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May flowers
Give green greens
By ISABELLE DAVIS
del.ico.us
reddit!
Giving someone a bunch of their favorite blooms should not make you (or them) feel guilty. But just because they're "from nature" does not mean the gift is natural. The pesticides and energy involved in growing tulips and shipping them to your corner florist aren't insignificant. If blossoms are a must, try taking the green(er) route and buy or ship your loved one an organic bouquet. These flower arrangements are shipped locally, grown organically by Fair Trade farmers, and packaged in environmentally responsible vases, tissue paper and boxes.
Online companies like Organic Bouquet [877.899.2468, organicbouquet.com] are certified by Veriflora, the country's "first comprehensive sustainability certification program for the floral and potted plant industries." That ensures that the plants have been grown in an environmentally and socially conscious fashion. You can choose from around 50 different combos of buds (with the option of sending along some organic chocolate truffles or fruit) to make that lucky person feel all mushy.
However, it's best to go local and independent when purchasing your flowers. For über-schmancy occasions, check out the conceptual and natural floral arrangements of Faxon Green [Watertown, 617.697.9868, faxongreen.com], a Massachusetts-based artist and floral designer with an eco-friendly focus. (How holy? Green designed floral arrangements for the Dalai Lama during his Boston visit.) If you want to DIY it up with fresh blooms, take a trip out to any number of farms to participate in a flower CSA (buy a share to reap the bounty all season), such as the one at Stearns Farm [Framingham, 508.371.4310, stearnsfarmcsa.org] where Celosia to Nasturtiums are naturally grown with no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Ba-da bing, ba-da bloom!
