Should I Grow Cut Flowers and/or Cut Foliages?

Bob Stamps, Ph.D.Department of Environmental Horticulture

Mid-Florida Research & Education Center 2725 S. Binion Road, Apopka, FL 32703

(407) 884-2034 ext. 164, rhs@ifas.ufl.edu

Self-assessment Do you know how to run a business? Are you adept at marketing? Are you willing to either get tied to your

business or pay someone else handsomely to do it for you?

Do you have training in horticulture or are you willing to get educated or hire a horticulturist?

Cut flowers/cut foliages in Florida Cut flowers

Little local production Much offshore

competition Through Miami

Timing concerns Chain-of-life

infrastructure Cooling, preservatives,

etc. Retail and wholesale

Cut foliages Much local production Increasing competition

Central America Timing less critical Postharvest concerns

less critical Coolers required

Mostly wholesale

Florida cuts

$0$10$20$30$40$50$60$70$80

$million

s

2005

CutflowersCutfoliage

In order to maintain a market you must be able to: Produce items on a

year-round/season-round basis

Produce items at a reasonable and profitable cost

Provide customers with new products and services

Do not grow commodities!

Why grow alternative cuts?

Do not grow what you like, grow what your customers will buy!

And pay a price that is profitable for you!

Disclaimer Mention of a commercial or proprietary plant or

product does not constitute a recommendation or warranty of it by the speaker or the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, nor does it imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable.

Further, mention of a plant carries no guarantee of marketability or profitability!

Examples of Alternative Cut Flowers

Ageratum – floss flower A. ‘Leilani Blue’

Goldsmith Heat tolerant Long days promote

flowering Harvest when center

floret fully open, lateral florets well colored

Angelonia – summer snapdragon A. ‘Angelface Violet’

EuroAmerican Propagators

A. ‘Hilo Princess’, a 1998 FNGA Plant of the Year

Heat tolerant Full sun

Antirrhinum - snapdragon A. ‘Solstice Series’

Pan American Seed Flowers 30–60 days

earlier under short days than others

Harvest when 1/3+ of florets are open

Capsicum – ornamental pepper C. ‘Chilly Chili’

Pan American

Novelty item “non-pungent”

varieties

Celosia – cockscomb & feather C. ‘Century Yellow’

Sakata

Heat tolerant Harvest when

inflorescence fully developed but before seed formation

Cockscombs have excellent shipability and vase life

Helianthus - sunflower H. ‘Premier Light

Yellow’ Takii Pollenless

Readily take up “floral” dyes

Harvest when flower ½ to fully open

Hydrangea – H. macrophylla, H.

quercifolia, etc. Various flower colors

and styles available Sold fresh and dried Powdery mildew,

thrips, mites Can get to market early

Examples of Cut Foliage Alternatives

Alpinia – shell ginger A. zerumbet

‘Variegata’ Line item Adds color Long vase life

Usually

Callicarpa - beautyberry C. americana Native, easy to grow Sold without foliage

Insects feeding not a problem

White berries also available

Good wildlife plant

Dianella – blue flax lily D. caerulea/ tasmanica

‘Variegata’ Yellow variegation also

available Great in the shade Line item Good vase life

Built-in pik

White magnolia scale

Elaeagnus – silverthorn E. pungens, E. ×

eggingeri 7–9 Nice variegated cultivars

[e.g.,‘Maculata’ (‘Aureo-maculata)], thornless varieties

Line, filler & form material

Full sun for compactness Mites, scale insects

Equisetum – scouring rush E. hyemele Native Line item Grows in wet areas AIFD designers use

it often

Ruscus – Florida/Holland/Israeli ruscus

R. hypophyllum 8–9 Extremely durable Good line element

and filler material Pseudomonas leaf

spot, possibly root-knot nematodes

Ulmus - elm U. alata - winged elm Native Leaf damage no

problem Full sun Hardy

Value added

Value added and unique plants Dried and/or dyed Bouquets Garlands Wreaths Containers Events

Marketing You are

selling much more than flowers

Marketing – The Flower Fields 50+ acres of

Ranunculus in urbanized southern California Cut

flowers in spring

Tubers in the fall

Marketing - Agritourism 150,000

tourists per year $5/person Tours extra Flowers,

gifts and concessions

Docents from local community

When you are looking for plants, what USDA and AHS zones should they tolerate?

USDA cold hardiness zones (9)

AHS heat zones (9, 10)

Rainy Tropical

Wet and Dry Tropical

Semiarid

Desert

Warm Rainy

Warm Rainy With Dry Summer

Cold Moist

Polar

Ice Cap

WORLD PRINCIPAL CLIMATE TYPES

Questions?

mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/cutfol/cutpage.htm

edis.ifas.ufl.edu

www.ascfg.org (Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers)

Thank You For more information visit the Small Farms

web at http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu

Take a virtual field day tour by visiting the Virtual Field Day web at http://vfd.ifas.ufl.edu

This presentation brought to you by the

Small Farms/Alternative Enterprises Focus Team.