Organic Flowers for Valentine's? Why?

Organic Flowers & The Art of Avoiding Pesticide Residue on That Lovely Bouquet


Women love to get flowers. Men love to get flowers too.

OK, we made the second part up. But a nice vase of flowers is no doubt pleasing to most eyes, and with occasions such as Valentines Day, Easter, and Mother's Day, we know that the flowers will be flying off the shelves.

However, there's a little problem with most flowers. (And we don't mean the price!) Whether the flowers you buy were raised in the United States or in south-of-the-border countries like Ecuador, Columbia, or Mexico, you can bet the flowers received heavy doses of pesticides as the growers tried to produce nothing but flawless flowers, which is what the typical US consumer demands.

The pesticides used on flowers are a big problem for the workers who tend the flowers, particularly in non-US greenhouses, where companies sometimes use highly toxic chemicals that are banned in the US. Crew bosses often force workers back into the flower houses too soon after spraying, exacerbating the workers' exposure to the pesticides. (For an excellent overview of such problems, see this 2002 Environmental Health Perspectives article on the subject.)

Pesticides on flowers can also be a problem for anyone who handles the flowers—including consumers—since many pesticides are easily absorbed through the skin. And because flowers are not a foodstuff (except in the case of our one weird cousin), the pesticide residue on them is not regulated by the US government.

So, is this the excuse you've been waiting for to cheap-out and forget about giving flowers on special occasions? Ah ah ah, not so fast. The organic flower market is rapidly emerging, led by Organic Bouquet, a US vendor that sells and ships pesticide-free flowers nationally. Organic flowers can also be found now in some natural food stores. So, let's hear it for pretty petals and not potent pesticides.

Wondering where you can get pesticide free garden supplies? Check our Gardens Alive, and here is our Valentin'e Gift to you, a coupon for their store: