From Field To Studio

For Renee Tucci, AIFD, CFD, PFCI, a Philadelphia, Pa.-based freelance florist and educator and president of the North East Regional Chapter of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD), awareness of domestic flower sourcing began last year. “I noticed a big push in my area toward ‘local’ and to an eco-conscious way of doing business, as everyone is trying to support ‘small.’ A lot of AIFD members are like me, wondering how to get more involved with local flower farmers and how to support them.”

Tucci planned a “From Farm to Florist” webinar earlier this year, inviting AIFD members and others in the floral industry to attend. The presentation covered benefits and best practices to incorporate locally grown flowers into everyday designs and event work. Four flower farmers joined the discussion to share their sourcing advice for florists.

From anecdotal response, Tucci believes that a desire to source flowers locally will only increase. “If we teach our customers and clients about what is available locally, and if it’s important to them, perhaps we can shift our décor plans to envelop what’s local.”

She’s quick to note that this doesn’t mean abandoning allegiances to conventional floral wholesalers. “Some of the wholesalers I work with have savvy websites, and they list exactly what farms or regions their flowers are coming from, so we’re able to filter and buy local through our traditional outlets. I hope more wholesalers get in tune with that.”

 Dahlson wants to position Mayesh as a resource for florists in search of domestic product, adding, “We are committed to sourcing from local growers and we want to be part of helping farmers make a living and get their product to market.”

Fellow wholesale florists are also banking on florists to ask for more local options. In Carpinteria, Calif., Joost Bongaerts, owner of Florabundance, provides the “Certified American Grown” logo on his company’s website so that customers can identify domestic flowers and foliage offerings. He says 70 percent of the flowers sold between February and November are from farms in California or elsewhere in the U.S. “Flower growers will be more visible as demand for local flowers goes up,” he states. “If there is more demand, we want to be there. Overall, 80 percent of flowers are still imported, but we want to be big supporters of locally grown.”

Florasource KC, based in Overland Park, Kan., is an independently owned boutique flower wholesaler that, like many wholesalers, is diversifying to serve a wide range of customers. Andrea K. Grist, business manager and executive floral designer, says there is an opportunity to bring locally grown product to the market, but it takes good communication between the flower farmers and the wholesale buyers. “We’re trying to find growers and open a dialogue with them, being forthcoming about the fact that there has to be room for us to make money, too,” she explains. “I know there’s a benefit to the farmers if we can offer exclusivity and purchase their entire crops, such as peonies.”

Rose Story Farm

As the lines continue to blur between who is a grower, who is a wholesaler and who is a designer—and every hybrid version imaginable—it’s clear that those who are willing to adapt and use a creative approach to flower sourcing will succeed.The phrase “American grown” was once synonymous with “California grown” because the majority (up to 80 percent) of domestic cut flower production was based there. Now, however, with the proliferation of farmer-florists all across North America and regional greenhouse growers moving toward year-round production, florists are increasingly able to meet demand for local flowers on a year-round basis.

Ellen Frost, owner of Baltimore-based Local Color Flowers, believes that it’s possible to base a studio business around a year-round local sourcing philosophy. Local Color Flowers buys from a wide array of growers within a 100-mile radius, a practice Frost shares in an online course called “Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing.” “Everybody can do a little bit of local sourcing, and that will add up to what we consider big steps forward in the industry,” she explains.

David Dahlson, Mayesh’s flower specialist, has long worked with domestic growers, large and small. “What was old is new again,” he points out. “If we can act as a medium that connects people who want U.S.-grown flowers and people who are growing flowers in the U.S., that’s where we see the opportunity.”

Rose Story Farm

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