How "green" are your flowers?
In recent years many consumers have become aware of the environmental and social impact of the decisions they make when buying food, especially in relation to air miles for imported foods. In most cases, the best solution is to buy foods that are in season locally which will change throughout the year.
Many of these same issues also apply to the international cut flower trade but with much less awareness.
So why are locally grown British flowers good for you and the planet?
An estimated 90% of flowers sold in the UK through florists, supermarkets and wholesalers are imported from the Netherlands and originate from growers in Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Freshly picked and locally delivered, field grown British flowers save thousands of flower miles and are as fresh as possible, sometimes being cut on the day of supply.
Because they have not been flown around the globe in refrigerated transport, British grown flowers have a much lower carbon footprint than most other imported cut flowers.
In his book "How Bad are Bananas?", Mike Berners-Lee of Lancaster University says that 15 stems of mixed outdoor UK grown flowers, grown and sold locally will typically have carbon footprint of 1.7 Kg CO² compared to a carbon footprint of 32.3 Kg CO² for just one bouquet of imported blooms (e.g. 5 Dutch roses, 3 Dutch lilies & 3 Kenyan gypsophila).
Field grown British flowers change with the seasons, just as our food does. Flowers from a British grower are often more natural in their beauty, and you will often find varieties that are not available from international growers. Most commercial flowers are bred to withstand international shipping and mass production and often have their scent bred out of them.
At Saxon Gate Flowers we care for the soil, enrich the land and provide food for bees, butterflies and pollinators. We follow organic principles and do not use pesticides, herbicides or peat based compost.
By supporting a local flower grower you are also supporting the local ecology and economy.
Most imported cut flowers are sold in single-use plastic packaging which isn't recycled. Plastic is not needed to keep flowers fresh if they aren't transported around the globe - we use plastic-free packaging such as craft paper or sell in glass jars or vases.
