Finding Great Floral

Floral shops typically see a downturn on profits at the end of August and beginning of September. Also, many of the flowers people want are no longer in bloom locally. If you visit a floral shop in fall and winter months, you may pay much more for the same flowers you buy in spring and summer. Here is how the "economy of flowers" works, in case you want to be flower-savvy and pennywise all year long.

Locally Grown vs. Flown In

Floral shops invest in local flower growers in the warmer months. In the colder months of the year, the local growers can only help provide floral shops with flowers if the local growers own and operate substantial greenhouses, which many do not. It is then that the floral shops turn to growers in warmer states, and/or overnight shipments of fresh-cut flowers from South and Latin America. Some flowers, such as tulips, are shipped in from Holland, where the tulip is the national flower. Wherever flowers are grown around the world at different times of the year, floral shops tap these resources to get the flowers customers want. Unfortunately, that often results in higher prices in colder climates in the fall and winter seasons.

Rise in Costs

Floral shops do try to keep the costs of flowers low when temperatures dip. However, they still have to pass some part of the shipping costs on to customers. If the shops absorbed all of the shipping costs for flowers flown in from warmer places, they could not possibly stay in business very long. That is why that long-stemmed rose you pay less than two or three dollars for in the summer suddenly costs four or five dollars in the middle of winter.

Additionally, if blight, insect pests, or frost kills a crop of flowers in the warmer states, the cost of flowers will also rise. It helps consumers if they are willing to keep an eye on these stories regarding the regions where their local floral shops acquire out-of-season blooms. Then they know that they need to purchase different flowers than what they typically buy for certain occasions.

One Thing You Can Do Differently

Floral shops try to sell plants and flowers in season. This reduces the cost of what customers buy. For example, roses in June are at their least expensive. Poinsettia plants are at their least expensive in November and December. If you are willing to buy flowers and plants in season, you will save a lot of money.