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Floral Costs Heavily Depend On Supply And Demand… And There Is Always A Demand.
Here Is A List Of Big Flower Holidays & Events That Can Spike Flower Prices - & Will Also Result In Low Availability.
The Tournament Of Roses Parade In January
Valentine’s Day In February
Easter In March Or April
Mother’s Day In May
Wedding Season - Late Spring To Late Fall
Thanksgiving In November
Christmas In December
The Same Way Strawberry Prices & Availability Changes Throughout The Year, Flower Prices & Availability Also Vary Depending On The Growing Season. While Some Flowers Are Standard & Can Be Found All Year Round, Others May Only Have One Or Two Chances Per Year To Be Purchased. Luxury Flowers Like Peonies, Dahlias, Stephanotis, Gardenias, & Certain Colors Of Hydrangea Fall Under This Category. Having A True “Wildflower” Wedding In The Middle Of The Winter Would Also Apply.
Climate & Weather Play A Big Role As Well. If A Tropical Storm Wipes Out A Farming Region, Or A Drought Hits… These Natural Disasters Will Affect Flower & Foliage Prices. Storms Can Delay Shipments, Sometimes Causing Them To Not Reach Their Destination In Time. Maybe A Heat Wave Comes & Some Flowers Sit On An Airplane Too Long - Causing Them To Wilt Even Before Arrival. No Matter How Hard Humans Work And Strengthen Flowers From The Inside-Out With GMOs To Help Them Survive… We Are Ultimately At The Mercy Of Nature - Even For Plants Grown In A Greenhouse.
Speaking Of Where Flowers Are Grown, The Top Floral Exports Come From The Netherlands & South America.
Meaning Each Flower Needs To Be
Planted
Cultivated
Harvested
Processed
Packaged
Driven
Flown
Driven
Reprocessed
& Repacked
All In A Matter Of About 48 Hours
All Before I, The Florist, Even Get Them…
As For The More Local Farms, Prices Tend To Be Very Similar Due To The Cost Of Everything Here In The US & Canada.
Another Factor To Consider Is The Workforce Along The Chain From Farm To Florist. Due To The Pandemic, There Was A Major Floral Shortage That We Are Still Recovering From.
The Last Couple Years Has Produced A Surge Of Weddings And Special Events That Have Created A Boom Of Demand In The Flower Industry.
When It Comes To The Florists Themselves - There Are Hidden Expenses And Man Hours To Consider. Speaking About Me Personally, Sure There Is Vendor’s Insurance & Car Maintenance… But Just Like Other Professionals, I Invest In Continued Education Or Software To Continue Growing In My Design & Business Skills. Buying Supplies Like New Clippers, More Bucket Wash & Preservatives, Or Yet Another Color Of Satin Ribbon - They All Add Up.
For A Wedding, It Can Take An Entire Day To Hand Select & Process The Flowers & Foliage- Thorns & Leaves Need To Be Stripped, Each Stem Needs To Be Looked Over & Culled Before They Go Into Water For A Much Needed Drink.
It Also Takes A Whole Day To Prepare My Studio Even Before Flowers Arrive - And Another Whole Day After The Wedding Is Over To Clean Up. Buckets Need To Be Scrubbed, A Heap Of Leaves & Thorns Need To Be Swept, Clippers Disinfected & My Subaru Florister Cleaned Out. A Lot Of The Time, I Need Help From A Floral Sidekick.
The Last Variable I Want To Cover In Why Flowers Are So Pricy… Was Actually Too Big To Add To This Article. How Much Flowers & Foliage Costs Is An Intricate And Deep Wormhole To Fall Into.
So Much So, Writing This Spawned Four New Blog Post Topics That Were Too Much To Get Into In One Place.
I Go Over The Last Point In The Post Linked Below.