We see ourselves as a small local business trying to breakthrough in a big, competitive market. Using the flower shows as our shop front means we can sell Zantedeschia (also known as Calla) nationally, but still retain a very personal touch and relationship with our customers. We aim to grow high quality Zantedeschia plant suitable for the UK environment. – Matthew, Brighter Blooms
Matthew is the founder of the business and can be found at all the flower shows Brighter Blooms display at. He has been growing Zantedeschia for over 6 years now but has always been involved in horticulture, from a very young age he could often be found in the garden growing both flowers and vegetables.
He has a love of the outdoors and a job in horticulture seemed like the perfect way to enjoy that environment. Having worked for various nurseries and growing and selling his own plants during his teenage years he went on to university to study horticulture. After graduating he started work for a landscape company that were establishing a new nursery and one-stop landscape shop. During his 10 years working for this local nursery he gained much experience in many elements of horticulture including landscaping, shrubs and bedding plants.
The company went from strength to strength and acquired a flower bulb import and distribution business, which Matthew was put in charge of. This gave him the chance to develop an in depth knowledge of all things bulbous and a passion for Tulips started to develop. Using the experience gained in sourcing, storing and packing bulbs over those 10 years work Matthew deciding to go it alone and to establish Brighter Blooms in 2010. Initial setup to be an online bulb supplier he quickly decided that the Flower shows would be a great place to advertise the business.
After much research Zantedeschia (also known as Callas) was decided upon as a plant that little attention was paid to at the shows and Matthew started to grow and exhibit them for the first time at four flower shows in 2010. In 2015 he exhibited at 13 flower shows including Chelsea Flower Show for the second time where he was awarded an RHS Gold Medal for his display of Zantedeschia. Having shared for a year at a friend’s nursery it was time to find his own space and in July 2011 Walton Flats Nursery became the home of Brighter Blooms. We started with a green field and 3 glasshouses later we are still planning changes and improvements to the site. Exhibiting tulips at the nursery is one of our long term goals. One of the most important things for us is the expertise which we are happy to share with our customers. Hearing of our customers’ success stories is what keeps us going.
