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Our Story
Working aloft in the Market Gardens
The Beginning
It has been widely documented, 'The Valley' has always been blessed with a favourable climate. Over 200years a go the 1st Paddle steamers started to take pleasure tours up & down the River Tamar usually stopping on the way to eat the finest early strawberries, cherries or buy fresh flowers from the quaysides. Not to miss an opportunity, Market Gardeners were the kings of harmony & interplanted a whole array of tree, fruit & flowers in as tight valley plots as usable space has always been at a premium which quickly resulted in its moniker the 'Valleys of Blossoms'. This area became so iconic that when the Victorian author Rachel Evans toured the region she labeled this area a “Devonshire Paradise” & the Cornish village of Landulph ‘Little Japan’ as it was so cloaked in cherry blossoms every spring. By 1846, local farmers started to rent out their prized orchards to ‘Regrators’ (fruit sellers) for a few months short-term seasonal tenancies at £90 - being well over £8,000 in today’s money. Which was quite a sum when you realise at this time most of the produce was sent with great hardship either across the tidal fords at Maristow, Calstock & Egypt or by Tamar Sailing Barge before it could reach the lucrative markets of Plymouth, London & beyond.
Sailing times from Plymouth as Published in the Famous Blacks Tourist Guide of 1874.
Daffodil Fever
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1880 Septimus Jackson of Clamoak Farm finds a particularly fine, highly scented, pure ivory double narcissi growing in the hedgerow near his farmhouse. He sent these to Covent Garden & an industry was born. In June 1890 the opening of Railway stations at Bere Ferrers, Bere Alston & Tamerton Foliot meant that the valley now was connected to the UK’s Mainline service & thus the perishable fruit / flower business boomed. The 2 world wars had an immense toll on the Tamar valley. It was decreed that all Flower production was to cease with immediate affect & every patch of land would be under strictly food production only. The Market Gardeners delicately lifted their bulbs & stored them in the local steep hedgerow banks until peace was declared. They did this so well at hiding their narcissi that it was noted by 1954 over 100 varieties had been successfully relocated & were happily growing in their original market plots once more. Seeing a sheer abundance of narcissi & the impending shift in the market, the Du Plessis Brothers at Landulph started their specialised narcissi breeding programme, which when they finished in 1990, resulted in several hundred new varieties being registered. Some of them such as "Tamar Fire', 'Kingsmill', 'Haye' & 'Bere Ferrers' named after the valleys famous growing regions. Keep a look out as some of these varieties make it into our prized postal bunches every year.
Gathering Narcissi in a Valley Market Garden. Note the Agro-forestry at work ~ Narcissi interplanted with the Orchard Fruit trees.
Tamar Valley Flower Boxes waiting for the Steam Train Rail Vans at Calstock Station 1955
Heritage Fruit varieties now available as Scion so you can grow them in your garden.
Tamar Valley Flowers sent in Letterbox Parcels making them even more accessible
Modern Day
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As with most of the UK, post war pressures from cheap imports & over reliance on synthetic fertilisers in new 'modern' agricultural practices means now only a very few now have heard of our historically unchanged beautiful cherries or exquisite market flowers. Take our scented Narcissi for example, we don't spray are flowers or use inorganic fertiliser, our packaging is 100% recyclable & we use a local workforce. We may be a bit biased but after nearly 200 years we think Tamar Valley fruit & flowers are the best! From the simple joy our beautifully scented narcissi bring as an heartfelt gift or how they brightening up any dull, drab winters day we really think our cheery flowers really are something special - surely everyone deserves a bunch of sunshine in their lives? We have also started stocking carefully chosen gifts manly sourced from our creative local small business which as you will see are perfect for any budding Market Gardener.
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If you are a Florist, wholesaler or just love historical daffodils we are alway happy to post anywhere within the UK, just contact us on the form below & soon you'll be breathing in the scent of the valleys yourself. But be quick as we only can send you them from New Years to Easter each year!
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Scion wood is posted from Feb to March each year only. Whole Fruit available by request.
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