We hope everyone had a successful Mother’s Day and from the sounds of it, we are hearing that many of our customers were extremely busy. Now that we are finished one of the more demanding holiday periods in the industry, the focus is now being shifted to what appears to be an influx of weddings now that the government and states are beginning to ease restrictions on events.
To better help you prepare, we are providing you with an update on different product lines. Keep in mind that information can change quickly so this is a snapshot of what we are seeing and hearing now from our key suppliers around the world.
Before getting into the details, we should note that the situation in Colombia with the National Strikes continues to make sourcing product difficult. Our buyers are doing everything they can do leverage their relationships with our farm partners to assure adequate availability and timely delivery, while also being mindful of the safety of the employees.
In addition, the industry is also experiencing a reduction in cargo space and freight delays out of South America. Our team is working around the clock to make sure that we are able to minimize the impact this has on our customers. We hope the situation clears up in the near future.
Alstro
Supply will be decent on Alstro for the next few weeks, however you may see limited availability on certain solid color selections.
Carnations and Mini Carnations
We will have good quantities of Carns and Mini Carns available.
We do have a Distinctive Value special on Carnation Asst Fancy, 175pk for next week’s delivery – order online or contact your DV Sales Associate.
Gypsophila/Limonium/Statice
Production is limited on all of the above, which will cause some availability limitations and higher than normal pricing.
Liatris
Availability for now, looks good.
Lilies
We will have a good supply of both Ecuadorian and California Lilies. Pricing remains higher than normal for this time of year.
Mums/Disbuds/Pom Pons
Medellin is the primary production area for all Chrysanthemums, both disbud and spray. While production is now somewhat plentiful, there are significant freight delays due to lack of air lift space. This will make it look as though availability is limited.
Availability on Mums/Disbuds/Poms will be limited due to freight space problems as well.
Local Season
Our local season is starting to kick in, although a little slower than anticipated. The fluctuations in weather has caused some crops to start strong, then taper off. Ranunculus are just about finished, but Peonies are beginning to appear. Expect to see a decent amount of Coral and Red Charm, with additional varieties added daily (even by the minute)!
Roses/Garden Roses/Sprays
Availability is limited for in-demand wedding colors and we expect higher than normal pricing for the next several weeks.
Hydrangea
Availability continues to remain a challenge, coupled with a reduction in air space which is causing some delays. Expect prices to remain high.
Dahlia
Production is currently being sourced from California with availability in White, Burgundy, and Salmon.
Tulips
We currently have availability from California and Holland. Will be a little while before Virginia is able to rebound from Mother’s Day.
Stock
Production in California is back to being very limited, the Baja, Mexico region is finished and we will see limited numbers from here on out. Ecuador at the moment has fairly good production but some items / colors will be limited.
Smilax
Japanese smilax will be limited for the next 3-4 weeks. Southern Smilax as most of you know is out of season (back in mid July) BUT water oak cases have started – now available for next week – Wednesday delivery – item G6664
Jasmine
Flowering jasmine is now off crop, however we will have some limited numbers of “non-flowering” available.
Peony
North Carolina is finished, so we will not see any more for this year. We currently have Moroccan, Holland, Japan and finally a descent selection of Local available. The local in most cases are still very limited but more are coming.
Tweedia
Currently only limited numbers in White out of California, but blue is not available. We are getting some blue from Japan to fill our needs though.
Eucalyptus
It will be tough for us to meet the demand on euc. We are seeing an overwhelming amount of requests, however the crops just aren’t there to fill the needs. So availability remains “extremely” limited, which will most likely continue for at least another month.
Silver Dollar and Baby Blue are the highest demanded varieties, yet have the lowest availability. And regular seeded should be back on track by the end of June.
Emerald
Labor shortages due to covid are the main reason behind the shortages we have seen on Emerald. We are awaiting some product to clear customs in Miami, but it’s not even scheduled for inspection yet.
Ranunculus
Ranunculus remain a challenge, as is always the case this time of year. The demand is very strong, but production isn’t there to meet it.
- Clooneys out of Holland/Italy are slowing fading out.
- Regular Ranunculus is still available in Holland but prices remain very high.
- California Ranunculus is all but finished.
- Ecuador is a year round source, and will be the main contender for the next few months, until Chile starts.
- Canadian is gaping due to the huge holiday demand, with weather being a major impact as well.
- We are hopeful for one last local shipment next week, however we won’t know until Monday afternoon what will be filled.
As always, we encourage you to consult with your DV Sales Associate for more information or shop online at shop.dvflora.com to check availability and pricing.
