The second annual “American Flowers Week” is June 28 to July 4. Certified American Grown Flowers, Mayesh Wholesale, Syndicate Sales and Longfield Gardens are among the industry groups supporting the effort.
A group of U.S. flower growers and enthusiasts hopes to put forward a different kind of patriotic message on July 4: American-grown flowers and foliage for all.
Slowflowers.com, an online resource of “local, seasonal and sustainable flowers,” recently announced it will promote its second annual “American Flowers Week” June 28 to July 4. https://americanflowersweek.com/
The goal of the effort “is to engage the public, policymakers and the media in a conversation about the origins of their flowers,” said author and Slowflowers.com creator Debra Prinzing.
“It’s important to raise awareness for and celebrate American grown flowers, as well as flower farmers who grow a diverse selection of botanicals for the cut flower trade,” Prinzing said. “At the same time, we salute floral designers whose ethos and intent inspires them to source domestically.”
Certified American Grown Flowers, Mayesh Wholesale, Syndicate Sales and Longfield Gardens are among the industry groups supporting the effort, which will include a “50 States of American Flowers” contest that encourages farmers and florists to post photographs of bouquets along with the #americangrownflowers tag on social media platforms.
“Certified American Grown Flowers could not be more excited to be supporting a week focused on America’s flower farmers and their flowers,” said Kasey Cronquist, administrator of Certified American Grown and CEO/Ambassador of the California Cut Flower Commission. “Origin matters, and we believe a week like this helps drive public awareness about hard-working American flower farmers they can support all year long. Buying American Grown Flowers makes a difference.”
Based on the top 15 states, the wholesale value of domestically grown cut flowers was $342.2 million in 2012, according to a report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service in 2013. California, the top producer of cut flowers, reported sales of $261.3 million, which accounted for 76 percent of all sales among the 15 states. The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service estimates that cut flower imports in 2012 were valued at $615.7 million. Colombia was the largest supplier of cut flowers, providing flowers valued at $480.1 million. Ecuador was another main supplier of cut flowers, followed by Mexico and Thailand.
Find out more about American Flowers Week, or read about the push to get American-grown flowers at a White House State Dinner and a series of “Field to Vase” dinner parties across the country that highlighted local flowers and foliage.
