Big Green Week with Jordans Farm
Our used coffee grounds are a very precious resource. Not only do they make a delicious cup of coffee, but they also help grow beautiful blooms like these. This stunning arrangement was put together by Alex from Jordans Farm and Rachel from the Freckled Foxglove.
To celebrate 'Big Green Week', the UK's biggest celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature, we're handing this post over to Alex from Jordans Farm, an exciting rewilding project and British cut foliage and flower farm in the wilds of Essex, to share the story and green heart behind the blooms.
"To thank TOAST for the used coffee grounds that help keep my hydrangeas blooming blue, today I took a very natural meadow style arrangement to TOAST's Sudbury store for the staff and customers to enjoy.
Being natural-looking doesn't make anything green, so here are the reasons why this arrangement is much more sustainable than most supermarket flowers.
1) The flowers were all grown within only 9 miles from Toast Sudbury. Therefore, these blooms' carbon footprint is minimal, especially given that most of the UK flowers are imported from as far away as Africa.
2) No chemicals were used to grow these flowers, so insects thrive, and even humans are not harmed by the pesticides and sprays.
3) These flowers are in season, they are naturally flowering now. No additional energy was used to speed up flowering or hold them back.
4) The flowers themselves combine native wildflowers and garden plants. By growing natives at Jordan's Farm, I want to encourage people to enjoy them and see the value and beauty of our wildflowers. Plus, the insects love them.
5) Finally, the arrangement is in a container that I will reuse, and the flowers are supported by chicken wire, not floral foam, another plastic product that does not break down.
It was a pleasure to say thank you in this way to Karl, the manager of the Sudbury branch, and enjoy a flat white with my colleague Rachel from the Freckled Foxglove in Aldam.
I really enjoy working with TOAST to promote a circular economy and repurposing resources, like coffee grounds. I was very impressed with the company's 'greenness', from the 'no black bin' policy to all compostable and recyclable materials and the general ethos. It is unusual, welcome, and needed. I will be back to collect the container and have another coffee later in the week."
Pick up your own FREE bag of 'garden gold' or used coffee grounds from TOAST Sudbury (and all our other branches) for your garden today, and join the movement to grow beautiful native blooms like these.
