How can I make sure my Mothering Sunday flowers are good for the environment?

Demand for British grown flowers is rising, as ITV News Central's Lauren Hall finds

It's fast approaching Mothering Sunday, where a traditional gift at the beginning of Spring is often flowers.

Many people will be choosing a bouquet or two to give to a special someone on the day.

But where are they grown, and how ethical are they?

The vast majority of flowers - 86% - in UK shops are actually grown abroad, and transported to the country, meaning they have a high carbon footprint.

Just 14% of flowers in supermarkets are believed to have been grown in Britain.

But with growing demand for products that do less damage to the environment, so is demand growing for flowers grown and cut at home, rather than abroad.

In one florists in Stirchley in Birmingham, owners have found that demand for locally-grown flowers is on the rise.

"People are becoming much more aware of where things are coming from and they want to support local growers and they want to support the British farm community as well," said owner Rachel Perry.

"Once they know that things are British, we certainly have found that customers come back to us because they know that we champion British flowers."

Rebekah Critchlow from Nottingham said she'd seen a rise in customers asking for 'seasonal' flowers

Whilst in Nottingham, Rebekah Critchlow of Elder & Wild said that "a lot of customers are coming to me and asking for seasonal."

"They might not know what it means but there's a lot more trust in a florist selection of locally grown British flowers".Another person capitalising on the new demand is Kim Fleming, whose flower farm is planning an expansion.

"There's a consciousness in the entire country about the environmental crisis that we're facing... they want to buy local flowers."

Meg Edmonds, who co-chairs the organisation, Flowers from the Farm, said that of late its membership had doubled, whilst "the demand for British grown flowers has increased hugely.

"We're seeing now a real interest, and our growers are reporting people turning to them for their flowers for their homes, for their weddings, for their events and their funerals."