The Powers of Flowers
MAISIE EXPLAINS ALL
The story of flower growing and our hopes for the future
The challenges of 2023
2023, like all growing years, had its fair range of challenges. A showery late Spring meant everything was delayed getting into the ground. Following the showers came the drought so once again we were fraught with trying to keep up with irrigation across the farm. Luckily unlike the Summer of 2022, the drought broke and we had a rather wet Summer, which didn’t prove to be a problem for the flowers. It did mean however that the weeds got a free reign!
Why do we grow flowers?
Whilst there has been a lot of light shed on the importance of local and organic vegetable produce, the flower industry seems to be a few steps behind so we wanted to explain the importance of British grown blooms and why we do what we do. For us we grow local for earth care, organic for people care and fair shares and lastly for the pure joy and beauty they bring!
Why Local?
The flower industry is massive not just in the UK but globally. The Netherlands has the world's largest flower market but flowers are increasingly being flown from further afield countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Ecuador and Colombia. This is because climatic conditions allow for all year round production and labour costs are cheaper in these countries. The obvious downside to this is the carbon footprint as these flowers have to take a long haul flight in a refrigerated airplane before they reach the UK market. Flowers in the Netherlands are grown in heated greenhouses meaning they can have a similar carbon footprint. All our flowers are grown and not flown and distributed to the local area.
Why Organic?
As flowers are not classed as foods, there are far less regulations on the type of pesticides used on them and this industry is the largest pesticide user in the world. This pollutes local water sources, impacts biodiversity, soil health, the health of flower growers and pickers, florists and your health at home. As well as being exposed to toxins all day long, it is commonplace for workers, the majority of which are women, to work long hours, have very low income and little workers rights such as maternity leave.
Growing organically is not only better for everyone’s overall health it is also extremely beneficial for insects and pollinators. The flower patch absolutely comes alive with buzzing and humming in the Spring and Summer months.
The Dopamine Factor!
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you the joy that flowers can bring but I will let some science do the talking. Studies have shown that flowers have the power to lift mood, decrease depression and improve creative performance. So it seems flowers can impact happiness, help connect people and increase feelings of kindness and compassion. Whilst flowers may not be essential to our daily needs, we do have a deep and long standing relationship with them. Humans, across all cultures for thousands of years, have used flowers to mark rites of passage, ritual, celebration and significant life events.
This year in 2024…
In 2024 we hope to keep growing as many seasonal blooms as possible. We will be providing our usual bouquets on our delivery round, at our Totnes Market stall on a Friday, as well as a local cafe in Totnes.
We will have bespoke bouquets available for collection or delivery starting from £25 whether that be for a special someone, special day or special treat to yourself.
We will also be starting flower box subscriptions in 2024 available in a few formats to suit everyone's needs and budgets. These will be available for delivery in our catchment area or collection. More news to come…
We will continue to provide flowers for weddings in the form of DIY bulk buckets, as well as custom designs for the bridal party and groomsmen. Flowers are also available for other events and celebrations.
Keep an eye on our 2024 calendar for upcoming flower events. We are aiming to provide workshops throughout the year including hand tied bouquet workshops and wreath workshops.
For everyone that has supported us by buying local blooms this year - thank you so much! We hope to continue to bring the flowery joy to you all next year!