Latest news with #VictorianTimes
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Lincolnshire florist grows five million asters for Tesco demand
Flowers grown in Lincolnshire which were popular in Victorian times are making a huge comeback, according to a major supermarket.L&D Flowers, based in Pinchbeck near Spalding, is the UK's biggest producer of asters and the company has grown five million stems for this season to meet desire for bouquets of asters, daisy-like flowers that come in several different colours, has risen by almost 350% over the last two sales years at Lacey, managing director at L&D Flowers, said: "We've really been taken back by just how popular the flower has become in so short a space of time." Asters, which bloom in late summer, were popular in 19th Century England when floriography, the language of flowers, was used as a subtle way of expressing feelings. Mr Lacey said L&D Flowers started growing asters three years ago, and made enough to create 100,000 said they were told these bunches "flew off the shelves" in 2022."This year we've grown enough for 1.2 million bunches which is an increase of 1,100% on our initial planting," he asters are grown on grade one silt soils in south Lincolnshire which Mr Lacey described as "very fertile" and "retains moisture well" which has helped the business during the summer heatwaves. Tesco Flowers expert and technical manager, Jamie Simpson, said the supermarket started selling asters in 2022 "not only because they look lovely but also because they are such great value for money".Mr Simpson said in 2022 they sold 215,000 bunches and the popularity rose in years following that with 500,000 sold last year."This year we hope to sell nearly double that," he are native to Japan and are a member of the Asteraceae family, along with other popular flowers including sunflowers, dahlias, and chrysanthemums. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The Victorian flower making a comeback with British shoppers
Asters, popular in Victorian times for communicating feelings, are making a big comeback with Britons. A major UK supermarket has reported demand for the blooms rocketing by nearly 350 per cent over the last two sales years. Asters were widely bought and displayed in the 19th century, when floriography – the language of flowers, used to discreetly communicate feelings – blossomed. English etiquette at the time discouraged displays of open emotion. Jamie Simpson, Tesco Flowers expert and technical manager, said the supermarket started selling asters in 2022 "not only because they look lovely but also because they are such great value for money". He added: "In that first year we sold 215,000 bunches but they became so popular so quickly that last year we sold 500,000." Mr Simpson hopes to "sell nearly double that" this year. For Victorian Britons, asters were seen as a symbol of love, patience and wisdom, making them an ideal gift for a loved one. They also represented elegance and grace, two qualities that were prized during the Victorian era. 'Asters are glorious flowers that have only recently come back into vogue with growers but that, in just two years, have made a sensational impact with shoppers,' said Mr Simpson. 'Aster Matsumoto which are also known as Japanese Aster, bear beautiful, large daisy-like flower heads and come in many different colours such as blue, purple, pink, dark pink, red, and white all with a bright yellow centre.' The UK's biggest grower of asters, L&D Flowers based in Pinchbeck near Spalding, Lincolnshire, has grown five million stems for this season to meet demand. James Lacey, managing director at L&D Flowers, said: 'Similar to a lot of fruit grown in the UK this year we have experienced a bumper crop of asters this summer because of all the sunshine and extra hours of daylight. 'We only started growing asters three years ago as a result of the success we have had with sunflowers but we've really been taken back by just how popular the flower has become in so short a space of time. 'In 2022, to start with, we planted enough asters to create 100,000 bunches which we've been told flew off the shelves. 'This year we've grown enough for 1.2 million bunches which is an increase of 1,100 per cent on our initial planting. 'We grow the asters on the grade one silt soils of south Lincolnshire which are not only very fertile but also retain moisture well which has helped us through all the heatwaves which we have had this summer.' According to Tesco, the reason asters have become so popular is that they are an impactful, British seasonal flower, with vivid colours, a good vase life and are priced at just £3 a bouquet. Asters are fast growing annual flowers that bloom in the late summer. The flower is native to Japan and is a member of the Asteraceae family, along with other popular cut flowers such as sunflowers, dahlias, and chrysanthemums. The aster seeds are sown into plugs and are started off in the greenhouse. When the small plants have established themselves, they are transplanted out into the field to continue their growth. It takes about 12-14 weeks from planting the plus to flower harvest. Tesco's aster bouquets are priced at £3 for a single coloured bunch or £6 for a bumper mixed coloured bunch.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Living apart: is this the secret to a happy, lusty sex life with your partner?
Name: Living apart together. Age: At least since Victorian times. Appearance: Separate beds, busy loins. Living apart together? Is that where you share a home with your partner, but you've become so emotionally estranged that you can feel your connection eroding on a daily basis? No. Why? No reason. Carry on! It's the opposite. Couples who live apart together remain a couple, but each has their own home. That doesn't sound very romantic. Or maybe it's the most romantic thing ever. How's that? They're constantly having it off, for one. Are they? Absolutely. A recent study in the journal Andrology tracked 5,000 men to see how often they had sex. It found that men who lived with a partner managed it once or twice a month on average. Those living apart? Three to seven times a month. And why is this? It might have something to do with the data. The study included several young men in relationships who hadn't moved in with their partners yet. Ah, so before the deadening familiarity of their partners destroyed their libido for good. Listen, is everything OK? Perfectly fine! Carry on! Anyway, it isn't just that. Researchers suggested that it might be down to cohabiting men letting themselves go a bit physically. They get comfortable and sedentary, which negatively affects their sexual activity. So living apart will make me have more sex and look better? I'm not sure that's the exact message, but living apart together is more common than you'd think. It's estimated that one in 10 long-term couples do it. Well, it seems to work. But ask yourself this: does the possibility of having sex a few extra times a month justify the financial burden of owning and keeping two households instead of one? Yes, yes it does. I suppose it does keep the mystery alive. It takes work to remain sexually invested in someone who you have seen pick their toenails. There's nothing sexier than not being told you're loading the dishwasher wrong. Exactly. Maintain separate residences and you only get to see your partner when you want to see them. There are fewer compromises to make, so your love will remain more pure. Sounds like a no-brainer to me. Well, you'll probably die young. Wait, what? The researchers noted that men who live apart together are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke, the reason being that they don't have a woman around to remind them to take their pills every day and eat healthily. Do you ever get the sense that men might be their own worst enemies? Honestly, every single day. Do say: 'Darling, let's sell the house and buy two studio flats.' Don't say: 'He died doing what he loved: forgetting to take his blood thinners.'
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Living apart: is this the secret to a happy, lusty sex life with your partner?
Name: Living apart together. Age: At least since Victorian times. Appearance: Separate beds, busy loins. Living apart together? Is that where you share a home with your partner, but you've become so emotionally estranged that you can feel your connection eroding on a daily basis? No. Why? No reason. Carry on! It's the opposite. Couples who live apart together remain a couple, but each has their own home. That doesn't sound very romantic. Or maybe it's the most romantic thing ever. How's that? They're constantly having it off, for one. Are they? Absolutely. A recent study in the journal Andrology tracked 5,000 men to see how often they had sex. It found that men who lived with a partner managed it once or twice a month on average. Those living apart? Three to seven times a month. And why is this? It might have something to do with the data. The study included several young men in relationships who hadn't moved in with their partners yet. Ah, so before the deadening familiarity of their partners destroyed their libido for good. Listen, is everything OK? Perfectly fine! Carry on! Anyway, it isn't just that. Researchers suggested that it might be down to cohabiting men letting themselves go a bit physically. They get comfortable and sedentary, which negatively affects their sexual activity. So living apart will make me have more sex and look better? I'm not sure that's the exact message, but living apart together is more common than you'd think. It's estimated that one in 10 long-term couples do it. Well, it seems to work. But ask yourself this: does the possibility of having sex a few extra times a month justify the financial burden of owning and keeping two households instead of one? Yes, yes it does. I suppose it does keep the mystery alive. It takes work to remain sexually invested in someone who you have seen pick their toenails. There's nothing sexier than not being told you're loading the dishwasher wrong. Exactly. Maintain separate residences and you only get to see your partner when you want to see them. There are fewer compromises to make, so your love will remain more pure. Sounds like a no-brainer to me. Well, you'll probably die young. Wait, what? The researchers noted that men who live together apart are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke, the reason being that they don't have a woman around to remind them to take their pills every day and eat healthily. Do you ever get the sense that men might be their own worst enemies? Honestly, every single day. Do say: 'Darling, let's sell the house and buy two studio flats.' Don't say: 'He died doing what he loved: forgetting to take his blood thinners.'
