Garden & Roads Florist

Garden and Roads Green Ethos:

Similar to the food industry, the floral industry has moved toward mass production and the use of materials that are not healthy for the environment.  Our ethos to be a green florist is to work with products and methods gentle and healthy to the environment. Our ethos rests on three principles:

• Local & Sustainable

• Reuse, Recycle & Biodegrade

• Environmental Consciousness

Locally Grown!

Our cutting gardens have over 70 types of flowers and if we don't grow it, we favor local farmers or growers with a strong environmental ethos whenever possible. Locally grown means limited pollution created from plane and truck transport. That said, we live in New England and there isn’t much blooming 5 months out of the year, so we do purchase flowers via the wholesale flower exchange as well.   

Sustainable methods:

Organic Gardening: We have 3 composters to break down floral and kitchen bi-products and use organic amendments to feed garden soil.
Water Management: Rain barrels, soaker hoses and mulch help conserve water
Forage: Greens, berries, sea shells, moss, pine cones, etc . . .
Make it: we make floral food preservative reducing floral food packaging waste. Here is a simple recipe:

• 1 quart warm water (warm water helps the sugar dissolve)

• 1 tablespoons lemon juice  or white vinegar (strained)

• 1/2 tablespoon sugar

• 1/4-1/2  teaspoon bleach – less is more with the bleach

Reuse - Recycle - Biodegrade

1. Floral Foam is a non-biodegradable plastic containing carcinogenic formaldehyde and carbon black. We use wood, wire and as many biodegradable or recyclable materials as possible.
2. Card Holders are non-recyclable plastic. We use bamboo stick card holders
3. Cellophane is non-biodegradable polypropylene, we use recyclable paper or compostable burlap
4. Plastic bases - We use reusable glass, metal or wood with a recyclable plastic liner if needed