I had someone challenge me today about my beliefs that locally-grown flowers are indeed a better choice than flowers grown in Ecuador. It seems obvious to me, but he was very passionate. I had several rebuttals to his argument that Ecuadorian roses are actually more sustainable than US roses (he figured that since they don’t have to heat their greenhouses down there, that would off-set the carbon footprint of the international transit process). He said that many of the flower farms in Ecuador have recently adopted sustainable practices and now treat their workers very well. The flower farms help keep families together rather than some family members having to seek work in the US. I certainly hope that is the case, but I’m not sure that I believe just one man’s opinion. To be honest, the conversation was all a bit overwhelming and left me feeling a little confused.
I stand by all the points I made here.
But then I thought of another reason. A reason that means a lot to me, and so I hope I can articulate it in a way that makes sense to you. Since I am growing my flowers for my own business and with a clear knowledge of the event, florist, or customer who is going to be using them, I can grow and cut flowers specifically for that end goal.
How is this different than South American or large-scale flower farms dealing just in the wholesale trade? They are pushed to grow ever-taller, ever-sturdier, ever-fatter blooms. Particularly in the world of roses, {stem} size matters! Roses and other flowers are typically graded and priced according to their stem length. The growers producing them likely either pump them full of fertilizers to get that stem length and/or sacrifice the entire plant for the sake of one long bodacious stem.
That’s all well and good IF the end goal is to create an eight-foot tall monster arrangement, like the kind you see in fancy-pants hotel lobbies. But most often, these monster-stemmed flowers get put into ordinary size bouquets. The florist chops off two or three feet of stem and throws it in the trash (or, hopefully, the compost bin). What was the point of pumping that plant full of fertilizer or sacrificing its entirety for the sake of one long stem? In my opinion, for what it’s worth, that’s a sad waste of resources.
In contrast, when I grow my flowers, I know what I’m using them for. I know if I need extra long stems for a special large arrangement, and I cut accordingly. If I’m selling to a florist, I ask her if she needs super long stems. But most often, I cut a stem length that is the best balance between the needs of the plant and my needs as a floral designer. That means the plant is left with enough leaves and side branches to produce several more stems for cutting. Ultimately, it takes a lot less resources (nutrients, seed, labor, even fuel for the tractor) to cut the right stem length rather than the longest stem length possible. My way of doing business and farming also means I can use those shorter side stems that would never even make it into the line-up at the wholesalers because they’re so focused on long stems. Sometimes short and sweet is really lovely, don’t you think?
So, that’s one point firmly on the board for locally grown flowers.
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