Several years ago, when speaking with one of our customers on the phone (The Gifted Tree has a toll-free telephone number where one can speak to a live person for help), she mentioned that she was so glad to find us because she no longer wanted to send flowers as a sympathy gift. Why I asked? She explained that her husband had passed recently, and she received a number of flower arrangements at the house. While they were nice, she continued, less than a week later she had to gather them all and toss them in the trash. That process brought back to the surface her sorrow of losing her loved one, a reminder of such a sad occasion.
The Problem with Flowers
Not only do flowers not last very long, cut flowers are also not a very sustainable option.
1. High water usage: contributes to water scarcity especially in arid environments
2. Pesticide use: Many cut flowers are treated with pesticides and other chemicals to protect them from pests and diseases, which can pollute water sources and harm ecosystems.
3. Carbon emissions: many cut flowers are grown outside of the United States requiring long transportation routes to get them to where they are sold. Airplane fuel and truck diesel leave a harmful carbon footprint.
4. Refrigeration – many cut flowers require refrigeration to help them last longer before they are sold, further impacting on the carbon footprint.
5. Unsustainable packaging – most fresh cut flowers are wrapped in plastic or held in place in a vase by foam, neither which are good for the environment
6. Thrown in landfill – even though flowers can be composted, most are thrown in a landfill, increasing methane gas production, because most people don’t realize they can be composted or don’t have access to composting. One light band and one dark band together represent one year of growth. By counting these rings, you can determine the tree’s age.
Trees Last Longer
Even the freshest cut flowers won’t last longer than 10 days. Trees, on the other hand, can last for many generations. While it is difficult to determine the exact age of a living tree, you can measure the circumference, calculate the diameter, and then use a growth factor specific to the tree species to estimate the age. If a tree is cut down, the most common method is to count the growth rings on a cross-section of the trunk. Trees produce new growth rings each year, typically appearing as alternating light and dark bands in the trunk’s cross-section.
Treehugger.com has a list of the ten oldest trees, a number of them have lived for thousands of years, including:
Prometheus, growing in Nevada, was the oldest known tree, thought to be around 5,000 years old. Unfortunately, it was cut down for research purposes in 1964.
Sarv-e Abarqu cypress tree
Sarv-e Abarqu, is a cypress tree in the Yazd province of Iran. The tree is estimated to be at least 4,000 years old. It is considered an Iranian national monument and is most likely the oldest living thing in Asia.
Llangernyw Yewi is an incredible yew residing in a small churchyard of St. Dygain’s Church in Llangernyw village, North Wales, United Kingdom. About 4,000 years old, the Llangernyw Yew was planted sometime in the prehistoric Bronze Age—and it’s still growing!
Olive Tree of Vouves
Olive Tree of Vouves is an ancient olive tree located on the Greek island of Crete and is one of seven olive trees in the Mediterranean believed to be over 3,000 years old. Incredibly, it still produces olives, and they are highly prized. Olive trees are hardy and drought-, disease- and fire-resistant—part of the reason for their longevity and their widespread use in the region.
Chestnut Tree of One Hundred Horses, located on Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy is the largest and oldest known chestnut tree in the world. Believed to be between 2,000 and 4,000 years old, this tree’s age is particularly impressive because Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The tree has survived its eruptions even though it sits only five miles from Etna’s crater. The tree’s name originated from a legend in which a company of 100 knights was caught in a severe thunderstorm and all of them were able to take shelter under the massive tree.
Finally, the General Sherman Tree is one old tree you might be more familiar with. Believed to be around 2,500 years old, General Sherman is the mightiest giant sequoia still standing. The volume of its trunk alone makes it the largest non-clonal (not developing from a single cell) tree by volume in the world. The General Sherman tree is located in Sequoia National Park in California (a planting project area of The Gifted Tree), where five of the 10 largest trees in the world exist.
General Sherman Tree
Trees a Clear Winner Versus Flowers
This is not to say that the trees planted by The Gifted Tree will last that long, but it is safe to say they will be here for many generations, and that cannot be said for flowers. The Gifted Tree plants both memorial and celebration trees in one of our 80+ projects around the world. You pick the project, the tribute design and personalize your message. We send the card to the recipient (or to you) and have the tree planted by one of our non-profit planting partners who then provides care for your tree. If you have questions or need help, feel free to call and talk to a real person at 800-984-2101, or order online 24/7 at TheGiftedTree.com.
