Flowers for valentines day

According to studies by Hallmark 32% of US households will choose to celebrate Valentines day by sending flowers. 73% of flowers are bought by men, and just 27% are by women, and 22% purchase flowers for themselves. Valentines and Mother’s Day are head to head in 2nd place for the biggest bloom festivities, second to the Christmas holidays. Roses are the most commonly purchased flower for Valentines day and the most traditional. But whether plastic or real let’s look at the environmental impact of purchasing those floral bouquets for your loved ones!

Plastic
Any environmental conscious consumer knows to avoid plastic. Sure the flowers stay fresh but at what cost? The chemicals used cause permanent damage to the environment and to wildlife. Not to mention the pointless use of petroleum. Plastic isn’t really any way to show a person you love them, ditch the plastic!

Cut flowers
At first glance the real cut flowers seem inconspicuous. You decide to show your love with a huge bouquet of flowers, but look at the environmental impact. Many of the flowers are grown with chemical herbicides and pesticides,  so look for organic alternatives. Some stores such as Whole Foods are now stocking flowers with the USDA certified organic label, and stores such as Costco are stocking Rainforest Alliance certified roses and 1-800-flowers.com has a limited selection of fair trade certified bouquets, check your local stores to find an organic flower supplier near you. Almost all cut flowers in stores are wrapped in cellophane, but it is possible to find flowers wrapped in biodegradable cellophane. Naturally an even better option would be no cellophane at all! Cut flowers whilst great from a store would have even less global impact if harvested locally, especially from your own garden. Consider adding a rose bush or two to your garden if possible for such occasions. Remember that once the flowers die instead of throwing them in the landfill garbage that these can be composted so dispose of them accordingly.

Live plants
By far the better option for the floral gift giver is a live plant. As the saying goes, “it will grow as long as your love continues to grow”. Live plants such as rose bushes, bulbs or even seeds can be great gifts. Even a potted plant to sit on the windowsill is a greener option than cut flowers. Live plants add a lot to any environment. Again look for plants grown organically, and be mindful of the containers. Avoiding plastic containers is virtually impossible in the gardening world but there are some sustainably produced plastic containers, or even clay pots. An even better option would be a fruit tree/bush, some plant that serves a purpose. Love doesn’t grow on trees but food sure does, and as they say “a way to a mans heart is through his stomach”!

dalgal | My Bio & Articles