4 days Ago By [email protected] (Bridie Short)
An avid gardener who says his passion ‘came from the womb’ is now passing on his knowledge to a younger generation by uploading weekly social media videos – which have already gained thousands of views. Mike Opperman, of Spalding , founded Opperman Plants with his wife Kerry, after discovering his love of horticulture from a young age. Twenty eight years later, the business which specialises in a range of tropical and outdoor plants, recently took up an opportunity to expand.
Five months on from opening the site in Mallard Road, Mike described the new venture as ‘nothing but positive vibes’ and said he was pleased with the response from customers. He said: “As a nursery we specialise in houseplants – we sell around 2,000, which is probably one of the largest offerings in the country. “One of the biggest problems with growers is gaining an understanding of the customer they operate with.
Now we have an opportunity to talk directly to the people who come into the show and we can find out what they are looking for or what is popular – from our perspective it's a good bonus.” His daughter, Alex Opperman added: “We are getting on average around 100 paying customers a day which is brilliant – we weren’t expecting to have that result.” The business produces eight million plants every year, which are sold to some of the largest supermarkets in the UK.
Father-of-three Mike added: “My passion for gardening came from the womb. “My mother was a florist and I used to enjoy picking flowers so she could use them for her arrangements. I liked doing it because it made her happy and I learnt something.
“When the time came to decide what path to go down, gardening seemed like a good idea.” The family of keen horticulturists now has three generations of ‘oppies’ and are hoping to inspire the younger generation by passing on their knowledge and skills through social media videos – which have gained thousands of views. Mike offers his tips and tricks for the week, he added: “By posting the videos on Facebook it has meant we have been able to reach a younger audience.
The houseplant industry has also taken off as a result of people becoming more health conscious. “I’m a great believer in education and I genuinely think that if people understand why they have to do something they will do it more readily than if they are told to do it. “Horticulture is not a difficult subject, people just need to understand how it works – it's not as frightening as you think it is.
” Oppies Outlet is open seven days a week between 9-4 on Monday to Saturday and 10-3 on Sundays. The business also has its own website, where customers can buy products..
