THIS week is the fifth annual British Flowers Week and a Latteridge enterprise, along with grower-florists throughout Britain, want to spread the word about the benefits of choosing British seasonal flowers over high-input imported flowers.

Award-winning Latteridge growers Organic Blooms are focusing on what’s in season.

Director and lead horticulturalist Jo Wright – who recently received the Virgin Unite Impact Award at the Virgin VOOM Awards – says that 2018 is a tough year for British flower growers.

“Our very odd spring, with mild weather interspersed with unexpectedly severe cold spells and snow, closely followed by the intense heat of May into June and very low rainfall, has really messed up the timings of our flowers," she said.

"It’s been incredibly hard to predict what will flower when, and what the stem-strength and quality of our flowers will be.

“But, because we grow flower species and varieties that suit British growing conditions, our plants and flowers are remarkably resilient and most of our crops have pulled through.”

Co-director and head florist Wendy Paul, part of a gold medal-winning team at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, added: “The season varies in different part of Britain, with each species flowering earlier in the far south and a few weeks in the most northerly regions.

"This benefits customers by extending the season of availability for some flowers.

“One of our late spring/early summer Organic Blooms favourites, Sweet Williams, are coming to the end now for this year and our sweet peas are right at their peak. But in our region there are some gorgeous blooms coming into their own this week, including vibrant malope (mallow), intensely lime green molucella - bells of Ireland - and beautiful star-like cosmos.”

Jo and Wendy are keen to highlight the benefits of choosing British-grown flowers over imported.

Wendy said: “Flowers grown in Britain for natural seasonality and with low inputs of heat, light, chemical fertiliser and preservatives tend to be hardier and more resilient.

"They reach customers sooner than imported counterparts – with imported flowers it’s difficult to know how long they’ve been in storage and transit for before you buy them.”

Jo said: “To suit our growing conditions, the varieties grown in Britain are more likely to be beautifully scented and more natural.

"Although we do grow some hybrids, we still select them for the beauty of the flower and for scent. Unlike large commercial growers operating overseas using high inputs and intensive irrigation, British growers rarely choose a variety purely for stem length or longevity.

“Cut flowers are a luxury and I would encourage people to think about how that luxury is produced.

"If it has a negative impact on people or the environment, can it really be a luxury?

"By choosing British flowers customers can be reassured that a good part of that negative impact is reduced – and in many cases that the impact is a positive one.

"I’d also encourage people to enjoy flowers in the moment and buy them based not on vase-life but on their beauty and scent, and to consider how they have been grown.

"At Organic Blooms, environmental ethics and consideration of people are at the very heart of what we do – and we are just one of many small British growers people can choose to buy their flowers from.”

To find out more visit organicblooms.co.uk