I love flowers! I love how they brighten a room, or tell someone you love them wordlessly… but I was stuck reconciling my love for flowers and the damage I believed flower farming did to the planet. My first solution was to stick to artificial flowers which didn’t appear to be harmful to anyone and definately not my cats who viewed real flowers as salad. Then I learned, take note, that most artificial flowers, while no longer made from silk (yay!), are made from sheets of polyester dipped in gelatin to stiffen the fabric. UGH! I think gelatin is a terrible, terrible product never mind the argument that it uses the “whole animal.” Gelatin is the skin, bones and connective tissue of slaughtered horses, pigs and cows. No, thank you. Want a fast way to make something as pretty as a faux flower ugly? Dip them in the connective tissue of a pig. However I’m happy to report that IKEA, whose flowers are pictured above, uses Polyvinyl Acetate Emulsion a/k/a Elmer’s Glue. Thanks IKEA!
But for those of us who love the real thing I wanted to understand what flowers are “should” or “must buys” — after all, flower farms are important to bees and bees are very important to us!– and how to recognize those flowers. I put together this video sharing what I learned, check it out. I think you may be surprised about the many benefits of shopping for flowers!
Finally I decided that, while I love flowers I also love my cats, and most of the time, flowers in my house really meant upset kitty stomachs. What flowers could I buy that wouldn’t hurt my kitty’s stomachs or even kill them! After some searching, I found a great list of “do not buy” flowers on First In Flowers. These are pretty common flowers which are NO GOOD for your furry friends! The site has photos on each flower name if you don’t know what they are so definately check it out. For more videos on animal-free, animal and earth friendly flowers along with other happy homes topics please SUBSCRIBE to my new YouTube channel Dylan Kendall Home and Living! If I get 500 subscribers I get my own URL 🙂
Flowers and plants that cause upset stomachs
Agapanthus
Amaryllis
Aster
Baby’s Breath
Boxwood
Cala Lily
Carnation
Chrysanthemums
Clematis
Cyclamen
Daffodil
English Ivy
Freesia
Gladiolas
Holly
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Kalanchoe
Peony
Morning Glory
Poinsettia
Pothos Ivy
Scheifflera
Tulip
Flowers and plants that cause organ damage
Azalea (in small amounts)
Cardboard Palm
Crocus
Foxglove
Juniper
Lily
and lastly flowers that can KILL your beloved companion furry friend!
Azalea (in large amounts)
Cyclamen
Delphinium
Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia)
Foxglove
Lantana
Larkspur
Mistletoe
Oleander
Rhododendron
Sago Palms
