Glasgow florist Melanie Paget has an eco friendly solution this Valentine’s Day... by selling bouquets made with only home grown blooms.
It comes after it was revealed traditional red roses can travel more than 4000 miles to the UK from plantations in East Africa and India with the demand having a huge impact on the environment.
Instead Melanie uses Scottish and British blooms sourced from her own cutting garden in Stirling and from local and UK-based growers.
The 34-year-old said: “I’m very conscious of carbon footprint - and people nowadays are looking for more eco friendly options.
“I grow dahlias, cornflower, thistles and cosmos all year round.
“I also have spring flowers like tulips.
“I supplement my own crop by buying from local growers in Cornwall and the South East for Valentine’s Day.
“Their growing season starts earlier. Scottish growers don’t tend to have anything until March because of the climate.”
Melanie, who has run Briar Rose Design in Glasgow’s Finnieston for six years, also dries her own Scottish flowers.
She said: “Roses are difficult for growing in the UK especially at certain times of the year like Valentine’s Day.
“The other worry is that roses from abroad are not just grown and flown.
“They are often dipped in chemicals to preserve them especially when travelling all that distance.
“The flower farmers I work with in the UK try not to use pesticides.
“They adopt an organic approach.
“It’s a no brainer to think about the environment and buy locally grown and sourced flowers for your loved one.”
Posies for Valentine’s Day cost from £20.
A make-your-own Valentine’s Day bouquet workshop on Sunday (February 16) costs £60.
See www.briarroseflowers.co.uk for more details.
