For florists and flower growers, whether they’re an independent enterprise or part of a large business, Valentine's Day is one of the most significant events of the year, bringing a welcome boost after the post-Christmas lull. According to the British floristry association, it is estimated that a staggering 250 million stems of flowers are sold at Valentine's globally.
Of that, one-third consists of roses, one-third of tulips, and the rest is everything else. At this time of year, the majority of these flowers will come from abroad, with roses predominantly being shipped in from the warmer climates of Kenya and Colombia. In contrast, one-fifth will come from the Netherlands.
If the thought of the carbon footprint of your bouquet is giving you pause for thought, you'll be pleased to learn it is possible to buy British-grown flowers for the most romantic day of the year from specialist growers who use heat and light to produce early crops of primarily tulips and narcissi.
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But there are also small-scale flower farmers in the Bristol area who are committed to sustainable, non-artificial methods, even if that leaves them out of participating in one of the biggest days on the floral calendar.
Sarah Wilson, who runs Compton Garden flowers with her husband Bob from their Somerset village, Compton Dando, 7 miles from Bristol, is one such grower, with customers across Bath and Bristol to whom she supplies primarily cottage garden, seed-grown flowers that are reflective of the UK's seasons.
For many years Sarah was a management consultant with a passion for growing flowers in her garden. But in 2015, she bought a 2 acres field and, tired of the constant travel involved in her job, handed in her notice later that year. Compton Flowers has grown into a full-time business offering flowers, floristry and workshops.
Sarah said, “The first year, we were quite small; we had about six beds. And then each year, for about four years, we increased the space to what it is now, just over an acre. And that's probably where we'll keep it because it's just about right for the customers we've got, and we want to maintain our ethos of sustainability.”
But getting started as a sustainable grower wasn’t straightforward. Sarah said: “When we started, I had really not thought through what it really meant to be sustainable. But one of the first things I did, after thorough training, was to join a network called Flowers from the Farm.
"It was fascinating hearing, listening, and learning about other people's journeys, and I realised that everybody else was not using any pesticides, not using any funny fertilisers, not using any herbicides. I thought, well, these people know what they're doing; they've been doing it a long time; maybe I should be a bit more considered in my choices.
“And we very quickly learned that when you don't apply chemicals or disturb things in a way that isn't natural, you get better results.”
Sarah says that keeping some of her small plots uncultivated and free from chemicals helps encourage biodiversity, including birds that act as natural pesticides eating insects. However, there is added labour which makes the stems more expensive.
She said: “You're paying a little bit extra because they've had to farm in a different way. But I think it's worth it. I like knowing that I can be sure that when somebody puts their nose in a bouquet of flowers, there's nothing in there. They can sniff that.”
By keeping things small-scale, Sarah has had to adapt to work more collaboratively with other businesses. She said: “Collaboration has to be the right way. Collaborating with other growers and collaborating with florists. It's just a different way of doing things that is not like competition. There are lots and lots of growers, but there's enough room for everybody.”
Not using artificial growth conditions also constraints Sarah’s growing season, meaning that although she is working out in her beds from January to March, things don’t get going until April. But not being able to take advantage of Valentine's day trade isn't something that worries her, as she says even out of season, there’s usually something she can offer.
She said: “If somebody phones me and they want they need funeral flowers, and it's the middle of December. I can do it, but it's going to look really different to something that you could get from a high street florist, and it will reflect the season of the moment.”
But Sarah said that using her curatorial skills to put together an arrangement or solution is one of her favourite parts of her job. “We are incredibly lucky to do something we love," She said, "The bit that I love the most is when I've curated a bucket of flowers, and I'm handing them over - just seeing people's reaction is just wonderful.”
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