Why Buy UK Grown Cut Flowers?
- support small British businesses
- they haven’t travelled hundreds of miles by air or road
- our flowers are not grown using herbicides and pesticides
- flowers grown outdoors in the UK are often stronger and last longer
What percentage of cut flowers are imported?
Only 14% of flowers purchased from shops, florists and supermarkets in the UK are actually grown in the UK. That means we import a massive 86% of all cut flowers!
Most of the cut flowers come from Holland where they are grown all year round in industrial sized greenhouses. Growing, cutting, most of the process is done mechanically. Flowers are immediately transported to massive temperature controlled warehouses where they are auctioned to flower wholesalers. The cut flowers are then transported across Europe in refrigerated lorries or cargo planes. The whole process so far has used an awful lot of power to harvest, cool and transport.
The advantage these flower growers have is the ability to grow fresh flowers all year round.
There is also a rapidly growing cut flower industry in Kenya, where working conditions can be hazardous and the chemicals used can pollute local waterways.
Please consider buying UK grown seasonal flowers, throughout the spring, summer and autumn months. This not only supports individual flower growers, who are often small businesses, but your purchase helps to develop and grow a sustainable supply of UK grown flowers.