Selfsufficientish.com

How your supermarket flowers empty Kenya's rivers

And yes, I know the supermarkets (T***o, Sainsbury's, M&S) will argue that it's not them; it's the companies that grow the flowers. But they're still selling the flowers!

And shoppers are still buying them - so I guess we have the power in the end - should we care to exercise it!

That's scandalous! What's wrong with growing flowers here, we can grow them and we have lots more water. Supermarket flowers are rubbish and always die quickly anyway.

As I've come to understand in the last decade or so: everything that is so suspiciously cheap must have some dire consequences downstream. Or upstream, in this case. We must really get people, and especially the younger generation, to think: what is more important? Cheap imported flowers to brighten up a home temporarily, to aid our vanity, or food for people who otherwise might not have any. I'm sorry, but I get very cross reading reports like this.

I feel like such a fraud posting in this Forum....

Made it quite clear (I thought) how I felt about supermarket flowers on Thursday while on a long journey in a very full car. On Friday, Mum-in-law comes back from the shops with ... supermarket flowers for me!

I had to say, 'O, thank you, very nice,' when I really wanted to tear my hair (what's left of it) out!

I've also been brought up to respect mother-in-law, she who fills the kettle to the top to make a cup of tea ... in a tea-pot ... requiring me to wash one more thing ....

Just wanted a rant. Feel better now.

It has been probally too long since I bought flowers for Emma and at least now I have an excuse.

I much prefer to go out and pick flowers for her, even if it is just some blossom that looks pretty normally cheers her up a bit.

I must add that I don't go picking flowers that I don't recognise incase they are endangered.

I don't understand why people buy flowers at all. Personally picked flowers are so much nicer - whether they be from your garden, the wild (or stolen from someone elses garden). Buying flowers is such a huge waste of money, and it is the gesture of them that count, not the price tag. Flowers in the supermarkets over here arn't a big thing yet, but I imagine the flowers from a florist mostly come from somewhere very far away (I have'nt investigated) argggh

I reckon better advice would be to remove the word flowers from the subject "Don't buy flowers from supermarkets" and you'll have much better advice. :-)

Although I must admit, that its difficult to find better prices for bog role and the local Morrisons is the only place I've found around here that stocks hemp seed oil, which I find is great for cooking with. Oh ya, and bubble bath and shampoo for the kids (they refuse to use my olive oil soap on their hair)...

Re florists :

when Dad died in March, we stipulated 'no flowers' and asked for donations instead. (No - not for us - for a charity we support!)

However, Mum and I wanted to put something on his coffin from the children (my three) and we chose a wee posy of freesias. They cost me well over £50!!!! FIFTY QUID!!! For bloody freesias.

I refused to let them go thru the fire and had the bloke lift them off the coffin for me to take home instead.

For those romantics that still want to give flowers to their loved ones, Wiggly wigglers do british flower bouquets

I remember my boyfriend being very happy when I explained that I never wanted him to buy me flowers, as I prefer things that are still living. His smile faded a bit when I pointed out this didn't preclude him from buying me plants...

On our first date Chris bought me a dozen red roses - one of which I pressed. 32 days later he proposed to me and gave me another dozen red roses - the petals of which we kept and dried for confetti at our wedding next year. Since then he's bought me roses a few more times - and each time the petals have been kept - along with petals collected from my mothers garden - these roses came from my grandmothers garden. I have truly enjoyed receiving the flowers and the petals are to be "recycled", but now he's given me something much better - he's planted flowers in our garden and often they grow into something that can feed the family. To me thats a much better gift than something that you are charged a fortune for, that dies in a mushy mess far too quickly and can quite literally cost the earth!!
Helen and Chris

Milims wrote:On our first date Chris bought me a dozen red roses - one of which I pressed. 32 days later he proposed to me and gave me another dozen red roses - the petals of which we kept and dried for confetti at our wedding next year. Since then he's bought me roses a few more times - and each time the petals have been kept - along with petals collected from my mothers garden - these roses came from my grandmothers garden. I have truly enjoyed receiving the flowers and the petals are to be "recycled", but now he's given me something much better - he's planted flowers in our garden and often they grow into something that can feed the family. To me thats a much better gift than something that you are charged a fortune for, that dies in a mushy mess far too quickly and can quite literally cost the earth!!
Helen and Chris

I'm a romantic too - I gave the OH a stainless steel fork so she could plant her own roses...

Stonehead you old romantic you,

After all these years I still get Mrs Wombat flowers occasionally, I know I shouldn't, when I was doing Farm Tech our teacher said never to buy land used for growing cut flowers -

1. They don't get eaten, and
2. they cant be blemished in any way

So the pesticide use is horrendous!

Nev