Why don’t many independant florists sell fairtrade flowers? The ethos behind Fairtrade flowers is to provide better prices and working conditions for the farmers who grow and harvest them in developing countries. Which is a noble cause, but the vast majority of flowers in florist shops are grown in Holland.
Although many people assume all flowers are from far flung places and sold via Holland. Holland actually grows many flowers itself such as orchids, syringa, anthurium, freesia, chrysanthemum, roses, lilies, amaryllis, anemones and hyacinths. Holland is obviously not a third world country, it has fair minimum wage and proper health and safety laws etc. Dutch flowers also have the benefit of less air miles than flowers shipped from Kenya or Ecuador.
You may have noticed that most suppliers of Fair Trade flowers are large companies such as supermarkets and the big online businesses; there is a good reason for this. The certification process to be a supplier is arduous and expensive, therefore not feasible for small independent companies.
If you are interested in flowers grown in Africa or Kenya there is no shortage of supermarkets offering these. But since Holland and the UK grow many beautiful flowers, I prefer to get flowers closer to home where possible. British flowers are exquisite and I love to use them when they are available.
A lot depends on the weather but they are generally available May to September. With spring flowers such as tulips and daffodils starting from February onwards. I can source English peonies, stocks, dahlias, asters, lisianthus, alstromeria and freesia. With a bouquet of English flowers you can take comfort in the knowledge you are supporting the British economy and your flowers have not been transported half way across the world to reach you.