How does the weather impact my flower order?
As operations manager of Gillespie Florists, one of my responsibilities is to keep our 500 square foot cooler stocked daily with the freshest flowers from around the world, and with not just a few varieties or colors- literally thousands! Importing flowers from around the world is a lot of fun, but takes planning and patience. Many of major crops are grown in America (California, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Washington State, Oregon, Indiana and more). However, the weather in the United States is not always conducive for the growth of product throughout the year. Therefore, we must go beyond our borders to find product that is off crop (not available) here. South America, Canada, Holland and Italy are a few of my favorite exporters of quality product for our customers.
Not only does the seasonal change in weather affect the production of flowers, but severe or unexpected weather conditions can influence price and availability worldwide. California's cold and rainy winter season affect the production of waxflower, stock and larkspur (just to name a few). Florida's intense summer heat affects the production of gladiolus crops. The severe flooding in Bogota, South America seriously contributed to the shortage and high cost of pom pons and alstroemeria during early May of this year. A freeze in January of 2010 in Florida caused major damage to thousands of acres of fern crops, which in turn affected thousands of florists during the Valentine's Day holiday.
Typcially, poor weather conditions in one or two regions do not disturb the overall world wide production of floral crops. It is my job to seek out product elsewhere to fill our cooler and keep our customers satisfied with the quality flowers they are used to seeing every day. From time to time, minor substitutions may be made on popular arrangements due to seasonal or weather availability conditions. However, you are still guaranteed a beautiful gift that will be pleasing to not only the senses, but to the heart as well.
Check out our wide selection of flowers by clicking below!
What can you find in our 500 square foot cooler? Whatch this video below to see!
