British Flowers Week is back!

This campaign run by New Covent Garden Market in London, is returning for it ninth year between Monday 14th and Sunday 20th June 2021.

The week long festivities will celebrate the beauty and variety of British cut flowers, foliage and plants, as well as the florists, growers and wholesalers who make it all possible.

Would you like to get involved?

British Flowers Week Windows

To get involved this year The British Flowers Association encouraging businesses and the public to decorate their windows with British flowers in their home or places of work; preferably where passers-by can enjoy them from 14th to 20th June.

Whether it’s with a single stem, a bouquet made from garden flowers or a spectacular display, a decorated window with show support for the British flower industry this June.

To get involved create a British Flowers Week window with British flowers, foliage or plants, from the garden, a local grower, florist or wholesaler.

Once you’ve created your design take a picture of your British Flowers Week window, share it on social media using #BritishFlowersWeek and tag @MarketFlowers to show support for British businesses and go in the draw to win fantastic prizes.

The Hiden Collective and British Flowers

We love Ethical British Flowers!

Our supply chain is very simple, trackable and energy efficient.

We order flowers either directly from the grower or from a British flowers wholesaler and in that way the grower will only cut the flowers that are preordered.

We also buy only what we can sell and if we have any spare blooms, we donate and brighten the life of the residents of an elderly home close to our studio.

This process allows us to deliver the flowers to your doorstep in the minimum possible time and for you to enjoy the flowers at their freshest.

Our flowers never sit around in a  very high energy consuming warehouse fridge like in many cases when you purchase imported flowers.

The classic supply chain can keep flowers in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks with the relevant energy use.

Talking about waste… the classic supply chain will waste approximately  1 in 3 stems, and if you scale this up  on a yearly basis you are  talking  about millions of blooms, wasted land, labour, resources and fuel.

We only use seasonal flowers and so we can’t source hundreds of varieties of flowers.

Each season has its own bloom star and we can guarantee that they are looking stunning as ever, like the scented garden rose between early May and late autumn.

We are experiencing an Ethical British Flowers revolutions with lots of new flower growers  opening every month across England.

After many years of decline, the British Floral Industry is starting to truly starting to bloom again and we love being a part of it!

The more the independent flower growing movement thrives within the UK, the more accessible home-grown seasonal flowers will become and the less we rely so heavily on importing. 

Shifting to locally grown blooms to decorate our houses, work spaces and weddings has the potential to lower the carbon footprint of the industry and give us better control over the working conditions in the fields where our flowers are grown.

Chicken wire is much better that floral foam and should be the first option when you are going to create a floral arrangement.

Is reusable, is more economical, the flowers are able to drink naturally and is much much better for the environment.

A win win for us and the planet.

Step by step to how to use chicken wire in a floral arrangement:

• Cut a square of chicken wire and fold it into a cushion shape, making sure that all the sharp edges of the chicken wire are twisted towards the inside of the cushion to avoid damaging the container.
• The size of the chicken wire required depends on the size and shape of the container. Unfortunately there is not a specific rule to follow but I am sure that after few attempts will much easier.
•  Place the chicken wire cushion into the container and if you have the possibility you can fix it with floral tape or with any other tape that you have available. The best method is create a cross on the wire with the tape and stick the end on the container. Try to use as little tape as possible and try to not make showing that much or you will need lots of flowers and foliage to cover it.
• If you decide to use a transparent glass vase a good trick is to line the container first with large simple leaves or a twist of trailing ivy to conceal the wire.

• Add water to your container and possibly includes some flowers food. Start your decoration by adding you foliage, make sure that the stems are long enough to reach the base of the vase and so they can drink easily and last for long time.
• Once you are the majority of foliage add your flowers and use the last foliage where required.
• Every few days or whenever you fill that is need it top up the water in the container.

Do you wonder why floral foam is not good for the environment?

Read here our blog post THE GREEN ALTERNATIVE TO FLORAL FOAM

There are many changes that we need to make right now if we want to ensure that the planet remains green and gorgeous for our children and grandchildren.

What does biodegradable mean?

When it comes to the meaning of biodegradable, we need to look at the wider picture of sustainability. Biodegradability refers to whether or not a product can be broken down, and reabsorbed, without causing any harm to the surrounding environment. Microbes, fungi and bacteria are responsible for naturally breaking down items.

However, this is rather simplistic. Different things take different lengths of time to break down. And some release harmful gases or chemicals in the process. It also needs clarification because most things will break down eventually, but it may take hundreds of years to do so.

Therefore, the term ‘biodegradable’ can be a little confusing and misleading when you’re trying to make sustainable choices. Especially when it comes to packaging and single-use items. This has been exacerbated because the term has been used widely from a marketing perspective. 

In order to stick to being truly biodegradable, you want to choose natural products and avoid plastic as much as possible. Having said that, if the only alternatives available are made with biodegradable plastic versus traditional plastic, then the greener choice is to go with the biodegradable version and dispose of it properly.

What does eco mean?

‘Eco’ is a very generic term. In its loosest sense, it’s a prefix, and simply means anything ‘connected with the environment.’ 

However, nowadays it is more weighted in common usage. If a term has eco as a prefix, then it is generally considered to be something that is good in environmental terms.

An excellent example of this is with the term ‘eco-friendly’.

What does eco-friendly mean?

Eco-friendly is an example of the prefix ‘eco’ in action. If something is eco-friendly then it is considered to be something that is good, or kind, to the environment. 

It’s seen to not be harmful. Therefore you can have eco-friendly products such as an eco-friendly shower puff, but you can also have eco-friendly processes, decisions or actions, such as how to make an eco-friendly home.

It’s possible to see that eco-friendly is also closely tied up with our understanding of sustainability. 

In many ways, the two go hand in hand.

What does zero waste mean?

Zero waste is a concept, or principle. 

It is the aim to change how we consume things so that waste is prevented and ultimately eliminated. 

This would mean that no waste ends up in landfills and incinerators, as well as in the natural environment, such as our oceans.

Going Zero Waste explains it as “We aim to send nothing to landfill. 

We reduce what we need, reuse as much as we can, send little to be recycled, and compost what we cannot.” 

They go on to explain that “the circular economy mimics nature in that there is no trash in nature.”

Zero waste as a concept has most significance for individuals when they consider the packaging that the items they consume come in. 

By choosing products such as the zero waste starter kit, consumers can actively choose to create less waste through their purchasing decisions.

Creating an eco-workspace: get the basics right

Natural light is really important to our wellbeing, particularly at work. So if possible, position your desk and chair in a spot flooded with natural light. You’ll feel more invigorated and energised for work.

Lastly, bring the outdoors in. 

Plants are proven to help reduce workplace stress, so why not surround your workspace with some greenery? 

If you’re tight for space, then make use of these beautiful crochet plant hangers. 

Made with 100% recycled cotton, and available in a range of colours, they definitely fit the green bill!