Image by Sheila Brown

It’s almost that time again. February is just around the corner and that means Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. I still remember having a special letterbox at school and sending cards to girls in my class without thinking, hoping to get at least one in return, then the dread that came with the 14th; what if I didn’t get any cards? Fortunately, at least one kind soul in the class made sure I wasn’t the only one without a card, but I’ll never know if they were coerced by the teacher…Anyway, having allegedly grown up, I have started to think that we need to put more thought into Valentine’s Day.

THERE ARE BENEFITS TO NON TRADITIONAL FLOWERS

Obviously, I have moved on from those Primary School days but I recently realised that I can still be as thoughtless as I was back then sometimes. On too many occasions I fall into the trap of ‘going with the flow’, taking the easy option and that even extends to when I am buying Valentine’s flowers for my love. We are meant to buy roses they are the romantic choice, but are they really? Is mindlessly buying roses because that is what you are supposed to do actually a good way to express your emotions?  I would argue that it’s not only a poor way of showing your love, it’s also lazy and bad for the environment.

We should probably start by looking at how much us Brits spend on Valentine’s Day, where our romantic, and classic, bouquets of roses come from, how they get to the UK, and what alternatives are out there, because let’s face it although we should always strive to be original very few of us would get away with not sending flowers on Valentine’s Day.

Quick overview  Up to 40 million Brits (76%) will be celebrating Valentine’s Day this year.  This is a significant drop from the 41.4 million who embraced the day of love in 2020.  Of those who will celebrate Valentine’s Day, the total spend has dropped to £926 million (£23 per person), from last year’s £1.45 billion (£35 per person).  3 in 10 people (30%) who do not live with their partners plan to break lockdown rules and meet their partners inside.  24% of Brits will not be celebrating Valentine’s Day this year.   Source: https://www.finder.com/uk/valentines-day-statistics Analysis conducted by finder.com

                                                 

In 2020, almost 1.5 billion was spent on Valentine’s gifts, meaning the average spend per person was a little over 35. Not all of that money was spent on flowers, however, although cards, flowers and sweets remain the top three gift choices. While red roses are still the top choice by far, there is a growing train of thought that they are cliché, old fashioned and do not represent the complexity and diversity of modern relationships. (According to reports, Brits spent a whopping £261 million on flower bouquets, almost the same amount as they splash out on flowers for Mother’s Day (£260 million). Considering that 21% of people celebrating the holiday in the UK opt for flowers as the ideal Valentine’s day gift, the amount of money spent comes as no surprise.) 

It’s well known that the majority of flowers in the UK come from the Netherlands. What is perhaps not quite as well known is that many of these flowers are not grown there. The fact is that they have the monopoly in floriculture, and because of their collective experience and history they are the ones who have established the rules and regulations, not to mention best practices, for growing, transporting and supplying flowers across the globe.

Source: CNN

For at least the past two decade equatorial countries have steadily become more established as producers of the blooms we consume, in particular those ubiquitous roses. There are a multitude of reasons for this, not least that these countries (primarily Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia and Ecuador) have more hours of sunlight and more optimal growing conditions, they also have lower labour costs. The establishment of the Fairtrade movement has meant that many of the farms now pay a living wage to staff and are using their profits to benefit local communities, so progress is being made.

There is still the issue of the carbon footprint of these blooms due to the distances they have to travel, and the extra energy used to keep them refrigerated and in condition for resale. It seems crazy that before they go to florists in the UK they have to make a stop in the Netherlands, adding to their carbon footprint. Europe is also experiencing rising fuel and energy costs, meaning many of the growers there have decided to stop growing roses, or have warned of increased cost and lower quality yields. In my opinion this gives us all an opportunity.

Image from asustainablelife.co.uk

Now is the time to take the chance to be more original, to move away from following the crowd and opting for roses because they take no thought and are available. Due to their lack of availability this year, we can opt for different valentine’s flowers. We can show how much we care, how much we know about our partners, and take this golden opportunity to choose flowers that are locally grown, with a lower carbon footprint and come from local florists wherever you may be in the UK.

At Flower Shops Network we want everyone to have the choice of Valentine’s flower, so we have sourced roses for those who want to continue down the traditional path. We have the usual, traditional red rose bouquets available as we do every year, but as we have mentioned the added costs have made this choice more expensive than they traditionally are, and they have never been cheap! So what other options do our local florists across the UK have for Valentine’s Day 2022?

BRITISH TULIPS ARE THE PERFECT VALENTINE’S FLOWERS IN 2022

You can rest assured that all of our bouquets and floral arrangements will feature fresh, hand tied flowers, as always with one of our partners florists, we aim to offer the freshest flowers for same day delivery and that has not changed. Our range of hand tied Valentine’s flowers this year will be a stunning as always, and the star of the show will be British Tulips. Using our extensive connections with British growers and wholesalers we have sourced the best quality, hand cut flowers that are grown locally and are available for same day delivery by local florists in your area.

Tulips have a long and storied history, but they most often symbolise perfect and deep love. These beautiful blooms come in a variety of colours, with each one signifying a different aspect of love:

•  Red Tulips are a sign of everlasting love, making them ideal Valentine’s flowers.
•  Pink Tulips symbolize happiness and confidence, which also make them a natural choice for any Valentine’s bouquet this year.
• Purple Tulips are perfect for the treating your loved one like royalty this year, as they are traditional signs of royalty.
• Yellow Tulips are a great way to show how happy your Valentine makes you as they are a sign of cheerful thoughts.
• White Tulips suggest forgiveness, and everyone makes mistakes so forgiveness is an important part of any healthy relationship.

We strive to be more sustainable and to provide an eco-friendly flower delivery alternative to flowers that travel halfway across the world, are machine cut and spend time in central warehouses, and what could be better for the environment than using British flowers in Valentine’s bouquets? We guarantee that our local florists create their bouquets and floral arrangements with fresh, hand tied flowers, and will provide same day delivery wherever you are in the UK.

 

SOME MORE IDEAS FOR NON TRADITIONAL VENTINE’S FLOWERS 2022

As the world keeps turning we are becoming more aware that there is more than one form of love, and that is even more reason for sending less traditional flowers to a loved one this year.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS

 Symbol of friendship and cheerfulness these beautiful blooms are the perfect way to show your non-romantic love to a close friend this year, and our local florists have these same day flowers ready to deliver anywhere in the UK

ORCHIDS

These are the perfect flowers to celebrate any of the precious moments in life, and give to the special people on our lives. These beautiful blooms symbolise beauty, love, thoughtfulness and fertility, so even if they are non-traditional they are still ideal Valentine’s flowers.

AZALEA

A symbol of womanhood and beauty, these vibrant flowers are a great alternative this Valentine’s Day

LILIES

A bouquet of Lilies will brighten anyone’s day, and as a symbol of purity and fertility, these flowers are another excellent option for a non-traditional Valentine’s bouquet.