Why Organic Flowers?

Fresh - most cut flowers have come immense distances and to keep them 'fresh' they are heavily refrigerated and may also be treated with chemicals to extend their shelf life. Our flowers are grown locally and are picked the night before they come to the shop/market. Short of sneaking into the field and picking them yourself, you can't get fresher than that! Seasonal - enjoy the seasons as the flowers go from daffodils in the spring through sunflowers and zinnias in summer to rudbeckia and asters in the autumn. We use no extra light or heat so the flowers we offer reflect the season. Environmentally friendly - as organic growers we must protect the eco-system of the holding, maintain a living soil and conserve water. Nor are we allowed to use synthetic pesticides or treat the flowers post harvest. We have left wide field margins to encourage insects and birds, and this winter plan to plant trees and dig ponds for wildlife. Local - grown at Snitterby Carr near Waddingham, our flowers have not been transported from the ends of the earth. If food miles give you the willies, what about flower miles? Unique - we do not force the flowers, or reject otherwise good blooms for slight mis-shapes of bloom or stem. This means every flower is unique rather than the uniform blooms of mass, chemical production. If possible we select varieties for scent - for instance rather than grow carnations that rarely carry a scent, we grow pinks, which have a heady clove scent.

So they're fresh, they're local and they haven't been doused in chemicals from seed to bouquet. How do you keep them looking good for as long as possible?

The enemy of cut flowers is bacterial decay in the stems and water. To avoid this follow these steps:

keep vases scrupulously clean re-cut the ends of the flowers and place the ends in fresh boiled water for about ten seconds, then place in fresh cold water leaves below the water level will rot - remove them change the water in the vase every other day if possible

Another enemy is the fantastically hard water in this area - do not use filtered water as that is even worse, but do consider using water from dehumidifiers, boiled and cooled water, or tap water with a few drops of lemon juice added to neutralise the alkalinity.

Enjoy your flowers! We are keen to hear your opinions on our flowers, and your suggestions of flowers that we might grow. Please contact us at tintintinorganic@fastmail.fm, or on 01673 818491.