From the tip of Cornwall to the far reaches of Scotland, the shoots of resurgence in the British cut-flower market are raising hopes of a fledgling return to home-produced fragrant flowers becoming a bigger part of the £1bn industry in the UK.
UK flower production bloomed to £179m last year, according to figures from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, up from £126m in 2019. The market has been dominated by imports, usually from Holland, for more than 50 years, but last year imports fell slightly to £761.8m from £869.1m in 2022.
Imports still dwarf sales of home-grown flowers, however, and the production of perfect blooms grown abroad and flown or freighted in has a significant environmental impact. About 90% of flowers sold through florists, supermarkets and wholesalers are imported not just from Holland but also as far afield as Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Read more at The Guardian.