Blidworth gardener hoping new business blooms

Seb Meikle and his mother Jolanta, with some of their stock.

Seb Meikle has launched The Pot and Bloom Company, supplying bedding plants grown in a large polytunnel to people in and around the village.

He has the support of mum Jolanta, a graphic designer, his dad Steve, a tree surgeon, and younger sister Maddy.

The business is already helping people’s gardens to bloom, and has a popular following on social media.

Seb Meikle and his mum Jolanta, who have set up The Pot and Bloom Company.

Seb, who plans to go to university late his year to study electrical and electronic engineering, said: “We grew some seeds last year and they were really good so we thought about it as a business.

“We have plants people will know about, but also some more exotic ones that people may not know.

“Everything is grown naturally, and I think we bridge a gap between a garden centre and people just selling plants at the end of their garden.”

He says that he has become more and more interested in gardening, and classes it as his hobby.

Plants that the family business has grown include Calendula, geraniums, cosmos, nasturtiums, Nicotiana Cuba, and marigolds.

People can purchase plants in bundle sizes or as single plants/pots.

When people order flowers, the plants are then delivered to the buyer’s address, with no need to go to where they are grown, which is off Mansfield Road.

If Seb does go to university, he plans to try to create a watering system at home so that the plants can be watered automatically, cutting down on the time his family has to spend gardening.

Mum Jolanta said: “When we first planted seeds, it was exciting to watch them grow, so we thought we could look at making it a business. We seem to have helped fill a gap in the market and we’re pleased it’s becoming a success.”

The family says if it proves to be a success, they could look at acquiring a larger plot of land that might become a small garden centre, but this was something that was some time in the future.