Celebrating the flower growers of Britain

We are a nation of farmers, of gardeners, of flower lovers, and our cut flower industry is worth more than two billion pounds a year. Photographer Tessa Bunney has been documenting the work of flower growers, and here we share some of her work to mark British Flowers Week..

Planting tulip bulbs

Flower farms were once a familiar feature of the British countryside and market gardeners grew flowers among their vegetables.

In the 1800s, larger farms sprang up as transport links improved and daily trains carried violets from Dawlish, snowdrops from Lincolnshire and narcissi from Cornwall.

Picking Narcissus

Flower production has always been linked to transport, and with the advent of planes came distance. Now we can have any flowers at any time of year, flown in from the Equator, or hothoused in vast Dutch greenhouses.

Picking a bunch of Ranunculus

Recently a number of smaller British flower farms have sprung up, fed by fresh interest in environmental sustainability and local seasonal produce. Tessa Bunney is working in collaboration with members of the non-profit organisation Flowers from the Farm to celebrate the domestic flower growers of Britain, past and present.

Foraging in North Yorkshire

Scabiosa stellate 'Ping Pong' seeds

Scabious in bloom

Picking dahlias

Preparing a bridal bouquet

FarmerFlorist by Tessa Bunney is on show at the Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole, North Yorkshire from 16 June to 15 July. British Flowers Week runs from 18 to 24 June.

See more work by photographer Tessa Bunney.