How is your heating bill this winter? I know what mine is, and it is truly painful. Imagine heating multiple houses that are insulated with nothing but glass or plastic. Imagine how many gallons of oil that it takes to heat your house for a month then multiply that by at least 10. I am sure you can see that in the winter growing flowers is loosing proposition to inexpensive imports whose farms are in warmer climates.
The importing and shipping process has as much to do with the price as does the flower itself. Where it is grown, with the labor factored in also has an impact on pricing. A rose such as Candy Bianca from Holland is 2-3x the cost of a Pink Ociana rose from South America. The variety of Candy Bianca itself is very prime, intricate, and delicate and the European Union's pay level is significantly higher than those in Columbia. Yes shipping does cost money, but that is why they ship dry and cooled "sleeves" packed tightly into boxes. No one in his or her right mind would pay for the water being shipped. That being said, there is a water option that is done two ways. Flowers are shipped in from overseas "dry" then once through customs, the stems are cut and put into water in square buckets in what some brokers call "chop shops". These square buckets are then propped for trucking to all points in the United States and sold under the term "procona". It simply means packaged and shipped to you in water. Now, domestic and local growers may procona their product, and this is actually the better quality option. A California farm by the name of Ocean View ships all of their stock flower product, as far as I have every seen, in this fashion. I don't think I have ever seen a non-procona shipment in my broker's cooler. One of my local farms that I will buy from, cuts their flowers and immediately places them in square buckets, puts the buckets in a refrigerated van then drives to my studio. This again is fantastic for longevity of the flowers and the quality that the customer will enjoy.
