London’s Best Sustainable Florists
By
2 years ago
Pick of the bunch
You’d be forgiven for thinking floristry is an innately eco-friendly industry – yet there are in fact a number of ways your bouquet may have harmed the environment. Flowers are often flown in from far-flung destinations and put in non-biodegradable plastic floral foam, notorious for its damaging effects. What’s more, approximately 100,000 tonnes of plastic is produced for the florist world each year, only about 30 tonnes of which is recycled. Yet eco-conscious botanists need not worry: there are many sustainable florists out there, approved by the royal family, A-listers and fashion brands alike. Read on for the ones to know.
Best Sustainable Florists In London
Freddie’s Flowers
Online at freddiesflowers.com
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Headed by the eponymous Freddie, London based Freddie’s Flowers is a carbon neutral flower delivery service shipping curated bouquets to homes across the UK along with an illustrated arrangement guide. Working closely with small-scale growers to grow only the flowers that will be used, the seasonal arrangements – choose from Mini, Classic or Showstopper sizes – are selected to both brighten your home and restore your connection with nature. Learn more about Freddie’s Flowers’ sustainability here.
Uncut Stems
Online at uncutstems.co.uk
Launched after starting life as a lockdown-club between friends, Uncut Stems is a sustainably focused flower club and something of a badly-kept secret among the style and interiors-obsessed of London. Members include the likes of Laura Jackson and Lucy Williams. Inspired by the transparency of Oddbox, where the provenance and rationale behind each vegetable is made clear in a weekly letter, CEO and Founder, Vicki Baker, identified the need for an honest yet beautiful flower subscription. On a mission to reduce reliance on overseas flowers, Uncut Stems teaches members about seasonal flowers from spring bulbs through to Christmas wreaths, as well as care and styling skills along the way. Throughout the seasons members will recognise flowers from Uncut Stems in the parks, gardens and hedgerows around them, learning about each in the letter with illustrations drawn by Vicki, that accompany deliveries. Learn more about Uncut Stems’ sustainability efforts here.
Window Fleur
Online at windowfleur.com
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Flat-bound Londoners can inject some floral vibrance into their homes with window boxes – but have you ever noticed the amount of waste generated from filling one? Plastic bags of unused compost here, plants you couldn’t squeeze into the box destined for the bin. This was Joe experience, and he thought there has to be a better way. Enter: Window Fleur. Mess free, pre-planted seasonal window boxes delivered straight to your door (provided it’s within the M25) four times a year. Refills are biodegradable, and any excess stock is donated to Hammersmith Community Gardens Association. Blooming lovely.
Abel & Cole
Online at abelandcole.co.uk
Image courtesy of Abel & Cole
Did you know that an imported mixed bouquet emits 10 times more carbon that a British grown one? You may have already heard of Abel & Cole, with their vegetable box deliveries, well, now they’re expanding to British blooms. Tipped as the ‘only online delivery service to offer organic flowers in the UK’, you’ll be able to select blooms that are hand harvested, and grown without heated greenhouses or chemical inputs. If you didn’t already know, organic flowers are a savvier choix, since they’re free from artificial pesticides (this helps biodiversity thrive a bit better), and less water as well is needed to help these plants grow, what’s not to like? Abel & Cole’s boxes of blooms are from six selected British growers, and they’ll only deliver to certain areas each week, to keep their carbon emissions as low as the brand can. Learn all about it on the Abel & Cole sustainability hub.
Bloom
Online at bybloom.co.uk
The brainchild of florist and designer Larry Walshe, who has years of experience in creating beautiful bouquets, online florist Bloom has garnered attention from a whole host of top names – but it is about more than aesthetics. The company is 100 per cent plastic free, with all packaging recyclable and compostable. Not only this, but Bloom has partnered with the World Land Trust to help support reforestation projects, pledging to plant enough trees to offset the carbon footprint of its production, packaging and deliveries. Learn all about it here.
Arena Flowers
Online at arenaflowers.com
Arena Flowers has always been ethically and environmentally conscious. It’s the only florist in the UK with a 100/100 score from the independent Ethical Index, and in 2017 it became the first flower business to ban single-use plastics in all its packaging. But last year the business really ramped up its sustainability efforts. Not only is Arena Flowers on course to be the first carbon-neutral flower delivery business, it’s aiming to have a positive impact on the environment, pledging to remove 300,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere in 2021 by planting over a million mangrove trees. Read all about it here.
Blooming Haus
Online at bloominghaus.com
Sustainability lies at the heart of Battersea-based florist Blooming Haus. Launched in 2014 by florist Michal Kowalski and sustainability engineer Michael D, the florist is known for its use of rare flowers and unusual plants, which are foraged by a team of ‘floral engineers’. Its environmental practices are impressive: all organic waste is composted, floral foams are avoided and flower buckets are returned to suppliers after delivery. The studio also runs on green energy, and all vehicles used are electric. Planning a wedding? Pick Blooming Haus as your florist, and they’ll plant a tree in your honour. Read all about it here.
Flowerbx
Online at flowerbx.com
Founders Whitney Bromberg Hawkings and Adam Wilkie worked at Tom Ford for 20 years before launching Flowerbx, so you can guarantee the sleekest of bouquets. Aside from the aesthetics, you can rest assured all flowers are sourced directly from sustainable growers – and any green waste the florist produces is composted. Bouquets arrive at your door in recyclable boxes, and you can opt for same day zero emission deliveries. Read the full mission statement here.
Main Image: Uncut Stems, uncutstems.co.uk
