Step away from the grocery store flowers.

Did you know American-grown flowers only account for 20 percent of all flowers sold in the U.S.?

The heart of the global cut flower trade is the Netherlands, which supplies 40 percent of the world’s crop, and Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya, Belgium, and Ethiopia are also in the top 10. The imported flower market takes advantage of low-cost labor, lax environmental regulations, and a powerful international lobby in order to compete against domestic producers and small farms like ours.

Many of those international flowers — and for sure those long-stem Valentine roses — are grown in massive production greenhouses using boatloads of chemicals to ensure perfection. Then, through a long and complex supply chain of workers, farmers, brokers and refrigerated airlines and cargo ships, they make their way into the hands of wholesalers who then sell to florists, who then sell to you.

Once you learn a bit about the marketplace, it becomes easy to see why locally grown flowers (just like locally grown foods) are better for your community’s economy, better for the environment, and better for consumers. There’s a whole movement taking place across America to reinvigorate small flower farms and educate consumers about the benefits of purchasing goods grown close to home.

To learn a bit more about America’s small-scale flower farms, check out this great video from the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. It’s a little old, but still very interesting and informative. I hope you’ll enjoy it and spread the word.