Miscellaneous and Schedule Items
Standing Orders- The last delivery of the Fall Cream of the Crop deliveries will be the week of Thanksgiving. Thanks for all your orders!
Evergreens Collection– Christmas will be here before we know it. There’s a very short window between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Take advantage of our Saturday 11/23 delivery to jump start your preparations.
Tulip Standing Order– Watch for information in the next few weeks about this popular Spring program.
Basics
Mums and Poms- Most Fall Disbud and Pom production is finished for the season. For the most part what we currently have in house and in the pipeline will be it for the year. We expect to have Red Tornado Disbuds through December, but only a limited amount.
Fillers– Gyp and Limonium are both in good supply. Statice is in good supply, except for White. Since Statice is a year-round crop and there is limited demand except for December, not much is grown. Laceflower is somewhat limited, and Chocolate and New varieties are extremely limited.
Alstroemeria– We have a good supply of Fall Assorted Boxes as well as solid Orange, Red and Yellow for the rest of the holiday. Peach is very limited as usual. We will have lots of good White varieties on tap for December: Akemi, Aspen, White Diamond, Frozen, Himalaya and Virginia.
Carnations and Mini Carnations– We should have a good supply for the next month or so. Due to the short gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas, holiday colors like Peppermint, Red and White will start to be at holiday pricing early in December. Burgundy Carns and Mini Carns will be in tight supply all month, as will Peppermint Mini Carns.
Super Mums– The popularity of the Super Mums continues to grow.These are grown in a less dense manner than other disbuds, which yields a larger head size. The larger head size comes at an increased cost. We should have a better supply of Super Mum White Everest and Magnum this December than last year.
Aster– We will be carrying the Fall Tint through the end of the month. Then we will switch over to the Xmas tint- (Gold, Silver, Red, & White). We can do special request tints as well.
Gladiolus– California production is off due to colder temperatures. We will have limited California inventory until further notice. DVFlora 130 packs are available in limited quantities each week. Dutch has been a new Glad source for us and turned out to be a good one. The product has been nice, clean, with large blooms. Unfortunately, as with all good things, the Dutch season is now coming to an end. We will not be receiving additional shipments. Once we sell what is loaded, that will be the end of Dutch glads until next year. Mexican production is steady. We have increased our incoming volume to make up for the California gap. Unfortunately, they are limited in solid color selections. The Costa Rican crop is expected to be ready next week, week 48. We will utilize these to fill in as needed. We should see a better supply of solid colors from this region as their season gets into full swing.
Roses- We have a pretty healthy inventory coming in to finish out the fall season with lots of oranges and seasonal novelties. We don’t expect to have any major issues with availability. For basic colors, there are plenty available at fair prices. As of now, we have a nice inventory of Red and prices are still fairly good.
Meanwhile, farms have started pinching their production for Valentine’s Day. Red Rose availability is affected the most by the pinch. We expect red rose prices to increase slightly each week until 10 or so days into December.. Once demand picks up, we’ll see a drastic increase in prices. This is no different than any other year.
Meanwhile, make sure you check out our Winter promotions of Garden Roses, Spray Roses, and the relatively new Red Rose Game On. Ask your sales rep for details. The deadline to order is this weekend, so don’t delay.
Rose Red Game On
Novelties
Anemone– Availability is decent, with product coming from Ecuador, Holland, and California. Italian/French have just started and are still expensive.
Dahlias– We are down to one source in California. They are just about the only grower in the game right now. Prices are high, but we have been seeing decent numbers in the main colors, especially Burgundy.
Gerbera– The Canadian supply of orange, red and yellow has been strong. Meeting our demand has not been as much of a challenge this year, unlike last year. We expect to have a good supply of fall colors up until the holiday and then we will make the swift shift to Red and White for Christmas. Starting Monday, 11/25, Red and White Gerbera prices will start to increase to holiday pricing. We are filling in with Dutch Gerbers as needed, like Burgundy and Burgundy Mini Gerbs. We’ve also been dabbling in the Piccolini (Micro) line. The Micro are off to a slow start so we may make these a “special order only” item. Please remember to utilize DVFlora Dutch Direct and DVFlora Dutch Grower Direct to fill your needs as well.
Ranunculus– Still a bit of a tough market. Clooneys are around but still very expensive. Colors for regular Ranunculus are limited to the basic Orange, Yellow, Pink, White, Red. Very few Purple and Burgundy are available. We should see this improve as we get into December.
Peonies- We have a wide variety coming in from Chile. Quality is good and prices are consistent with last year. Watch for weekly specials on some varieties!
Tulips– Dutch has begun with plenty of varieties. We will continue to have straight colors from California and assorted boxes from Virginia.
Tuberose– We will have VERY limited availability during the month of December.
Lilies- California production of Fall colors is quickly coming to an end. There will be a quick and complete move over to White Lilies for the month of December.
Calla Lilies– There is a good supply of large White Callas but demand has been low. There is a good supply of Mini Callas and a nice selection of fall colors. The growers are all transitioning from fall to Christmas and the supply of fall colors is ending, so think ahead and order now.
Stock– California Stock has been very limited but I am seeing more production for next week. Growers are beginning to cut from the high desert and we are seeing some stock coming from the Baja. This is the earliest we have seen Baja stock. As always this time of year, we rely on our Ecuadorian suppliers and supply has been good on all colors except White.
Larkspur– Larkspur is always very limited this time of year. Suppliers from California and Ecuador have limited production. We expect to run out of White and Purple very early next week. This will be the norm for the next two months.
Hypericum– Production in Ethiopia has been limited. Coral and Peach are extremely limited and will continue to be the remainder of the year. They have also stopped growing their spray varieties. Production in Ecuador is very good right now and should continue the remainder of the year. The only thing that is limited is the sprays. There are not as many sprays being grown now.
Bells of Ireland– There is a good supply of Bells from all regions. We have introduced a 4 pack of DVFlora Bells #52084. This is much easier pack for customers than the original 8 packs. Try them out!
Iris– It is normal this time of year for colors to be limited. However, a large supplier is struggling to complete our Dark Blue standing orders. Bad weather, and a batch of bad bulbs has forced them to cancel standing orders. They expect to be through this and in better shape for the first week in December. We will run out of Iris next week.
Waxflower– Our Peruvian suppliers are just about done. There is a little bit of tinted Wax in Orange, and Yellow, and that will probably be the last for the season. Our supplier from Australia is expecting to be finished in about three weeks. The varieties are limited and we are down to the late varieties, which are normally the smaller flowers. California is just beginning and growers are cutting Purple and a few early Pinks and Whites.
Delphinium– There is a currently a good supply, and demand has been strong this past year. That may be because of all the many varieties now grown in Ecuador. The Pacific varieties have been popular and are selling well. Peru is on crop with the Candle varieties. Sea Waltz and Sky Waltz have been plentiful and there is still a fair amount of Light and Dark Bella Donna from California. Purple Asia and Black Velvet produce some very tall lengths which seem to be a success. The River varieties Blue, White, and Pink have become staples. Coming soon, New Moon and Manuela.
Snapdragons– Production in California has been very limited and will be even more so for the week of Thanksgiving. Canadian production is also limited. Those who wait may not get what they need. Fall colors are wrapping up and we will run short on Orange, Burgundy, and Yellow. Pink is difficult to sell this time of year, but to get the fall colors the growers insist we take some Pink. We have marked the Pink down, so please try to take a few Pink too.
Heather– Good news bad news: The bad news is there is very little Heather available and it is hit or miss with just a few bunches available here and there. The good news is, the Heather we are seeing now is from new plants that we hope will mature and prosper and produce a good crop next year.
Matsumoto Asters & Dianthus Amazon– The cooler weather and short days has stalled the Matsumoto crop. You will see less and less the deeper we get into the Holiday. There is plenty of Purple and Cherry Dianthus Amazon. Burgundy and Black Cherry have finished and will not be available for Thanksgiving. Have you tried the Solomio Dianthus? We have been carrying a wide selection but unfortunately, sales have not been what we hoped. Below are two varieties White Ard and Red Amos, but there are many other colors to choose.
Solomio Dianthus White Ard
Solomio Dianthus Red Amos
Scabiosa– Scoop varieties have been more readily available and they are selling at a good pace. The demand for Burgundy has outpaced the supply. We will run out of Burgundy quickly. Expect this to be the trend through the fall and Christmas season. Scabiosa is a perennial that blooms multiple times per year. Therefore, it is not possible to plan for a fall production and demand for Burgundy is only for few weeks.
Protea, Leucadendron and South African Product– There is a good supply of protea for next week. King protea demand seems to have slowed so we are reducing our purchases. There is a great supply and multiple varieties of Pincushion. Once we get through next week demand will drop off so we will cut our purchases of Pincushions way back.
Sunflowers– South American production is back on track, and the supply has been good. Local sunflowers are finished for 2019. California sunflowers are coming in well. There were a lot less Variegated varieties available for next week and we do not expect this to change. Most growers planned to finish these varieties by next week.
Lisianthus– We won’t have much coming from California for the next few months. We buy from 3 main suppliers and 2 of them are done for the next few months. Production in Canada is very good right now and should continue. Israel production is also great right now.
Bouquets– We have a great selection of Bouquets for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and everyday bouquets. Have you seen our Holiday flyers? You will find pictures, recipes, and cost for the upcoming holidays on the flyers. Ask your Sales rep to send you a copy if they have not done so already.
Agapanthus– Production is great. We have Blue from Ecuador and will start with White and Blue from Chile in the next week or so.
Amaryllis- It’s that time of year and we have plenty available. We have them coming in from Canada as well as Holland.
Cymbidium- We have our normal Dutch Cymbidium as well as some from Columbia. Be on the lookout for weekly specials on Assorted packs of Standard and Minis.
Ginestra- Ginestra is starting to come in from California. We have a few colors available for next week- Lavender, White and Yellow.
Hydrangea– Have you tried the new Tinted Colors? Mauve and Rosewood.
Hydrangea Mauve Tinted
Hydrangea Rosewood Tinted
Christmas Greens
We are fully stocked and ready for Christmas with trailers full of Evergreens from Washington, Oregon, Maine, & Canada plus local suppliers delivering daily. Everything looks (and smells) amazing. The weather this year has been great for the greens and it really shows.
Balsam Fir– Last year we couldn’t get enough of this. We are in a better positon this year but still expect to sell out in the next two weeks.
Holly– We will have Green and Variegated holly available on 11/29. A bit later then other products but this will help to ensure they will last you through the season.
White Pine Garland and Tips– Last year was not the best year for White Pine. This year that is not the case- it is beautiful. We are using a new supplier for the Tips so the price is a bit higher but it is very nice clean product. We also have White Pine boughs from our local supplier.
Ilex– Ilex Started a little later this year due to the warm weather we have had but production is starting to pick up now. We have Red and Orange coming in every week. Orange will only be around for another week or two but we will have Red through December.
Greens
Agonis– The supply is getting tight, we are limited to just a few boxes per week.
Nagi– This is also an issue- we can only get a box or two a week.
Botanicals
Poinsettias– Shipping has begun from all sources, including our lower priced Prebook case packed ones. Loose Branched Reds and Colors will be in stock, but make sure to order early. If we don’t have them in stock, it can take up to 72 hours to get them reloaded. We will also have Mini Poinsettias, in Globe, Peppermint Stick and Ornament containers. Winter Rose varieties will be limited, and Trees will be available only in Red, with very limited supply.
Holiday Novelty Plants– We will have the usual assortment of Cyclamen, Rosemary, Alberta Spruce, Zygo Cactus, Holly, Norfolk Island Pines, as well as some cute novelty containers and unusual varieties. Check on dvflora.com regularly.
California Report
Some “boots on the ground” information from Marc Robinson in our California branch.
The focus turns from Dahlias and field flowers to Waxflower, Greens and Protea. Although the staples are still available they are in shorter supply due to less daylight. Once we fall below the 11 hour mark of natural daylight that is when we see the decrease in overall production. That 11 hour mark starts this week in most of southern California and was last week in northern California.
- We are seeing some early Waxflower coming in, mostly purple.
- Fall Protea varieties are in good supply: Pink Ice, Pink Mink, Julie, and others.
- Leucadendron are also in good supply. Inca, Gold Strike (green in fall), Jester and Safari Sunset are a majority of the mix.
- Eucalyptus is available in Seeded, Willow, Silver Dollar and Baby Blue. Gunni is still not readily available.
- Myrtle and Grevillea are year round crops and available.
- Dahlias are done for this season, but there are a couple of growers that have limited year round production in select varieties.
- Stock is moving from its summer location in Lompoc to the south eastern high desert in California as well as from Baja. We should start to see production pick up slowly over the next 4 weeks.
- Snapdragons are in good supply and the color mix should be more Christmas driven by the last week of November.
- Gladiolas are in tight supply, but there will be some available into December weather permitting. The Glad grower always plan on year round production but since it is a an outdoor field crop they are very dependent on weather. If we have a freeze and/ or too much precipitation Glads can gap significantly during December and January. Iris is growing in two regions, Arcata and Oxnard.
- Tulip production is strong in standards, parrots and doubles and we are seeing more French tulips available.
- Lilies are in good supply, LA’s, Orientals and OT’s.
- Gerbera is available but not in huge supply. This is a flower that is dramatically affected by shorter days.
- Lisianthus is decreasing in availability, short days and cool temperatures cause this slowing in production.
- Kale is positively affected by our colder nights. The colors are becoming more pronounced and vibrant for lavender, purple and white kale.
- Larkspur is in declining supply during late Fall but is currently still available.
- Sunflowers are still in good supply and will only gap late Fall but are available year round.
- Queen Anne’s Lace and Green Mist are in good supply.
- Ilex will transition from orange to red over the next few weeks. We are expecting CA Ilex to be available until mid-December.
- Hydrangea are now becoming ‘antique’ colors and these could run through November, weather permitting.
