Springfield Castle

Owned by the Sykes family, Springfield walled garden has been in existence since Victorian times and has been feeding the estate for generations. For the past twenty years, the garden has been sustainably-managed and is now tended by Daniel Sykes and his partner Emma.

Emma has joined forces with Betty Sykes to create a new space for sustainably grown flowers for commercial use. Emma, who comes from a social work and forensic psychology background, now studies organic horticulture and beekeeping and has been busy working on various horticultural projects in Springfield. Springfield also has bee houses and Emma is keen to reignite the wonder of beekeeping at the farm with the help of Jonathan Sykes and keeps the bees in mind when planning the gardens and flower farm, ensuring there are plenty of pollinators available all year round. Since Emma comes from a social work past, she also keeps the community in the forefront of her mind while planning ahead. Emma is keen to look into providing allotments in the community for the community and with the support of Dan, provide demonstrations in the magic of growing your own food and flowers and how this can be done regardless of your garden size. Following this, Emma and Dan would love to provide demos on how to prepare what you grow, be it food or flower arranging.

Until they can do this in person, the pair are currently working on a youtube channel to provide mini-workshops online which will be accessible to everyone. Emma’s true passion is passing on her skills and knowledge in a community setting and involving people in a holistic and therapeutic capacity. Emma has been growing and arranging flowers with Springfield commercially and has established herself in the locality as the go-to for unusual one-off bouquets.

Emma and the Sykes family are looking forward to building on a successful and vibrant business model and moving it forwards for future generations to come.