Benefits of buying UK-grown flowers?

This morning's "On Your Farm" programme spoke to a British flower grower.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002g35

Merlotgran
Thank you for that

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh2__t22CQg

Something cheerful for a cold winter's day.

I'd love to do it. We have two acres but I'd need to be twenty years younger!

Cherrytree, I don't know the mechanics of daffodil growing so I assume the ones round here are grown for their bulbs, to be sold in autumn, otherwise as you say, they'd be picked while in bud.

Cherrytree59 ??

Cherrytree
well that didn't take long toecome a Brexit gloom and doom ?????
Hold onto your seat, it's only going to get worse coming up to the glorious day?????

How can we tell where they come from? When I order flowers there is never a label to say where they were grown. Maybe the bunches in the supermarkets are labelled?

A couple of days ago there was a daffodil grower on the radio saying he was going to lose a large proportion (40%?) of his crop because he couldn't get pickers. Not a lot of incentive to grown here.

Well that didn't take long to become a
'Brexit Doom and Gloom'

Foxylove Perhaps the British should borrow some of our French neighbour's national pride.

Merlot Thank you I will check out the websites.

SueDomin I am going to check out some Uk daffodil growing areas I would nice visit with DH and his camera.
I would have expected them all to be 'harvested' whilst in tight bud.

I wish all Gransnetters a lovely spring filled with seasonal flowers.

My indoor hyacinths are lovely at moment and will be replanted in the garden later.

so if they want us to buy their produce they can give us a good deal or we may not bother.

Has the penny not dropped yet, Buffybee ? It's not all about us buying their goods. Trade deals work two ways. We need other countries to buy our goods too. There'd be no point in them doing a trade deal with us if we're not going to buy their goods.

Anyway, sorry to derail the thread ladies. Pop your heads back in the sand...

Ask them, crystaltipps. They're putting a lot of info on their websites, YouTube etc.

I doubt we'd ever be totally self-sufficient where 'big occasion' floristry is concerned. I wouldn't like to see huge areas of our beautiful countryside covered in poly tunnels but the ever growing demand for British flowers that are farmed outdoors is exciting.

Another development is that some flower farmers started off as florists so their workshops are situated away from town centres therefore reducing traffic pollution.

There's an independent florist in a small town near to us and the high street is completely gridlocked when a large, controlled environment artic makes a delivery - often at school dropping off time.

It's called facing reality, Urmstongran. It will affect all areas of our lives and it's ridiculous to pretend that it won't.

There are shades of grey in most areas and trade has more than most. If you want countries to trade with us they have to be confident that they can sell their goods into our market. We no longer have an empire where we have a captive source of raw materials and a captive market for our finished goods.

I remember the 'Buy British' campaign; who, of our age, is likely to have forgotten it? But it really did nothing for our economy and we were begging to join the Evil Empire for quite a while before they would let us in.

But when we want to make all these wonderful trade deals post Brexit these countries are going to want us to buy their flowers.
Exactly! MaizieD, so if they want us to buy their produce they can give us a good deal or we may not bother.
We buy more from the EU than they do from us, so they obviously want our trade to continue.

I bought 2 x bunches of daffs from our local green grocer at the beginning of the week and they have opened beautifully I expect them to stay nice for a good few days yet.
I do like to buy flowers from Aldi they always stay fresh for a good 2 weeks at least sometimes longer,I only ever buy white blooms they have always been my favourite.

Never miss an opportunity do you MaizieD

I wonder whether all the employees of these British Flower farms are British ???

Bought 4 bunches of daffs ( buds ) @£1 a bunch from Asda on Tuesday-------all opened beautifully some with orange centres but starting to wither now. I've been quite pleased with Asda's flowers in the past because I can guarantee a good two weeks from a lot of them. I still had their roses blooming over Christmas when the ones from M&S had well finished !

I do think British Companies need our support at the moment. I so admire the French (and contradictorily it is what I find most annoying) is their total belief that nothing is better than made in France, be it goods, healthcare, holidays etc. Of course, they are right, and so would we be if we believed the same about British. We have got used to everything in this Country being sold off or made to other Countries, and why would these Countries have bought our infrastructure, companies etc, because they were the best!
Off my soap box and back to soops kitchen for cake!

But when we want to make all these wonderful trade deals post Brexit these countries are going to want us to buy their flowers. We're hardly going to get them to trade with us if we're determindly not buying their produce.

The bunches of daffodils in tight bud that I bought from the local market a week ago have opened up beautifully. Not a shrivelled bud in sight.

Agree. I can remember the horror I felt at the acres and acres of polytunnels in Ecuador.

I agree with you, my husband bought me a bunch of daffs on Thursday. The buds did not look very promising. But what do I know? They have opened gradually and are looking good. I put the tiniest squirt of bleach in the water, as advised by Sarah Raven on doing cut flowers, and enjoying the beautiful blooms for 95p

I hope that everyone does start buying British products, it's just what this great country of ours needs.
We can grow and produce a lot of what we currently import.

I haven't found that problem with British daffodils. I've a beautiful vase of them sitting on my kitchen table right now.

Some of the farms in my area have been growing daffodils for about ten years now and the fields look wonderful in the springtime, with colours ranging from almost white to deep yellow.

My cats eat plants and flowers so I have to be careful with what I buy, no lilies, for example.

I’m Backing Britain

I think it’s just the right climate to ‘Buy British’. I’m sure that was a slogan in the 70’s.
Good luck all those in the British flower business ??

Petra and Merlot
That is encouraging.
It would be nice to put a dent in the 90% imported ?