We set up Hay Lane Flower Farm on a 3 acre site in the middle of a large arable farm in Stagsden, Bedfordshire. My parents ran a flower and plant nursery and florists shop. I worked with them when my children were small. Above all other jobs I loved cutting the flowers in the field, especially the dahlias. When my children were school age I returned to full time work in the city, however I always dreamed of being able to set up my own flower farming business. In 2017 my husband and I decided that the time was right. We rotovated up land that had previously had sheep on it, tentatively planted a few cosmos, cornflower, zinnia and larkspur, and put buckets full of flowers out on the side of the road. And people bought them! I will be forever grateful for the enthusiasm shown for our flowers by our customers that year as it gave me the courage to give up my day job and follow my heart to become a full time flower farmer.
Hay Lane Flowers 
Well done Jane, haven’t you done well ! Congratulations & good luck, wish we lived nearer. Best wishes for this year, Jean & Francis.
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Thanks Jean, I can’t have believe how quickly the business has grown, I remember talking with Francis years ago about how I would have loved to work on the land like he did and now I am. It’s not that different to how growing veg would have been in the good old days of market gardeners – local, fresh and high quality produce, the result of backbreaking hard labour but something to be proud of and I get to work surrounded by nature most days!
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