May is a busy month for gardening lovers. With both ‘World Bee Day’ and ‘No Mow May’ taking place, it’s a great time to introduce my very own eco-friendly and sustainble plantable card business – Blooming Heck.
A concept designed to help pollinators and wildlife thrive, this project has been my second baby since lockdown happened. I’ve poured hundreds of hours into this eco-friendly project, born out of the darkness that was Covid 19. Back in 2020, I had this vision of starting my own plantable card business and from this idea grew my own business – Blooming Heck. Based in Birmingham, I’m on a mission to revolutionise the way we give and receive greeting cards. Proud to be featured in the Birmingham Museum, alongside various shops, schools and independents across the UK, there’s so much ground still left to cover.
Don’t throw it – grow it!
Whether it’s a birthday, a special occasion, or even an ‘I’m thinking of you’ moment – Blooming Heck has reinvented the way we send messages to loved ones. In the UK, an average of 900 million birthday and greetings cards are sent each year, many ending up being stuffed in a drawer – or end up in landfill.
Promoting a range of innovative designs, Blooming Heck thrives on digging deep and showcasing a relatively new concept – cards that can be planted and grow into flowers. Being a 100% plastic free project, I use recycled envelopes and compostable vegetable starch cellophane bags. In using recycled paper to further promote the eco-friendly message, Blooming Heck is also proud to introduce a selection of plantable envelopes and seeded notepads. The collection continues to grow each month and I’m delighted to work with UK-based illustrator, Kim Newman who creates a flourish of bespoke designs.
So how does it actually work?
Embedded in every single bit of paper are hundreds of wildflower seeds. Once the cards have been bought, messages can be written inside. Once gifted, they can then be torn up and planted indoors or outdoors to create a bloom of gorgeous wildflowers. Seeds range from lavender, corn poppy to wild chamomile and will flourish particularly well in the spring and summer months. For ease, each card has planting instructions on the back.
Attending Attic Brew’s Spring Market
The ideal place for a spot of ethical shopping – Blooming Heck UK is super proud to have attended Attic Brew’s craft Market in Stirchley on Sunday 15 May. Proud to be included alongside a host of brilliant, local independent businesses – the day allowed me to showcase what Blooming Heck has to offer during such an important time for eco-projects, sustainability and climate change. After spending much of the COVID lockdown in my back garden with a newborn, the pandemic made me reassess the way I think about sending messages to loved ones and I’m hoping people will continue to love and support this new sustainable project with me.
Creating a buzz on World Bee Day 2022
An important date for the diary, World Bee Day takes place on Friday 20th May, coinciding with No Mow May. This year I’m creating a buzz with BloomLocal to showcase how we can praise our pollinators. Be sure to read their post as they have some pretty mind-blowing facts about the importance of bees. In the UK alone, the crop value is worth over £691 million a year. Bees work hard pollinate this, alongside other sources of wildlife. It would cost us more than £1.8 billion pound to employ humans to do the same job…
BloomLocal supports a network of local florists selling flowers, bouquets and floral arrangements – with the added bonus of being delivered on the same day. They support professionally trained florists, creative floral designers and customer service operatives. Catering to all budgets, you’ll never need to compromise on quality.
About Blooming Heck UK
Blooming Heck is an eco-friendly and zero-waste range of plantable greeting cards. Made in Birmingham, the cards are handmade and feature the work of a local illustrator. The full range can be found at bloomingheck.com and are also stocked in a range of local independent retailers, eateries and schools. Review samples are available. Email me: [email protected] for more information.