Nothing can symbolize the beauty of nature better than a flower. Commercial flower production is a pretty ugly business. Do you know where your flowers came from and how they were grown?

Flowers are grown all over the world, and while there are many local growers, there are huge numbers of flowers coming in from Columbia, Tanzania, Kenya, Costa Rica, Ecuador, China and many other countries. According to the US Department of Agriculture, 70% of flowers sold in the US are imported.

Pesticides, fungicides and toxic chemicals

Commercial flowers are swimming in pesticides and fungicides, many of which are banned in North America for being carcinogens. The labour conditions of the flower workers are often poor with workers handling pesticide-wet plants with poor safety equipment. 2/3 of these workers report a wide range of medical problems due to their exposure to toxic chemicals.

Transportation

Planes, trains, ships and trucks; the fewer miles a flower has to travel, the smaller the toll on the environment. And a cleaner environment means nicer natural flowers…

Local and organic flowers

There are several options when it comes to choosing flowers. Many programs like Fair Flowers Fair Plants, Veriflora and Sierra Eco cover the certification of organic and fair trade flowers, and while there is still a transportation toll, many big flower producing countries provide organic options.

Local flowers are a good option too (again, look for organic flowers - the pesticides and fertilizers can contaminate local groundwater), but hard to find in the winter months in more northern regions.

Get creative - twisted branches, flowers from your own garden, or even no flowers at all? One of the themes ofour fall wedding was my wife’s prairie heritage, celebrated with mini sheaves of wheat from her cousin’s farm. We sill have a couple around our home.

Some florists to try:

Amoda Flowers - Vancouver
Hatcher Florist - Toronto
OrganicBouquet.com - Online