Can you see the difference? (You can smell it too!) 🌷
I recently heard someone call grocery store flowers "zombie flowers" and it has really stuck with me 😂
About 70% of grocery store flowers originate from Colombia, with the rest largely coming from elsewhere in South America, Holland and across the states. These flowers are shipped overseas in bulk and sold to grocery stores for pennies where they are heavily marked up.
Grocery store flowers are often days if not weeks old by the time they end up in your hands. They are heavily treated with fungicides, pesticides, herbicides & chemicals to make them last longer by preventing the growth of bacteria. They pass through many,many hands before yours and the workers who grow & harvest them do not make fair wages.
Our flowers are grown with organic methods (zero herbicides, very minimal organic pesticides- primarily only beneficial insects, and zero fungicides). Flowers are picked fresh (within 1-2 days of sale) and at prime stage for longest lasting blooms, straight from my hands to yours. We only grow varieties that have a long vase life (on average 7-10 days with proper care). I refuse to grow dahlias for this reason- despite their popularity & high selling point, as they have a very short vase life averaging 2-5 days.
*So long story short* grocery store flowers are often imported and treated with toxic chemicals to increase their vase life. Local flowers are fresh, fragrant, non-toxic and can last much longer with proper care! Plus you're supporting local small farmers 💐
Follow-up post coming about bouquet care tips!