A new Journal post within Bryonia’s Sustainability Series discussing the topic of ‘enhanced’ flowers, whether that be dyed, bleached, glued, glittered or anything else.

I use ‘enhanced’ in inverted commas to mark the term loosely. I have dug through evidence and fact based research to help provide an insight into what this truly means, the environmental concerns and what alternatives are available to us as consumers and florists. I plan to give a perspective into the impacts of these flowers, should you choose to use them.

Throughout this entry, I don’t want to rewrite evidence that’s already out there, but instead have provided snippets. I’ve linked to where everything been sourced from for your further reading and continued understanding.

*Typical ‘Pinterest’ style imagery of treated dried flowers*

This Journal entry is here to help with education, and support in choosing what flowers (or none) might be right for you. To others in the flower industry, this entry is purely to aid conscious consumption, and I do not wish to place disrespect on your choices to either stock, or not stock these products.

At this critical point, whether a supplier or customer, we need to question the environmental impact we’re making, and it's science we need to go to make these choices.

Pinterest & Instagram

I couldn’t begin this post without pointing towards the main sources that have increased demand for these products.
There’s been huge promotion of these flowers on social media & buying platforms such as Etsy, typically with the labels of #seasonal #natural #sustainable.
This incorrect labelling can be down to a lack of understanding, and in the extreme, greenwashing (which is a whole topic in itself, and something I plan to dig into later in my Sustainability Series).
I wish to tackle the first point of misunderstanding head on, as what do we even mean by ‘enhanced’ flowers and how can you identify them…

How do i spot an ‘enhanced’ flower? is it always obvious?

There are a number of ways flowers can be treated. Some few of the most common ones have been detailed below with examples to help with their identification:
**Dyed:**
Typically these flowers are chemically treated to alter their natural colours, an example of these would be ‘Brownie’ tulips or coloured bunny tails.
**Preserved:**
These are treated with glycerin or other chemicals to preserve their current state and prevent decay, usually used within dried flowers and foliage to keep their colour and form
**Bleached:**
A plethora of chemicals are required to alter these flowers and obtain an unnatural crisp white shade, an example being bleached ruscus
**Painted**:
Spray paints and the like, typically florists will do this themselves to manipulate a flower’s colour, frequently seen with babies breath installations
**Glued:**
Used within floristry toolkits to manipulate flowers into regimented positions, such as on flower crowns & slides
**Glittered:**
Spotted everywhere in the lead up to Christmas… everything seems to be coated in glitter, although it is in no way biodegradable

Chemicals, Chemicals

Many of these listed processes involve a large mix of chemicals…
“It might even be the case that your dried flowers have literally undergone all four earth-killing procedures to make them: heat treatment, bleaching, anti-mould chemical treatment and water soluble plastic coating.” - New Realities, 2021
There’s a huge breakdown of the commonly used bleaching & painting chemicals in Linda D’Arco’s articles here and here.
But in summary, this is a worry for both human health, and the environment. These flowers can’t be composted, won’t break down as a natural product, and have a negative impact on the world around us. Then the people manipulating them, using them or buying them should also have concerns about the impact of handling these flowers on their health.
“Captivated by the beauty of the object or fascinated by its utilitarian aspects, we forget to think about its creation—the chemicals involved, their effects on the environment and on the bodies of those who made it, as well as their effects on our own bodies and our own environment.” - Amelie Bonney, 2020
Generally, these chemically ‘enhanced’ flowers are creating way more issues than anything could be worth.

Does being sustainable, and saying no to these flowers, reduce creativity?

I hear this all the time in the industry, that saying no to these blooms then limits the creative power we have as florists…

My stance is very much aligned with that of Becky Feasby of Prairie Girl Flowers, a big spokesperson for the sustainable floristry movement:

“The practice of dyeing and bleaching flowers is destructive. It is environmentally harmful at best and completely negligent at worst. And for what? To achieve colours that you can already find in nature?” - Becky Feasby, 2021

Everything is already out there! Nature is abundant, provides us with so much already, so why would we want to play games with that generosity? Particularly at the detriment of our environment and human health.

And do you know what, more creativity and originality is required when we stick to the natural stuff, working with the seasons. Another inspiring quote is below to help with supporting this perspective:

“I think the beauty of floristry is in the artist’s ability to see Mother Nature’s colours and bring them together in ways that serve the flowers - that make them more beautiful because of their company or the attention brought to the special, imperfect curve of a stem. Those ways that call out the subtle inconsistencies in one bloom’s mauve tones and move the colour through the rest of the arrangement’s flowers are artful.” - Linda D’Arco, 2018

So from here onwards, it’s your decision, but if you do choose to buy ‘enhanced’ flowers (either as a customer or as a florist). Being sustainable is trendy so it’s common to find mixed messages out there, but you should always look to:

Ask questions about the origin of your flowers
Research certification schemes, and what they mean for how flowers were grown & transported (such as environmental, human rights or fair pay etc)
Look to understand the chemical & pesticide treatment of any flowers
Do your growers, wholesalers or florists even know where the flowers are from? And what processes have been undertaken to manipulate them?

Sustainability Series 03: ‘Enhanced’ dried & Fresh flowers

Pinterest & Instagram

How do i spot an ‘enhanced’ flower? is it always obvious?

Chemicals, Chemicals

Does being sustainable, and saying no to these flowers, reduce creativity?

And you could also look to…

Further reading & sources

Sustainability Series 03: ‘Enhanced’ dried & Fresh flowers

Pinterest & Instagram

How do i spot an ‘enhanced’ flower? is it always obvious?

Chemicals, Chemicals

Does being sustainable, and saying no to these flowers, reduce creativity?

And you could also look to…

Further reading & sources

Creating Bryonia’s Vessels

Learning to grow