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for the program to go nationwide—and that participating growers will help to promote it to the public. The standards are high, involving specific, verifiable measures of both environmental and social responsibility. And as with other labels, grower compliance with the standards set by the label is overseen by a third-party certifier. That kind of credibility can go a long way toward convincing consumers that they should feel good about buying flowers grown in the U.S. The best news? Sustainability programs cost the growers money, but also result in savings. And, they tend to have a dramatic and positive impact on cutflower quality: best practices, best-quality flowers. www.bloomcheck.org, www.florverde.org, www.expoflores.com, www.kenyaflowercouncil.org, www.veriflora.com
SMALL FOLDABLE WATER TUBE Water tubes are wonderful for keeping stems hydrated—but there’s an alternative for single stems (or a slender bundle) that’s cheaper, lighter, less expensive, and actually holds more water. With a decorative covering, it could even be adapted to design applications—but mostly, it’s handy for cut stems in transit. “People were taking our Arrive Alive products and cutting them in half,” says Mimi Pacheco of Chrysal USA. “So now you can get them in three sizes,” cut to the S-Block shape that wraps nicely around stem ends. www.chrysalusa.com 24 www.flowersandmagazine.com
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER Flower growers, and by extension florists, have always been at Mother Nature’s mercy. Lately, however, she has taken some sudden, unpredictable turns—and if climate scientists are correct, we’re in for a long, bumpy ride. Currently, the biggest impact comes when growers try to bring in bumper crops for holidays like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. For growers in both California and South America, the past few winters have been unusually warm. For many crops, that means the time between planting and harvest is shorter than usual. A farmer who grows bulb flowers like lilies or tulips might reasonably decide to plant the Valentine’s Day crop later than normal—say, November 15 instead of November 1—so they won’t bloom too early. But what if December then brings an unexpected cold snap, as happened in 2015? “This year about a third of our crop came in late and missed the holiday,” says Doug Dobecki of Sun Valley Floral Farms. If the crop is early, a grower can try to hold it in storage for the holiday (even though reputable growers don’t want to sell any flowers that are less than perfectly fresh). If the crop is late, however, there is no remedy—the flowers flood the market after the high demand has passed. In Ecuador, on the other hand, warm, dry weather brought some Valentine’s Day crops in early this year—so early that a lot of flowers had to be dumped, says Dean Rule of Conectiflor, a company that represents leading breeders of rose and gerbera varieties. Again, reputable growers won’t store roses beyond a certain point— which means fewer roses and perhaps higher prices at Valentine’s Day.
Some crops require cold weather to produce harvestable blooms—even stems and leaves. Salal, for instance, is relatively scarce this year and is fetching record high prices owing to unseasonably warm temperatures during recent winter growing seasons, says FJ Trzuskowski of Continental Floral Greens. And all crops require water. With the ongoing drought, California flower farmers are getting hit with new demands from local water districts to cut consumption—even though most California growers are already recycling and practicing conservation. Growers who exceed their limits can be punished with hefty fines. Greenhouse growers may be less vulnerable to climate disruptions than those who grow flowers outdoors. But in California, as many as half of all flower crops are grown in the field or outdoors under shade. And in South America, even greenhouse growers typically don’t have the same heating and cooling systems found in North American greenhouses. True, recent weather in both California and South America has been influenced by a temporary warming phase known as El Niño, which typically recurs every two to seven years and lasts between nine months and two years. But this time around, even El Niño is not behaving as expected. The scientific consensus is that we can expect generally warmer, but also more erratic weather in the years to come. “You can’t predict anymore what is a bloom cycle,” says Pat Dahlson of Mayesh Wholesale. “I’m sure the growers are baffled. We’re baffled. It’s harder to plan.” The solution? “We’ve always had to be flexible and resilient in this industry,” says Pat. “Now more than ever.”