Ireland's flower power: The domestic growers cutting a bouquet's carbon footprint

There is a vibrant community of people in Ireland who grow flowers as a commercial venture, using sustainable, ecologically friendly practices.

Most of the cut flowers that are used in the flower arrangements have been grown half a continent away and in near-industrial conditions.

IT’S a lovely gesture, to give a bunch of flowers and perhaps even nicer to receive one, but did you ever stop to think where that bunch came from?

Sarah Evans ran the Secret Garden centre in North Cork until she took the plunge in 2016 to change direction and turned her attention and her plot to growing flowers.

The advantages to growing flowers for the cut flower market are numerous she told me as you can grow flowers which aren’t normally available through traditional channels as they may not transport or store well enough for the global suppliers to bother with. You can also grow more scented, unusual and ecologically beneficial varieties.

“When working with your own flowers there is a sense of pride” Sarah told me, “as you have been nurturing the plant from seed and there is that magical, emotional connection with the flowers and the customer as you hand over each
bouquet and every single bunch is truly unique, down to the wonky sweet pea stem sticking out the side”.

Quite different really to buying something wrapped in plastic from the supermarket which has travelled halfway across the globe.

Unfortunately, most of the cut flowers that are used in the flower arrangements which we give as gifts and use to mark special occasions don’t have quite the back story that we might like them to have.

Many of them have been grown half a continent away and in near-industrial conditions, using pesticides and herbicides to control “nuisance” species, and artificial fertilisers to force growth.

The transportation process of these imported flowers is environmentally harmful as it requires refrigerated containers being moved over long distances.

At the end of the journey, there can often be large amounts of waste — flowers which may have been damaged in transit or are otherwise deemed unfit for sale. These usually end up, with their plastic wrapping, in landfill — here in Ireland, adding to our domestic waste problems.

Not quite the message that any of us want to be espousing when we give a bunch to welcome a new child, to profess undying love or to mark any other
celebration.

The good news is that there is a really vibrant community of people in Ireland who grow flowers as a commercial venture, using sustainable, ecologically friendly practices. Growers do not rely on pesticides or herbicides, and they
recognise and champion the cause of native pollinators.

The Flower Farmers of Ireland is a community whose members grow,
arrange and sell, Irish cut flowers and foliage and the good news is their numbers are growing and business is booming.

Growing flowers is often perceived as simply a hobby. However, growing flowers and foliage to supply the domestic floristry industry is a viable agricultural activity, with tremendous potential, a possible sideline for anyone with some spare space in their garden or a full-time change of direction for some farmers as per hectare, growing flowers and foliage has high potential value.

When you buy a bunch of Irish-grown flowers you are supporting growers who are having more of a positive than negative impact on the environment.

Globally, floristry is a multi-billion euro industry. In Ireland in 2020, the
market for fresh cut flowers, foliage and wreaths was worth €97m. It is unfortunate that in recent Bord Bia reports, there is no indication of the size of the market share for Irish-grown flowers.

ANNA Hogan of Seekings Flower Farm also speaks of that emotional connection to the flowers. “I am passionate about sustainability and the green environment,” Anna said to me “I took the plants and nature of my childhood for granted and I assumed everyone else did, but they don’t. A lot of people are only used to the flowers that you see in the imported bunches and one of the most common comments that I hear, when I give a bunch of my flowers is that they remind me of my granny”. A nice thought indeed when giving a bunch of flowers.

I regard myself as somewhat knowledgeable on matters of the garden but when it comes to cut flowers and floral art, I stand back in awe at the talent in this country, and the benefit of buying from an Irish grower is that you get to tap into that knowledge and skills base. You can communicate directly with the grower and so if you are planning flowers for a wedding or any special event, you can discuss your wants and needs and the grower can let you know what’s in season and suitable along with offering you
suggestions and advice, much better than clicking on an image on a screen.