28th April 2009:
When the conversation starts with I have a proposal for you and I get that look ( it has been over 13 years) I know that means Sarah wants her own way. We already have strong values on the environment. But after having bees added on site to the garden centre and reading a number of articles on the demise of bees Sarah is on a mission. So the proposal goes on the line of we are removing our stock of a well known rose product as it is harmful to bees. After a debate between us we agree to approach our supplier and to my surprise he has agreed for us to return them.
So for this season it will be trying to get our customers to understand why we have removed their favourite product. Values before profit.
We are all going to have to start asking ourselves serious questions if we want to continue to survive as a species and see all the other wild and wonderful inhabitants of this planet survive with us. A small inconvenience like not using rose sprays that are toxic to bees is a small price to pay, not just to ensure we still get to hear the magical hum of these great little insects in our flowers, trees and shrubs but the continued availability of the very food we consume. In our own small way we can maybe send a message to the manufacturers of these poisons that we are more concerned with a sustainable diverse environment and a future for our kids than a few spots on our roses.