Flower power: Local farmers tap into growing demand for fresh-cut blooms
When warmer weather returns, people will start heading back to outdoor farmers markets. In addition to fresh meat and produce, bright, colorful cut flowers bundled in bouquets or available for custom arrangements are becoming an eye‑catching addition to the market experience.
As interest in cut flowers grows, farmers and wholesalers are looking to add blooms to their operations or improve the existing systems.
During the recent “From Food to Flowers: Everything Local Conference” in Springfield, experts shared how taking sustainable steps over time has helped them better approach farmers markets or other cut flower expansion opportunities.
Adding cut flowers
Karen Peditto of Historic Wagner Farms in Glenview said it’s important to start small when adding cut flowers to a farm, rather than trying to add an entire enterprise overnight.
“You need to start where you are. You need to grow for your market, and you need to build intentionally,” she said.
Most farmers need to start with selecting hardy, dependable blooms like zinnias, sunflowers and marigolds. Peditto said adding a mix of flowers matters too, since growers also need fillers and foliage to build marketable bouquets.
But choosing varieties is only the first step. Peditto told potential growers to look closely at how flowers fit into the systems they already use. If a farm already starts seeds indoors, flowers can slide naturally into that workflow. If not, buying a small number of starter plants might make more sense.
Peditto also encourages growers to think strategically about how they plan to sell cut flowers. Some markets demand far more time and labor than others, which is why she shifted toward U‑pick, her least labor-intensive option, while still offering jar arrangements or bouquets at farmers markets when time allowed.
Consider perennials
“I think perennials, for a cut flower grower, are a way to extend the season,” said Cynthia Haynes, consumer horticulture extension specialist at Iowa State University.
Perennials return for multiple years, and certain species, such as daffodils, bloom in the spring before annual flowers, she told FarmWeek. Other perennials, like callicarpa or goldenrod, bloom in early to mid‑fall.
However, Haynes noted perennials need “fertile, well-drained soil,” so it is important for growers to understand their soil type before planting. Perennials are also more expensive than annuals, so balancing investments is needed to keep costs down.
Wholesale market
According to Sarah Kott of the Chicago Flower Market, expanding local wholesale cut flower options is key to improving accessibility in the U.S. without relying as heavily on imports.
“It’s hard work, but it’s doable,” she said.
The Chicago Flower Market is preparing to work with 25 growers this year. It operates seasonally, Kott said, beginning the week of Mother’s Day. Transportation routes run from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Chicago, central Illinois to Chicago, and Chicago to Milwaukee.
Kott, who oversees the market’s logistics, said wholesale works best when farms stay organized and can supply flowers consistently. Florists rely on their wholesaler to provide high‑quality blooms they can’t always get from large importers. To make that possible, growers need to communicate what will be in bloom weeks ahead of time.
For farms interested in entering wholesale, Kott explained the first step is simply reaching out. Although some large import wholesalers buy from only high‑volume farms at low prices, smaller regional wholesalers and local florists might be open to purchasing from beginning or mid‑scale growers.
“Ask florists in your area who they source from and then see if they’ll also want to buy your flowers,” Kott said. “As long as you start a conversation, you find someone open to buying, I would say go for it.”
• This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.