A Valentine's flower guide for helpless enviromantics

How can you reduce the environmental impact of your Valentine's bouquet – and still pick the best of the bunch?

A rose on a black background
A classic Valentine's gift – but how green is the red rose? Photograph: Getty

Greening up the most traditional of Valentine's Day gifts is harder than you'd think, since most cut flowers are imported by plane at this time of year. Fortunately a number of specialist florists mean you can reduce the environmental impact of your blooms by buying locally-grown and Fairtrade options. I've rounded up five below.
Eco concerns
• The CO2 produced from transporting and growing flowers. British-grown flowers such as red tulips are theoretically the best way to reduce the CO2 emitted from growing your stems, but local doesn't always mean low carbon: one study suggested roses grown in Holland had a carbon footprint 15 times larger than those grown in Kenya. Waitrose has a handy calendar that shows which British flowers are in season now.
• Like food crops, flowers are often grown with pesticides. Several reports have raised concern over pesticides, from the World Health Organisation highlighting toxic chemicals used on Colombian flower farms to one study finding DDT in Mexican hothouses. Sadly, organic flowers are hard to come by in the UK – Waitrose is the only supermarket to sell them, but it doesn't stock any at this time of year.
• There's also the ethical issue of low pay for the workers who grow our imported flowers. For a guarantee that a fair wage is being paid, seek out the increasing number of Fairtrade bouquets.
Top 5 green choices
1. Wiggly Wigglers: British-grown seasonal bouquets from £25.
2. Arena Flowers – a selection of flowers, including these £33 gerberas, certified by the Fair Flowers Fair Plants scheme.
3. Scilly Flowers – seasonal bouquets from £25 and up, grown on the Isles of Scilly.
4. The Organic Flower Company – despite the name, TOFC doesn't stock organic blooms at this time of year, but it does have a ban on air-freighted flowers and is selling 50 red tulips for £40.
5. Waitrose – lots of Fairtrade flowers, including sunflowers for £20 and pricier mixed bouquets for £39 and up.
A Valentine Counterclockwise from top left: Waitrose has lots of Fairtrade flowers; tulips from The Organic Flower Company; seasonal flowers from Wiggly Wigglers; Scilly flowers. Photograph: PR

What sustainable stems do you recommend? Let's hear about your favourite ecoflorists and suppliers in the comments below.

Grow Roots

Four years ago I co-founded The Camellia Network, a nonprofit organization set out to change the way youth transitioning out of foster care are viewed and supported.  What I’ve learned through that experience, and through raising my two eldest foster sons, is that what foster youth need more than anything is a community that cares about them. No matter what your personal passion, the advice I offer below is how to grow roots in your own community.
Ask people to tell their stories. Everyone has a story, full of both heartbreak and triumph, but we can’t see their story just by looking at them. Asking people to share allows you to find common ground even when all you see—externally—are differences.
Be real. We have been trained to broadcast our successes and hide our failures. But the truth is this: our failures humanize us, and they connect us to one another. Being truthful about both sides of your story will help you form more honest connections with those you love and admire.
Embrace your elders. Show love and respect to your grandparents and aging neighbors. Talk to them often. Send a letter or card. Help them with chores or errands. Or really make them smile with flowers, which have been shown by a Rutgers University study to ease depression, inspire socialization and refresh memory as we grow older.
Make yourself useful. Everyone has something to give, no matter how much (or little) time you have. Find an organization that inspires you and make a difference while also meeting people that care about the world in the same way you do.
Do what you love to do. Figure out what you love to do, and then go do it!  Take a flower arranging class at your local florist or join a local sports league. You’ll meet people that share your interests, whether they are reading, running, flowers, music and more.

Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to ask humbly, genuinely, for help when you need it. People want to help one another; sometimes we just forget to ask. Becoming vulnerable and admitting wecan’t do everything on our own is another way to deepen relationships. Say thank you with flowers, a plant, or another heartfelt expression of gratitude.

Let Us Know More About Chrysanthemums

The Chrysanthemum as such, Spain is closely associated with the feast of All Saints' Day. However, this flower is consumed throughout the year under the name of a flower margaritas happy, beautiful and economical.

Botanically, the genus Chrysanthemum belongs to the family Asteraceae and comprises one of the type of the oldest cultivated flowers, both cut flowers as a potted ornamental plant. Its main attraction is its ornamental flowers and these really are an inflorescence chapter. There are different types of sections grown commercially, but in general, this inflorescence is composed of two types of flowers: the female located in the radial area of the chapter and which correspond to the outer row on the flowers, and hermaphroditic located the concentric zone ... which obviously correspond to the plants. The floral receptacle or chapter is flat or convex shape and is surrounded by its attractive bracts surround, popularly mistaken as petals.

The chrysanthemum, is a flower full of symbolism in many countries. So, Japan is considered the national flower and is still used in ceremonies and the flower is the symbol of long life (contrary to what many people think, the sphere in the Japanese flag does not represent the rising sun but the heart of one stripped of its petals chrysanthemum), China is a symbol of wisdom, as in many others such as honesty and the United States is usually perceived as positive and meaning of good feeling.

According to documentation, the Chrysanthemum was introduced in Europe through France in the late eighteenth century and the first crop of this plant in Spain coincides with the beginning in the nineteenth century. Currently, professional florists grow complex hybrids of this plant and most species that have created modern cultivars originate in China: Chrysanthemum indicum, Chrysanthemum morifolium and Chrysanthemum x hortorum. Note that potted chrysanthemum is technically called Dedranthema.

Cut flowers are marketed both in bottles or forming only the Chrysanthemum flower arrangements with other flowers and ornamental green and in the form of potted plant, its most popular size of 11-15 cm in diameter throughout the year and 14-20 inch models are cultivated on time ahead of the feast of All Saints' Day. Cut flowers is distributed primarily by physical or online florists and instead, the form of potted plant, do it for garden centers and supermarkets.

What Is The Camellia Flower Meaning

Flowers decorate floats, weddings and funerals. We grow flowers to add beauty to our landscape and clip stems of flowers to bring their beauty indoors. Some flowers have medicinal purposes. Flowers play such an important role in our lives that back even in biblical times, flowers were giving symbolic meanings. During the reign of Queen Victorian, which was known as the Victorian Era, meanings were assigned to flowers giving them specific significance that could fall into several categories like human emotions, qualities or endeavors, or spiritual significance. Those flower meanings could be things like happiness, perfection, good luck, or faith. If a man presented a bouquet or single flower to a woman, the woman and anyone who saw the flowers would know how the man felt about her.

The camellia flower grows on the camellia shrub, which is an evergreen shrub cold hearty is U.S. Department of Agriculture planting zones 6 through 8. You can plant camellia shrubs in late fall or early spring in partial shade where they will be protected from late afternoon sun. When planting multiple shrubs, space them at least 6 to 8 feet apart to provide room for growth.

If you are giving the camellia shrub as a gift, the camellia shrub has several meanings including gratitude, perfection and admiration.

The flowers of the camellia shrub open in late winter and, in warmer zones, may bloom again in late fall. The flowers of the camellia shrub may be pink, red or white, or have varigated colors. The pink camellia flower means longing, the red flower means you are a flame in my heart, while the white camellia flower means adoration, perfection or loveliness.

Camellia flowers are best displayed in a shallow container. Cut the stem outdoors about 1 inch longer than the container is tall. Remove most of the leaves on the lower stem. When indoors, cut the stem again under water and on an angle. Place the camellia flowers in room temperature water treated with a fresh flower compound to help preserve the bloom. Place in an indirect lighting location preferably with high humidity.

The Common Knowledge About Hyacinth Flowers

Hyacinth flowers with its magnificent blooms are a pride for every hobbyist. The popularity of jacinth as a garden plant grew in the late 18th century. The heady fragrance, the bright colors and the long spike inflorescence are characteristic features of these plants which flower during spring. Thus, they not only beautify the landscape design, but also fill the garden with a sweet scent. Let's try to learn some facts about the jacinth flower, its origin, colors, meaning, propagating bulb and caring tips.

Hyacinth flowers are native to the Mediterranean and African regions. While selecting the plant for your garden, do non confuse common garden jacinth with grape hyacinth. The former bears star-shaped flowers in a compact spike inflorescence, while the blooms of the latter resemble grape clusters, borne in a raceme inflorescence.

At present, we celebrate March 7 as the World Hyacinth Day, a day when the plants are in full bloom. Many of us wonder, how did the hyacinth flower originate? There is an interesting story behind hyacinth blooms. As per Greek mythology, Hyakinthos was a handsome young Greek man adored by Apollo and Zephyr. When Apollo was teaching Hyakinthos how to master saucer throwing, Zephyr grew jealous and blew back the saucer which killed Hyakinthos. It is believed that jacinth flowers grew from the spilled blood of Hyakinthos.

Hyacinth represents a group of more than 30 different species, out of which some are known for their vivid colors. The flower comes in a variety of colors which includes white, cream, yellow, salmon, peach, pink, orange, red, lavender, purple and blue. With so many hyacinth flower options, you can select specific varieties to create a color pattern in your flower garden.

The symbolic meaning of a hyacinth flower varies based on the color. For example a white hyacinth represents loveliness, a yellow flower stands for jealousy and a purple jacinth symbolizes a supplication for forgiveness. But, in general, hyacinth flower stands for games, sports and consistency according to flower language.

Hyacinths propagate with the help of bulbs, which may be cream to light purple in color. While buying them for plantation, ensure that you select healthy, large sized jacinth bulbs without soft or black spots. It is often found that large bulbs give large sized flowers than those produced by small hyacinths bulbs. You should also look for disease and pest resistant hyacinth varieties.

If you are thinking of planting hyacinth flower, then make sure that you plant the bulb during fall, about one and half month before the arrival of heavy frost. The preferable atmospherical temperature for planting these bulbs is above 60 F. First, till the soil and mix organic compost in it. For planting, burrow a hole of about 8 inch deep and place the hyacinth bulb. Water the plant frequently during the day and if there are dry spells.

The hyacinth flower blooms during spring, in the months of March to April. After the blooming season is over, trim the flower stalk astatine the base, while retaining the leaves for drying on their own. If you want large blooms in successive years, you should supplement the soil with compost annually. If you notice smaller flowers in the following years, consider replanting the hyacinth bulbs.

Hyacinth flowers emit a sweet fragrance and so is used to make perfumes and are planted commercially for this purpose. They are also popularly sold as cut flowers at the florists center. So, if you have hyacinth flowers in the garden, do not miss the opportunity to enjoy their heady fragrance inside the house. You can cut the flowering stalk at the base and maintain them in the same way as you do for other regular cut flowers.