As sustainability is at the heart of how I grow flowers I want to explain how I see it and why it’s important to me. I think it is fair to say the state of planet is deeply worrying but I don’t want to use heavy facts and figures because they can be overwhelming and could lead to despondency. Instead, I would rather focus on my approach towards sustainably grown flowers without finger pointing at countries or companies; but first let me tell why I grow flowers.

Although growing flowers is my next big adventure, my love of flowers started as an art history student appreciating the exquisite flowers painted by still life artistsin Holland in 17^th. C . It lead me to change career becoming a garden designer where I had one foot in art and design and another in horticulture and gardening. While experimenting with ways to show my clients how their garden borders would look I gathered the flowers from the plants I was using in their design to make a little posy to show them. It worked a treat for them and got me hooked on arranging flowers for my kitchen table. Soon I was taking workshops on flower arranging and needing to buy flowers to keep up with my demand, but they were never as fresh and beautiful as my own garden grown blooms. That’s when I realised, I would need to create my own cutting patch and grow for my own taste.

Over these past few decades, while visiting many large and small public and private gardens I have seen the fall in reliance on chemicals for fertility and pest control and the rise of whole systems thinking from permaculture and a deeper appreciation of soil health, with popularity for low interference through a no dig approach to growing, championed by Charles Dowding. This ‘tread lightly’ approach not only respects eco systems that already exist but helps us to question whose benefit certain practices and behaviours serve.

While I am doing as much as I can I am not aiming at perfection, and certainly not wanting to preach, but adopting as many ways as possible to grow flowers without harming the planet has got to be good, especially as flower are a luxury. As my knowledge grows and my practices are refined I will add to this blog with my findings, but if you have any specific questions or comments I would love to hear from you.

BEAUTIFUL LOCAL SEASONAL FLOWERS

With Approximately 86% of the UK cut flower market currently made up of imports why would you buy from a British grower?

Possibly the best reason for this choice are the flowers themselves. From our point of view, as growing is hard we only put our efforts into growing unusual and beautiful blooms, flowers you won’t find in the supermarket. These are selected for their impressive blooms, delicate colour, or exquisite scent.

And because we are a small grower, we have the flexibility to try out different varieties every year, responding to our customers tastes and to fine tune which flowers grow best for us in our corner of this green and pleasant land.

AIRMILES vs LOCALLY GROWN

When thinking of sustainability transit is by far the biggest issue to address and not just for the flower industry. Flowers are grown all over the world, you’ll probably have heard of Kenyan roses, Dutch tulips but South America and Israel are big flower producers too. Before their long journey many flowers are sprayed with chemicals to hold them back and the vehicles and storage areas are refrigerated in order to keep this perishable material saleable.

In contrast we only deliver within Bristol to keep our transport miles as low as possible and believe there will continue to be plenty of demand for our local and seasonal flowers as we expand.

SEASONAL

Red Roses for Valentine’s Day are the classic out of season flower that is widely bought. They have become the flower to buy on this day no doubt because Roses are the flower we associate most with Love. I adore roses but they flower in Summer not at the end of Winter. Cupping a rose to smell its delicate fragrance is surely one of the finest things to enjoy on a warm Summer day. And as with so many flowers our fondness for them is often closely tied to a memory which then anchors us to a season. Its why I believe buying flowers brings such delight and makes them so much more than a perishable gift.

As we only sell flowers when they are ready to harvest we don’t often have blooms ready for Valentines as it is too early in the growing year. But by Spring we have narcissus and tulips, in time for Mother’s Day. Despite missing out on orders at the start of the year there are advantages when working seasonally. We can pick each bloom at their perfect stage and put it straight into water. In fact we’re often told how long our flowers have lasted in the vase which is because they really couldn’t be any fresher,

PLANT CHOICE

Right plant right place – was a phrase coined by the esteemed garden maker and nursery woman Beth Chatto which I first came across working as a garden designer. We’ve used this approach to growing flowers to find the ones that thrive in our conditions.

The plot is small and on a slight slope with tiers of raised beds. It is on a hill, catching the wind. We have to be mindful of wind rock which stresses the plants as well as tearing blooms to shreds. In the windiest corner we grow Zinnias which cope the best. Next to them are our beds of dahlias, which are slightly sheltered and benefit from the shade this gives as well. Our spring bulbs and peonies are tucked under the plum tree which enjoy being out of the heat of the Summer sun.

Apart from coping well with our specific conditions we also select plants which  can be cut at every stage of their development. For example the cottage garden favourite Love in a mist is used in bud, bloom and pod to make full use of the space it occupies. And should a plant go into seed production early, due to a heatwave or drought (or both together) we will use its seedheads if they dry well for Christmas wreaths.

POLLINATORS

In comparison with commercial growers who plant big swathes of a single crop, creating monocultures with limited biodiversity, we grow all the ingredients for a bouquet. From flowers to foliage and both together like herbs we grow a whole range of plants alongside each other. This nectar bar is beneficial for a greater number of insects and pollinators which in turn supports the natural local environment. And open air growing as opposed to enclosed greenhouses allows the pollinators and insects to come and go as they please.

WATER

This a vital resource for every flower grower. Many larger scale producers grow in covered greenhouses using automated irrigation systems.  Our flowers are outdoor grown utilising natural rainfall, and when we do need to irrigate, we first of all we use water harvested from water buts and open barrels.

To conserve the moisture within the soil we also apply a thick mulch of strulch (a new straw based product) after planting not only to deter slugs but also to trap moisture within the soil saving us a lot of time watering.

WASTE and Plastics

Within the floristry industry many products have been developed for convenience without awareness of their environmental impact. The well known lightweight and versatile green floral foam has been widely used for decades by florists and flower arrangers alike but is filled with formaldehyde. Now biodegradability is important, alternatives are being sought and practices from the 1950’s are being used again! Scrunched up chicken wire can be formed into any shape and then filled with damp moss or simply placed inside vases and then filled with water. It’s a good alternative and one we use for our larger scale pieces.

Packaging is another area that we have looked at. For decorative purposes we offer recycled paper wrapping, which can then be composted, OR a Packaging Free option. For protective purposes because our delivery distances are short and I deliver them myself I pack the flowers very carefully and transporting them in large vases of fresh watering we don’t need extra packaging.

Additionally, we use either recycled jam jars or larger pickle jar for our hassle-free ready to place option.

So, if you are looking to make simple swops to reduce the impact of your consumption on the environment then buying our sustainable flowers in Bristol is an easy one.  If you want to send sustainable flowers elsewhere in the UK please visit flowers from the farm website and type in their postcode to see a map with pins showing the selection of other sustainable growers. Speaking on their behalf we’d be delighted to fulfil your order and appreciate your support for a local business that cares about sustainability.