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OUR HISTORY

Originally a village seed shop, Promesse de fleurs is nowadays a company based near Lille in northern France with 80 passionate employees, 10 hectares of nursery, 10,000 m2 of greenhouses, and nearly 25,000 available plant varieties. We owe this sustained and consistent growth to our values based on respect for our customers, a deep commitment to quality, and continuous innovative efforts for all gardeners.

 

1954: In the beginning - A seed shop


The origins of PDF date back to the early 1950s. At the time, Mr. Christian Schryve and his wife Georgette Hanhove opened a seed shop in the Flanders region, in a little village called Hazebrouck. The business quickly gained a reputation among farmers and gardeners in the region for the quality of its flower seeds and bulbs.

1985 - 1988: The emergence of remote retail 


The family business was taken over by Christian Schryve’s son, Jean-Claude Schryve. As plants and flower bulbs sales were flourishing, attracting customers from further afield, some customers began to request for their plants to be shipped to avoid long journeys. Thus, the remote retail trade gradually emerged, becoming the new core business of the company.

1991: A reputation beyond the ‘North’ borders


 

Rebranded as Schryve Jardin, the company moved to Bailleul, a few kilometres away, and established a trial garden centre called "Jardin de Mélusine". This garden establishment enabled testing for new plants and colour and shape combinations to be developed. By word of mouth, Schryve Jardin gained a reputation in the world of amateur gardening.

2008: Acquisition of schryve jardin


 

Pascal Griot and Anne-Sophie Verhoeke took over the company with the support and expertise of Jean-Claude and Louise-Marie Schryve.

2009 : The birth of the Promesse de fleurs Brand


 

The Promesse de fleurs brand was born, and the company moved to Houplines in 2010.

2012: The first garden drive in France


Promesse de fleurs was the first to introduce a 24-hour delivery service into the gardening sector. Orders placed before 12:00 PM are dispatched on the same day. A year later, the company launched the first ‘Garden Drive’ in France.

 

2014 - 2018: Towards a gardening pure player


 

Promesse de Fleurs’s expansion accelerated with a new website and a mobile version for tablets and smartphones. The company transitioned from a catalogue-based to a 100% online retail model. The nursery expanded with new greenhouses and the range of available products grew from 4,000 to 7,000, and later 12,000 varieties.

2018: Providing advice and inspiration


A ‘Gardening Advice’ (" Conseil Jardin ") website section was launched, which currently features thousands of tips, tutorials, ideas, and inspirational suggestions written by our team.


In 2019, the website exceeded one million visitors for the first time.

2020: Gardens as a solace for French people


In 2020, the pandemic crisis created a profound shift: for many, gardens became a refuge and an essential space to reconnect with oneself and with nature.


Promesse de fleurs responded to the high demand, especially from novice gardeners, and tripled its activity. The website exceeded two million visitors per month.

 

2021:  ‘Plantfit’, the first patented app for customised plant advice


Plantfit, our free app for choosing plants best suited to customers’ gardens and skills, was launched.


Offering practical solutions to help you succeed in growing your plants and combating plant over-consumption, Plantfit provides recommendations on a par with those of a professional horticulturist.

 

 

June 2022: targeting plastic-free gardening



Introducing a Plastic-Free Ordering option. Since this optional service was launched in 2022, we have saved over 20 tonnes of plastic.


Our goal is to provide plastic-free, practical, and sturdy packaging that keeps plants fresh and intact, encouraging ever-more people to change their consumer habits and reduce waste. Over the past three years, we have been working on eco-design with the help of local partners and manufacturers. Our objective is for 100% of our orders to be dispatched plastic-free by 2026.

 

July 2022: Rescue a basket of unsold plants!


We launched our no-waste baskets (" Paniers Bons Plants,") of unsold or unfit-for-sale plants that could thrive in your gardens with a little tender, loving care (TLC).

2022 - 2024: The Premesques farm


Based in Houplines today, in Prémesques, less than a kilometre away, tomorrow: because we are a bit cramped on our traditional site, we are preparing our expansion in 2023 which will be completed by the end of 2024. We will be adding a traditional square farm building typical of northern regions of France and adjacent land to our existing premises. New greenhouses will be erected around the building and additional outdoor expanses will enable us to continue to enjoy growing and cultivating plants under optimal conditions.


This project will not only allow us to expand our operational premises (greenhouses, order processing and shipping offices) but also strengthen our local roots by hosting a scheme aiming to promote training and work opportunities for young horticulturists and farmers on 32 hectares of farmland.

2022 - 2026: Our first CSR plan


Over the past decade, Promesse de fleurs has become increasingly aware of the social and environmental challenges associated with its business. In 2022, we decided to go further and created our first CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Charter committing to social progress, environmental protection, and developing a sustainable and responsible business plan.


Learn more about our CSR commitments.

March 2023: Well-being at work


Promesse de fleurs was awarded the HappyIndex®AtWork 2023 accolade that recognises  excellence in management practices and employee motivation.


With a participation rate of over 80% of its employees, Promesse de fleurs achieved a rating of 4.2 out of 5 with a recommendation rate of 70.9%.

September 2023: Promesse de fleurs’ website tops French gardening site audiences


With 2,100,000 visits according to the Similarweb institute, Promesse de fleurs’ site became  the most visited gardening website in France across all categories (nurseries, garden centers, gardening publications, etc.) in September 2023. The consistent rise in customer and reader numbers is no accident: the continued expansion in plant varieties, with over 20,000 on offer, a keen focus on customer satisfaction, a strong editorial strategy with technical plant sheets, advice dissemination (over 5,200 articles published since 2017), and a website overhaul in June of this year enhancing its responsiveness and offering an ever-more comprehensive content, each contributed to this achievement.

January 2024: Expanding its international outreach


Promesse de fleurs is revving up its ongoing international development, which started in 2015 by looking towards neighboring countries including Belgium, with the launch of an international English language website.

We only deliver seed and bulb products to your country. If you add other products to your basket, they cannot be shipped.