FLORAL SOCIETY Think local buy seasonal; Marc Abbott discovers the British florists and growers transforming the flower industry for people and planet

FLORAL SOCIETY

Our rooms and spirits are always lifted by flowers, but how can we take a more sustainable approach to sourcing and displaying them? MARC ABBOTT discovers a flourishing community of florist-growers with some easy answers

Sourcing your flowers locally is the best option for the planet A s windows are flung open and summer sunbeams grace our walls, we long for the visual delight and olfactory assault of cut flowers in our rooms. But with ecological approaches to interior design increasingly key, how do we ensure that our floral embellishments are sourced, displayed, and their delight prolonged, in the most sustainable manner? One obvious answer lies close to home.

‘Sourcing your flowers as locally as possible limits their air miles,’ says Olivia Wilson, owner of Hertfordshire flower studio Wetherly (wetherly.co.uk). ‘And most small market farms won’t use pesticides or will limit their use of chemical interventions that are more harmful to the planet.’

By obtaining our flowers from local growers (flowersfromthefarm.co.uk is a great place to start), we also ensure a seasonal approach to displaying them. ‘Flowers grown out of season carry a huge carbon and chemical footprint and are often grown under heated greenhouses requiring vast amounts of water and fertiliser to keep them alive,‘ echoes West Sussex florist Milli Proust. ‘That’s before they’re wrapped in single-use plastic and flown across the world.’

By expecting certain flowers to be always available, some would argue we risk losing our attachment with traditional cycles of the earth. To this end, Somerset-born floriculturist Kitten Grayson opines, ‘The fact that

we promote roses for Valentine’s Day is madness.’

She suggests combining foraging with finding a local grower, adding, ‘I sometimes look for branches that have fallen, placing one or two in a large vessel to give a canopy-like feeling to a display.’ This method forms the basis of the largescale ‘everlasting installations’ for which she is renowned.

Of course, the inevitable reality of cut flowers is their far-from-everlasting life in our homes. Organically grown flowers at the end of their lives can go on your compost with food waste, but West Sussex florist-grower Jess Geissendorfer (jessicablume.co.uk) has you covered when it comes to prolonging their impact. ‘It really makes a difference to keep cut flowers out of direct sunlight; you’ll increase their life by around a week,’ she says.

‘Also, you should trim the foliage so it’s all above water, and completely change the water every few days to prevent bacteria building up,’ adds Olivia. ‘Re-cutting the stems is important, and another thing people forget to do is to take away any dead stems; suddenly that lifts a bouquet.’

Both Olivia and Jessica propose novel uses for petals once those blooms are waning. Kitten uses dried petals strung on thread to create unique art pieces for the home, as well as utilising them in fabric dying, while Jess explains that tulip petals, plucked then dried once the flower is just past its best, make delightful, eco-friendly confetti.

Indeed, drying an entire bunch of flowers is one way to ensure its appeal never ebbs, and guarantee a floral presence in your home during winter months when fresh flowers aren’t available. ‘The traditional way to dry flowers is to hang them upside-down,’ explains Olivia. ‘Or you can let them drink all the water in the vase then leave them standing – that works well for hydrangeas.’

‘It’s also easy to dry dahlia, helichrysum, larkspur and gomphrena’, adds Kitten. ‘But steer clear of the foam ‘oasis’ that people use to support them; it’s a microplastic – basically just poison.’

Olivia reassures that if you want to frame your flora, two heavy books and some blotting paper are all you need to ensure a bloom is perfectly pressed for posterity.

What’s for certain is the wisdom and passion of this burgeoning community of ecologically minded growers proves there is no more pressing issue in floristry than sustainability. And, by putting their practical advice to good use, we can all pursue our blossoming interest with more consideration for the planet.

MAKING THE SUSTAINABLE CUT

MOTHER EARTH

There are few floral studios with such an enviable commitment to sustainability as Kitten Grayson Flowers. Following biodynamic principles, her flowers are planted according to the lunar cycle and with no sprays, following a growing cycle that’s in touch with Mother Earth. With a focus on creating unique floral installations for events and bespoke commissions, her studio is also creating a closed loop system, whereby all the waste from flowers grown for its commercial clients is brought back to where they were grown and returned to the soil. kittengrayson.com

SEASONAL AFFINITY

Milli Proust is now in her sixth year of cultivating flowers, with a focus on creating playful and romantic arrangements for personal clients as well as large events. Inspired by the way flowers flourish in the wild, and growing her stems in rhythm with nature, she uses organic practices that reflect the seasons and help to both protect and regenerate the surrounding wildlife. Her new book, From Seed to Bloom (Quadrille, £20), is a mine of practical information for anyone seeking a sustainable approach to sowing, growing, harvesting and arranging their own flowers. milliproust.com

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Chosen to dress the Bull Ring Gate entrance at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Lucy Vail Floristry’s studio is very much in the ascendency. During the summer months, she uses purely home-grown flowers for her bouquets, all produced at Floriston, her family-run Suffolk flower farm. Her online shop offers a subscription service as well as the chance to make one-off purchases, while deliveries within central London are conveyed by eco-bike. lucyvailfloristry.com

BETTER TOGETHER

Olivia Wilson, Jess Geissendorfer and Lulu Cox form SSAW Collective – a community of chefs, florists and growers. Their motivation? To work in the most ethical way with seasonal produce (SSAW denotes Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter). The trio advocates for fair wages, soil regeneration, the replenishment of insect populations, and an altogether slower, more considered approach. While its individual members have their own fields of expertise, the overreaching aim is to create work – either floral, farming or food-related – that promotes true seasonality and sustainability. ssawcollective.com; wetherly.co.uk; jessicablume.co.uk; lulucox.com

GROW YOUR OWN

What could be more sustainable than planting your own flowers? Here are Kitten Grayson’s top tips for your first cutting garden

1DON’T DIG Prevent weeds by following the ‘no dig’ approach to flower bed prep. Layer cardboard on top of the soil, leave it for a couple of months, put soil on top, then plant directly on to it.

2GO POTTY Start out by planting tulips in pots during autumn – they’re fairly bulletproof.

3HAVE FUN Create moodboards, think of colours you love, and bring in wildlife…

4SWAP SEEDS Set up a seed sharing community, or a WhatsApp group, to find out what your neighbours have, and swap with them.

5MOVE IT If you plant outdoor containers with poppies, for instance, you can bring them into the house and have that pop of colour throughout your home. n