Stem Union is a collaborative venture with the mission to supply top-quality, seasonal British flowers—grown using organic principles—to local florists for events and retail. By streamlining sourcing, we reduce environmental impact, support British growers, and make local flowers more accessible to florists.
 

How Stem Union Works

Listing Flowers:

By 6:00 PM every Sunday, growers must upload available flowers and quantities to the website for the upcoming week. All flowers must be in excellent condition and suitable either for events or retail—orders (and relevant notes) will be indicated on your picking list. It is your responsibility to understand when and how to cut and condition for each use case.

Details Required:
Each listing must include:

  • Cultivar (variety)
  • Stem length
  • Colour (auto-filled where possible)

Please ensure all stems are cut to the specified length. Longer stems are acceptable, but consistency matters. Maximum stem length is to be no greater than [x cm] unless otherwise agreed with Hub admin (this is to ensure stems are not damaged in transit; arrangements will need to be made of neck support etc for longer stem lengths).

If your cultivar isn’t in the flower library, contact info@stem-union.co.uk to have it added.

Pricing:
You must independently set a fair wholesale price per stem. Undercutting is not permitted. If unsure, consult the Stem Union team or the growers' WhatsApp group. We're aiming to offer a premium product—and it should be priced accordingly.

Website Live for Florists:
The shop opens to florists at 7:00 PM every Sunday, so listings must be finalised by 6:00 PM. Late entries will not be accepted for that week.
 

Order Fulfilment

Picking Lists & Delivery:
If your flowers are sold, picking lists are available after 5:00 PM on Tuesday. Flowers must be:

  • Cut Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning
  • Delivered to Stem Union, CB21 6BS on Wednesday between 12:00 PM and 3.30 PM


Costs & Invoicing

There is an annual grower listing fee of £50 for the website. (We are waiving this fee for 2025, whilst we pilot the site. Payment will be due from April 2026). 

After successful collection with no quality issues, you can invoice Stem Union using your picking list.

After successful collection with no quality issues, you can invoice Stem Union using your picking list.

  • Deduct the 10% fee (contributing to website and operational costs).
  • If VAT registered, invoice for the full amount; you will receive an invoice for the 10% fee and be paid the net balance.


Flower Preparation Standards

Flowers must be grown without the use of chemicals-pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, we ask our growers to use best practice when considering single use plastics and growing with the environment in mind.

  • Bunches: Tie flowers in bunches of 10 per florist order (unless specified), using your assigned coloured twine. These may also be wrapped, at your discretion.
  • Phototropic flowers must be wrapped.
  • Remove: Any damaged leaves, petals, buds, or bugs, especially below the waterline.
  • Quality Check: Use best practice in cutting and conditioning stems (refer to best practice guide).  Double-check every stem. Triple-check against your picking list.
  • Group by order: to facilitate hub operations, group your flowers in bucket by order, not by variety.

Stem Union acts solely as an agent. You are fully responsible for the flowers you sell. Poor-quality flowers will be rejected. Consistent quality issues may result in your removal from the platform.


Grower deliveries to the Hub

Flowers are to be delivered to the Hub at Flourish farms, Hildersham, CB21 6BS on Wednesdays between 12:00 PM and 3:30 PM.

There is only 1 loading bay at the doors to the Hub flower room. If more than one grower arrives at the same time, they will have to wait in the car park until called, or walk their buckets round from there.

Children and dogs must stay in vehicles when in the loading/unloading bay. Flourish Farms is a busy site and the loading area is a tractor route. Use of the loading bay / car park is at “owners risk”.

Clean buckets will be provided for your deliveries.


Florist Rejections

If a florist rejects your flowers, they receive a full refund—including the admin fee. This cost will be charged back to you as the grower. Stems are not insured by Stem Union nor the courier service.


Incomplete Orders

If you cannot supply what you listed:

  • Offer an alternative
  • Coordinate with another grower
  • Notify the growers' WhatsApp group to see if others can help
  • Contact the florist to resolve directly

This is your responsibility - not Stem Union’s. Once a florist places an order, you are in a contractual obligation to deliver what you promised, in the condition promised.


Photography

We are building a photo library for all cultivars and colours for product images on the site. Contributions of images, especially for new/unusual cultivars, are encouraged to assist the admin team.


Minimum Orders

There is no minimum for supplying or purchasing flowers. Some weeks you may only sell a few bunches—consider this when uploading products. You can adjust your bunch size accordingly.

Growers may wish to collaborate with others nearby to consolidate deliveries and rotate drop-offs at Stem Union, Flourish Farms, Hildersham, CB21 6BS.

Contact 

By registering with Stem Union you are agreeing to us contacting you intermittently and when relevant via email and watsapp.


Registration & Compliance

By registering with Stem Union, you agree to these terms and the additional Terms & Conditions outlined on our website.

Thank you for supporting the movement for sustainable, local, British flowers.

For questions, contact: info@stem-union.co.uk

Stem Union reserves the right to remove any grower from the platform for failure to comply with these terms or for account inactivity exceeding six months.