with kind acknowledgement to Flowers from the Farm

 

Most of the flowers available for sale in this country are imported.

 

We’re a nation of farmers, of gardeners, of flower lovers and our cut flower industry is worth 2.2 billion pounds each year.  But unfortunately look in our supermarkets, our florists, and our flower wholesalers, and you’ll see that unlike in the last century, when we grew the majority of the flowers that were sold in this country, British growers are now down to between 10 and 15% of the market.

 

There are also very few varieties that are available. Your supermarket will probably have daffodils, tulips, alstroemeria, lillies and stocks, sunflowers, gerbera and roses, but then you have to start thinking quite hard to get different varieties that are likely to be available. Florists try hard to stock a wider range, but even they are stymied by the wholesale market that only takes flowers that are hardy enough to be transported round the world via Holland, and those flowers may be 6-8 days since picking before they get to our retailers, let alone our homes.

 

We love flowers that are scented, fleeting in nature, beautiful in colour, and don’t travel well. But that doesn’t matter, because they are local to you.  They are just down the road, in the next town, on the farm round the corner, so when you buy these flowers they won’t have travelled thousands of air miles, the van miles will be counted in tens and units.

 

We love sweet peas and dahlias, roses and anemones, gladioli and ranunculus, and we know that everything has a season for you to enjoy them.