Red Roses and Chocolates. As far back as I can remember these were the iconic ways to tell someone that you loved them. I’d like to think the gift giving around this holiday has evolved in my lifetime, but has it? Roses are still the largest cut flower sold in this country and over 90% of them are not grown here. The history of “why” is multi-layered and involves politics, the war against drugs, money, cheap labor and growing conditions along the equator. All of this and more is outlined beautifully in the book “Flower Confidential” by Amy Stewart. After reading that book on the recommendation of a seasoned flower farmer, I was alarmed at the vast web of interests at stake in the global flower trade. We’ve come to expect an underbelly of greed and irresponsible behavior in big business, but in flowers? Yes indeed!

The power players in the global flower trade relish the over romanticized beliefs about flowers. Why? because if consumers knew the truth, most would spend their money on flowers that were domestically and ethically grown, if they could AFFORD IT (which is another blog post entirely and I’ll get to that one too).

Consumers don’t know what they don’t know …. until they do. And THAT my friends is where the real threat to the global flower trade really lies. The flower brokers who are getting rich exporting blooms all over the planet would prefer that U.S. consumers did not know that flowers are a serious commodity, flown in boxes without water across oceans, doused in toxic pesticides and herbicides before they are shipped, driven across the country in refrigerated box trucks and wrapped in single use plastic. Those same brokers would hate to have to explain all of that AND that those imported flowers have to travel long distances AGAIN once they arrive in the U.S. so that they can get to the wholesalers … who then truck them to their customers … who then sell the flowers to the ultimate end user; the unknowing consumer. Have whiplash? Are you still confused about why your grocery store roses only survive for a day or two before they wilt and die?

Once Tom and I learned more about the global flower trade, we became determined to try to change it. Not because we were so concerned about flowers with a short vase life. Many flowers aren’t long lasting once they’re cut. That doesn’t make them less valuable per se. What we can’t get over is how utterly unnecessary all of this importing is, given the vast growing conditions of the United States. Sure we can’t grow everything here but we can grow A LOT. So what is going on? We were utterly confused … until we weren’t.

We aren’t naïve, roses for example grow much better near the equator where conditions are favorable for light and temperature. Tropical plants aren’t found in the US abundantly either. And let’s not forget that many floral designers, artists in their own right, want and need materials that aren’t easily sourced locally or even within 1,000 miles of their businesses. Imports will never cease to exist. That is not the goal.

But let’s tell the truth. This is about money. Plain and simple. If it were more profitable to grow flowers in the U.S., it would be happening. It’s not unless the system gets turned upside down and exposed. If we accept the reality that flowers are commodity, are we not capable of modifying the way we approach growing, caretaking, harvesting, transporting and selling them? If we accept that there is always going to be a financial goal attached to flowers, surely we can do better than 6% (according to 2021 market research) of the floral market in our own country, can’t we?! What the hell is going on here? The goal is not to shut down the flower trade in it’s entirety, but shouldn’t the goal be to level the playing field for American flower farmers while cleaning up the dirty practices that are polluting the environment? Eliminate trade? no. Reduce it and innovate so that the United States is less reliant on it? YES. Eliminate pest control? no. Reduce the use and require regulation around toxicity? YES. Eliminate flower purchasing during non-seasonal holidays? No. Teach the public about seasonality and the consequences of purchasing a dozen red roses in February? YES! Would they make a different choice if they knew what we know? We think they would and that is why it’s imperative to be talking about all of these issues. But how? When? What approach makes the most sense?

Somehow conversations around change and the environment often evolves into extreme positions of “absolutes” or gatekeeping. Many environmentally conscientious people in the floral industry appear to think that if we gently share the daunting dirty secrets of floral commodity trading to consumers, farmers, florists or politicians, they are not making an impact. Or that in order to be a “real” environmentalist, you must never use pesticides, ever, of any kind. Never ship your flowers, never use plastic, or fossil fuels and on and on and on. Is this reality? Shouldn’t there be more balance to these conversations with a healthy dose of reality. After all, well intentioned businesses like ours would undoubtedly fail financially if we were to try to eliminate everything that compromised the environment. We get it. The problems are vast and the time to overhaul environmentally harmful practices is narrowing, if not already forgone. There is urgency. But there is also a need to bring people to the information and journey because they want to be a part of it, as opposed to shaming them into compliance. We know from history that a heavy stick can make an immediate impact, but it is rarely, if ever, a lasting and meaningful evolution that brings about permanency.

So what to do? We have a few thoughts but NOT all the answers. The floral industry could swing toward more meaningful change if there was:

• a lot more education to consumers about the origin story of imported flowers;

• robust legal advocacy and lobbying for less reliance on floral imports by way of fair trade policies;

• legislative changes (both federally and at state levels) that provide access to capital for land acquisition and floriculture infrastructure; and

• collaborations, education and community engagement with environmental practices that support sustainability.

There are signs of change, and for that we are grateful, but Tom and I are not content. There is so much work to do and we are trying our level best to be a part of a movement toward “closer” and “cleaner” flowers. It is imperative that we do what we can, shouldn’t we all try? We think it’s worth trying. Don’t you? Don’t the final two pictures on this blog page represent a better picture and an aspirational goal for floriculture?