Flowers are the topping on the cake, the perfect embellishment both for personal enjoyment and entertaining guests. Their natural fragrances and colors can bring fullness to a room. When picking the right bloom or bouquet to bring home, it can be a little difficult. You try to determine the perfect varietal, how long it will last, or how fragrant it is, but do you ever ask where the flowers come from or how they were grown? Well, did you know that the average cut flower sold in America is sprayed dozens of times with chemical fungicides, chemical pesticides, growth hormones, growth regulators and chemical fertilizers?

According to California Organic Garden–Journal, many of the heaviest sprayings occurs south of the border, in Columbia and Ecuador where environmental rules are weak. Because 70% of flowers sold in the U.S. come from South America, it is likely that your flowers have been sprayed many times. While it is better to support U.S. growers, many domestic growers also use a tremendous amount of chemicals to participate in the industrial production of flowers. How can you ensure that your flowers were grown in a way that is both friendly to the environment and minimizes chemicals you bring into your home? Simple: buy local and buy organic! Look to your local farmers markets for a great selection of organic flowers. Each time you support organic flower growers, you are supporting more acreage that is not being used for chemically intensive agriculture, which is good for you and good for the planet.

A way to guarantee that your flowers are organic is if they have a VeriFlora label. VeriFlora is a sustainability certification program that sets quality standards for flowers. VeriFlora has successfully created new community programs, implemented changes in water management, eliminated dangerous chemicals and instituted quality control measures.

You can shop for organic blooms at www.organicstyle.com, or you can look for VeriFlora at numerous regional grocery chains and retail outlets. To learn more about VeriFlora, check out www.veriflora.com

[Photos from QuintanaRoo via Flickr]