A Stockton-based florist has his grandad to thank after his Teesside plant business won a prestigious gold award at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Dave Morley, 39, has loved plants ever since early childhood and got involved from a young age with his family. His grandad owned a farm and greenhouses and he was “fascinated” by all the plants he was growing there.
Now, Dave runs the newly award-winning store The Plant Workshop alongside his husband Steve Vernon, a team of six passionate staff members - and springer spaniel Winston! They have three venues in Billingham, Northallerton and Fenwick, in Newcastle and have started a fragrance range with the candles Steve makes in their home studio.
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Dave said: “My grandad was a fantastic inspiration with the farm and the greenhouses. I was surrounded by everything he was growing. I was absolutely fascinated by all that.
“The houseplants came later and we realised how brilliant they are at changing a space. If you’ve not even got the budget to decorate, if you stick a few plants in the corner it can look great!”
When the Plant Workshop started during lockdown their mission was to bring positivity to peoples’ new home office spaces by delivering plants to their doorsteps. The winning display takes working from home to a whole new level with its wellness-boosting greenery and the team made sure that everything included was easy to look after and budget friendly.
The exhibition, which is part of the Houseplant Studios section of the Chelsea Flower Show, impressed the judges so much that the Teesside business has been asked to attend again next year. Dave put it together with Kirsty Emery and Meg Holtom from the Fenwick venue.
Dave said: “Winning a gold award was just incredible. I obviously rang my mam straight away and the whole team sat and just cuddled each other in this momentous moment.
“We’ve been told by a lot of people that it’s very rare to win gold on your first Chelsea visit. Next year, we’ll have to do something better!”
When working as a dietitian before the business was born, Dave adored making a difference to peoples’ lives and working with the elderly but felt that he needed a more creative outlet.
Now, he is doing both with the Plant Workshop’s delivery service and local shops attracting regulars.
Dave aims to make Billingham a community hub for people who are passionate about plants and elderly people who want a new hobby. He said: “The community around Billingham is brilliant.
“We get lots of elderly people in and we have a chat and I make them a coffee so I still get that great aspect of what I was doing as a dietitian. I love chatting with them about plants and talking about what’s going on in the world.
“We also get lots of really young people whose parents bring them in and get their first plants. It's a really useful life skill to have when you’re really young rather than wait until your 20’s, buy a few plants and end up killing them!
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