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MEET OURGROWERS

Poplar Flowers

At Flying Flowers, we’re proud to bring you beautiful British-grown flowers throughout the year. Many of our tulips, sunflowers, gladioli and lilies begin their journey at Poplar Farm, one of the UK’s leading flower growers, based in the heart of the Lincolnshire countryside.

Working closely with our trusted flower supplier MM Flowers, the passionate team at Poplar Farm grows over 105 million tulips every year, alongside millions of other seasonal blooms. Led by experienced growers including Rob and Lawrence, every flower is grown with care, combining generations of horticultural knowledge with innovative growing techniques and a genuine commitment to British farming. From bud to bloom, every stem is nurtured with pride before making its way into bouquets that brighten homes across the UK.

We want to grow our flowers here in Britain, on British soil, because that’s what we’re passionate about. Every season brings something different, and that’s what makes flowers so special. You look forward to sunflower season, then before you know it, it’s tulip season again. We should celebrate flowers when they’re at their very best. If you look after people, do the right thing and care for the land, the money will follow. That’s how we’ve always believed this business should be run.

Rob

Where It All Began

Like many great British businesses, Poplar Farm started with a simple idea and a lot of hard work.

Back in the 1960s, Fred Ellis established the business with little more than an old packing house and a handful of growing tunnels. Sweet Williams were among his favourite flowers and quickly became one of the farm’s signature crops.

When Andrew Ellis took over from his father, he saw an opportunity to take the business even further. In 1998, the first modern glasshouse was built, allowing the farm to expand its tulip production and invest in the future.

Over the following decades, more glasshouses were added, new crops introduced and growing techniques evolved. What began as a small family farm has grown into one of the UK’s leading flower growers, while still holding onto the values it was built on.

More Than 100 Million Reasons To Smile

Yes, you read that right!

Every year, Poplar Farm grows more than 105 million tulips, making spring one of the busiest (and most colourful!) times on the farm… but tulips are just the beginning.

Throughout the year you’ll also find:

Lilies
Sunflowers
Gladioli
Peonies
Tulips
Seasonal trial crops

Sunflowers, gladioli and peonies are grown outside in their local fields. Tulips & lilies need a carefully controlled glasshouse environment to flourish and produce stems at volume to satisfy the customer growing demand for British flowers. The team loves the changing seasons and believes flowers should be celebrated when they’re naturally at their very best. After all, isn’t there something exciting about waiting for sunflower season to return?

Every Season Tells A Different Story

If you asked Rob, one of Poplar Farm’s growers, he’d tell you that flowers shouldn’t always be available all year round.

Instead, he believes every season should have its own stars. Spring belongs to tulips, while summer is all about sunflowers and gladioli.

Behind every beautiful bloom is a huge team effort, with over 200 people working at Poplar Farm during their busiest seasons to help grow, pick and prepare the flowers that bring colour into our homes. During sunflower season, the day starts as early as 4:30am, with every stem handpicked in all weathers to ensure it reaches your home at its freshest. From field to doorstep in under 48 hours, it’s all part of the care and dedication that goes into every bouquet.

Each crop has its moment to shine, and that’s exactly what makes them so special. It’s a lovely reminder that nature doesn’t work to a calendar… it works to the seasons.

Growing Smarter Every Year

Growing flowers isn’t simply planting bulbs and hoping for the best.

At Poplar Farm, technology works hand in hand with years of growing experience. Weather stations sit on top of the glasshouses, constantly monitoring conditions. An app allows the team to control temperature, irrigation and ventilation in the glasshouses, helping create the perfect environment for each crop. Alongside modern technology, there’s also plenty of trial and error.

Whether it’s experimenting with new soil and automated technology, testing different varieties or finding better ways to grow lilies, the team is always looking for ways to improve. Because when it comes to growing beautiful flowers, every little detail matters.

Looking After The Land

For Rob, growing flowers is about much more than producing beautiful stems. It’s about leaving the land in a better place than you found it for future generations.

Across the farm you’ll find solar panels, ongoing work to support pollinators, water recycling projects and continual efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. But one of the biggest priorities is something you can’t always see – the soil beneath every flower.

Poplar Farm works closely with neighbouring farmers to maintain healthy soil through carefully planned crop rotation, with planting schedules mapped out up to two years in advance. This long-term approach helps protect the land, improve soil health and ensure each crop has the best possible conditions to thrive.

For their undercover hydroponic tulips and tray-grown lilies, sustainability continues indoors too. The growing media is constantly recycled through a circular system, while Rob and the team are always trialling new ways to improve and naturally enrich growing conditions, helping every stem bloom to its full potential.

As Rob puts it:
“If you look after people, do the right thing and care for the land, the money will follow.”

It’s a simple philosophy, but one that runs through everything the team does. From the way they care for their soil to the flowers they harvest each day, every decision is made with quality, sustainability and the future in mind.

The Perfect Moment To Pick

When it comes to sunflowers, timing is everything.

At Poplar Farm, every sunflower is carefully handpicked at exactly the right stage, when the petals are just beginning to lift away from the flower head and show the first hints of yellow. Harvesting them at this precise moment means they’ll continue to open beautifully once they arrive with you, giving you the longest possible vase life while showcasing British sunflowers at their seasonal best.

While automation and machinery have helped increase efficiency across the farm, some things are still best done by hand. Every sunflower, lily and peony is individually checked and handpicked by a dedicated team, many of whom have been part of Poplar Farm for years. Their experience and attention to detail ensure that only the very best stems make it from the field to your home.

The team at Poplar Farm never stands still.

Plans are already underway for future developments, including new growing facilities, continued investment in sustainable technology and exploring even more British-grown flower varieties.

Because while the farm has grown enormously since the 1960s, one thing hasn’t changed… a passion for growing beautiful British flowers that people can enjoy in their homes, celebrate life’s biggest moments with, and share with the people they love.