Why flower bouquets make poor gifts

Living gifts are gaining in popularity and make a great present alternative instead of sending cut flowers. Their longevity makes them excellent value for money and caring for them is good for the soul. Flowers in a bouquet, although pretty enough at first, will only wither and die - you can’t nurture a vase of rotting roses.

Aside from their life span, most cut flowers sold in the UK are incredibly un-environmentally friendly. They’re intensively grown, using valuable resources and flown halfway across the world. Wastage is huge and the flowers are riddled with pesticides and insecticides.

The top reasons why cut flowers are a poor gift choice (compared to herbs for example).

1. They’re already dying.

It’s odd that to cheer someone up, it’s traditional to send them something dying. Not matter how stunning the bouquet looks when it arrives, on average it’ll last a couple of weeks before becoming brown, withered and needing to be disposed of (unless you’re Mrs Havisham).

The opposite of cut flowers, our herbs are living plants and will grow and thrive the longer they last. Perennial herbs will live for years and some varieties make excellent cut flowers in their own right.

2. They rack up more air miles than Taylor Swift

Most cut flowers sold in the UK are grown abroad, with some travelling up to 4,000 miles to make a special appearance in your bouquet. 80% of all UK cut flowers are imported via Holland, many from growers based in Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Our herbs are grown in the UK and sourced from local, independent nurseries. They are grown in reduced peat or peat free compost.

3. They’re really bad for the environment

Aside from the carbon footprint of the supply chain, most cut flowers are intensively farmed and use valuable resources in poorer, developing countries. They consume tremendous amounts of water, heating and nutrients and many never make it. Up to 45% of cut flowers are wasted before they even reach a bouquet.

4. They’re really, really bad for the environment

Blooms in a mixed flower bouquet may have been exposed to up to 25 different pesticides and insecticides. The use of pesticides on cut flowers is pretty much unregulated (compared to edible crops), especially those grown outside the EU and can include very damaging neonicotinoids which have a devasting effect on bees.

Our plants are subject to strict pesticide rules (as are all UK grown plants and cut flowers) and we encourage our suppliers to use biological pest controls where possible - which is why you might find a creepy crawly or two in your herbs.

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.

Alfred Austin

5. They use a lot of plastic (which is bad for the environment)

To keep them fresh, cut flowers are often shipped or encased in plastic or polystyrene. Plastic single use vases are commonly included with the bouquet as well florists foam, to keep the blooms in place. Florist foam isn’t great. It’s made from non-renewable petrochemicals, is a single use plastic and can only go in landfill - allegedly, Uranium has a shorter half-life.

Our packaging is 100% recyclable including the tiny cellophane wrapper around the snips. Everything else is bio-degradable and can be chucked onto your compost heap. The herb guide is printed on FSC certified paper and our packaging tape is eco-friendly too.

Our decorative pots are made from recycled cardboard pulp, mixed with a water based, natural adhesive. The wooden plant labels are made from renewable bamboo and are FSC certified (Forest Stewardship Council). The clear stickers are recyclable.

6. All style and no substance!

Cut flowers are pretty enough, if you like staring at slowly dying blooms that is. Other than fleeting beauty, they don’t offer a great deal after the initial WOW factor.

Herbs are useful! As a group of plants, they’re brilliant! You can eat most of them, they generally smell great, they can help with health and wellbeing, they’re easy to grow and suit small spaces, they look beautiful and bring all the bees to the yard.

7. You need a vase

Most people have vases, but likely only because they were sent some flowers once and had to buy one. If you’re the gift giver, you have to assume your recipient has a suitable vase, it’s a risk albeit fairly minor but one which can be avoided.

All of our herbs come with decorative pots for use indoors or out. With plant labels, herb snips and growing guide also included, this is a gift that needs nothing but a sunny windowsill.

8. Hidden dangers and untended consequences

Some popular bouquet flowers can be incredibly poisonous to pets. Lilies are particularly bad for cats (and clothes) and fox gloves for dogs for example. Sometimes a well-intended and thoughtfully sent bouquet can end up with an un-intended and thoroughly expensive vets’ bill!

Choose a pet friendly herb collection for cat and dog owners and you’ll be rewarded by lots of purring and wagging of tails. The pets will be happy too.

Herbs are the friend of the physician and the pride of cooks.

Charlemagne

Send herbs not flowers!

Aside from the air miles, resource intensive farming, wastage, short-life span, pesticides and plastics used – there’s nothing wrong with sending flowers. However, they’re still a dying gift.

We say choose herbs, choose life!