Organics is a mixed picture in the UK

British growers serving the UK’s garden centres and supermarkets assert low consumer demand for organically-produced ornamental plants and cut flowers. Robin Squance, chairman of the British Protected Ornamentals Association (BPOA) technical committee and manager of Brookhouse Nurseries – which supplies Barton Grange Garden Centre in Lancashire, notes that “no customers have asked us for organics.”

King Charles III’s Coronation flowers were organically grown British blooms inside Westminster Abbey. They were among the best promotion pieces.

Rising fertiliser costs and peat-free movement

However, rising fertiliser costs and the transition to peat-free growing media are encouraging growers to trial alternatives to conventional chemical fertilisers.

Brookhouse is currently trialling DCM® Do Care More’s slow-release organic fertiliser (in combination with soluble fertiliser) instead of chemical slow-release fertiliser.

“It makes more sense for us because fertilisers are probably double the price of what they were two years ago. Most organic alternatives have not increased [in price] at the same rate. So, we’re using it as a monetary exercise – but also a lot of the organic fertilisers help improve the peat-free compost, which has different microbes in it [compared to peat].”

Chris Finlay, commercial director for the German plant propagator Volmary, agrees with Squance that peat-free mixes respond better to organic fertilisers/biostimulants. “We have a lot of traction with that sort of biostimulant product in mainland Europe. It’s been quite hard to get growers to change in the UK – uptake is much less so than in Germany. But the bigger UK nurseries are certainly very aware of it and carrying out trials on them.”

SUD

Squance reminds us that trialling these organic fertilisers is an addition to growers’ sustainable growing practices. As part of the European Union’s Sustainable Use Directive (SUD), growers in the UK and the European Union are obliged to minimise their chemical use. Cultural controls (such as good nursery hygiene practices) are used first, followed by biological controls, physical controls, and – lastly, EU-approved chemical controls.

“We actually spend way more on biologicals than we ever do on chemicals. Our use of biologicals is such that we do virtually no spraying,” he says.

Some growers, such as Cornwall-based Varfell Farms – one of the world’s leading daffodil growers, are also signed up to environmental assurance schemes such as Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF), which encourages and recognises sustainably-farmed agriculture and horticulture products.

But Squance notes that commercial growers who take the extra leap and become certified organic in the UK must comply with a very particular set of rules and only use certain products. He says: “We use a seaweed extract, but because it’s been through a process, it’s not allowed to be called organic. Even though that process was only extracting it from the sea.”

Possibly, this is deterring some growers from becoming certified organic, as is low demand for organics. Finlay notes that demand for organic products in general in the UK market is tiny, unlike Germany and some of the European countries where it is more prominent. “Much of it’s about cost, and UK consumers do not see the value,” he says.

He adds: “One of our nurseries in Germany produces organic herbs and vegetable plants. We are also producing organic viola plants, and we’re growing these organically because they’re used as edible flowers. We’ve been producing them for two or three years – maybe longer – but it’s a product that we offer in Europe, not in the UK.”

Organically produced Zinnias. While organically grown cut flowers and ornamental plants are currently a small part of the UK floriculture sector, it’s a segment that’s nevertheless increasing.

Organic Blooms

While organically grown cut flowers and ornamental plants are currently a small part of the UK floriculture sector, it’s an increasing segment, claims Jo Wright, founder and director of Organic Blooms.

Wright, whose firm supplies the organic food delivery firm Abel & Cole with 3,000 stems a week during peak season, states: “There’s an increasing number of people growing [flowers] organically. It’s an amazing opportunity at the moment because people are definitely looking for seasonal, British, locally grown, organic flowers. More farmers are converting to organic, organic farmers are practising mixed farming, and many market gardeners are now including flower crops for diversification.”

But Wright acknowledges that – compared to growing protected crops (in pots especially) – producing outdoor-grown flowers is “kind of easy.” “You know, we grow a massive diversity of flowers; we don’t need high nitrogen inputs. We can rotate nicely. We don’t have major problems with pests building up. So culturally, it’s not too tricky.”

Organic is about the health of people, the countryside and our land

Sally Jones owns Welsh Organic Wildflowers – a small nursery in Lower Pantygoida set on a Soil Association-certified organic farm. Her business enjoyed instant success when it opened in 2020, although she believes that organic floriculture is still a niche market.

Jones also believes that there still needs to be some understanding of what organic actually means. “Some people think it’s all about food and only being interested in their own health. It’s absolutely not; it’s about the health of the countryside and the health of our land.”

In a similar vein, a spokesperson for The Cotswolds-based organic farm Daylesford Organic said: “At Daylesford Organic, we are passionate about farming sustainably and organically to protect our landscapes and the ecosystems around our farm. Bees are a vital part of our ecosystem, and our farming practices go a long way to protect their habitat and welfare. The organic cutting garden was originally founded to provide the bees with different sources of food and nutrients.

Beyond the bees, the garden brings numerous other benefits to the farm and our visitors, allowing those who prioritise organic produce to extend these values to the flowers, foliage, and plants they buy and can grow at home. Unlike non-organic growers who might use pesticides and chemicals, our growing patterns work in tandem with nature, and the flowers grown are a true celebration of seasonality.”

The Soil Association places tight restrictions

The Soil Association (the UK’s leading organic certification body) notes that organic flower farming places tight restrictions on the use of pesticides, with farms certified by the Soil Association only permitted to use 20 kinds – all of which derive from natural ingredients.

Advocating the benefits of locally grown and organically grown flowers, it also points out that, to be transported distances of up to 3,000 miles, flowers must be refrigerated to keep them fresh. This high-energy process adds to the large carbon footprint of shipping and air freight.

Soil Association senior business development manager Clare Hadway-Ball said: “We are proud to work with organic florists, botanists and horticulturists who work with sustainably grown cut flowers.

“With the organic market in a strong place, bucking general trends to grow for the 11th year running, shoppers are choosing to pay closer attention to the production methods behind the products they bring into their homes.

“With consumer demand for ethically sourced products increasing, florists can use the credentials of organic to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.
“Floristry plays a key role in the continued market growth, and we are excited to see these trends develop further.”

The Soil Association informs FCI that roughly 27 Soil Association licensees have cut flowers listed as an enterprise and are growing their businesses in a sustainable, nature-friendly way. It also revealed in its 2023 Organic Market Report that the amount of organically- farmed land rose 3.6 per cent to 507,000 hectares in 2021. This included a big jump in the land going through conversion to organic, which was up 34 per cent.

Organically grown flowers take time and a lot of thought

Jim Aplin is the director of the UK’s Organic Growers Alliance (OGA), he writes:

“There’s a market for organically grown flowers in the UK. It’s part of a growing awareness of environmental issues and consumers’ desire to buy local, sustainably-grown products.

Since 2020, growers must be certified organic before using the word “organic”. This legal move is to give consumers clarity.

Many people are really pleased with the quality of organically-grown flowers – especially regarding how long they last because these flowers have a really short supply chain.

Organic growing requires a holistic, systems-based approach that focuses on aspects such as soil health, the introduction of natural predators, and growing several different crops to help reduce the spread of pests and diseases.

However, this approach can create marketing problems for the grower. You haven’t simply grown a few crops for wholesale; you’ve got quite a few different things to sell, which is more complicated.

I would say for conventional flower growers thinking of going into organic production – especially if they sell wholesale – there’s a real opening there, but it will take time and a lot of thought – there isn’t a marketing supply chain to just sell into, and it requires a change of mindset.

I, therefore, recommend that growers seek further advice from a certifying body such as the Soil Association or Organic Farmers and Growers.”

 

This article was first published in the December 2023 issue of FloraCulture International.