiet time on the farm!
Honesty shed scenes at Stowford Flowers.
A huge thank you to Liv for this interview and for our shared love of flowers and the beautiful East Devon countryside xx
You can find out all about Stowford Flowers on Liv’s website https://www.stowfordflowers.co.uk