I’m so glad you asked — there are many reasons to buy local flowers that directly benefit us all! Here’s a few:

A Better Overall Product

Locally grown flowers are almost always fresher, more vibrant, and longer lasting than the imported flowers you’d find at a grocery store. Imported flowers are often harvested too early, in hopes that there will still be some vase life left by the time they reach their destination. From another country, to the US, to the correct state and city, to the grocery store shelf, to the customer — whew, that’s a long way to travel! Flowers that are harvested early often don’t develop their full color, fully open up the way they are supposed to, or reach their vase life potential.

By contrast, locally grown flowers are freshly harvested at the correct stage, and travel a very short distance before they end up in your hands. Proper harvesting and post-harvest care of fresh cut flowers means saturated colors and the longest possible vase life for your blooms! When you buy local flowers, you will likely also be able to experience more varieties, as some flowers are too delicate or short-lived to be imported — a local grower can provide them!

Less Toxicity, For Us and the Environment

80% of the flowers sold at grocery stores, florist shops, and through online delivery services are grown thousands of miles away. A whopping 70% are imported from Colombia alone, where regulations on chemicals are quite lax, to say the least. Many chemicals are used that are banned in the US. Throughout the growing and shipping process, flowers are treated with sprays and slurries of insecticide, fungicide, pesticide — you get the picture. There is no system in place to check imported flowers for banned chemicals or unsafe levels of chemical residue. It really makes you think twice about placing a bouquet of those on your dining room table!

When you purchase blooms from your local flower farmer, you have the opportunity to speak directly with your grower about what practices they use in the production of their flowers. I would venture to say that almost every time, it will be much less toxic, and much more sustainable, than imported flowers. At Highbridge Ridge Blooms, we use Integrated Pest Management principles as often as possible, and are mindful of the health of the environment, ourselves, and our customers.

On a final note, consider the difference in carbon footprint of a bouquet that travels 3000 miles to get to you, versus one that was grown in your neighborhood — there’s a clear winner here!

Support Local Pollinators!

The bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds sure do appreciate our locally grown flowers! The diversity of blooms we grow attracts a wide range of pollinators to our area. They stop by for a visit, and then continue on to pollinate nearby food crops. They are essential to the health of our ecosystems, and farmers’ ability to get food from their fields to our tables.

Support Local Business!

Finally, on a personal note, it means so much to us when you choose to purchase our flowers, rather than those from a big box store. Supporting local businesses not only stimulates the economy, but it supports members of your community in more ways than you may even realize. Beyond the financial aspect, we get the opportunity to teach our children about how to work with their environment — to grow things from a tiny seed to bloom. When you buy your bouquets from us, it allows us to continue to do what we are passionate about — cultivating beauty and joy.