Cut flower production: Chrysanthemums

See where cut flowers are grown and packaged.

We've all seen the displays of flowers at the supermarket, maybe even bought some. But have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes and how the flowers are gown so perfectly?

Welcome to Donalson's in Sussex. This is one of the last producers of chrysanthemums as cut flowers in the UK because most blooms are now brought in from abroad in refrigerated lorries (trucks). This huge greenhouse covers 10 acres, or the size of 10 football pitches and it produces 17 million cut stems every year.

Your bunch of flowers starts out as a bunch of tiny, unrooted cuttings like these. In the Winter there are only about 6 tolerant varieties being grown but in the warmer days of Summer there can be up to 20.

These preformed cakes of compost are the same type that salad growers use for their lettuces. After unpacking the cuttings and dipping the bases in rooting power the cuttings are inserted into the compost blocks. The workers work quickly and efficient so almost every single cutting will grow. The completed trays are laid down and covered with plastic sheeting. This increases both the heat and the humidity around the trays which helps the cuttings to root more quickly.