We British are a sentimental bunch. Tradition dictates that we buy a bunch of daffs for Mother's Day, red roses for Valentine's and there are always flowers at weddings, funerals and christenings. But according to industry analysis, our traditions are changing and people are starting to buy more flowers for the home.
Perhaps it is a reflection of people's state of pocket rather than their state of mind. With house prices, incomes and credit levels all on the increase, the UK population has more purchasing power, which means more money to spend on decorating the home.
New Covent Garden flower salesman Terry Moss said: “Everybody likes flowers. I think that because of the interest that supermarkets create and the fact that flowers are shoved up customers' noses as soon as they enter a supermarket, you can assume there is a home interest in flowers these days. That means a solid base for the flower market, which is pretty good for us. It makes customers for the industry, but a florist certainly wouldn't enjoy trading next door to a supermarket. The fact remains supermarkets are making customers.”
The growing demand for home flowers might lead you to believe that the flower market is booming. But there is a problem. “Supermarkets ought to be a plus for us,” Moss continues, “but we have an adverse condition in that flying Dutchmen are lowering the attendance at markets. And we find now that we are not just considering delivering our flowers, but we're actually doing it. I think we have to do more than ever to maintain our customer base.”
Fighting off Dutch flowers is a tough business for UK traders. They are popular because stock is mass produced and therefore cheap. UK growers are finding the competition too high. But one London wholesale trader is supporting the UK market. David Baines said: “We pretty much sell everything that is grow in the UK and we're doing OK. We're backing the UK grower all the way. It's true that the Dutch have taken over. It will all go to the Dutch eventually, but let's hope that's not too soon. We particularly sell a lot of English chrysanthemums and carnations.”
The hot summer this year has also affected flower sales. Unexpected early harvests have left growers with empty fields, low yields and higher prices for the trade. Moss adds: “Following the long hot summer we experienced this year, there is an unnatural gap in supply. The prices are unusually higher because supplies are restricted. Rose prices have risen from 30p to 60p a stem during August, which is unheard of. It's just as unnatural as summer was. It's not like a field crop where you can cut and cut, and the flowers are replaced. Once you've cut the flowers I sell, they've got to be replaced by new plants. There's nothing we can do about it, but unfortunately it's happened at a time when trade is particularly poor. The summer months and the earlier part of September are still devoted to summer holidays. The summer months really belong to the kids, not the flower business.”
Roses are the third most bought flower in the UK, with chrysanthemums second and carnations first. Sales in flowers like these are fuelling the industry. Kate Kenyon, communications manager for the Flowers & Plants Association says: “Carnations are the UK's best-selling cut flower. They are excellent value and can survive up to three weeks. Carnations were traditionally worn as deodorant by men and women because of their fragrance. They are available as a standard carnation ñ one large flower per stem, or a spray carnation with lots of smaller flowers. They have a range of colours, almost all except blue, but are most popular in hot shades of red, pink and orange.”
Carnations are apparently the official flower for Mother's Day, and the common name of the flower is derived from the word for “coronation”, as they were used at the initiation of Greek rulers.
Chrysanthemums, or mums, are popular this year in shades of deep plum, pink and lime green. They are available year-round and are versatile, lasting as long as a month in water. There are a variety of shapes and sizes, including spiders, spoons, buttons and blooms. UK chrysanthemums are mostly grown in Sussex.
Japan recently celebrated its national flower, the chrysanthemum, on September 9. Kenyon continues: “The green shaggy chrysanthemum has been used by magazines so much that I think people are getting bored of seeing it. Many chrysanthemums are UK grown because they are a very heavy flower and therefore difficult to import.
“Chrysanthemums had an image problem until a short while ago. They were seen as the flower on the garage forecourt and were more of an apology than an expression of emotion. They were seen as a sort of “sorry I'm late” thing, a bit like chocolates. We had to promote chrysanthemums and make sure people kept buying them. We had a campaign to do this. People are much more keen now.”
Kwok agrees: “People think of chrysanthemums as a cheap funeral flower, but they're not. There are loads of different types of chrysanthemums. Some of them are beautiful ñ people wouldn't recognise them as chrysanthemums. A lot of people, when paying £25 for a bunch of flowers say ëno chrysanthemums,' but in actual fact, they make a bunch of flowers look really nice.”
The word chrysanthemum comes from the Greek word for gold flower, but they are also grown in a variety of colours and shapes. The button-shaped santini and the enormous shaggy-headed double bloom chrysanthemums now come in a range of stylish looks.
F Dring & Sons is a grower for FloraLinc. Paul Caddell, managing director for Floralinc, says: “F Dring & Sons has been producing UK flowers since 1920. Flower production is set to increase because we are investing heavily in Spanish tunnels to protect some of our crops from the UK weather.
“UK flowers have been hit hard in recent years by imports of spray carnations and chrysanthemums. The reintroduction of some of the scented varieties of pinks in recent years is seeing a revival, as customers become more discerning and require that little extra for their money. Growing the pinks under tunnels enables us to produce a superior product with good stem length and a longer shelf life.
“Chrysanthemum production has been in decline in the UK for a number of years, but we are pushing out the boundaries and bucking the trend. Our quality has been exceptional this year, and many customers keep coming back for more. Attention to detail during the growing period is essential to ensure a quality product reaches the customer We have invested £750,000, including the installation of two Van den Berg flower lines enabling us to pack quality flowers to customer requirements and cost effectively.”
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