Why Choose Local Flowers?
In a time of seemingly endless possibilities when it comes to sourcing flowers, why would anyone choose to buy locally grown flowers? With “free” shipping and red or blue roses from December- January, what’s not to love? When we have the choice to get flowers at our local health food stores, quick stops, and big box stores why is it important to source locally? Although I think that this topic extends far beyond just flowers, and into our food system as well. . .today we’ll stick to flowers.
It’s often said that flowers are non essential, and while that may be partially true, more often than not they are rarely treated as such. When we think of many special occasions; in celebration or in grief, we find flowers. Almost instantly I think of weddings and funerals, but flowers are also a part of more common day-to-day events as well. It’s not uncommon to find flowers at birthday parties, anniversaries, being used as staging props, or gifts after recitals and performances. We see flowers being shared to welcome the birth of a new child, or in celebration of someone we care about landing the promotion they’d been working towards. We also see flowers being given to celebrate those who are finally able to retire. Flowers are an extra special touch in the home when hosting friends and family, and they bring a smile to your face even when you’ve grabbed a bouquet to enjoy all on your own. While some may say flowers aren’t essential, many of these occasions and moments mentioned above would look very differently without them. We may not appreciate their temporary nature, but we do seem to really love flowers and what they add to an experience.
Well if we are already buying flowers for any of the moments or occasions mentioned above, local flowers should certainly be a part of the conversation. Local flowers have several things working in their favor that everyone should know about.
Community Support and Connections: Many local flower farmers grow in an effort to support the floral needs of their local communities, and would love the support of their communities as well. It is very difficult for small farms to continue producing, and pouring back into the community without this support. It’s motivating getting to see how customers are styling, gifting, and enjoying the flowers that we growers spend months caring for. It is a delight to chat with a customer and hear about how our flowers were able to serve as a silver lining after a tough week, or a little moment of joy each time they walked past them on the kitchen counter. Having the opportunity to supply local florists that are willing to support local growers during the growing season has become a growing source of community and enjoyment. When buying local flowers, you are contributing to the efforts of fellow neighbors, aiding in their ability to support other local partners such as schools and sports teams, and becoming an active member in your own community. Together we are able to create a thriving and connected local community with a diverse flower supply chain that also contributes to the overall wellbeing of the planet as a whole.
Less dependence on fungicides, pesticides, and single use plastics: Although this will vary by farm, many small growers aim to prioritize little to no use of herbicide and pesticides used in more traditional commercial farming practices. This is oftentimes only possible due to the small scale and biodiverse nature of the local flower farming operation. Locally grown flowers also do not have the environmental impact of being flown in by plane and typically do not come packaged in plastic. The great news is that by shopping with your local grower you have an opportunity to talk to them and ask about spraying and pest management practices. This is an opportunity for education and connection is something you just don’t get when you pop into the nearest big box store or typical flower shop. And just so you’re aware, most of the flowers flown into the US are chemically treated to avoid the spreading of pests and disease.
Proper Harvest Stage and Less Handling: Flowers grown and cut locally can be cut at the proper stage of harvest which means there is the potential for less waste from flowers that never fully bloom after needing to be cut ahead of proper harvest times. Some commercially grown flowers are cut early in order to account for shipping time, and the time that flowers will likely be held before finally reaching you, the final customer. When flowers are able to be harvested at the proper stage, the customer ends up getting the best vase life possible from each variety and waste can be reduced. Choosing local flowers also means your flowers pass through less hands, and have experienced less handling on their way to you. When dealing with a perishable and sometimes fragile object such as flowers these details are important, and do make a difference between flowers that can last a week or flowers that only last two days.
Variety and Seasonality: As beautiful as I think more popular flowers such as Roses, Alstroemeria, and Sunflowers are— they aren’t even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cut flowers. There are many excellent cut flowers that will never see a store shelf because they do not hold up well to shipping. This is where having a local flower farmer connection could really provide an opportunity to check out lesser known varieties that you’d likely not be able to experience otherwise without growing them yourself. Small growers are often able to tune into seasonality and specifics in ways that larger scale operations can’t always match due to the fact that some of the varieties grown by small scale growers are specifically selected for seasonal availability, form, texture, or color pallets vs. the ability to simply ship and tolerate long holding periods. I would only be telling half of the story if I failed to mention that for many small scale growers, seasonality also includes the fact that many floral options will not be available year round. This is the truth of seasonality and working with nature if you haven’t yet reached the point of growing in multiple tunnels or using some other means of season extension to prolong the ideal growing conditions. It’s interesting to me that as much as flowers are often called non essential, we do go through great lengths and great costs to ensure we always have them at our disposal! While the true seasonality of flowers could be seen as a down side. . . it could also serve as an opportunity to pause, a chance for anticipation to build, and an opportunity to practice patience over instant gratification if the situation allows. This then encourages us to tune in wholeheartedly when the season of overflow returns. Check in with your local flower farmers for truly seasonally inspired floral options and arrangements so we can all make the most of the local flower season!