A Brief History
The flowers were originally exported in bunches of 12 in full bloom. In the early days exports had to leave by ferry from the island of St Mary’s and small boats had to battle their way there from the smaller outlying islands in wintry conditions.
In spite of these difficulties, by the turn of the century, 30 or 40 tons of flowers were exported twice a week and the Great Western Railway had to build special carriages for the flowers. Each carriage held 2.5 tons, so at the height of season it took 16 trucks to take one load to London.
As demand grew, children were allowed a month off school in the busiest season to help prepare the flowers.
Nowadays, the Duchy of Cornwall who have owned the Isles of Scilly since the 14th Century, receives one narcissi annually from the local Wildlife Trust for the lease of all the unfarmed open headlands of Scilly.
Early Pioneers
In the late 19th century, Mr. William Trevellick of St Mary's sent a hatbox full of flowers to Covent Garden along with the artichokes and asparagus that he was already sending. Encouraged by his success, Trevellick was then often spotted scavenging for good quality bulbs and flowers around the island, and secreting them under his coat!
According to some, Thomas Algernon Dorrien-Smith of Tresco exported flowers before Trevellick and gave him the idea. An enthusiastic champion of the industry, Dorrien-Smith made many trips to the continent and to mainland growers to purchase rare and new varieties.