I have been hesitant to discuss the potential flower crisis that seems to be looming. All of my weddings this year have gone off perfectly but in truth I have been begging for product. Something is definitely happening in the flower industry. Just as I was beginning to receive new and unique offerings from markets abroad, it was as if a door was slammed in my face.
The Spring proved to be challenging and I was forced to beg for the glorious Peony and many of the other “in season superstars.” It was hard at the time to determine what was going on, it was easy to blame the shortages on volcano’s, extreme heat, and the economy. As we trudged on through the drought of the Summer I looked towards cooler weather and a new season. The switch in seasons from Summer to Fall usually brings fresh and rejuvenated product. Product that has not had to struggle through the heat. This weekend is my first really big weekend of the fall. This new season will clearly not be any easier than the Spring. All day yesterday I pleaded for the blossoms that make my heart sing. I paid premium prices for flowers that are usually affordable and saw via Twitter that my fellow flower designers were struggling across the country. Basics like roses and carnations have been rocketing in price.
The economy has played a big part in what is happening and I understand that. My wholesalers have all reported that many of the largest flower farms have gone bankrupt this year. The loss of these farms has certainly helped to cause the flower shortage. The next big issue broke my heart, it seems the United States as a whole does not value the beauty of fresh flowers as much as other nations. I was told twice this week that most of the product is purchased by other countries like Russia because they are willing to pay higher prices for the crop. I was really shocked by this, as flowers certainly seem to be important to my customers, but the reality is this we as a country do not value the beauty, fragility, or the actual miracle of a flower. My hope and my prayer is that we as a country change the way we think about flowers and yes our floral designers. You know the old saying “you are gonna miss me when I am gone.” lets pray we don’t get there. To my flower friends in Colorado, Michigan, and California, hang in there, we are headed for some trying times.
Photograph taken by Abby Jiu
Yes you hit the nail on the head!!!! I am worried here in MI.
🙁 Me love flowers. Sorry to hear you’re all experiencing this struggle. -H
Here in N. Cali too…so tough to tell brides they cannot get exactly what they want…how do you handle this with brides that are very particular Holly?
Holly, this is an excellent and rather poignant assessment of the current situation. The more so because I know that your family also grows flowers to complement the offerings from your wholesaler.
Consider that Russia has increased purchases by 60% over the last decade; also that the weather in Ecuador has been very cold and not condusive to flower production for the last year. Moreover, the peso in Colombia keeps getting stronger against the dollar making imports harder and much more expensive. Then the logical conclusion is that days of “cheap” flowers are over…but hang on – they have not been cheap for at least 5 years! But for the foreseeanble future securing flowers in the abundance and selection of the last twenty years may be in jeopardy.
In this country flowers are amazingly undervalued, in large part because we are failing at imbuing our children with any kind of spirituality (although we are rather good at indoctrination). We need to appreciate life, love, flowers, simple things and take to heart the act of living in the moment. “Consider the lily of the field; it spins not nor does it toil…
Keep up the good work.
David
I have discovered that here in CA, and was hoping it was a temporary set back here locally, but it sounds like a nationwide problem. I was told the same exact thing this week from my wholesaler about Russia buying up all the product, because they are paying higher premiums than the US. Should be an interesting season, let’s hope the situation improves.
It is sad that flowers are harder to come by. Makes them very expensive to buy for our loved ones and special events. Hopefully there will be a change soon.