As Valentine’s Day approaches, I am wondering how hard will it be to source those precious roses. The last report I read outlined a few converging factors that led to a scarcity of flowers.

Factor # 1: Did you know that most roses are shipped from Ecuador and Colombia? But many growers there were forced to destroy their buds during the pandemic. This also happened in the Netherlands, a major exporter of flowers. They destroyed almost 400 million flowers; this included 140 million tulip stems!

Factor #2: The pandemic resulted in many weddings being postponed. Then when things opened up in Summer 2021, everyone wanted flowers for their weddings and demand exceeded supply. This led to price increases.

Factor #3: Globally, weather has wreaked havoc on the flower industry. The fires in Australia destroyed eucalyptus plants which are instrumental for seed production. Forest fires in B. C. wiped out many crops and plants that are typically shipped across Canada.

My advice to you, reach out to your local flower store and place your order early!