Cork florists on a mission to create a more sustainable Valentine's Day

TWO Cork florists are on a mission to make Valentine’s Day more environmentally friendly with their rose-free pop up, explaining that the flower most synonymous with the day of romance isn’t the most sustainable option.

Taylor Nelsen and Kevin O’Connell’s Glanmire-based florist Between the Briars specialises in providing environmentally-conscious customers with seasonal flowers.

“The day falls during the coldest month of the year in the northern hemisphere, which means roses, a flower that loves summer temperatures, must be grown in carbon fuelled glass houses or shipped from summer climates half a world away,” Taylor explained.

“Needless to say, the dependence on roses for Valentine’s Day has a detrimental impact on the climate, as well as societies where roses bloom, mostly in Africa and South America where water can be very scarce,” he said, adding that "water is pumped away from communities and into the rose fields to feed the Valentine’s Day hunger for these costly blooms”.

Taylor said that just one rose stem can require around eight litres of water before it blooms.

“There is a way to celebrate your love without the need for roses.”

To do this, Between the Briars have put together a Valentine’s Day offering of flowers that are in season in February from either Ireland or EU sources, also featuring beautiful Irish foliage and branches.

Taylor added: “What may also be unknown to customers is the wholesale price of red flowers around Valentine’s Day gets exceptionally increased, to counter this we have added pink designs at a lower price point for those who can be flexible on colour.”

You can check out their sustainable creations here: https://www.betweenthebriars.com/valentines-day.