Putting flowers of Scotland on the florists’ shelves

While the strictures of the Covid pandemic might have raised the profile of locally produced food, moves are afoot to get a similar level of recognition for the country’s flower producing sector.

Outside of gardens and parks few are aware that ornamental flowers are grown commercially in Scotland - but those involved in the trade point out that pockets of this trade do exist. And a group of growers have come together to promote what this little-known sector has to offer.

“Unless you’re driving up the A90 in April or May and notice the yellow fields, most people in Scotland are not aware that we grow daffodils,” said Mark Clark of farmer co-op Grampian Growers.

Yet he pointed out that co-op has 12 farms growing 1200 acres of the flower between them in Perthshire, Angus and South Aberdeenshire, producing millions of spring daffs.

However many of the exotic blooms sold in supermarkets and florists are grown in Africa and transported to the UK via Holland – but to date few have worried about flower miles as they have about food miles, said Clark.

And growers from around the country have formed a Rural Innovation Support Service (RISS) group - which is led by the Soil Association – which hopes to improve understanding of the sector, not only amongst buyers, but also amongst policy makers – and to give the commercial sector a voice.

“With Covid and with Brexit it’s all about the short supply chains and bringing people together,” said Clark. “Along with others in the RISS group I am passionate about flowers and bulbs, but as an industry it’s very much unknown – there is no association, no representative body.

“There is little data on the cut flower sector in Scotland, but the big florists say there’s not enough local supply for weddings and events, even during Covid, and they’re desperate to source locally. That supply chain doesn’t really exist yet.”

Another group member, Arianne Knowles, from Ayrshire also believes that the industry needed more recognition:

“Through selling at a local farm shop I’ve met a local florist who wants to reduce flower miles and loves the idea of sourcing close by,” she said.

“There’s a tale of old that somehow British flowers are wildflowers that wither quickly, but actually they have an excellent vase life. The imported ones you buy only last because they’re treated with a load of chemicals.”

“The climate in Scotland is actually conducive to growing flowers,” added Clark. “We have high quality soil, with fewer pests and less disease. Pests love warm and wet and we’re certainly not warm! So we need a third of the fungicide they might need in Cornwall, for example.”

Laurencekirk daffodil grower Kym McWilliam agreed with the need to favour local:

“Our flowers are grown not flown. You have to think about the carbon footprint. If we can chip away at the imported figure, so that even a quarter of flowers are grown in the UK, that would be something big.”