Buying organic flowers protects your family, workers, and the environment, and they’re eaiser to find than ever.

Tara Beeman sprays an oil-based mixture of raw garlic and cayenne pepper on her annuals and perennials to fend off chewing insects. Jorge Chiriboga releases wasps and ladybugs into his greenhouses to combat aphids. Patricia Damery feeds lavender clippings to her goats, returning the manure to the field as fertilizer to keep her lavender crop healthy and thriving.

Drawing on tried and tested techniques for growing plants without chemicals, Beeman, Chiriboga, and Damery each produce beautiful, fragrant, organic blooms. Beeman sells her flowers in her own shop, while Chiriboga exports roses from his native Ecuador to the US, and California-based Damery partners with nearby retailers and farmers’ markets to sell her lavender. Together they represent a growing force that is changing the floral marketplace for the better.

While many consumers embrace organic products for the superior taste and health benefits provided by organic fruits and vegetables, organic farming itself originated as a strategy for preserving soil quality and keeping harmful toxins out of the environment.

“Any kind of organic farming protects the health of people and the health of the environment,” says Damery. “[Organic] doesn’t just have to be about food.”

With Mother’s Day and the June wedding season just around the corner, you can make your celebrations more meaningful by buying organic flowers that protect workers, your family, and the environment.

Conventional Flower Costs
Flowers grown with conventional techniques contribute to the contamination of ground-water and streams through fertilizer and pesticide run-off, which can in turn impact wildlife and human health, as was documented in a 2003 San Francisco Chronicle investigation of contaminated wells and waterways near a California lily farm.

The paper reported many highly toxic chemicals in use among the region’s lily growers, including known carcinogens, and noted that the EPA is now looking into the possibility that endangered species may be threatened by the farms’ run-off.

Just as worrisome as potential soil and water contamination from conventional flower farms is the array of chemicals to which flower workers are exposed while on the job. More than 70 percent of the cut flowers sold in the US were grown in South America, where farms continue to use pesticides restricted in the US and labeled as highly toxic by the World Health Organization, according to a 2003 article in the New York Times.

For Valentine’s Day alone, Americans imported more than 120 million roses, most of them from South American farms where normal procedures call for fumigating greenhouses with a range of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides (sometimes with workers still inside) before submerging the flowers in preservatives to keep them from rotting during shipment. Such practices are taking their toll on the workers who must handle these toxic chemicals daily.

For example, in November 2003, according to Untraflores, the Colombian floral workers’ union, more than 300 workers were poisoned in a chemical accident at Flores Aposentos, a flower processing center in Bogota. Affected workers experienced headaches, nausea, swelling, rashes, diarrhea, sores inside the mouth, and loss of consciousness, and some were incapacitated for days.

A 2002 survey of 8,000 Colombian flower workers discovered exposure to 25 carcinogenic or highly toxic pesticides not registered for use in the United States, and the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) reports that two-thirds of Colombian and Ecuadorian flower workers suffer work-related health problems ranging from stillbirths and miscarriages to impaired vision and neurological problems.

Furthermore, the International Labor Organization estimates that 20 percent of Ecuadorian flower workers are children, who are even more vulnerable to the harmful effects of these chemicals.

In addition to harming workers and the environment in the fields and greenhouses, the chemicals on conventionally grown flowers may impact consumer health, says Holly Givens, communications director for the Organic Trade Association. “If you’re really concerned about pesticides in your home, you should know that the way a decorative flower is grown can affect what you might be breathing in,” she says.

After investigating ten possible cases of pesticide poisoning among Miami florists in 1979, the American Journal of Public Health recommended implementation of safety standards for residual pesticides on cut flowers to protect both florists and consumers, but no such standards have ever been developed for the United States.

Change Is Possible
There are many steps you can take to ensure that you beautify your home and celebrate holidays and special events with flowers grown in accordance with your values:

1. Grow Your Own. Buy organic bulbs or seeds and start an organic flower garden. Seeds of Change offers organic and heirloom seeds and bulbs that you can order online to help you get started. Clip your own blooms for displaying at home or for giving as gifts. Give clippings from your houseplants when you don’t have flowers.

2. Buy Local and Organic. Invest in your community, and save shipping costs and energy, by purchasing chemical-free organic flowers from a local farmers’ market or CSA.

3. Ask Local Florists to go Organic. Find out if your local florist purchases any organic and local flowers, and, if not, request them. Talk to other flower sellers, such as supermarkets, about the benefits of organics. Give them this article to help them get started.

“Consumers should express their preference for organic flowers by writing to conventional flower retailers,” says Nora Ferm, program officer for the ILRF. “Demonstrating that there is a market for [organically grown] flowers will encourage more producers, importers, and retailers to improve conditions [for workers].”

4. Buy Organic. Online retailers Organic Bouquet and Diamond Organics offer USDA-certified organic flowers that you can ship to loved ones all over the country. While Diamond Organics buys its flowers only from American family farmers, Organic Bouquet sells a mix of both domestic blooms and imports from farms that adhere to certified organic standards.

In addition, Organic Bouquet founder Gerald Prolman personally has visited each of his source farms to ensure acceptable working conditions.

“Organic flowers have a deeper layer of beauty that comes from the comfort of knowing that the people who grow them and the land they grow them on are treated with respect,” says Prolman. “Organic floral production is part of one movement toward a better world.”

Source: http://www.greenamericatoday.org/pubs/realgreen/articles/flowers.cfm

by: Janet Arango

1. Florists realize the virtue of cutting flower stems under water before transferring them from bucket to vase. When flower and foliage stems are exposed to air they will immediately begin to seal up inhibiting the absorption of much needed nutrients. Secondly, when fresh cut stems are exposed to air, bubbles of air become trapped in the stems, preventing the steady flow of water to uptake through the stem.

2. Florists and commercial growers use lukewarm water for their cut flowers. The water temperature should be comfortable to the wrist, approximately 100°F to 110°F. Theobject is to facilitate the water and nutrients to get to the head of the flower as quickly as possible. Warm water molecules move faster than cold water molecules and thus will greatly enhance the absorption process. The one exception to this rule is bulb flowers, such as tulips, tend to thrive in cooler water.

3. Florists know that a well balanced preservative solution drastically increases the longevity of cut flowers. Under normal circumstances, the plant will supply what the flower needs; however, when severed, the flower becomes immediately deprived of these essential nutrients. Commercial preservatives offer a form of these nutrients to the cut flower. Such solutions contain sugar for nutrition, antibiotics to fight bacteria, and citric acid to add necessary acidity to the water. When using a commercially produced or homemade preservative, always be sure to use the recommended measurements. The recipe included with this article offers the same preservative properties found in most commercial brands, and is extremely effective in prolonging the vase life.

Flower Preservative Recipe:
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon bleach
2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
1 quart lukewarm water

4. Florists know that clean, bacteria free, shears or clippers, made specifically for cutting plant stems vastly improves a flower’s ability to uptake fluids. Using ordinary scissors, made for cutting fabric or paper will crush the flower’s vascular system, and prevent proper water uptake. A bulkier gauge tool, designed for cutting stems, will create a sharper cut, causing less damage to the stems delicate vain system.

5. Florists realize the advantages of cutting flowers and foliage at an angle and approximately one inch up from the bottom of the main stem. Cutting a 45 degree angle near the bottom of the stem provides a larger, more exposed area for the uptake of the water. In addition, the angle also enables the stem to stand on a point, allowing the water to be in contact with more of the cut surface.

6. Florists are aware that recutting limp flowers enables the stem to readily absorb more water. A fresh cut will open the veins up allowing the flower stem to absorb necessary nutrients.

7. Florists are aware that keeping fresh cut flowers away from drafts, direct sunlight, and ripening fruit drastically prolongs the longevity of a bouquet . Ripening fruit emits ethylene gas, which encourages poor petal color, discourages petals from opening, and shortens the overall vase life of a bouquet. In addition, direct sunlight and drafts are also major culprits in shortening the life and beauty of a fresh flower bouquet.

8. Florists know that keeping the Oasis foam clean, fresh and soaking in preservative treated water extends the vase life of a floral arrangement. If your bouquet arrives in wet Oasis foam, keep the floral foam soaking wet by adding a small amount of preservative treated water each day. In addition if, after a few days, the Oasis is carefully removed (while keeping the flower stems inside the Oasis), and allowed to drain for only a few minutes, then placed back in a clean vase with fresh preservative treated water, the bouquet’s life can last far beyond the normally expected vase life.

9. Florists know that the stems of hollow-stemmed flowers will benefit from being manually filled with water. Simply turn the flower upside down and pour water into the open cavity of the stalk. To keep the liquid in, plug the stem with a small piece of cotton, then place it in the vase, or place your thumb over the opening at the bottom of the stem and place it in the water. The water trapped inside will keep the stem strong and straight.

10. Florists understand the advantages of removing excess foliage and dieing, wilted blooms. By removing all the lower foliage when initially creating a bouquet, and by tossing the dead flowers as they begin to die, the vase life of an arrangement can be lengthened or even doubled. Changing the water, adding the correct amounts of new preservative, and rearranging the bouquet to compensate for any loss, will also lengthen the cut flower’s general appearance and overall freshness. Simply by taking simple steps to freshen the bouquet, retarding the bacterial growth, you can increase the beauty and life of a bouquet while also creating a bright, appealing floral arrangement that will last well beyond its anticipated expiration

Source : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_779.shtml

Most recipients of flowers will never tell you they were dissatisfied with the condition of the flowers you sent them, for fear of hurting your feelings. But wouldn’t you want to know if you were being ripped off?

What is a Fake Florist?
A Fake florist is typically an entity that operates on the internet, or advertises in a manner that implies they are local, when in fact they may not even have a physical location, and sometimes even purchase local phone #’s to give they appearance they are local. It is not uncommon for Fake Florists to advertise in such places as the Yellow Pages or Internet Directories and give the impression that they actually deliver flowers locally in a specific area.

What is an Order Skimmer?

Order Skimmers are frequently Fake Florists, or sometimes real florists that operate in an unethical manner. Order skimmers typically use one or more, well known national wire services such as FTD, Teleflora, or 1800flowers to operate. Order skimmers typically focus on gathering flower orders, charging a large or unreasonable service fee (which is typically not disclosed to the customer), and sending the diluted dollar amount to a real local florist, who then receives a discounted order, frequently resulting in a much smaller or cheaper arrangement than what the sender intended or requested.

What is a Direct Shipper?
Direct Shippers are entities that frequently work directly with flower growers or wholesalers, are internet based, and rely on national delivery services such as UPS or FEDEX to deliver their flowers. Direct Shippers are sometimes able to provide flowers at a lower cost claiming to cut out the middle man (the real local florist). It may be true that direct shippers are able to ship fresh flowers but, while those flowers are in transit, they are typically exposed to conditions that drastically reduce their life. These flower packages are frequently shipped with all other types of cargo exposing them to extreme conditions such as freezing temperatures, extremely warm temperatures, no water, and exposure to ethylene gas which contributes to a much shorter vase life.

How do Order Skimmers and Fake Florists operate?
Order Skimmer’s and Fake Florists generally rely on customers to find their phone # or website via advertisements on the internet or publications such as the Yellow Pages. The customer places his order with the company, who then transmits the order through a wire service. The wire service sends the order to a real local florist who delivers the arrangement.

Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1081212_47.html