Flower Farming

Joe Crowley and Charlotte Smith are in Spalding, south Lincolnshire – the historic hub of Britain’s bulb and flower farming industry – to explore its rich heritage, learn about the economic changes growers have faced, and discover how a new generation of farmers is shaping the future of the UK's flower industry.

Charlotte meets James Lacey at his family farm to see how a UK favourite, the sunflower, is produced, picked and packed. James shares his love of high-tech harvesting, explaining how it is changing the way he farms, and Charlotte gets hands-on making a bouquet.

Joe joins Hannah Benson, a young grower, as she delivers hand-cut blooms to the UK’s oldest flower auction, and he meets Nicholas Watts, who stumbled into bird seed farming through his love of flowers and protecting wild birds.

Tom Heap exclusively reveals a groundbreaking study using flower chemicals in feed that could dramatically reduce livestock methane emissions and help save the planet, while Adam Henson discovers how planting trees in arable fields can revolutionise a small farm's income while improving soil health and the area’s biodiversity.