TRAVERSE CITY — We are just a few short days away from Mother’s Day, and flowers are in high demand.
But this early in the season — most flowers can’t be harvested in Michigan.Instead, the average florist sources around 3-quarters of their flowers from South America.
This year, with tariffs now in place, the cost of a bouquet is on the rise.
Nothing says ‘I love you Mom’ like a bouquet of flowers.
“It’s just a symbol, I think, of the beauty that moms bring to our lives, flowers create this kind of everyday joy and beauty that I don’t think we could live without, just like moms,” said Moondance flower farm owner Lindsay McLaughlan.
According to the American Society of Florists, more than 20 million flowers will be given to moms throughout the U.S. for Mother’s Day.
McLaughlan said months of work go into meeting the supply for the demand. “The planning for Mother’s Day starts many months in advance when we are thinking about ordering the flowers that we grow at Moon.”
Business is booming over at Blossom Shop, owner Angie Hutchins already has 276 orders ready to leave the store. “We have a crew of delivery drivers to make sure that everybody gets their arrangements on time.”
It’s fair to say flowers are big business. According to EconomicResearch.gov, the U.S. imports more than 2 billion fresh-cut flowers and plants yearly. But this year might be a little different.
Tariffs have increased the cost of flowers imported from South American countries like Colombia and Ecuador.
“It does affect the prices. A year ago, we were paying .50 for a carnation, now we’re paying upwards of 2 dollars for a single carnation. You know, in terms of fuel costs and things like that, it all affects it. We try our best not to pass that on to our customers and keep things relatively normal so they’re not heavily affected.”
To offset the cost, local businesses are prioritizing homegrown flowers.
“Here at the blossom shop, we’re really striving to get a lot of products locally, said Hutchins. “To the extent that florists and other organizations can use local flowers, I mean, of course, that probably makes sense for their bottom line in today’s climate,” said McLaughlan.