UK Flower Farmers' Big Weekend
For the sheer joy and beauty, nothing beats a bunch of flowers. But it's important to think about flowers as we do food - buying seasonal and locally-grown blooms, instead of imports with dubious provenance and a large carbon footprint.
It is estimated that 90% of the flowers sold through UK florists, supermarkets and wholesalers are imported not just from Holland, but flown from as far afield as Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya and even Ethiopia. Local British flower farmers grow with the seasons. They are not motivated by predictable, year-round crops, but by seasonal flowers with the perfume and natural, informal beauty that can only come from small-scale, local production.
Garden Organic is supporting the UK's Flower Farmers' Big Weekend, August 16 - 17. Using their interactive map you can find a flower grower near you - to visit and pick up a bunch!
And whenever you feel inclined to give someone a bunch of joy - whether it's for a wedding, birthday, to say thanks, or in loving sympathy - check out the Flowers from the Farm website before ordering or buying anywhere else. You can even specify organic flowers, as well as edible flowers (to give that salad or mojito that extra twist!)
Photo credit: Cinematic Photography, Unsplash