Right from the start of my small business, I have ensured that sustainability is at the heart of everything I do. Having grown up on a farm (Hoopers Farm) that has always prided itself on rearing livestock in a way which benefits, rather than damages, its environment, this has always been something close to my heart. When researching the flower industry before starting my business, I was shocked to find just how little regulation there is in the floral industry. This made me determined to do something different with my flowers.
Agriculture is currently at a turning point - so much of the Earth's soils are degraded that farmers are having to input a whole host of nutrients (often synthetic ones) just to produce the same volume of food. While we are getting better and better at increasing the yields of crops, this is at the expense of the ecosystems we live in. It is obvious that we are in a climate crisis (last year's hot, dry summer is just becoming the norm) so it is vital that we find ways of locking carbon in the soil. Biodiversity is also at an all-time low and Britain has been shown to be one of the countries with the worst biodiversity in Europe.
All of these facts could make one feel despondent, but I have found that aiming to make just a small difference to my own little patch of land has made this feel much less overwhelming. When planning my business there were a few important tenets:-
- Not using pesticides (fungicide, herbicide or insecticide) to solve problems - pests are a sign that I am doing something wrong and nature will usually balance the problem out.
- Minimising "flower miles" by only supplying local customers and choosing only to go to nearby farmers' markets.
- Building soil biology in order to trap carbon.
- Using growing methods, floral mechanics and packaging that will not end up in landfill.
I will go into each of these in more detail in a further post but I am sure you can see how these basics are so important for creating a business that benefits both people and wildlife.
You can learn how to create your own cut flower garden on my Sustainable Flower Patch Workshop - save your spot now!