british — British Cut Flowers

Florist News Discussion Forum

It would seem that many in the cut flower industry would like to buy and sell within a British market as well as using some of our global suppliers.

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This of course has to be championed, but it would seem that there are many fundamental obstacles in the way.

Some of the major complaints are:

Lack of funding / investment.
No British auction system ensuring growers are paid the same day.
High costs involved such as taxes, land charges, service charges.
Lack of consistency and quality.

The Florist News Discussion Forum has a “Buy from British flower growers” section which seems to be raising some healthy debate.

Monty’s Going Native

July issue of BBC Gardener's World Magazine

In the July issue of Gardeners World Magazine Monty Don looks at the plants that have become the backbone of British Gardens giving them a sense of identity and place.

“The British gardening tradition is based on a wide range of flowering plants from all over the world”

Many species have been brought to us by plant hunters over the centuries from China, Aftrica and new Zealand, not to mention the diverse collections brought over by the romans.

Monty says that “our British gardens are invariably a rich tapestry of colours textures and fragrances, and with our enviably mild climate, the range of plants we can grow in a sheltered garden is greater than anywhere else in the world. This gives our gardens a sophistication and depth that can make them endlessly fascinating, whatever the season”.

Included in Monty’s pick of natives for the garden are Crab Apple, Silver Birch and Wild Cherry with flowering plants including native Bluebells, Lilly of the Valley, Sea Holly and Wood Anemone. For those shady areas, look out for ferns such as Hart’s Tongue and Lady Fern.

For a list of plants native to your local area, log on to the Natural History Museum’s POSTCODE PLANTS DATABASE.