- This year, it will be possible to find thrush in supermarkets and garden centers, but not on the street.
- Florists, who have not been authorized to open their boutique, offer some drive service.
In this period of coronavirus, its pretty white bells, symbols of happiness and hope, would not do us any harm. But will we be able to buy a sprig of lily of the valley as tradition dictates on Friday? The question arises when the situation is particularly complicated this year. First, because the florists, who usually sell 30% of these small flowers, are closed due to confinement. But also because the market gardeners, mostly from Nantes, only picked up a third of their production, which normally reaches more than 60 million strands.
For those who would like their little thrush at any cost, all is not lost. No need to leave your home hoping to fall on a table on a sidewalk: selling on the street is prohibited, decided the Ministry of Agriculture, while launching "an appeal for 100% of French lily of the valley to be sold for week of May 1 ". Large surfaces, on the other hand, are still authorized to sell them. Ditto for garden centers, which have been offering them since the beginning of the week, "mainly in the form of a potted plant with three claws". Please note that some of these brands will lower their curtains on Labor Day.
Flowers in drive
For those who prefer to turn to small shops, there is the drive solution. Again, it will have to be done in advance because if the florists have not received authorization to receive customers, that of taking orders to collect on site, if. In La Chapelle-sur-Erdre near Nantes, Muriel Bouquin chose this option, thanks to the online platform recently launched by the city: "Customers pay on the Internet and I set a meeting time for them," explains the trader , also president of the Loire-Atlantique florists' union. It feels good to touch up the flower, even if we don't understand why we weren't allowed to sell. There is no more risk of buying a sprig of lily of the valley than a baguette from the baker. »An interactive map is available online to find out if a florist near you has set up this service.
But on Friday, the sweet scent of lily of the valley from his butcher or wine merchant. Because, another novelty, local shops that have received authorization to stay open can offer them for sale, even if that does not satisfy everyone. "In no case can a tobacconist, a butcher or a baker sell lily of the valley!" Each his trade ! “, Reacted to AFP Florent Moreau, president of the French federation of craftsmen florists. A solution that will however allow certain food businesses to support their fellow florists, by "lending" them a sales space.
Thrush and solidarity
If the situation is not ideal, it will at least delight residents of certain nursing homes, such as in Loire-Atlantique. An operation, funded by the departmental council, provides for the routing of 32,000 strands in 326 institutions for the elderly from this Wednesday. Several municipalities in France, like Cannes, have also chosen this solution to help florists sell stocks.
A spirit of solidarity that you too can encourage thanks to initiatives like Un brin de solidarité, which will deliver flowers to hospitals: failing to bring small bells to your home, you will at least support the market gardening sector while bringing a little happiness to the nursing staff mobilized against the epidemic.
Society
Coronavirus: Selling on the street prohibited and florists closed for lily of the valley on May 1
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- May 1
- Flowers
- Covid 19
- Coronavirus
- Nantes
- Society