British flowers making the cut
British cut flower growers are opening their gates on August 16-18 for the launch of The Flower Farmers’ Big Weekend, says LOUISE MIDGLEY
BRITISH flower farming is enjoying a longawaited renaissance. The latest figures from Defra indicate that British cut flowers now represent 14 per cent of the UK’S cut flower sales, an increase of 2 per cent on the previous year.
The lion’s share of the flower market still consists of imports from the big boys in Holland as well as some of the far-flung corners of the globe such as Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya and Ethiopia.
It’s a far cry from the era, just 50 years ago, when commercially grown British flowers dominated the UK market but it’s positive progress and demand from well-informed customers is rising.
Unsurprisingly, many savvy consumers are now opting for fresh seasonal flowers that have been grown locally. Not only are they more likely to be highly scented
and rarely found in supermarkets but more crucially they haven’t accumulated any unnecessary air miles.
This change in fortune for the British cut flower industry has been driven by a multi award-winning co-operative of British cut flower LITTLE Seedlings Holiday Club at Dobbies Garden Centres, throughout August, free hour-long activity workshops for children aged between 4 and 10. Each child will receive a membership pack, meal offer and stickers.
● Find your nearest participating garden centre and to book your space visit Dobbies.com/events/upcoming-events/ growers called Flowers From The Farm, which was founded in 2011. It is a non-profit organisation that has a growing network of more than 620 active members across the whole of the UK who regularly support and advise each other.
Its main aim is to promote
British flowers and encourage more people to grow cut flowers for market in Britain.with this in mind they have organised a nationwide three-day festival called The Flower Farmers’ Big Weekend, the first of its kind to be held in the UK.
Around 100 independent flower farmers nationwide will offer visitors a behind-the-scenes look at their various fields, allotments and cutting gardens, some small, others on a grand scale.
Tours, workshops, Pick Your
Own flowers, picnics, afternoon teas and oodles of advice for anybody interested in following the same path will be on offer.
The three-day festival promises to be a vibrant and fragrant affair as August is peak Dahlia season for every British cut flower grower.
Other seasonal beauties include Phlox, Echinacea, Lilies, Agapanthus, Larkspur and Kniphofia to name a few.
Advance booking may be required for certain sites and some growers may charge an entrance fee.
● flowersfromthefarm.co.uk