Back to the land

Having traded London life for regenerative farming in Cornwall, Florence and James Kennedy are taking their flower company Petalon to new heights

- EMMA INGLIS

When Florence and James Kennedy first saw the Cornwall farmhouse that would become their new home and base for their business Petalon, it looked like something out of Matilda. "Like Miss Honey's cottage, falling down but still heavenly," says Florence. "Loads of aquilegias, wisteria and Barbie-pink roses. It was beautiful, and it just needed love." From that moment, something enduring took root: not just a life among flowers, but a hard-won education in soil, seasons and sustainability.

The genesis of Petalon is impossible to resist. It was launched in 2014 by Florence as a flower-by-bicycle delivery service from her home in London's East End.

With no formal floristry training, a handcrafted bike built by her husband, and a belief that flowers could be both elegant and accessible, the business model was charmingly simple. Two new bouquet designs each week - one bold, one soft - delivered by bicycle across the city.

But when the pandemic hit, and the couple decided to relocate to Cornwall with their two young children, there was a shift. "We couldn't move to Cornwall and not have a go at growing flowers," says Florence. And so, Petalon expanded from hand-tied bouquets to regenerative farming. Now spanning 85 acres, Petalon is home to more than 200 flower beds across five acres, all grown and harvested without synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or artificial heat.