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Spring fever and recurring whiplash

Up here in the northland it seems like weather is a daily topic of conversation. At this time of year, as we transition from winter to spring, I’ve been hearing a lot of people talking about “weather whiplash” due to the wild swings in temperature from day to day. I was wondering if the floral industry might also suffer from “spring holiday whiplash.”

April is definitely in-the-trenches time for spring holidays and in this issue Kathy Hession, an experienced industry professional, offers a very thorough guide outlining step-by-step preparations for Mother’s Day. Hopefully her tips will help reduce some holiday anxiety. Plus, we have two stories about the garden center side of a floral department for you to be aware of, in order to generate more sales and profits.

We also provide on-the-scene coverage of the recent World Floral Expo held in Los Angeles. It was a very successful show by most accounts, combining international floral exhibitors with a contingency of California growers. Sometimes considered rivals, the two groups actually came together cooperatively to serve the attendees at the show and to sell more flowers.

In addition to other floral news, several guest writers recap International Women’s Day, the ASCFG Growers’ Intensive in Georgia, the Great Lakes Floral Expo in Michigan and the SAF Congressional Action Days in Washington, DC.

Did any of you follow the social media frenzy about #thedress? Was it gold and white or blue and black? It reminds me that the world is full of people who see things in different ways, not only physically but also politically, economically and emotionally. In the floral industry, the debate rages on concerning the pros and cons of the movements for American Certified, Globally Grown, Slow Flowers, Organics, Buy Local, or flowers grown best where they grow naturally — it’s all enough to give anyone “floral whiplash.”

Richard Lutes is the floral editor and floral sales manager of  The Produce News. He can be contacted at 763/595-9559 or [email protected].

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