Giving flowers as a symbol of love on Valentine’s Day is a tradition that’s thought to have started in the nineteenth century. Cut flowers, particularly red roses, are still considered the epitome of romance by many people today. But unfortunately the 570 tonnes of roses imported into the UK every year for Valentine’s Day comes at a huge environmental cost.
Once you factor in carbon emissions, water, pesticides, non-recyclable packaging and the fact that up to 45 per cent of cut flowers are spoiled and wasted before they even get to the customer, you begin to wonder whether there might be more romantic ways to show your love this Valentine’s Day.
The big day
[image id=”218567″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” title=”Red roses for Valentine’s Day. Getty Images” alt=”Red roses for Valentine’s Day. Getty Images” classes=””] Red roses for Valentine’s Day. Getty Images
Valentine’s Day is a global phenomenon with an estimated 250 million stems of roses sold every year. The timing of this celebration of love creates a huge demand for roses out of season in the UK. Unfortunately with this mass importation of cut flowers comes a massive carbon footprint – the SSAW Collective estimate that a Valentine’s bouquet of a dozen Kenyan red roses has a carbon footprint of 75kg, which is similar to the carbon emissions produced by driving a car around 570km.
A long journey for a short life
In the UK, we import 86 per cent of our cut flowers, transporting them from the Netherlands, or even further afield from countries such as Kenya, Columbia, Ecuador and Ethiopia. The transportation of such large quantities of flowers by lorry, ship and aeroplane produces high carbon emissions. Cut flowers also are refrigerated before, during and after the journey in what’s called a ‘cold-chain’ to keep them in a dormant state. This requires a massive amount of energy. Considering the environmental cost of transportation and refrigeration, it’s perhaps not surprising that a study in 2018 found that an imported bouquet of flowers has ten times the carbon footprint of a seasonal British bouquet.
The price of perfection
[image id=”218574″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” title=”Spraying plants with pesticides. Getty Images” alt=”Spraying plants with pesticides. Getty Images” classes=””] Spraying plants with pesticides. Getty Images
Cut flowers aren’t edible, so there’s no legislative limit to the pesticides or other chemicals that can be used on them. Not only can the chemicals cause issues in the countries where the flowers are grown, but they can be a source of pollution in the UK too. A study in 2021 found 201 chemicals used in flower production, 93 of which are banned in the EU. So when we compost cut flowers that have been grown using pesticides or other chemicals, they could potentially pose a significant risk to the environment according to the European Union Panel on Plant Health.
Land and water use
[image id=”169292″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” title=”Watering chervil” alt=”Watering the garden. Jason Ingram” classes=””] Watering the garden. Jason Ingram
Growing flowers requires a great deal of land and water, often in areas of the world that experience serious issues with crop failure, food insecurity and droughts. Speaking on the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast, eco-conscious flower grower Cel Robertson explains that “a rose grown in Kenya will have a water footprint of nine litres of water, which is huge when you think about that water being exported from Kenya for sale in northern Europe, and Kenya at the moment is experiencing drought.”
Packaged in plastic
Non-recyclable cellophane has traditionally been used to protect bouquets of flowers, but some growers and suppliers now offer more sustainable packaging options. If your flowers come in a paper sleeve, it’s still worth asking whether non-recyclable packaging has been used earlier in the process while flowers were being transported or stored.
Sustainable alternatives:
If you want to find a more sustainable way to show your love this Valentine’s day, here are some more eco-conscious choices.
Grow your own bouquet
[image id=”169687″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” title=”2048×1365-Cornflowers-SEO-LI2303792″ alt=”Bouquet of flowers. Paul debois” classes=””] Bouquet of homegrown flowers. Paul Debois
Growing your own flowers produces far less carbon than buying imported blooms and it’s also great fun. You could either create a small cutting bed or simply harvest blooms from plants around the garden. In mid-February, a bouquet of early flowers is a precious thing. Snowdrops should still be in bloom and Iris reticulata will be emerging. If you’ve planted early daffodils such as ‘February Silver’ or ‘February Gold’, these can be added to arrangements too. Hellebore flowers make a wonderful display floating in a bowl of water, and evergreen herbs like rosemary and lavender can create a fragrant posy that will remind your Valentine of the sultry scents of summer.
Support local growers
[image id=”218569″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” title=”Collecting cut flowers. Jason Ingram” alt=”Collecting cut flowers. Jason Ingram” classes=””] Collecting cut flowers. Jason Ingram
Buying from local growers is generally more sustainable than buying imported flowers and you’ll also be supporting small businesses in your area. Although they won’t be selling roses and dahlias at this time of year, bouquets could include spring-flowering bulbs, pussy willow stems with silky soft buds, sweetly-scented witch hazel and more. The trade association Flowers from the Farm supports local British producers of seasonal cut flowers. They have a directory of growers that makes it easy to find local cut flowers and they promote sustainable growing across the UK.
More sustainable importers
[image id=”218570″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” title=”Cutting foliage for arrangements. Paul Debois” alt=”Cutting foliage for arrangements. Paul Debois” classes=””] Cutting foliage for arrangements. Paul Debois
If you still want to buy imported bouquets, choose a supplier with sustainability at the top of their agenda. Bloom and Wild sell a Lovely Leftovers Bouquet to reduce waste and they offer a 100% organic British bouquet. Bloom cut their bouquets to order to minimise waste and send flowers out in 100% plastic-free packaging, while Flower Station source their flowers from sustainable farms and growers across the globe. Or you could opt for flowers that are in season in the UK, such as daffodils from Fentongollan Farm in Cornwall or Churchtown Farm on the Isles of Scilly.
Potted plants
[image id=”60934″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” title=”Tatton Park Flower Show 2017 (18th July 2017)” alt=”Potted succulents. Jason Ingram” classes=””] Potted succulents. Jason Ingram
A potted or bare-root plant is a Valentine’s Day gift that will last far longer that a few days. Bare-root roses are more sustainable than potted roses as they don’t require pots and compost, and February is an ideal time to get bare-root roses in the ground as long as it’s not frozen or waterlogged.
Or why not show your love with a pot of early spring-flowering bulbs that can be planted out in the garden after flowering? House plants are another great year-round gift to bring nature’s beauty indoors, especially if you don’t have much outside space. Just make sure that any potted plants are grown without chemicals in peat-free compost. Check on the peat free nurseries list to find peat-free growers across the UK.
Dried arrangements
[image id=”218566″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” title=”Dried flowers. Neil Hepworth” alt=”Dried flowers. Neil Hepworth” classes=””] Dried flowers. Neil Hepworth
Dried flowers last for years, so a wide range of flowers can be sourced from local producers even in the depths of winter. The longevity of dried arrangements means a reduction in carbon through production and transportation. And, unlike plastic imitation flowers, they can easily be composted at the end of their life. If you’re buying dried cut flowers, check they haven’t been grown with pesticides, dried using chemicals like hydrogen peroxide or treated with dyes. Instead, buy air-dried flowers from local growers, producers who sell online, such as Cotswold Flora or Havannah, or you could even try drying your own.
Walk in the wild
[image id=”32865″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” title=”Primroses (Primula vulgaris). Sarah Cuttle” alt=”Primroses (Primula vulgaris). Sarah Cuttle” classes=””] Primroses (Primula vulgaris). Sarah Cuttle
Get away from the commercialised world of gifts this Valentine’s Day and spend quality time outside instead. There are so many beautiful winter gardens and wild landscapes to explore with more early flowers like daffodils, primroses and lesser celandines emerging every day. What could be more romantic than celebrating your love in a way that minimises your impact on the environment and protects the world for your future together?
* This article was originally published here
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