Cornish Dried Flowers creates enduring, sustainable arrangements by harvesting blooms directly from the garden. Pat Harvey and Andy grow their own cut flowers on their property between Truro and Newquay. The business officially launched in 2023, but the couple has lived at the site for over 40 years and cultivated the land for much longer.
The location presents specific challenges. Situated around five miles from the coast, the property contends with powerful Atlantic weather systems. Pat describes the wind as lethal, often requiring emergency staking for vulnerable plants like larkspur. Rabbits, weasels, and buzzards also pose threats, but slugs remain the greatest enemy. One particularly bad year required so much beer to fill slug traps that the whole garden smelled like a brewery.
Despite these hurdles, the couple speaks about the process with affection. Seed ordering begins towards the end of each year, with many flowers beginning their journey in the autumn for a spring harvest. Andy loves sowing seed, viewing it as a time full of hope for the future. However, not every crop is successful. Ageratum continues to be a challenge, often leading to a few swear words in the greenhouse.
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The drying process remains remarkably low-tech and hands-on. Flowers are usually harvested just before fully opening. They are gathered into bunches and hung upside down throughout the kitchen before being transferred to the studio. The kitchen fills with rows of drying stems, creating a temporary display of colour. Pat’s artistic background informs the arrangements themselves. A lifelong painter, she approaches bouquets instinctively, balancing colour, scale, and texture much as she might a canvas.
Weddings are a major part of the business, with brides often keeping the bouquets for years afterwards. The brides love the idea that the flowers are grown locally and sustainable, giving the arrangements a sentimental value that fresh flowers cannot match. The couple refuses to dye any of their flowers, believing the natural palette is already glorious. Almost everything they use is grown on site, with roses occasionally brought in only because they cannot yet grow enough of them.
For all its beauty, dried flower farming is physically demanding. Both Pat and Andy speak candidly about exhaustion, health struggles, and hours spent watering seedlings by hand during dry spells. Yet there is also joy in the rhythm of sowing, growing, harvesting, and preserving flowers that would otherwise disappear with the season.
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Instagram has played a significant role in the business’s rapid growth. Despite Pat claiming to loathe social media, their children encouraged them to go online, helping with photography and digital promotion. Today, much of the business arrives through online enquiries and word-of-mouth recommendations. The couple remains exhausted by the end of each day, yet they continue the work because they love it.
Sustainability guides the entire operation, ensuring that every bloom serves a purpose. Pat and Andy produce arrangements that last for years, allowing people to enjoy natural beauty long after the season has passed. Their dedication to low-tech methods ensures that the art of dried flowers remains accessible and grounded.
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