Most people are already familiar with sustainable food and energy sources, but how much do you know about sustainable flowers? It seems like flowers, natural as they are, should already be sustainable, but the ways in which they’re grown, sourced, shipped, and used can impact the environment. At Neubauer’s Flowers & Market House our Uniontown florists are solidly committed to practicing sustainable floristry. We aim to protect our environment while continuing to create stunning floral designs to serve our community.
What Are Eco-Friendly Flowers?
Eco-friendly flowers are those that are grown, sourced, and shipped while using sustainable practices. Rather than growing flowers quickly with harmful fertilizers under powerful, artificial lights, sustainable flowers are slowly grown, using safe fertilizers during their natural growing seasons.
How to Recognize a Sustainable Florist
Not all florists are equally sustainable. Here are some of the ways you can recognize an eco-friendly florist who uses sustainable floristry practices.
1. Uses Recyclable Materials
Flowers are wrapped in paper instead of plastic, and florists avoid using florist’s foam whenever possible.
2. Sources Flowers Locally
Flowers are sourced from sustainable local growers to reduce shipping impact.
3. Promotes Seasonal Blooms
The florist makes use of seasonal blooms whenever possible because these are the most eco-friendly flowers available.
4. Offers to Refill Vases
Eco-friendly florists are always happy to refill and reuse recycled vases and other containers for bouquets. Whether you’re a commercial client or individual customer, reusing your vases is the most sustainable option.
5. Donates Unused Blooms
Sustainable florists either donate their unused blooms to help beautify hospitals and nursing homes or to be composted at local gardens.
What You Can Do to Help Out
If you want to do your part to create an environment that’s clean and healthy for people, animals, and plants, there are a few things you can do to improve the sustainability of your floral bouquets.
Continue to Enjoy Flowers
You can extend the beauty and life of your bouquets by learning how to dry flowers. You can either press or hang your bouquets and use the dried blooms in a variety of fun home decor projects.
Compost Spent Blooms
When your blooms are spent, you can compost your flowers in a compost bin. If you don’t have your own garden that needs natural fertilizing, we recommend donating your blooms for composting at a local garden.
One of the most impactful ways you can increase the sustainability of your flowers is to choose a local flower shop like Neubauer’s, that sources its flowers from responsible, local growers. When you order from a local flower shop, rather than a national flower delivery service, your flowers won’t have to travel nearly as far to reach their recipient, reducing their environment shipping impact.
To learn more about how you can order eco-friendly flowers or find out everything Neubauer’s Flowers & Market House does to practice sustainable floristry, we welcome you to contact us or stop by one of our flower shops today.