How wonderful it is to use cut flowers in the home, or to give them as a gift; brightening up a room or a mood, sending rainbow love from one heart to another. And yet in Britain many of the flowers on sale have been flown in, covered with pesticide and full of preservatives, from across the world. An Internet search will pull up web sites offering flowers flown in from Ecuador, roses from California and even (rather perplexingly) 'organic and biodynamic flowers from around the world'. As Druids, connected intimately with the land, it is normal for us to think in terms of food miles, to buy locally grown vegetables and to consider the ethics of our purchases. But do we bring this perspective to the cut flowers with which we decorate our homes and loved ones?
Not so very long ago the majority of cut flowers on sale in Britain were of British origin, grown from Scotland to Cornwall. With the rise of the supermarkets in the 1980's there was a move toward both standardisation and constant supply. In the same way we could, if we wished, eat strawberries all year round (though who would wish to eat those pallid, watery offerings from abroad - flown in after weeks of refrigerated storage - after eating a fresh locally grown one?) we were offered the availability of all the flowers, all the year around. Worse, the almost slave wages of the workers in developing countries allowed flown in flowers to be sold for less than they could be grown for here. This sounded the death knell of much of the British cut flower industry, and now most cut flowers come from Holland, from South America, from Africa, from Israel...
The British cut flower industry does however survive; even, or especially, in terms of an organic industry. With such organically produced flowers comes the added benefit of biodiversity - of weeds, of wildflowers, of insects. Some small companies are now making a viable business of supplying local shops, hotels and mail order requirements while at the same time restoring some of the wildlife depleted under the intensive farming methods of the last century. If our Druidry behoves us to promote and assist the natural world against the onslaught of the modern world then a considered decision to buy locally grown flowers is an essential part of our lifestyle. Best is of course out of our own gardens but that isn't always practical.
There are several places in my immediate locale where non-commercial growers - perhaps pensioners or homeworkers supplementing their income - put cut flowers out by the roadside for casual purchase - a couple of pounds for a bouquet of seasonal flowers worthy of anyone’s vase. But if these private sellers are not in your vicinity why not, the next time you buy flowers from a shop, ask your outlet whether the flowers they have on sale are locally grown - are organic? Perhaps the next time they source a supplier or speak to their wholesaler your comments
might come to the fore - might influence their buying decision. This has already happened with some major suppliers, and Marks and Spencer and Waitrose (to name two major corporations) have made moves towards locally grown floral produce. The rest could yet be converted!
Of course, if you have the space, the time, the ability... you can grow your own cut flowers for the home. Here's a short list of seasonal flowers that can be cut to keep your house bright and beautiful:
Winter and early spring
Daffodils: October to April
Cymbidium orchids: January to June
Late spring and summer
Tulips: May to June
Agapanthus: June to August
Lilies: June to August
Delphiniums: June to July
Roses: June to September
Sweet peas: June to August
Dahlias: July to September
Autumn
Chrysanthemums: October to December
Not everyone has the space, the time, or the desire to grown their own flowers (some of us are concentrating more on the vegetables!). But remember that everyone has the ability to change the market with their own purchasing power. Dare I suggest 'say it with (locally or home grown, organic) flowers'?
