by Dan Fillius, Field Specialist of Horticulture - Commercial Vegetables and Specialty Crops
I drive all over the state serving commercial vegetable and specialty crops growers. In the past five years, I have noticed a large increase in the number of farms that grow and sell cut flowers. I also maintain a professional account on Instagram (@iowa.veg.pro.support), and it seems that every week on there I see a new flower farm in Iowa!
One of the reasons for the speedy rise in flower farms is that a person can grow a lot of flowers on a small amount of land. Many cut flower farms have started in backyards or other small plots that haven’t been big enough to turn into production for other crops. It can’t be ignored that there is a national movement toward buying more local flowers, and that is happening in Iowa now too.
Most farmer florists in Iowa make bouquets in-house and sell directly to customers either at farmers' markets or through a bouquet subscription. Growing flowers and doing floral design are two unique skill sets, and not all growers choose to do both. Some flower farmers exclusively sell wholesale to flower shops and floral designers.
Many farmer florists will also design for events, serving weddings or hosting events on their farms. Several have opened their farms to customers as U-pick flower operations. Quite a few have professional photographers as customers who pay to bring their clients to the farm for a photo shoot with beautiful flowers in the background.
So what crops are they growing? It’s more than just zinnias and sunflowers, and there are far too many to list here. A list of notables includes perennials such as peonies and baptisia, and woody stems like curly willow and eucalyptus; bulbs like daffodils, tulips, ranunculus, and anemones; and a wide variety of annuals such as lisianthus, snapdragons, and scabiosa. Some growers are extending their season by forcing pre-chilled bulbs under lights, cutting woody stems early and forcing them indoors, or planting cold hardy plants in the fall, protecting them through the winter in a high tunnel, and harvesting the early blooms before the main season has started outdoors.
Growers in Decorah, IA, are creatively marketing their flowers through the Decorah Flower Hub. They are collaboratively marketing their flowers to florists through the Flower Hub and, therefore, sharing the responsibilities of marketing and dividing up the harvest so they can specialize in growing certain flowers rather than a small amount of everything.
Though there are a plethora of new flower farmers, the market is always open for those who have a quality product, can market it creatively, and produce it efficiently.
