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Ok, now that we have looked at the "size" issue, lets look at the "season " issue. Most publications will state something about "choose flowers that are 'in-season'. Now, this may indeed be true, but a "season" is not limited to 3 months. It may indeed be a moving target of 3 weeks. Think I am joking, I'm not. We are dealing here with a living thing…something that grows depending on the climate conditions. Dahlias for example come into bloom here in the north east for only 3 weeks. It is really tough to gauge a blooming season especially when weather (both for outdoor farms as well as greenhouse ones) are concerned. For example it is now 2006 (at the time I am writing this update). We have had a warmer than usual winter. This is what the greenhouse farmers pray for, not only do they save on oil/gas on heating, but they also have gotten quite a bit of sun…which we all know sun is what makes the flowers bloom. Still not convinced? My family has a tradition of carrying lily of the valley when they get married. I was married on the first weekend of June in 2004. I missed the "season" of lily of the valley by 1 week. I knew it was going to be "tight" for my wedding, however my cost went up three fold. The advice I tell my brides is to go for "color". If you want to have light pink as your theme color then allow your florist to choose from the "best of the market" offerings. This is key. As with any type of perishable produce, sometimes crops come in weak or shipments from a certain region are on their "down cycle" at the end of the blooming time. Even still, some may be delayed in customs (do remember that we are in a global economy…flowers come in from everywhere!) and not handled properly resulting in a rotting shipment. It happens all the time. Choosing color over specific flowers is your best option for value as well as preventing disaster. If you must have xyz flower, have it. But create a wonderful floral tapestry of other flowers to carry or have a "back up" option with it to save money as well as your sanity!
Let me give you an almost "seasonless" list of flowers. Now, these flowers are almost always a consistant price, aside from the floral holiday demand times. Do remember this is based on a global market and they come in from all over.
Roses (South American: Ecuadorian and Colombian)
Hydrangea (Colombian)
Alstroemeria
Poms (daisy, cushion, button, and large spider and football mums)
Carnations
Bells of Ireland
Delphinium (Bella Donna)
Babies breath
Limonium
Monte Casino Asters (non asian)
Solidago
Lisianthus
Status
Hypericum Berries
Stock (California as well as Columbia)
Now lets take a look at where export locations will give you value |
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