Flowers are traditionally given to loved ones to show love, appreciation, to mark a celebration, in thanks and in sorrow, but do you realise that an estimated 94% of the flowers we buy from florists, supermarkets and online are imported from countries as far away as Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Why not make 2023 the year when you also show your love for the planet and start supporting over 23 flower growers around Oxfordshire who are part of the Flowers from the Farm membership association?
Flowers from the Farm is a not-for-profit organisation, established in 2011 by Gill Hodgson. The idea to set up a cut flower growers organisation was born as a result of public response to the scented British bunches of flowers she sold at Driffield Farmers’ Market. She and her daughter were the first member business with Fieldhouse Flowers: now, just 12 years later, there are almost 1,000 members across the UK.
Each member is an independent business, growing at an artisan scale. This enables members to select flower types most suitable for their own local soil, weather conditions, what the flowers will be used for, their fragrance and charm. The national network of British flower farmers aims to encourage more people not only to grow cut flowers for markets in the UK and promote British grown flowers, but also for consumers to find growers in their vicinity. The Find Flowers search facility on the Flowers from the Farm website may lead you to local flower farmers such as Ivydene Flower Farm near Witney, Chippy Flower Farm near Chipping Norton, Green & Gorgeous near Wallingford, or Pippa’s Flower Patch in Cumnor for bouquets, DIY buckets and arrangements for events, including weddings.
Most overseas commercially-grown flowers are bred to withstand the rigours of mass production and the ability to survive a lengthy transportation process across many miles. Often this adversely affects the fragrance which can be most disappointing as a delicious scent is what we normally expect when we are given flowers. When you dip your nose into a bouquet of freshly cut flowers grown by a local British flower farmer, the blooms will perfume the air with their unique scent.
You will also be supporting sustainability and reducing impact that flower production has on the planet. A bunch of flowers from a UK flower farm carries just 5% of the carbon footprint of an imported bunch. Members of Flowers from the Farm mainly grow outdoors, using no additional heat or light and relying instead on the conditions Mother Nature provides. As the flowers do not have to travel vast distances and are sold fresh, their vase life does not need extending with the use of chemicals.
Members can care for their soil, creating natural environments for insects and rich habits for soil-microbes, invertebrates and other creatures which depend on them. Selecting British grown blooms also reduces our reliance on imports from other countries and helps build UK floral businesses. Locally grown flowers are picked at the perfect stage and when placed straight into water will be as fresh as blooms picked directly from your own garden. There will also be no need for packaging materials.
When buying flowers from a local flower farmer, you will get freshly-picked blooms which have travelled short distances or no distance at all if you are buying direct from the farm. Each individual flower will have a natural beauty, full of fragrance and will be truly seasonal. Seeing the first delicate but highly fragrant sweet peas of early summer; glorious garden roses in a profusion of colours with their heady scent; fields of autumn dahlias: a glorious range of seasonal flowers throughout the year.
To find a local flower grower in your area visit flowersfromthefarm.co.uk
