Brexit and ME, a relatively adventurous consumer of horticultural products
The UK is no longer a member of the European Union.
It has happened. We’re out!
I am (or was, does it matter anymore?) a Remainer but have always believed that as a country we are resourceful and resilient enough to make life outside the EU work. Things will, no doubt, be different after the end of the transition period. But how different? How will leaving impact the horticulture industry? I have heard talk of the potential for the UK to massively increase production and the availability of ‘Grown in the UK’ plants and plant products.
How will it affect ME and my plant life? These are uncertain times.
I was searching for a horticultural disease control product a few weeks ago, and to my annoyance, I found that it could only be purchased in mainland Europe. A French online retailer that I’d purchased from before had posted a notice on their site notifying customers that the product could not be shipped to the UK. ‘Here we go! BREXIT!’, I fumed to myself. But was it really Brexit?
I was determined to get my hands on the product. I actually emailed the company, which has offices in the UK, asking why they sold the product in France, Germany and other EU countries, but not the UK, and why I couldn’t buy it from the French site and have it delivered to me in the UK. I wondered whether it had anything to do with the ‘bogeyman’, Brexit.
I got a quick response from the company, informing me that the restriction was less to do with Brexit, and more to do with DEFRA restrictions on the use and transport of Bacillus subtilis cultures into the UK. Well that put me to rights! I couldn’t blame Brexit for it. There was no one to blame per se. DEFRA rules are DEFRA rules.
Over the years, I have been fairly adventurous in sourcing plants and horticultural products from different countries. I’d read about a plant in a magazine or book and imagine what it would be like to actually grow it and SEE it myself. Own it. I sometimes dream of a modern day Plant Hunter. That’s not going to happen though. While I do love being outdoors, and see myself as a ‘World Citizen’, I must confess that I’m a bit of a wimp. I don’t think I’d be brave enough to go on expeditions to ‘far-flung’ places, as brave pioneering souls like George Forrest, the great collector of Rhododendrons did, and like Tom Hart-Dyke and Paul Winder, still do. No, much easier to curl up with a cuppa, immerse myself in wonderous imagery, and trawl the internet for suppliers who ship worldwide, or at least to the UK.
I have bought unique varieties of Iris germanica from Cayeaux in France and Schrieners in the USA. I have bought roses that are not readily stocked in the UK from France, Germany and the USA. Thankfully, all of these plants are alive and doing well.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for some tropical and sub-tropical plants that I sourced from Spain and France … many met their end when I moved house and had to move them to my allotment greenhouse. A few are still alive (just about), most notably, two Strelitzias. Despite my best efforts, I lost the beautiful Brugmansias that I bought from Germany that had grown to considerable sizes. Devastating.
I have bought seeds of rare plants from Australia and the USA. Some require heat stratification (basically, burning). I’ve still not got around to planting them yet, three years down the line. There hasn’t been the time! They’re probably not viable anymore.
It’s one thing to source ‘exotic’ plants. In my chequered experience, it can be quite another thing to keep the non-hardy ones alive and thriving in the UK without investing in heated greenhouses and orangeries etc. I have two unheated greenhouses (one yet to be assembled) and cannot afford anything else at the moment. Last year, I decided not to put myself through the pain of losing ‘special’ plants again. For the time being, I’ll stick to plants that can do well in the London micro-climate and my unheated greenhouses at my allotment. This decision has curtailed my global plant acquisition habit. It keeps the pennies in my pocket and spares me the angst and heartbreak.
I suppose this also means that DEFRA regulations aside, I will not be unduly impacted by any restrictions in the movement of plant material between the EU and UK in the short term. On the other hand, I get excited when I think about the possibility of a trade deal with the USA … could it mean that I might be able to get my hands on a some of the newer varieties of Lagerstroemias (Crepe Myrtles) that are not available in the UK or EU? The ‘Black Diamond’ series comes to mind. I’ve wanted them forever! And, there’s a particular type of mint that I have not been able to find in the EU or UK, that I KNOW can be bought in the USA … I want it. I want them ALL!
There I go again …… I thought I said that I had put a stop the ‘global’ sourcing of plants?
It seems my ‘plant lust’ isn’t really under control after all.
