Fiona moves from bees to flowers on Offaly farm

With over 95% of cut flowers currently being imported, involving significant air miles, an enterprising group of Irish cut flower growers are hoping to replace this huge slice of the import market with a more sustainable home grown alternative.

One such grower is Fiona Ferguson (PICTURED ABOVE), who lives with her husband, Cathal Kinnarney, and three children on Conicker Farm, in Durrow just outside Tullamore and who has been growing cut flowers for the past four years.

“I originally did a beekeeping course and when we began to keep bees we developed a growing interest in flowers to feed them,” she says “and it just progressed from them.

Fiona did some research into flower growing and along the way she became aware of what she terms as “unsustainable environmental practices” in the commercial cut flower industry around the globe, and of the significant impact it was having on the carbon footprint.

“I think a lot of people are aware of the impact on the environment of unsustainable practices when it comes to food production, but there isn’t the same awareness when it comes to the commercial cut flower industry,” she points out.

Among the unsustainable practices Fiona identified, apart from the environmental impact of the transportation of imported flowers, is the fact that most are grown in industrial conditions and a lack of regulation within the industry means that copious amounts of fungicides, pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals are used on the flowers. She also points to the amount of plastic packaging used in transporting them across the globe.

Having conducted her research, Fiona Ferguson said she began to dream of “cultivating floral abundance” on Conicker Farm, and she says her business, although still a part-time enterprise, is continuing to grow steadily.

“It is about educating the consumer,” she says. “I have often thought that if they can grow so many flowers in the Netherlands, where the climate is quite similar to ours, how come we can’t do the same here in Ireland?”

Growing cut flowers outdoors in Ireland, however, is always going to be seasonal, according to Fiona, who says her peak growing season is from May to October. She grows a wide variety of cut flowers, but likes to place a particular emphasis on cottage-garden type flowers, or old fashioned varieties such as sweet pea, peony and poppies, all of which are quite fragile and do not adapt well to being transported over long distances.

Before Covid hit, Conicker Farm Flowers had a stall at the Tullamore Farmers Market and Fiona says the sweet pea were “extremely popular@.

"Many customers remembered them from their childhood and they were always the first flowers to sell out.”

At the moment, Fiona Ferguson primarily sells her wonderful selection of cut flowers through her website (http://conickerfarm.com) and she is also a member of a network of Irish flower farmers right across the country called Flower Farmers of Ireland, which currently has 60 members who share their knowledge and expertise with each other through online forums.

The group is running Irish Flower Week from Monday of next week, July 5, right through to July 11, which is an annual celebration of the wealth and variety of Irish cut flowers, plants and foliage.

“Our aim is to shine a spotlight on Irish flowers, to showcase the passion and skill of our members and the beauty of their produce,” says Britta Baranowsky, Chairperson of the Flower Farmers of Ireland group. “We hope to raise awareness of the increased availability of Irish home-grown flowers and to educate consumers on when Irish flowers are in season, and we also want to encourage the public to support local by buying more Irish flowers.”

Fiona Ferguson, like the other members of the Flower Farmers of Ireland, does not see herself as being in competition with established florists, but rather as working “in tandem” with them. “I would like to see a situation where I could work with local florists and supply them with a lot more Irish-grown cut flowers to replace imports, and this would ultimately make a huge difference to our environment,” she says.

With three children aged ten, eight and two, Fiona lives a very busy life, and admits that everyone is called upon to do little chores on the flower farm at times. Growing fresh flowers is very labour intensive, she says, and is subject to many vagaries such as pest control and most importantly, the Irish weather!

As well as growing her flowers, Fiona Ferguson also delivers them to customers in plastic-free compostable wrapping, and she says some customers bring their own vases to her to be filled. She caters for all special occasions, and one noticeable trend since the Covid-19 pandemic hit is the numbers of people who are coming to her for cut flowers which they are arranging themselves for intimate wedding ceremonies and other small family events.

Irish Flower Week takes place all THIS week (July 5 to 11) and the website of the Flower Farmers of Ireland (www.flowerfarmersofireland.ie) has a full list of the growers all across the country, a description of the services they provide and also lists full contact details,