love plants and flowers. When I receive a bouquet of wonderfully scented blooms, my whole being is lifted and I try not to think too much about where they may have come from. It really wouldn’t be polite.

Therefore, when I was commissioned to write this article and I started to do the research, all that knowledge that I had put to the back of my mind came to the surface and this article is not about not buying flowers or stunning houseplants but how we can ensure that we enjoy those gorgeous gifts without feeling that we are damaging the environment.

The flower and plant market in the UK is worth a staggering £2.2 billion. That represents an average spend of £36 per year per person and each year it is increasing. No longer do we think that flowers and houseplants are for special occasions, we like having fresh flowers around the house.

Flowers are a global market and are transported from all over the world. It is likely that those valentine roses you bought or received came from South America or India. Ecuador and Venezuela are the new burgeoning markets. They are picked, packed on the way to the airport, refrigerated and flown in cooled planes. Some flowers are flat packed but many are kept in water for the journey ensuring that they last that little bit longer.

Florists tell me that flowers and plants have to be imported because there is not enough land in the UK to meet the increasing demand for fresh cut flowers. They argue that from an economic point of view, in the winter months, low light and heat levels mean that some flowers and plants are impossible to grow in this country. Importing them from miles away is more viable and environmentally friendly, I am told. I am not completely convinced because at our local farmers’ market even in the depth of winter our plant stall holder from Headcorn has a marvellous array of plants for sale.

Although we import most flowers from the Netherlands, we cannot be sure that they have not come from further afield because there is an auction house system and Holland may have imported the same flowers from other countries. Most pot plants are home grown and those that are not tend to come from Holland and Belgium because the air-freight costs are astronomical due to weight.

It’s not all bad news. We do grow flowers in the UK. Cornwall is famous for daffodils; Lincolnshire and Scotland grow lots of bulb flowers and the Channel Islands bring us freesia, iris and roses. We can ask the supplier where the plants come from and ask florists to stock British flowers. If we want to know more detail, it is always worth going to your local farmers’ market. Most markets have plant growers and florists, and there you can be sure that the plants you buy are not only UK grown but local as well. Just as food miles are important, asking about flower miles is a first step to your plant buying sustainability.

If you can’t source what you need locally or even UK grown, make sure that you buy fair-trade flowers. Some major supermarkets offer fair-trade cut flowers and if you purchase these, you know that the producers have been paid a fair price for their goods. If you want organic flowers and plants, try looking online for suppliers and growers. The Natural Store offers organic bouquets.http://www.thenaturalstore.co.uk/store/gifts/flowers/237

An alternative to buying freshly cut flowers as a gift is to source locally grown bulbs for the garden, small bushes or even trees. An attractive pot plant is another option and many can give years of pleasure if looked after. Buying pot plants can make a real difference to your health. Some plants are able to tackle the pollutants found in your home.

The beautiful Peace Lily not only looks attractive with its deep green shiny leaves and white or red flowers, it is brilliant at removing harmful chemicals in the house. Alcohols, acetone, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde are successfully filtered out in the ambience of your house through the plant. However, the Peace Lily does not like direct sunlight.

The plant known to us all as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue can humidify the air and remove formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is often released from a host of household furnishing and even some air fresheners mix with naturally occurring ozones to create formaldehyde. It can cause coughing, skin rashes and burning sensations. The Boston Fern is another good plant in the home and can clean up toxins. Even the good old spider plant plays its part in destroying pollutants and is inexpensive as well as being ecologically sound.

Perhaps one of the most useful plants to have in the home is Aloe Vera. It is very easy to look after and simple to propagate. It is also known as the burn plant because of its wonderful qualities when the juice from the leaves is put on burns and scalds. To use, simply break one of the succulent leaves, split it open and rub the soft gel in the centre of the leaf onto the affected area of skin.

Many of our native herbs have healing properties and there are some good medicinal herb books available for purchase. Remember though that plants are very powerful and should only be used for medicine under expert advice.

The giving and receiving of flowers and pot plants is a joy and can help turn your home into a scented wonderland as well as helping to get rid of some of the nastier chemicals that inhabit our dwellings.

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