Judy Rife Times Herald-Record Mar 26, 2020 at 7:16 PM HIGHLAND MILLS – When the state declared florists were non-essential businesses last week and ordered them closed, David Recine had a cooler full of flowers from a canceled wedding. He and his wife, Julie, immediately resorted to social media for suggestions of people and places in the Town of Woodbury that could use some cheer. Then they spent the weekend leaving flowers on doorsteps around town. Free. “We were happy to do it,’’ said Recine, owner of Flowers by David Anthony in Highland Mills. “If there’s ever been a time when people needed flowers, it’s now.’’ Then the fine print of the state’s order registered and Recine realized that owners of non-essential businesses could still do business – as long as they worked alone and locked the doors. “This means me taking orders, me making arrangements, me making deliveries,’’ Recine said on Thursday after restocking his cooler at Alders Wholesale Florist in Campbell Hall. “And me observing all the safety protocols.” But Recine and other Hudson Valley florists said their ability to serve customers who want to say it with flowers to compensate for coronavirus-related cancellations and restrictions could be short-lived. “The supply chain has broken down,’’ said Lynn Mehl, owner of Good Old Days Eco-Florist in New Windsor. “I’m going to carry on, as long as my phone keeps ringing, as long as I can get product.” The global pandemic has upended the global flower industry, forcing growers in the Netherlands, Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia and the United States to destroy billions of blooms in the face of plummeting demand. “It’s (coronavirus) devastated this entire industry,’’ said Heidi Smith, co-owner of Alders, the region’s premier wholesaler. “Everything is canceled or on hold. Even Easter.” Alders closed its warehouse to […]