The Provenance Prejudice: What I Learned About Judging Flowers by Where They’re Sold

I have a confession to make.

For years, I’d walk through the DIY store Mitre 10 and make snap judgments about the plants on display. Mass-produced. Generic. Probably grown without much care or thought. I’d move past them quickly, feeling quietly superior about my own commitment to quality and sustainability.

Then I spent a day visiting nurseries in West Auckland as part of our FBA meet-up — Ngā Rākau Nurseries, Van Lier Nurseries and Container Nurseries — and everything I thought I knew about provenance was turned on its head.

Walking through row after row of seedlings with Mark, a nurseryman with more than 40 years’ experience, I learned about soil health and mycorrhizal networks at a level that rivals any regenerative grower I’ve met. Hearing about the Van Lier family’s long-term commitment to sustainability — and their resilience after a devastating fire — left me inspired. Watching Paul from Ngā Rākau tend to seedlings with such obvious pride reminded me why I got into this work in the first place.

And here’s the thing that stopped me in my tracks: these are the very nurseries that supply places like Mitre 10.

My provenance prejudice had been showing. I’d been judging plants and flowers by where they were sold, not by who grew them or how they were grown.

That realisation forced me to ask a harder question: if I was making those assumptions about nursery plants, what other provenance prejudices was I carrying? And more importantly, what was I missing?

🌸 In this post, you’ll discover

• Why sales channels don’t determine integrity — and what does

• How to buy in flowers while maintaining full provenance and transparency

• The questions that actually reveal craftsmanship and care

• How to help customers understand provenance beyond simple labels

Myth #1: Farmers Markets Mean Integrity, Supermarkets Mean Selling Out

Here’s a common assumption: if you sell at farmers’ markets you’re authentic; if you sell through supermarkets or shops, you’ve compromised your values.

But that’s not how it works.

I know seasonal growers who supply local supermarkets and maintain every bit of integrity in their practices. They simply choose a channel that reaches more customers, reduces weekend stall hours, and creates steadier income. The flowers are still grown with the same care, the same seasonal rhythms, the same attention to quality.

Full disclosure, I sell most flowers at our local Farmers Market and just started a flower stand in a new independent supermarket locally —this experience has really challenged my previous prejudices   because growing practices and sales venues are two entirely different things.

What Actually Matters

Can you trace those flowers back to the grower and their practices? That’s the real question.

When I buy flowers from other New Zealand growers to supplement my own supply, I’m not compromising my integrity — I’m extending it. I know these growers personally. I know how they grow. I can tell my customers exactly where every stem comes from.

If I bought through an anonymous wholesaler, that traceability can be lost. The flowers might be grown beautifully — or not — but I wouldn’t know. And without knowing, I can’t represent them honestly.

Traceability, not venue, defines integrity.

How to avoid the provenance prejudice when it comes to sales

For growers considering new sales channels: Don't let perceived judgments about "selling out" keep you from business opportunities that work for you. The question isn't "Is this venue prestigious enough?" but "Can I maintain my growing standards and tell my story honestly through this channel?"

For growers buying in flowers: Build relationships with specific growers whose practices you know and respect. Being able to say "These roses come from Emma's farm in Hawke's Bay where she grows using regenerative practices" is completely different from "These are New Zealand grown."

For all of us: Stop judging other growers by where they sell. Start asking better questions about how they grow.

Myth #2: “100 Percent Own-Grown” Is the Only Authentic Model

There's a purity test that circulates in the seasonal-flower community: if you buy in any flowers, you're somehow less genuine.

I used to think that way myself. I remember feeling quietly judgmental when I'd see growers with mixed bouquets at markets, wondering if they were 'real' growers or just resellers playing at farming.

But here's what I've learned through running my own business: buying in can be done with complete integrity if it's transparent and traceable.

Craft and Care at Every Scale

When I toured those nurseries, I saw craftsmanship everywhere:

• Mark’s four decades of soil-biology knowledge

• Van Lier’s integrated sustainability systems

• Paul’s daily care in nurturing seedlings

Their craftsmanship wasn't diminished by scale or sales channel. The care showed up in their growing practices - and that's true for every thoughtful grower I know, regardless of size.

How to avoid the provenance prejudice when it comes to standards

If you're buying in flowers:

• Build direct relationships with growers whose practices you can verify

• Visit their farms if possible—seeing their operation tells you everything

• Ask specific questions: How do they handle pests? What's their soil health approach? How do they harvest and condition?

• Be transparent with customers: "These dahlias are from Sarah's farm in Canterbury" not just "locally grown"

If you're 100% own- grown: That's wonderful! But don't assume it makes you more authentic than growers who supplement thoughtfully. Focus on telling your story, not judging others' models.

Myth #3: “Local” Automatically Means Ethical and Sustainable

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: proximity doesn’t guarantee integrity.

A flower grown five kilometres away with heavy pesticide use isn’t automatically better than one grown 500 kilometres away by someone using regenerative practices and fair labour.

“Local” matters — shorter supply chains, regional jobs, reduced emissions — but local without transparency is just geography.

The International Context

This gets even more complex with imports - and in New Zealand right now, this conversation is particularly charged given proposed changes to import regulations.

I personally don't use imported flowers. New Zealand has such an abundance of local options, and supporting domestic growers matters deeply to me - for our economy, our industry knowledge, and our biosecurity.

But here's what's important: the reason I don't use imports isn't just because they're imports. It's because I can't verify their growing story with the same confidence. If I could trace imported flowers back to specific farms whose practices I could verify - the way I can with New Zealand growers I know personally - that would be a different conversation.

The issue isn't distance. It's traceability.

Wherever your flowers come from, provenance questions are essential:

• Can you trace them to a specific farm?

• Do you know their growing practices?

• How do those practices align with your values?

“Imported from Colombia” tells you nothing.

“Grown by [Farm Name] in Colombia using Fair Trade and verified sustainable methods” tells you something real.

What This Means for Seasonal Growers:

We can't just hide behind "local" as if it automatically confers virtue. We need to be able to articulate:

• Our specific growing practices

• Our commitment to soil health, biodiversity, sustainability

• How we treat our land and any people who work with us

• The care and craftsmanship we bring to our work

That's what provenance really means: the full, honest story of how flowers came to be.

The Real Standard: Asking Better Questions

After visiting those nurseries, I’ve changed how I think about provenance. It’s not about categories — local vs. imported, own-grown vs. supplemented — it’s about questions.

For flowers you grow:

• Can you clearly articulate your practices?

• Are you improving your craft and care?

• Do your methods align with your stated values?

For flowers you buy in:

• Can you name the grower and describe their methods?

• Can you represent their story honestly?

• Do their values align with yours?

For flowers you see:

• Before judging by venue or scale, do you actually know the growing story?

Moving Beyond Prejudice to Real Provenance

That day at the nurseries taught me something vital: craftsmanship and care show up in unexpected places, at every scale, through every sales channel.

My job isn’t to judge where flowers are sold or how big an operation is. My job is to know the story — and help my customers understand why it matters.

When Paul from Ngā Rākau tends his seedlings, that care doesn’t vanish because they’re sold in a retail garden centre. When Mark applies forty years of soil wisdom, that expertise doesn’t lose value because his plants reach a mass market.

And when I buy from other growers to meet demand, I’m not compromising my integrity — I’m extending it through relationships built on trust.

That's what provenance actually means: knowing the story, honouring the craft, and being honest with customers about both

🌿 Three Actions to Take This Week

1. Check your own assumptions: where might you be judging by venue instead of practice?

2. Audit your provenance story: can you trace and articulate the story behind every flower you sell?

3. Help customers ask better questions: when someone says “Are these local?” open the conversation: “These were grown by [name] using [methods] because [values].”

What provenance prejudices have you noticed in yourself or the industry?

Have you discovered craftsmanship in unexpected places? Share your thoughts in the comments — I’d love to hear your perspective.

Written by: Julie Treanor - Owner of The Pickery and co-creator of The Floral Business Activator.  Still catching myself making snap judgments - and trying to ask better questions instead.

Follow Julie on Instagram @thepickery