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Media Contact: Christine Kelleher
800-232-9557   ckelleher@bloomsofbressingham.com

Blooms Fact Sheet

At age 13, Alan Bloom began working in local nurseries in England. At 20, he started his own nursery in Cambridge.

After World War II, Alan Bloom moved to Bressingham, England, where he began what is now Blooms of Bressingham.

In the early 1950s, many of his first introductions were named after his children: Heucherella ‘Bridget Bloom’ and Echinacea ‘Robert Bloom.’

Many other innovative varieties followed, including the well-known ’Achillea ‘Moonshine’ and ‘Anthea’, Astilbe ‘Sprite’ (Perennial Plant of the Year in 1994), Campanula ‘Blue Waterfall,’ Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, Heuchera ‘Bressingham Bronze’, Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (Perennial Plant of the Year for 2008), and Leucanthemum ‘Snowcap’.

From 1955 to 1962, Alan began to breed shorter, dwarf perennials that broke the boundaries of garden borders. It was during this time that he created his Dell Garden and its famous “Island Beds,” which placed taller perennials in the middle and shorter varieties at the edge (a break through innovation at this time), using more than 5,000 species of plants.

Sons Adrian and Robert Bloom joined the family business in 1962, Robert working on the farm and Adrian adding conifers and heathers to production. In 1964 a retail plant centre and mail order business were added with innovative marketing and branding activities. In the UK today, Blooms of Bressingham Plant Centres continue to grow and modernize.

In succeeding years, Adrian carried on the tradition of breeding and selecting garden worthy plants. He also created Foggy Bottom, a premier garden featuring trees, conifers and shrubs that provide a backdrop to perennials and ornamental grasses with emphasis on color across all seasons of the year.

To demonstrate the potential of perennials to both institutions and homeowners, as of August, 2007, Adrian will have planned and planted five large scale garden installations in North America, as well as six front garden makeovers at private homes.

Blooms of Bressingham continues the Blooms family tradition, working with breeders around the world to bring garden worthy plants to market and innovative ideas to inspire gardeners internationally.

For more information, contact Christine Kelleher, ckelleher@bloomsofbressingham.com or Gary Doerr, grdoerr@bloomsofbressingham.com.