CMeg Edmonds takes me on a tour of an old barn she uses to store, arrange, and wrap her flowers. It is alive with colour and life. There are tulips in every shade, in crates and vases. Edmonds will keep track of the number of times they open and close in sunlight by keeping pots of snakeshead Fritillary outside the door. She said that she would like to be able give this information to others. They are currently at number 4. She pulls out the huge, green stem that looks almost as if it had been ripped out. Jurassic Park. It turns out that it is an artichoke. There are dried artichokes all over the place, with their fluffy innards popping out, ready to be dried and used in winter arrangements. We walk around farm. Edmonds points to shrubs and trees she finds, from a fragrant trailing rosemary bush down to the flowering branches a crab apple tree.
Everything is useful. It was also grown within walking distance on the family farm or on a small patch of land near the farm shop. Edmonds’ flowers are sold in large, beautiful bunches at the other end. Edmonds and her husband are third-generation farmers who raised vegetables and livestock on their family farm. They converted to organic farming 20 years ago. After selling the farm’s livestock to the supermarkets, she decided to sell the produce in their farm shop. She also began to consider the possibility of selling flowers in the same way. She says that she didn’t know there was a market for locally grown, mixed, beautiful flowers, just like the ones I had in my own garden, which my friends loved.
She now arranges funerals and sometimes weddings. Flowers are often at heart of life’s greatest turning points, from birth through marriage to death. But, until recently, most people didn’t ask about the origin of the flowers or the cost. These are questions we ask our farmers, she says. We can now find out if meat and veg are organic and where it was grown and when. We don’t always look at the obvious, which is the bunch or flowers, in the middle.
Flowers are big business in Britain. In 2021, half of British households purchased cut flowers. The pandemic slowed down florists and growers both logistically as well as when weddings were cancelled. However, people still bought flowers to stay in touch with loved ones and friends. The mail-order company Bloom & Wild2021: The company announced that it had doubled its annual sales during the pandemic. Customers ordering flowers to send to loved one as a substitute to a hug were among the reasons.
According to Defra, only 14% are cut flowers grown in Britain. The remaining 86% are either from the Netherlands or warmer countries like Ecuador, Kenya, and Ethiopia. The National Farmers Union released a comprehensive report in 2016 about the UK cut-flower market. It pointed out that while the value for British cut flowers has remained the same since 1988, it rose from 79m in 1988 and 82m by 2015, while import flowers have increased sixfold in the same time period, going from 122m to 666m. Supermarkets sell seasonal flowers such as roses in February without any explanation of which season it is. However, it is safe to assume that roses will not thrive in the British winter months.
It’s the one thing that people don’t think about as much as fashion and food, says Olivia Wilson, a florist who co-founded The Florist. SSAW Collective, a network of florists, chefs and growers who advocate for positive change in the food- and flower industries. People have had roses all year, but that doesn’t mean they are truly seasonal. There are many options for seasonal flowers, which can be grown in the UK from April to October or November. The whole system could have been redesigned to ensure that flowers are readily available. However, the system should be managed in a way that is beneficial to the environment and not harmful to it.
Although determining the true carbon footprint for cut flowers can be complicated and requires many factors to be considered, such as climate, growing conditions, transportation, and other factors, there is an easy way to make sure you are doing the best thing for the environment. Edmonds states that buying cut flowers from local farmers is the most sustainable option.
There are more local farmers to choose. Flowers from the FarmFounded in 2011,, a non-profit organization, has doubled its membership and now works alongside more than 1,000 British growers. Its website allows you search for your local flower farmer. Many grow organically, without pesticides and peat, and prefer paper wrapping to plastic. I spoke to several of their members and they all confirmed that the demand for their flowers has exploded. They attributed this partly to growing awareness about the environmental impact of the cut flower industry. As with fashion and food there is a need to know more about the provenance of products and to spend money ethically. There is also an aesthetic appeal to social media. A trend towards a more bohemian garden-gathered look has emerged, which finds beauty in less-than-straight ranunculi or other unusual varieties of flowers that a local farmer might specialize in.
2008 was the year of the worker. Rachel Siegfried, a private garden designer and manager, has been an established gardener for many years. Green and GorgeousA farm on two acres in Oxfordshire that includes flower fields, orchards and vegetable and herb gardens, as well as chickens. She also teaches floristry and floriculture, which are often sold out. There was the slow-food movement and farmers markets were strong. People loved buying local veg. But, you would never see flowers if you went to the market, she recalls. I can count the number of people who did it in the UK. She believes that people didn’t know where cut flower came from. She also found it difficult to find florists willing and able to accept her produce in the beginning of her venture as a grower. I really tried. I took a van filled with beautiful flowers to all the local florists. They were not interested in knowing. I can recall one of them laughing at me about the ants on the peonies.
Why didn’t the couple want to know what they knew then, and now? They knew my flowers were more expensive. Siegfried says that they knew I couldn’t guarantee consistent supply. However, she explains that Brexit has made it more expensive to import flowers. FarmingThere are many challenges and requirements in Britain, and this applies to flowers too. Global warming has made it more unpredictable. In April, Siegfried had just experienced a -5C frost. One of my main points when teaching is to manage your customers expectations because you can’t control the weather. If she is supplying flowers for a ceremony, she will not promise any specific flowers. I am very strict. I try to work with other people’s colours. It is possible for flowering to change by as much as a month depending on the time of year.
Anas Carrillo-Hawkins She is about to enter her first season as a grower. Mexican-American woman from Texas, she was looking for land to establish her own flower farm since moving to the UK in 2001. She studied horticulture at Texas State University and has a family history in farming. She also worked for Save the Children for several years. She decided to start a charity during the pandemic. Dulce and FlorCombining her passions for baking and flower farming, she now runs a successful business. She explains that the land she farms in the Chilterns has its own microclimate and that one of her greatest challenges has been dealing with local wildlife. As she talks, she spots a red kitty. This could indicate that the kite is looking for a mouse.
Despite having a background as a horticulturist, it has been a challenging experience. It’s a very high risk. We had hurricanes in Texas that came in the summer months. They would also come in during your main cropping season. It seems that climate change is becoming more difficult to predict. It can be difficult to predict when your crop will be ready to sell to clients when you are working with clients. She admits that imports are more reliable. However, buying locally and seasonally is far more than a guarantee that uniform arrangements will be made.
Carrillo Hawkins is firm in her belief that the benefits far outweighs the negatives. She says that she enjoys having conversations with clients. Because they haven’t been sprayed, the flowers I harvest from my field will last longer than imported flowers. I believe that buying from a local farm has a far greater environmental impact than purchasing imported flowers from wholesalers.
She also pointed out that the garden-gathered trend may mean that local suppliers may have an edge, as they can offer unusual flowers that might not be possible to ship via freight or cargo. It’s so beautiful to see flowers like bearded roses grace tables. Many of those conversations are about the memories people have of their grandparents owning a bungalow with irises and all of the different colours. I love this avenue to help people connect to flowers and the environment by having these conversations, even with complete strangers.
Many growers I spoke with sell locally and get to know customers. Michelle Owen says that a lot of people are interested in connecting with their communities. Before the pandemic she was an interior decorator, wallpaper designer, and in lockdown she and her family moved from Bristol, the inner city, to Bridport in Dorset. They also gained a larger garden.
I started growing dahlias and zinnias last summer and ended up giving away many bunches to friends, family, and neighbours. They loved them all and said that they wish they could sell flowers like these in the shops. After setting up Flower Coast Garden, she is now in her first year of growing. She will be offering local subscriptions and selling within the region, using paper to wrap the bunches. She says that flowers from her garden smell amazing. The supermarket flowers don’t smell as good.
Although it is not always true, it is more expensive to buy flowers from a local grower than to buy a bunch of daffodils at the supermarket. This makes flowers a treat and a luxury. Right now, however, such indulgences are rare.
Edmonds encourages me, at her farm in Worcestershire to smell the flowers. They have a very different and vibrant smell than the ones you would find at the grocery store. A lily-flowered Tulip smells like oranges. It’s beautiful! She said. I go to the farm shop and buy 10 stems of red tulips for my friend’s birthday. I had seen the farm where they were grown and the care and effort that went into them. Each one was larger than my palm. My friend sent me a photo a few days later. They were still going strong, but they were stunning.
