British Flowers Week: Why Buy Local, Organic Blooms?
I recently took the Eurostar train on a trip to visit family in Holland. Beyond the beautiful windmills, a prominent feature of the Dutch countryside is the miles and miles of glasshouses. Throughout much of the year, these large greenhouses radiate with blocks of bright colours that are hard to fully process when whizzing by in a high-speed train. Many of them are filled with flowers that make up the 90% of blooms imported to and sold in the UK. When we pick up a quick bunch from the supermarket, it most likely contains flowers grown in monoculture greenhouses that have been sprayed with numerous chemicals to keep them looking fresh on their long journey from Europe (and sometimes as far as Africa and South America).
So, what’s the big deal with buying flowers from far-flung places? Is local really better?
The Global Flower Industry
While many of us are aware of the reasons to buy local, organic food, there’s not as much information out there on organic flowers. I have often thought that because we don’t eat flowers, surely any chemicals sprayed on them can do us no harm. However, as I’ve become more aware of the flower industry, I’ve started doing a lot more research into its impact and have realised that the picture is far from rosy.
In non-organic farming, it is legal for growers to use around 300 different pesticides. Most of the global flower industry is not organic and recent research has found that frequent exposure to the chemicals sprayed on flowers can be damaging to human health [1]. The beautiful flowers sitting on your kitchen table - unless they were grown locally, organically, or by you - will have an average of 10 different chemicals on them. Additionally, to reach the supermarket they can travel up to 3,000 miles. Along the way they will need to be refrigerated, protected and covered in sprays to ensure seeming freshness when they reach their final destination – however, they are far from fresh. If you’ve bought any roses recently, they will have been dipped in a ‘toxic, fungicidal soup’ [2] to prevent rotting during transit before being packaged in plastic and flown across the globe. Additionally, those who work directly in the greenhouses and fields where non-organic flowers are grown are put at risk by the vast amount of chemicals used on flowers. As mentioned above, these chemicals have been shown to be damaging to human health and that is most worrying for those who handle and breathe them in on a frequent basis. Many of the chemicals used in global flower production have been banned in Europe and the United States [3] due to ill-health among workers from frequent exposure.
While these flowers may seemingly cost little, the environment pays the price. Buying these flowers supports an industry that profits from soil degradation and environmental destruction. The vast nature of the cut flower industry means that it has a huge impact on soil health, biodiversity, and the environment. While it may seem like a small thing to quickly purchase a cheap bunch from Tesco, in doing so we are supporting an industry that profits from all the practices mentioned above. However, there is an alternative industry that we can support – local, organic flower farms are growing in number and popularity in the UK and there are many reasons to support them instead.
The Benefits of Organic Flowers
As awareness of the importance of protecting our local environments has grown, so has the conversation around farming practices. 70% of land in England is used for farming and industrial farming is one of the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, and water pollution in our country [4]. In contrast, farms that choose organic practices are working to rebuild soil health, build biodiversity and greatly limit or eradicate greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution. British flower farms are a big part of this movement.
The number of flower farms in the UK growing organically has been gradually rising as greater awareness of the unsustainable global flower industry has come to light. In organic and regenerative farming systems the entire farm is seen as an ecosystem just like a healthy human body. Just like us, a sustainable farm needs nutrition (compost, plant feeds, etc.), clean water, no chemicals, sunlight, clean air, and biodiversity to function well. Growing flowers adds nutrition to the soil, and provides food for vital pollinators and spaces for humans to enjoy too. Without the need to ship flowers across countries in elaborate freight systems, locally grown flower farms produce far fewer emissions and are far better for the environment, both locally and globally. Additionally, they strengthen our local economies by supporting local businesses and bringing people together to volunteer on the land and meet the farmers who grew their flowers. While locally grown, organic flowers may cost more, we can know that our money is being spent on a sustainable, ethical system that is benefiting our local communities, rather than an industry that is doing the exact opposite.
Finding and Supporting Local Flower Farms
Flowers from the farm is a great place to find UK flower farms and how to support them directly. Additionally, do a quick google search for an organic flower farm near you (many deliver across the UK). If you’re looking for floral inspiration, then I’d recommend looking up flower farms on social media – especially on Instagram. There are tons of incredible small organic flower farms across the world that are growing amazing blooms and selling them to local folks – wholesome content indeed. Finally, the reason that the global flower industry still dominates is because we support it. Think about the impact of your purchase before buying a cheap bunch. Flowers are meant to be special and there’s nothing more special than knowing where your flowers come from, supporting local growers, and sharing their blooms with your favourite people.
[1] https://www.cumberlandflowerfarm.co.uk/blog/chemicals-on-flowers
[2] https://www.heirloomsoul.com/blog/why-local-organically-grown-flowers-are-so-important
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/13/us/behind-roses-beauty-poor-and-ill-workers.html
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/30/environment-to-benefit-from-biggest-farming-shake-up-in-50-years