Why Are You Buying
A strange question, but a valid one – we want to find out what makes you buy flowers and plants! It’s not because we’re nosy (not really); but if we understand what you are looking for, we can help our retailer members tailor their products and services to suit your needs better. If they are offering white carnations and all you want is yellow daffodils, then no-one’s happy!
For my home
For most of us, it’s to cheer up our home or ourselves – over half of all cut flower and indoor plant sales are for our own homes, to enjoy ourselves.
This is a big change from twenty years ago, when most flowers were only bought at special occasions. Can you imagine waiting twelve months for the joy of seeing a red rose; or counting the days to your wedding anniversary to watch a lily bud open into flower?
As the poet AE Housman said “And since to look at things in bloom, Fifty springs are little room”. Do you only want to enjoy the beauty of flowers fifty times in your entire life? When there are over 200 different flowers traded on the Dutch auctions, in dozens of colours for each – and that’s just the best sellers!
For a happy special occasion
The biggest flower buying event in the calendar is Mothers’ Day. We love our mums! Sales of flowers and plants rise considerably at this time of year, the Sunday three weeks before Easter. Mother’s day, or Mothering Sunday, is the event most of us buy flowers for, and the event most flowers are bought for.
Thankfully for all the florists, growers and other businesses involved, we spread our purchases out over a few days of buying, and we buy a varied range of gifts. As a bonus, UK Mother’s day is much earlier in the year than it is in Europe or USA, meaning that more flowers and plants are available.
If you thought the answer was going to be Valentine’s Day – you’re almost right. February 14th is the biggest flower giving day in the UK, because if you give flowers on the 13th you look far too eager (unless the 14th is a Sunday and the shops are shut), and if you give flowers on the 15th, well.... you’re labelled with all sorts of bad names!
So it’s a big day for giving and an even bigger day, pressure-wise, for florists and retailers and growers throughout the industry. Everyone in the world celebrates Valentine’s day on the same day , and most of those people want red roses - there’s going to be some competition to buy those stems! (For more on this, see our Valentine’s Day pages)