Who grew the flowers in that bouquet? Talking Local Flowers with England's Ben Cross

Whether you pick up a bouquet of flowers at a florist or a supermarket, you may well find alstroemeria in the bouquet How cool would it be to know a local farmer who grows those flowers? I have to confess, I'd never met an alstroemeria farmer til I came across British farmer Ben Cross through Clubhouse.

In this episode, we talk about growing alstroemeria, about how to keep it looking fresh as long as possible and what is happening in the flower market.

Read more and see photos/video at https://groundedbythefarm.com/local-flowers/

While there are many types of flowers, there is one that not only fosters ongoing warm feelings - its name actually fosters that same thought: The Alstroemeria. And it isn't just one of the most-beautiful flowers - its the one that we're going to focus on as we talk to Ben Cross, a fourth generation flower farmer, from Crosslands Flower Nursery! He's definitely not local for me, but he got me thinking a lot about local flowers.

Growing Flowers in Southern England

Nestled near the English Channel, and hour and a half from downtown London, in the Southern parts of the UK, Ben and his family have created a haven for crafting a flourishing fountain of flowery fun. With an area that features the best atmosphere, the best sunlight conditions, The Cross family's flower farm is the centerpiece for commerce, outstanding scents and visuals that have to be seen to believe.

Ben's says the farm feature massive greenhouses that specializes and provides the alstroemeria or the "Lily of The Inca" which is a flower that originated in the Andes Mountains of Peru and Chile. The flower is actually named after Darwin's cousin who was named "Meria." Ben's farm was founded back in the 1960s and is based on the bounty that the alstroemeria convey thanks to the surrounding atmospheric conditions that make growing them very straightforward.

In all, Ben's farm provides 79 different varieties that feature every color you can think of and then some. Their flowers are grown and harvested year-round, and provide some of the largest markets in the UK with fresh new offerings regularly.

Looking for blue and black flowers for your arrangement? Those are the only two colors you won't find inside the resource listings and flowerbeds of Ben's flower farm!

Local Flowers & Sustainability

Did you also know that alstroemeria's utilize remarkably LITTLE water? It's what makes them so sustainable, and with a little care, you can make them last even longer!

While it might sound like heat is the enemy of flowers, Ben and his staff are able to keep their flowers growing and viable all year thanks to the biomass heat that is generated inside their hundreds of greenhouse-based flower beds. While they've just finished a Spring time packing run of 13,000 stems in a week, (and another akin to this one in the Autumn/Fall), they actually provide millions of stems annually. From mid-April, they will be continually harvesting stems until Christmastime in December. Even during their "quietest" time, they are still harvesting stems 3 days a week during the months of January and February annually.

Water is the next piece of the flower power foundation in Ben's operation. Keeping the flowers appropriately hydrated helps to enhance every step of the process. The water is provided to the flowers based on what time of year it is. It can be delivered directly to the stems via their underground irrigation supply feeds during the winter (where the stems can grow to a mind-boggling 7 feet tall!) and then provided from hanging irrigation systems in the summer when the stems are much shorter (usually 2 feet tall).

Tips to Keep Fresh Flowers Beautiful

A few tips to remember to allow your flowers to beatify for longer periods of time include:

1.) Be sure to snip off the leaves on the stem of the flower 2.) Remember to change out the water every 2-3 days to foster longevity 3.) Each time you change out the water, snip a small piece of the step to help prevent the collection of destructive bacteria when showing your flowers 4.) Don't put your flowers in direct sunlight! 5.) Keep your flowers away from warm electronics - it will kill them quick!

With a little care and attention, you can have an even "longer lasting friendship" (what the actual name of Alstroemeria means in Latin) because you'll have longer lasting flowers - often up to 2 or 3 weeks!

About Growing Alstroemeria

Can you believe that Ben's operation only replants about 5% of their crop each year? That's a tremendous number and fosters the amazing feat of fostering plants that are now between 20 and 30 years old! If only we could have flowers last a f...