In the second in our series about growers, we meet Jo Munson from the very famous Smith and Munson, based in Lincolnshire and growing absolutely delicious tulip varieties and lilies mainly, but also expanding into other varieties in recent times. I was lucky enough to visit the nursery to see the way in which they grow as sustainably as possible and marvel at the huge variety of lilies.
Tell us about yourself and your growing journey, how long have you been growing, why did you start, any family history of growing/floristry that kind of thing.
Thank you, yes, I married into the business. I cannot take credit for growing any of the flowers, the boys do that! We are a family business and a great team. I just love the marketing side of the business, the styling, the branding, just love it. I am very creative and have found a niche in the business that I love. As a business, we are fifth generation growers, we have growing in our blood; Edward is now taking on the business and taking it forward with new technology and how we operate.
What are your top three favourites to grow and why?
Our main crop is tulips, all types and varieties; from single to doubles, parrot tulips, fringed tulips, crown tulips – we have an amazing selection across the season. Our second main crop is lilies, we grow oriental trumpets (OT), Orientals, LA lilies and of course, the ever more popular pollen-free Roselilies, loved by all. Next year is very exciting for us as we will be able to offer our first peony harvest, we have selected seven beautiful premium varieties of pink and white that will be in crop in May and June.
Tell us where you grow and a little bit about the area, soil type, weather conditions, what makes your patch great or not. Do you grow outside, inside, both?
So, the tulips are grown on water, hydroponically, it’s amazing and very quick. The bulbs are planted through the season to a programme, so we have a full selection of colours and the right volumes weekly. It is a very clean and efficient way of growing and allows us to grow a lot of tulips in a small area. Tulips are not a hot house crop, we use low heat, mainly to control humidity to avoid any problems like disease and means we do not need to use any pesticides on our tulips.
Lilies grow through the summer and autumn months and finish by December. These are the best months for lilies as little heat is needed for them and the natural light levels are higher. We have solar panels on our buildings and biomass boilers for heat, we also have a reservoir for all run-off rainwater from the glasshouses and sheds that we then use to irrigate our flowers. The soil in our area is some of the best in the country; this is why south Lincolnshire is traditionally popular for flower growing. Our silty soil is perfect for so many types of flowers and why we have recently decided to grow more outdoor seasonal flowers.
Are there things you grew this year that you may not next year and are there things you would grow more of or maybe things you would like to try?
The tulip and lily seasons work well in tandem together in the glasshouses so we will keep these going and keep adding new and exciting varieties. Two years ago, we planted a few acres of outdoor flowers, mainly peonies and perennials, these take 2-3 years to establish, so we have an exciting 2025 ahead of us to offer a wonderful selection. Our next aim is to add more foliage to our range too. We are always proud to only ever sell flowers that we have grown ourselves so we cannot wait to expand our range for our customers.
Explain how you sell to florists e.g. can they choose their colours, do you have a minimum spend, how much notice do you need?
So, it is very easy to buy from us as a florist. You need to complete the wholesale account questionnaire to create a wholesale account. Once accepted, we will send you an account log in, you can order from our wholesale page. Flowers are sent with DPD next day by noon, orders must be placed by 10am the day before. Flowers are delivered Tuesday to Friday. For peak periods we offer a pre-order system and our prices are fixed, so you can easily budget through the season. We have a very friendly customer service team and will go above and beyond where we can. Signing up to a wholesale account, you will join our mailing list and so never miss out on any Smith & Munson news or offers!
How can florists contact you or get flowers from you?
Instagram/Facebook @smithandmunson.com
Website https://www.smithandmunson.com/
Contact us at hello@smithandmunson.com
All enquiries welcome, we are a friendly bunch!
Viv Bradford trained in West Germany in the late 1980s before returning to the UK, where she has pursued many roles in the industry from running retail premises, teaching floristry, working in wholesale, business coaching florists and running an award-winning studio florist specialising in weddings.
Viv also created and runs Facebook group The Floristry Geek for students and those new to the industry, which concentrates on educational content.
