With Valentine’s Day coming up, I always come back to the reasons why we grow flowers. Flowers are an expression of love, care, celebration, and in my mind - seasonality. For as long as anyone can remember, in all places and cultures we have been observing, arranging, and celebrating with flowers; a timeless, wholesome, and creative act so often for the ones we love.
And sadly, just as we have been disconnected with our food, so have we been from flowers. While buying, supporting, and knowing local seasonal food has become much more commonplace, awareness of the importance of local flowers is still limited.
Did you know that over 80% of cut-flowers are imported in Canada?
Most cut-flowers are grown in South America, Columbia and Ecuador especially, as well as in Kenya, Morocco, and Thailand. They are grown with heavy use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides; regulations around chemical use aren’t as strict as they are for food. This contributes to poor and often dangerous working conditions for farm and greenhouse workers, the majority of whom are women. The high demand for flowers has also led to harmful environmental impacts on local soils, watersheds, and ecosystems. Research has also shown that there are adverse health impacts on local communities living near floriculture sites.
Once the flowers are picked, they are often treated with more chemicals, stored in excess plastic packaging, and then shipped across the globe. The bouquet you pick up in the grocery store has often travelled thousands of kilometres from where the flowers were grown greatly contributing to GHG emissions.
Why should we ship flowers from all around the world when we can grow beautiful blooms right here at home? Local flowers have the same positive impacts on our environment and on our communities as local food.
By choosing to buy local flowers from your farmer or florist, you are also opening up a whole new world of unique, diverse and enchanting flowers. There are hundreds of varieties to discover in all kinds of shapes, textures, colours, and scents.
At Larkspur Farm, soil health and supporting biodiversity are at the heart of our farming practices. We focus on ecological ways to regenerate soil, retain water, and grow healthy, abundant plants. We follow organic growing practices and do not use pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Our flowers are longer lasting because they are harvested the day before you receive them. Our flower field is home to an abundance of pollinators, birds, toads, and plenty of insects. With over 70 unique varieties, it is also one of the most beautiful, inspiring, and natural spaces on the farm. As farmers connected to the land and the changing seasons, there was nothing more natural than for us to fall in love with flowers. We hope you will too.
Alix Tabet (she/her) | Farmer-florist and co-owner at Ferme Larkspur Farm.
We are currently offering a seasonal bouquet subscription for 2022 that makes a perfect Valentine’s Day gift.
Looking for an alternative to traditional flowers for your wedding? We still have some availability in 2022. Get in touch!
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