In the UK we spend over £1 billion a year on flowers. Supermarkets sell around 75% of these. Around 85% of flowers are imported – which means by and large flown into the country. Holland , Kenya, Columbia and Israel are the main suppliers.

Many imported flowers have been subjected to toxic pesticides. There are also concerns over flower growing worker’s rights. Water diverted as irrigation for flower growing has caused shortages in some parts of the world. However, steps have been and are being taken to improve matters, and flower growing can provide much needed employment – if your supplier insists on buying flowers grown according to the EUREPGAP standard then you can be reassured.

Better options are to buy British flowers (these should be labelled as such, although mixed bunches tend not to be labelled), or grow your own. Flowers grown yourself are not only cheaper, but you know exactly what pesticides have been applied to them, you have the pleasure of growing them, and there are no transport costs and CO2 emissions associated with them.

When buying British flowers, make sure they are in season. This means they will not have been grown in a hothouse. Hothouses in cold climates have an extremely high energy usage.

There is an ethical dilemma here: is it better to buy British grown flowers reducing the environmental impact, or to buy ethically grown imported flowers, perhaps supporting workers living in third world conditions? Your choice.

It is illegal to uproot wild flowers without permission of the landowner, and there are 200 species which it is illegal to pick. For more information check Naturenet