Miscellaneous and Scheduled Items
Spring Standing Order- There are only two more weeks left in this very popular program. The last deliveries for this program will be the week of July 24. Thanks for all your orders!
DVFlora Web Dump- We will continue to process open web carts for the next day at Noon, 2 pm, 4 pm and 6 pm through June 27
Independence Day Schedule– We will be CLOSED on July 4 to celebrate Independence Day. Click to view our full schedule.
Summer Celebration– Get Ready- Week 1 is launching on July 25th in Distinctive Values and for the 7 weeks following.
Tariffs and Hardgoods- As you have seen in the news, there are tariffs being imposed on a wide range of imports from various countries, primarily China. This will directly impact pricing on a number of product lines starting in July and August. This will result in price increases ranging from 7% to 10.5%. You should look ahead and consider stocking up on these items before the price increases go into effect. Some items affected are Ribbon, Paint, Baskets and Wood products, Wire, Metal and Cement items. For now the tariffs on Mexican imports seem to have been averted, but if those end up being implemented that would also affect some Recycled Glass and Cubes as well.
Novelties
Japanese Product- Japanese Sweet Pea and Astilbe are finished for the season.
Ranunculus– Extremely limited. We are buying all that we can. We are lucky to have Canada as a source this year, which has brought us a nice supply of big Ranunculus during a time when there’s usually nothing available.
Cymbidiums- The Dutch Season is finishing up and we are now moving into the New Zealand Season. Quantities and varieties are limited to start but should start to increase over the next week or two.
Curcuma- Curcuma should be available for a few weeks from CR. We have some white available right now, Item # 12336
Hydrangea- Light Blue is still limited, Greens and Whites are steady. We have a nice special for next week’s delivery on Item # 21711 – Hydrangea White Premium 25pk. Also check out 2 new Pink varieties from that we have available- # 12667 – Hydrangea Pink Kashmir Jumbo and #12684 – Hydrangea Pink Pitaya Extra
Local- Local product is looking great this year! New items come and go pretty quickly so keep your eyes out for new arrivals. Also check out the great Combo Boxes- get a great selection of the grower’s best products all in one box.
Peony- We are nearing the end of the Local Peony Season. Two of our local sources are finished, and one is still going but they are finished with some varieties. Duchess, Charlie, Lady Kate, Mary Nichols, Marie Lemoine, Kansas and Raspberry Sundae are finished. We will be seeing the last of Edulis and Festiva after this weekend’s arrival.
We are waiting for an update from Vermont on when they will start. Dutch should be around for a little while still and Alaskan production is about 10 day away from starting.
Anemone- Anemone continues to be short in supply. As we head in to the end of the month, expect similar availabilities. Once July hits, we should see a break in the demand.
Dahlia- Local summer Dahlia has not yet begun. That should start around mid-July. California production is on with decent quantities available. Holland’s prices have finally become reasonable, so we will have some of those Dutch varieties each week (Sebastian, Diana’s Memory, Wizard of Oz, etc.)
Lilac– Last week we got Lilac from Vermont and it was awesome. We are getting another shipment this week and then that will wrap up the season. We will have some White, Purple and Some Lav/Purple- Purple with hints of Lavender.
Viburnum Snowball– We have a few bunches arriving from Vermont. American Grown! We won’t be able to get much more of this so get them before they are gone.
Item #33893- Viburnum Snowball
Viburnum Cranberry– We just got the first shipment in yesterday. 4 ft- 5 stem bunches (49164) and – 6 ft- 3 stem bunches (49165)
49164 Viburnum Cranberry 4 ft, 5stem
Thistle– The market is still pretty tight and it will probably stay this way for the remainder of the year. You may see higher than normal costs.
Lisianthus– Canadian production is finally starting to pick back up. We are seeing good numbers on White and Purple and should start see more production on the other colors in the new few weeks. We will not be bringing in Purple and Lavender from Israel due to quality issues we have been seeing. With the warmer weather they just seem to not being holding up as well so we will put a hold on it for the summer. All other colors are fine and we will continue to carry them. California production is really picking up.
Calla Lilies– There is still a good supply of Mini Callas available and demand has kicked in for wedding and event season, so it is important to place your orders early. All of our mini callas are farm direct and we order at least 10 days ahead. Those who wait and place orders late may be faced with a substitution or denial.
The demand for Large Callas has been trending downward and we have been struggling to sell through our standing orders. As a result we are buying fewer Callas to keep our age rotation tight. Large callas are also farm direct, and orders placed at the last minute are sometimes hard to fill and almost always more expensive.
Stock– The stock from the Baja will end soon and we will transition completely to California grown. That means less availability, and higher prices. White has been the most difficult to find and we may run out again this week.
Larkspur– The Baja grown larkspur is about to end soon. We will transition to California grown and the price will reflect the change.
Bells of Ireland– The demand has been good and supply has been solid too.
Waxflower– California is finished. We have transitioned to Peru, and as always the production is limited especially White. We will run out of White very quickly and I expect this to continue through June.
Delphinium– Up until this week, there has been a good supply of dark blue. We were not able to come up with the numbers we expected and it is possible we will run out. Light blue is always limited and it seems demand this year has been much higher than the past.
Hybrid Delphinium– This is always difficult this time of year. However, poor weather in Ecuador has slowed the recovery from the Mother’s day cut, and availability has been limited. We are in full wedding and event season so the demand has increased exponentially. White is the most difficult to find, and it is always the last to recover, followed by Dark Blue. Unfortunately, we may come up short on some orders. We fill orders first come first served, so the earlier you get your orders in the more likely they will be filled.
We do not expect to see an increase in production of the River and Jay varieties anytime soon, and we hope that the Pacific varieties will slowly return in the next few weeks. All of the California growers told us they are gapping for a few weeks. So be careful about promising Hybrid Delph, and remember ordering early is better.
Heather– We will see a very small amount of Erica from South Africa next week.
Rice Flower– We have a standing order of White with one farm, and they grow this specifically for us each week. Rarely do they have any additional open market. Again, those with early orders are more likely to have their orders filled.
Iris– There seems to be plenty of dark blue but colors are limited.
Snapdragons– There is a great supply. Or is it low demand?
Asters Matsumotos & Dianthus– There is a steady supply of Matsumoto Asters but demand seems to be declining. Dianthus Amazon, Solomio and Green Trick are all available for next week. There will be no Star Tessino White or Cherry for the next few weeks.
Scabiosa– Demand has picked up as we head into the wedding and event season and so have our purchases.
Protea and Leucadendron– There is limited supply of Pink Protea for next week, but plenty of Pincushions.
Sunflowers– Local Sunflowers are just beginning but have not really kicked into full production.
South American sunflower are very limited, especially the Vincent variety. Rain earlier in the year plus a limited supply of seed has made it very difficult sourcing Vincent and Firewalker sunflowers. There was so much rain earlier in the year it actually drowned the plantings expected for this time of year leaving us with little to no production. We expect this to continue for a few more weeks, and we are not sure when we will see Firewalker again. In the meantime, we are supplementing with California grown. Make sure to plan ahead with California Suns- it takes a day or two of hydration outside of refrigeration to get these to open.
Gerbera (Canada)– It is the time of year again where Gerbera growers are busy planting!
One downside: certain varieties need to be discontinued in the coming weeks to make room for new & improved varieties. We can expect the production of the new varieties to be in full swing by August. You may notice some of them start to trickle in as early as next week though! Be cautious promising these until we are in full swing. Quantities will be limited until then.
Discontinued or Limited Standard Gerber Varieties
Kingsley (Limited- one grower discontinued)
Blossom (Limited- only one grower )
Gelato
Kayak
Brunello
Escimo
Icey
Intense
Discontinued or Limited Mini Gerber Varieties
Snowy
White Label
Elvis
Vegas (still available from one grower)
Birthday
There are LOTS of new varieties coming into production so check them out!
Greens
Emerald– We went a few weeks without issue, but are back to seeing some shortages due to permits not being issued for export. We will supplement as needed from other sources
Eucalyptus- Silver Dollar is slowly creeping up in production. We even had a teeny bit after all our orders were filled this week! We expect this trend to continue. Seeded Euc still has small seeds and is a bit tender, but it’s getting better each week. Gunni is another variety that looks better this week in terms of what we can get our hands on. True Blue is hit or miss. Silver Bells, Cupped Seeded, Gum Drop, Moon Lagoon, Nile are all out of season.
Western Greens- We will start to see stored Salal in the next few weeks, which isn’t necessarily a problem, but the rationing by suppliers is usually an issue, and leads to price increases. Heading into summer we see spotty/limited availability on Flat Fern, Oregonia, and Huck. This happens every year and will likely result in some orders not being filled.
Ruscus– Weather issues have drastically affected availability, and this has already become an issue with our inventory levels. We will probably be short again next week, and maybe for a few weeks going forward.
Roses
As of today, there has been no relief in the rose market. It looks like the first week of July is the next time we’ll see prices start to drop.
Colors– Basic color varieties- for the most part, the basic varieties are available. They are still priced high but there’s no problem in getting varieties like; Pink Floyd, Cool Water, Sweet Unique, and Tiffany.
Wedding varieties– This is a different story. They are extremely limited and priced through the roof. Although we’ve covered the most orders, we have been selling out each week. These are varieties such as Playa Blanca, Sweet Eskimo, Quicksand, Polo, and Porcelina. We do not expect this to change until the first week of July.
Reds– There are no issues with red roses. There is a decent availability and prices are slightly on the high side but still fair.
Aspen– we are working closely to introduce the Variety ASPEN. Our source is the only grower of this variety. Given the market conditions, we will sell out of this rose pretty quickly so be sure to get your orders in (this week we were sold out by Monday).
As you can see from the photo below, they are nothing short of amazing!!! Our experience with these is that every stem in the bunch performs the same- They open fully and consistently. They are not a pure white, maybe a bit ivory. Expect these to be priced higher than a regular white rose but less than a Garden Rose once the introductory pricing is over.
Basics
Gladiolas– California production is good and has been consistent. Green and Salmon are starting to make appearances here and there but they are very limited colors right now.
Also, DVFlora 13pk’s are in good production. Mexican poduction has been good in as well, for basic colors and Assorted. We will start to taper off from Mexico as we start to get in to the Michigan and Local glad season… which is right around the corner! We anticipate the first shipment of Local Glads, in limited colors, to arrive for delivery the week of July 1st. The local season will run through October or until the first frost. We anticipate the first shipment of Michigan Glads to arrive for delivery the week of July 8th. The Michigan season will run through September.
Alstroemeria– In general, Alstro production does well in a cooler, low light intensity environment. Which is exactly what we have in most of South America at the moment.
As we move through wedding season, please be careful promising specific varieties. The only way we can get additional on some varieties is to have 10 days’ notice.
Peach Alstro is generally not available. The only true Peach variety grown commercially is Lorena, and we can get roughly 9 bu of Lorena available per week. One of our growers is in the process of pulling the variety Purple Cote D’Azur from production.
Moving into July/August we will stop carrying solid colors in Select grade. Please be prepared to pay the higher prices for Premium or Super Select grade for your party orders.
Carnations/Mini Carnations– Demand is high for both Red and White Carnation and production is somewhat reduced. We may sell out of White and Red Carnations towards the end of next week.
As we move through wedding season, be aware, the various varieties of Peach Carnations are limited in supply due to lack of year round sell through. You would be VERY WISE not to sell a specific variety, but instead sell Peach as a color.
Mini Carn production is below normal levels. It’s beginning to look like farms that had made new investments in Mini Carnation plants are rethinking their decisions.
Gypsophila– Weather in Ecuador is causing problems with Gyp production. GYP AVAILABILITY IS LIMITED. In addition, Million Star is coming close to going the way of New Love, Perfecta, etc. Breeders have stopped producing the variety because they can no longer demand royalty payments. Million Star in particular will be EXTREMELY LIMITED in availability.
Laceflower/Liatris/Limonium/Statice – We are in pretty good shape on all of the above for next week with a few exceptions. Liatris production is limited. Longer 80 and 90 cm is generally not available from our suppliers during the Summer months. Limonium is in high demand and production remains the same on a year round basis. When demand is high, price goes up.
Lilies– Continued from previous weeks, “We are now at the point where 2-bloom Lily production is simply very limited. You should not count on the availability of 2-bloom lilies. Oriental Lily production in general is also limited. White Siberia – while we will continue to have this in limited quantities, farms have been moving away from this variety as production of bulbs is lower and quality of newer varieties is better. Please make sure to try some Santander and Zambesi.
Mums and Pom Pons– We should have good numbers available for customer delivery next week although pricing continues to be higher than normal for this time of year. With that being said we are running a GREAT special on Distinctive Value for next week, Item #60958, Pom Pon Asst C/D/N, 12pk.
Most FALL colors are not yet available in both Poms and Mums. Be VERY careful with Fall colors for summer wedding work. Most are not available.
Botanicals
Local– We are at the end of the season for Flowering Combos, Hanging Baskets, Impatiens, Geranium, Gerbera, etc. We are also finished with Outdoor blooming like Gardenia, Mandevilla,, Dipladenia and all outdoor blooming items.
Spaths– All are blooming and looking quite nice! We have some 6 and 8in on special for next week!
Local Orchid Development– One of our local succulent suppliers is now growing Belle (micro) Phals! We will have the Assorted 8pks on Distinctive Values for delivery beginning next week.
There are 10 varieties/colors they will be growing. Solid color 8 packs are available upon request at least 14 days in advance, confirmation is subject to availability.
Florida Palms
Areca– 10in will be unavailable for several weeks. 12in are 4ft + tall, 14in are 5ft + tall
Bamboo– 10in are 4ft, 12in are 4.5-5 ft, 14in are 5 ft+
Cataracterum – 10in are 3.5 ft, 14in are 4.5 ft+
Majesty– 10in are 3.5-4 ft, 12in are 5.5-6 ft, 14in are 5.5 ft +
Phoenix Roebellini- 10 in are 34-36 inches, 14 in are 4.5ft
Canadian Blooming– The basic blooming items are all available in decent supply; Kalanchoe,, Calandiva, Begonia, Cyclamen, Azalea, Gerbera, Mini Roses and Mums.
