Celebrating 18 Years of Petal Perfection

Here at the flower farm, we're celebrating a very special birthday! On the 15th October 2023, we will be turning the sprightful age of 18! However, whilst Shropshire Petals is turning the sprightful age of eighteen, the Bubb family dates back much further, celebrating a full 75 years at Lynn South Farm.

Where Did it all Begin?

Back in 1948, the family began farming potatoes, sugar beet and cereals, alongside the rearing of their own dairy herd. John and Daisy worked tirelessly running the farm, but Daisy desired something with a little more zhuzh. So, in 1980, an avid gardener with a passion for flowers, she asked John for some land.

Shropshire Petals History

Within 5 years, Daisy – the famous Nanny Bubb – began selling dried flowers in Newport at The Women's Institute stand. After 15 years of keeping petals on the stems, Michael and Rose (the next generation of Bubbs) began to explore the idea of allowing the petals to fall off, creating the eco-friendly alternative of biodegradable confetti. And it worked! After a few more years of planning and experimenting, Shropshire Petals was born, with our first ever order for 4 litres of petal confetti.

It has been an incredible 18 years of growth. Starting with a team of 2, we now have over 30 full-time members of staff and 40+ workers in our summer team – all of whom return year after year to help with harvest.

2023 Team Photo

Shropshire Petals Milestones

Let's take a look at some of the milestones we have achieved along the way:

2006 – SP made debut with Countryfile on BBC One.
2007 – Attended our very first wedding show – 16 years on, we still love doing the shows and meeting so many of you!
2011 – The business was passed on to the next generation: Jim became the boss.
2012 – The year of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee didn't go amiss as SP provided confetti for local school children to throw in front of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We also provided a wheatsheaf for the royal hamper.
2012 – We provided wheat to Jane Packer, who created over 4800 bouquets for the Olympic and Paralympic games respectively.

Our British grown wheat

2013 – We enjoyed a visit from Country Homes & Interiors to talk all things diversification – how we pivoted to petals. Jim and Jess also took to the spotlight as they featured in a 6-part series on ITV called Off the Beaten Track.
2019 – 'Freddie Mercu-Bee' – our giant bee grown from the interwoven pattern of cornflowers – made its big debut on BBC and ITV, doing incredible work to promote sustainability.
2020 – The pandemic hit the wedding scene, seeing thousands of weddings postponed, so it was time to diversify again. As a team, we created a range of dried flower bouquet and DIY wreath products, all of which are still available to buy via our website today.

Our Flower Planting Robot

2022 – We introduced Florrie, our first delphinium planting and weeding robot, to the farm –she was put to work straight away!
2023 – Florrie was such a success that we couldn't resist adding another two robots into the Shropshire Petals family: she has now been joined by Hector and Gigi!

As we look back to see how far we've come, from humble beginnings into Britain's largest grower of petal confetti, we continue our commitment to research and development to ensure we offer you the highest quality of eco-friendly, biodegradable and inherently sustainable wedding confetti.