British Flowers Week

Beautiful British-grown flowers are the order of the day at the garden centre as it’s British Flowers Week – all about promoting local, in-season flowers and the florists who arrange them so well.

The annual celebration began at New Covent Garden Flower Market in 2013 and has since spread to every corner of the country to trumpet the wealth and variety of British cut flowers and foliage.

Just as with food, people are increasingly demanding more locally-grown flowers to celebrate the seasons and support our wonderful British growers. Often scented, British flowers have a natural charm, beauty and just-picked freshness that make them a florist’s favourite.

Though flowers grown by large-scale commercial growers abroad are high quality and still look good, you can’t beat the freshness that in-season, locally-produced flowers bring to your vase.

British grown flowers are fresher, and last longer; they usually have a better scent than imported flowers and are brilliant value for money as when they are at their seasonal best the quality goes up, and the price comes down.

You’ll also be supporting local businesses and encouraging wildlife and biodiversity, too. Plus it’s now scientifically proven that giving flowers as a gift makes you just as happy as receiving them!

So pop into our garden centre here in Pickering this week, and then throughout the year to treat yourself and your loved ones to a bouquet chosen from our ever-changing range of British-grown cut flowers. Here’s our guide to what’s in season when:

• Spring brings fresh posies of daffodils, primroses, tulips and hellebores
• Summer is a time of plenty, with roses (of course), alliums, sweetpeas and sunflowers
• Autumn fills your vases with fiery colour from crocosmia, zinnia, alstroemeria and chrysanthemums
• Wintertime is for scented branches of wintersweet, viburnums, hazel catkins and snowdrops

British Flowers Week runs from 18-24 June (www.britishflowersweek.com).