British flowers for Valentine's Day

Next Wednesday is 14^th February and of course that means St. Valentine's Day. Each year us Brits spend an astronomical amount of money on cards, presents, meals out and of course flowers. We now hand over £250 million just on flowers alone. It's great business for the florists and supermarkets that sell the flowers but where are all these flowers coming from? I love the big, deep red Grand Prix roses but roses like that aren't grown in the UK in February. Instead you will find them shipped in from Africa with possibly a stopover at the flower auction in Amsterdam. That's a lot of CO₂ in air and road freight plus cold storage. The alternative though is simple – buy British.

My favourite cut flowers at this time of year are daffodils. With many days still dark and gloomy the sight of their golden trumpets cannot fail to cheer. The bonus of them as well is as an easy to grow British flower they are probably the cheapest bunch of flowers you can buy. Most supermarkets will have them for around £1 a bunch.

If you want to steer clear of supermarkets for your flower choice look for specialist regional suppliers. The south west is well-known for growing daffodils and the smaller, scented narcissi. At this time of year flowers grown in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly will be grown outside in natural light and are able to be sent by post directly from the growers.

If daffodils and narcissi aren't for you then other seasonal British flowers are anemones, hellebores, alstroemeria, ranunculus and tulips. A touch of foliage can be added even by yourself to add something a bit extra to your bunch of flowers. In my garden I have a large rosemary bush that is green all round. Alternatively the glossy, smooth leaves of the laurel bush always works well.

Will you be giving flowers on Valentine's Day? Do you look out for British blooms?