Blooming good idea to cut flower imports

They set up a nationwide network of cut flower growers a year ago, which they run from their family farm in the East Riding of Yorkshire village of Everingham.

Flowers From The Farm (FFTF) now has more than 100 members from Cornwall to the North of Scotland. The network encourages farmers, smallholders and gardeners to start growing cut flowers for their local market.

The judges praised FFTF for protecting the countryside by preventing British consumers from having to buy imported flowers, which damage the environment by clocking up excessive carbon footprints. Every member grows and sells their own flowers direct to the public at farmers’ markets or at wedding fairs; at roadside stands or country shows.

Ms Hodgson said she was “absolutely delighted” to have won the award, adding: “It’s such an accolade that British flowers are starting to get the recognition they deserve.”

“For too long now people have got used to flowers that have all come from abroad. It’s just so lovely now that people are recognising flowers that are seasonal, that aren’t forced and have no air miles.”

“I’m now in my fourth year of growing cut flowers. I have seen the market for locally grown British cut flowers and I wanted to let everybody know there’s a market, that they can grow these, that we can stop importing so many varieties from all across the world. There’s nobody organising British flowers. There’s nobody championing British flowers. There’s nobody in charge of the industry. We promote British flowers all across the country and let people see the sorts of varieties they can grow.”

FFTF advocates the fact that few, if any, growers will be using anything other than the sun’s natural heat for producing their crop, while unlike vegetables, many flowers prefer a poorer soil and do not rely on large amounts of artificial fertiliser.

Meanwhile, flowers are not watered overhead, but through a system of drip tape which delivers water exactly where it is needed without waste. Time between harvesting flowers and getting them to market is kept to a minimum reducing, or eradicating, the need for cold stores and chemical preservatives.

Seasonal, local alternatives include bells of Ireland, love-in-a-mist, snapdragon and larkspur, and act as an alternative to the chrysanthemums, carnations and lilies that have become the standard fare.

Locally produced food has become more popular, with customers becoming more interested in the provenance of their food and more aware of the damage caused to the environment by excessive road miles.

And FFTF says it is now bringing about a similar revolution in cut flowers.