Our History
Bell Flowers has been a purveyor of fresh flowers and plants in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area since 1947, with roots in the floral industry dating back to the early 1930s.
Rose and Grafton Mangum built a greenhouse behind their home in Langley Park, MD. They originally sold greenhouse-grown flowers at Woman’s Farm Market in Silver Spring, MD, and eventually to wholesale florists in Washington, DC.
In the 1930s, the Mangums’ opened Mangum Florist in Silver Spring and later sold it to their daughter, Lola Mangum Bell in 1947. Lola and her husband Judson Bell changed the name from Mangum Florist to Bell Flowers and moved the business to our old Georgia Avenue location, which we called home for over 65 years.

In 1956 Lola and Jud sold the business to her brother Bob Mangum and his wife Shirley. Graduates of Blair High School, Bob and Shirley built the business through hard work and the same focus on great customer service that we carry on today.

In 1983, Bob & Shirley’s son Dale, and his wife Margaret, bought Bell Flowers and grew our business into the computer age. Their son Chad, the 4th generation, is now working with our dedicated team as Dale is spending more of his time with Bell Nursery.