This Valentine's Day, give a pretty, living, lasting potplant instead of a boring bunch of mass-produced cut flowers.
The cut flower industry is a heavy user of pesticides and fuel to transport flowers long distances from source (often a resource-greedy greenhouse) to retail sales points. Deliveries from florists use yet more fuel.
Your local nursery will have plenty of appealing potted plants, and advice on which will flourish best in different settings.
Planting a young flowering tree is another nice idea. Starke Ayres nursery recommends Daiscotinifolia as a Valentine's gift: "an indigenous beauty with soft pink flowers, flowering in summer."
If you do opt for a bouquet, go for locally grown, preferably indigenous, sustainably-harvested blooms. Remember your garden is a very local source too.
See also Grow your own toxin-filter, for a list of air-purifying indoor plants.
- Olivia Rose-Innes, EnviroHealth Editor, Health24, February 2012
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