Cultivation of Lilies by Onings America

Image courtesy of Onings America

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In my 30 years of sourcing flowers, lilies have consistently stood out to me. Their variety, vivid colors, and distinct fragrances have made them a favorite in my work. The range of lilies is remarkable. From vibrant reds and oranges to gentle pinks and creams, their colors add depth and beauty to any arrangement. But what sets lilies apart for me is their fragrance. Each type of Oriental lily has its own scent profile, but if you prefer no fragrance, Asiatic lilies contain a wide range of color providing a vibrant impact while basically being free from scent.

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Henk Onings from Onings America in two insightful episodes. In the first episode, we dove deep into the world of lilies and freesia, exploring their cultivation in detail. To complement our discussion, we’ve added a couple of guides to our blog with this one focusing on lilies.

A huge thank you to Onings America for sharing their expertise in "Cultivation of Lilies" with us. Don’t miss both episodes with Henk—available now on your favorite podcast platform. This guide is a first look at everything you need to know about growing and handling lilies, from setting up your greenhouse to selecting the perfect varieties, and from harvesting to ensuring the best post-harvest care. Whether you're a florist, a cut flower farmer, or simply a lily enthusiast, this resource offers a comprehensive, yet friendly, insight into getting the most out of these stunning blooms.

With expert advice straight from Onings America, this guide will help you elevate your lily game and fully appreciate the splendor these flowers bring to every arrangement. We’re thrilled to share this with you before it appears anywhere else—so let’s get started!

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Thank you for being a part of our community. It was a joy to share Henk Onings' insights on lilies, and I encourage to check out the Step by Step to Growing Freesia. We’re grateful to Onings America for their generosity in providing the "Cultivation of Lilies" guide and for their valuable contributions to our podcast. I hope these resources inspire and assist you in your growing endeavors. Don’t forget to listen to both episodes with Henk on your favorite podcast platform or his guest page.

Your support makes it all possible, and I’m excited to continue this journey with you!

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The Results Are In: 2022 Year In Review! Guest Blog from Rooted Farmers

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The Results Are In: 2022 Year in Review!

The Rooted team shares some insights and trends in a 2022 Year in Review. Rooted Farmers. December 31, 2022

“What are buyers looking for?” is one of the questions most frequently asked of the Rooted Team. Growers want to make informed crop planning decisions, hone their marketing strategies, and have data-driven discussions with buyers. These are prudent approaches, though in the absence of aggregated and easily-digestible data, they are historically difficult given the lack of transparency and aggregated market data available in the specialty cut flower industry.

That’s where we come in! Because of the unique way that growers sell product through Rooted’s software, our team can slice and dice market data from across the country and share some helpful insights with you. Analyzing Rooted’s year-end reports can help to validate mainstays and uncover new opportunities.

Before going any further – we strongly recommend that you read our Data & Analytics: A Crash Course post. This will give you some necessary context for how to interpret these results and apply them to your business.

A few things to keep in mind before we dig in:

1. Approach each data point as a piece of a puzzle – not the complete picture. If you examine any one layer of these data independently, you will draw different conclusions than you would by combining them. We encourage you to pair this discussion of quantitative data with your own research – including qualitative information from your local markets – to help you approach the year ahead.

2. Remember, you know your market best! Always talk with your buyers about what they’d like to see more of – our data may provide you an opportunity to educate your audience, but ultimately, collecting direct feedback from your buyers is a critical input.

Let’s dig in! What did we see in 2022?

A quick snapshot of some exciting findings for farmers:

• Local staples continue to anchor the local flowers market as top sellers. These are the go-to favorites that are either hard to ship or have a more ethereal shelf life, like dahlias, zinnias and cosmos.

• Highest-growth products fall into the filler and foliage categories. More buyers are seeking out non-focal flowers from local growers! Items that outperformed include products like yarrow, euphorbia, statice, nigella, goldenrod, and grasses.

• Brighter colors like yellow and red are picking up steam. These colors fall outside of the long-standing traditional soft and neutral “wedding colors.” Increases in sales to more conventional florists, retail florists, and brick and mortar shops could help account for some of this growth.

Top-Selling Colors

Rankings based on stem count across all sellers

1. White

2. Green

3. Pink

Highest-Growth Colors

Growth compared with 2021

• Yellow/gold

• Cream

• Red

Color Takeaways

Buyers want your foliage! While white continues to be in high demand, green was a close second. Buyers are increasingly looking for local alternatives for foliage products, and they are willing to experiment a bit; think creatively: do you have perennials that you may not be offering? Woodies that work well to provide structure? Responsible foraging opportunities? Try offering some samples to grow your weekly offerings!

Top-Selling Flowers

Based on stem counts, by genus

In 2022, we saw thousands of unique cultivars sold on Rooted! Our top performers included the following genera:

1. Dahlia

2. Zinnia

3. Celosia

4. Cosmos

5. Ranunculus

6. Antirrhinum

7. Eustoma

8. Paeonia

9. Gomphrena

10. Tulipa

High-Growth Products:

We were excited to see strong growth from many unsung heroes in 2022! The below genera were among our highest-growth products sold:

• Elaeagnus

• Ornamental grasses

• Artemisia

• Achillea

• Eustoma

• Chrysanthemums

• Solidago

Product Takeaways

Outside of dahlias and zinnias, we saw relatively low concentration among the top selling genera – meaning that growers saw success selling a wide range of floral product throughout the year. Buyers exhibited increased openness to working with specialty cuts that fell far outside of the local staples, with specialty filler and foliage products gaining momentum over the course of the seasons.

Conclusions

Pretty exciting, right? We hope that you find these insights helpful in preparing you to talk with your buyers and think about the season ahead. Maybe you will approach your crop plan with more emphasis on color rather than cultivars, or perhaps you felt inspired to broaden your buyers' awareness around the flowers you grow, or empowered to talk about your blooms from a florist’s or designer’s point of view! We at Rooted Farmers are especially excited about the growth and awareness of local flowers in recent years. Local flowers are where the party is at, and what you do as a grower has a positive impact in your community and beyond!

Here are some other resources to help you continue to increase awareness, sales, and continue to bridge the gap between grower and end user:

Learn more about how Rooted Pro, our robust Data & Analytics package can help you level up your growing game.

Read our Data & Analytics: A Crash Course post for more context around how we put these data to work.

Read our Sales Data & Crop Planning: A How-To article to learn more about how we reflect and set goals for the season ahead.

Learn from Designer Rachel Fletcher at Carbon & Co to as she shares her insights on working with local product.

Building new buyer relationships? Check out our 7 Tips for How to Build New Relationships with Wholesale Buyers.

Check out our article about Photographing Flowers for Wholesale to learn the nuances of product photography.

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Thank you Rooted Farmers for the wonderful insight and review of 2022. Learn more about Rooted Farmers and Founder Amelia Ihlo and other podcast episodes discussing Rooted Farmers.

Invasive Species to Avoid When Foraging by Becky Feasby of Prairie Girl Flowers

Thank you so much to Becky Feasby for this informative post. What a great read to follow up with my recent chat with Becky on The Flower Podcast. Listen to our episode featured at the bottom of the page.

—Scott Shepherd

‘Tis the season, it seems, for foraging in search of the perfect dried crispy bits or other special specimens for wreaths, bouquets, or installations. But heading off on your searches requires an understanding of ethical foraging principles and an intimate knowledge of invasive species in your area.

Harvesting invasive species is a big no-no. The issues can vary, but they come down two main areas of concern: economic and environmental.

The economic impacts of invasive species include things such as management costs (which can include using toxic pesticides to control their spread), monitoring programs, reduced crop yields for farmers, and impacts to international trade and tariffs. The environmental impacts of invasive species - although harder to quantify - can be significantly more devastating. Reduced biodiversity, loss of native species, and changes to ecosystem services can spell disaster for the environment. Many invasive species invade forest areas and displace native species, altering soil conditions and wreaking havoc on important ecosystem functions - increasing flooding, reducing resiliency to climate change, and increasing soil erosion.

So beware - clipping little bits of this and that can have far-reaching implications.

Invasives vary by region, so it’s important to consult your local authorities to find out what is and isn’t ok to harvest. But here are a few to really beware of:

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Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

Japanese honeysuckle has few natural enemies which allows it to spread widely and out-compete native plant species. Dense growths of honeysuckle covering vegetation can gradually kill plants by blocking sunlight from reaching their leaves. Vigorous root competition also helps Japanese honeysuckle spread and displace neighboring native vegetation.

James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Chinese Tallowtree (Triadica sebifera)

Tallotrees grow into fully mature trees in just three years, far outpacing native maples, oaks, cypress and elms. Their leaves are toxic to some animals, and they cast off litter that changes soil chemistry and disadvantages competitors. Chinese tallowtree is a serious threat because of its ability to invade high quality, undisturbed forests.

Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)

Buddleja davidii readily invades disturbed sites and riparian areas (riparian = near water sources such as rivers and streams). Although butterflies will use this plant as a nectar source their larvae cannot survive on it. By replacing native larval food source plants butterflybush can have a negative impact on wildlife.

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Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)

Tansy invades disturbed areas, ditch banks and riparian areas and replaces important native plants through aggressive spreading. Can be toxic if animals or people ingest large amounts of it.

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Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata)

An escaped ornamental that has become extremely invasive in many parts of North America. When it develops seeds and matures, the plant breaks off and rolls long distances to spread across the landscape (a bit like tumbleweed) – each plant has the ability to spread over 10,000 seeds!

Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

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John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

Purple loosestrife can become the dominant plant species in wetlands. One plant can produce as many as 2 million wind- dispersed seeds per year and underground stems grow at a rate of 1 foot per year.

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The bottom line here is that if you don’t know what you are cutting, don’t cut anything. Know before you go. And don’t think that taking just a little bit is ok, because it’s not. Many plants have the ability to spread thousands of seeds from one cutting. Plus - by showcasing invasive species in your work, you are creating demand for that look, which could encourage others to harvest them or for local growers to even start growing them.

Just say no to invasives!

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Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

The bottom line here is that if you don’t know what you are cutting, don’t cut anything. Know before you go. And don’t think that taking just a little bit is ok, because it’s not. Many plants have the ability to spread thousands of seeds from one cutting. Plus - by showcasing invasive species in your work, you are creating demand for that look, which could encourage others to harvest them or for local growers to even start growing them.

Just say no to invasives!

Successful Processing of Hydrangea

Hydrangea!   It’s truly been one of my favorite flowers. Over the years, the demand and popularity of hydrangeas have soared, but I feel with this enthusiasm and year round availability, the appreciation for this spectacular flower has lessened a bit. Having grown my own and sourced amazing varieties from around the world, maybe I am just a little partial. I love it when there is anticipation awaiting the arrival of a new hydrangea. What will be the latest color, size, shape and texture and how will it be used to create a floral vision or add ambience to a garden design, are all part of the anticipation.  There are so many species that make this genus so loved perhaps one day I’ll write another blog highlighting my love and fascination with the world of hydrangeas but today, it is all about processing these majestic beauties.

Over my 30 years of working with cut flowers, one of the biggest issues I hear time and time again is ‘ how do I process hydrangea’.  I’ve heard countless numbers of people say that they like them but they’re afraid of them, especially here in the south.  Imagine a sweltering Saturday afternoon wedding and the bride wants hydrangea, oh my!   Like the name would imply, hydra…..is a big hint that this flower likes water.  But nothing to fear when hydrangea are processed and selected properly.

So, let’s begin…..  How do I process hydrangea! (There is a video below I created if you prefer to see the process)

Tools

You can use a knife if you prefer. Unfortunately, over the years, I have endured my share of stitches with the volume of processing using knife so just a friendly reminder to be cautious. Knives may be my tool of choice but with all shrubs and branches, my preference will always be clippers.  Chickamasa is one of my favorite brands and several options great for florists or growers.

So right out of the box this is what you see.  Now you may have anywhere from 12 to 60 stems in a box from South America depending on the size of the box or the size of the bloom.  Mini-Green hydrangea can fit a lot of stems in a box, while large antique blooms will be drastically less.

You can see they wrap each bloom in plastic to protect the flowers. I don’t feel it is really necessary and would certainly be great to have an alternative to plastic but for now, this is how most hydrangea arrive.  A small plastic bag is placed on the end of the stem, creating a water source while the flower is in transport.  Rarely do I see this bag empty, perhaps it’s because without light and warmer temperatures the flowers don’t need as much water to drink.  Nevertheless, it keeps them fresh for their journey.

After removing the plastic sleeve from the flower, I remove the leaves.  Sometimes, designers don’t want to do this, because it’s an extra step and the foliage is like free greenery.  I on the other hand like all the water to go to the bloom.  I usually leave the last couple of leaves right under the flower, but remove all of the big leaves.  This also allows the flowers to fit in a bucket a little easier, minimize crushing, and great airflow.

Now to cut the stem!  This is a big deal to me because I firmly believe that the stem should be cut above the rubber band.  Yes, this shortens the stem a little more but that band often leaves a mark on the stem, reminiscent of a bruise.  I want there to be a clean cut, with a fresh stem, not damaged at all.  I have often  noticed when designers have issues with their hydrangeas drinking, I see the damage of the rubber band and have even seen the stems with the rubberband still on the stem.  Crazy!  It’s like leaving a tourniquet on your arm long after the blood has been drawn.  How are the fluids supposed to flow and hydrate the flower?

Now one of the older methods of stem cutting especially of woody flowers is to take your clippers and cut up the stem by the length of the blade.  I don’t do this, especially if there’s large number of blooms to be processed.  However, if the branch seems to be in distress, it is a more immediate method to increase the volume of water intake for the flower.  I DO NOT smash stems.  I’ve never understood this thought.  It’s like spreading a straw and then wanting to use it to drink.  You just smashed all the stems ability to uptake water.

*** I do think that it’s a good idea to cut the stem at an angle, not to sharp though.  It does create a little more surface area for absorption. ***

Now one more thing that I do that’s not very popular, is fill the bucket about 80% full with water.  Yes it’s heavy!  Yes, it can slosh around!

Hydrangeas LOVE water! The further the water has to travel up the stem in a dry environment, the more difficult it can be for the stem to draw water.  This may be one of those tricks that others might disagree. I have literally processed hundreds of thousands of hydrangeas and of course have grown and cut my own for weddings, events, and florists, and I’ve lost only a few stems of processed hydrangea(most because the stem wasn’t in the water completely).

Occasionally a hydrangea is damaged in shipping or perhaps the box at some point became a little warm.  There are a couple of products that I’ve used over the years to help flowers on life support.  Syndicate manufactures a product called Hydraquick and Floralife produceses a product called QuickDip.  Both are chemicals and should be used cautiously. Another method that I’ve seen work is submersing the bloom and stem in water completely.  This is one of those flowers that can drink through the actual petals, breathing new life into them.  Be sure to shake the excess water off the flower carefully, I’ve also seen wet blooms that have had a touch of Botrytus and start to rot. Probably not the best method for processing volume but certainly an option for the occasional distressed hydrangea.

Lastly, I’ve had several friends share over the years about this old fashioned pickling product you can find in the herb and seasoning section at the grocery store.  Alum powder! I have to confess that over the years when people mentioned this I thought that it was from the Allium family.  It’s not though, it’s Aluminum Sulfate and has been used for many purposes and is considered to be fairly safe.  I would treat as a chemical, but know that it’s not been linked to anything serious over the decades of its use.  I’m not a medical doctor, so if you’re really concerned I would recommend doing further research.

So why am I mentioning Alum Powder?!?  It was amazing!  One of my stems of hydrangea came out of the box wilted and in dire need of immediate care.  I poured a little of the Alum in a small vessel ( about the size of glass jar lid). Make a fresh cut to the hydrangea and touch the bottom of the stem to the Alum being sure to cover the entire area. Place in a pitcher or container of cool water! I had no idea how long this process would take.  After an hour, I thought maybe I should add a touch of Alum to the water, so I added a pinch of the powder then stirred it with the hydrangea stem.  About 8 hours later, the hydrangea looked like I had just cut it off the plant. Truly amazed needless to say.

You can’t even tell that the flower was ever wilted.  I had to continue the experiment of course.  I left the stem in the pitcher for a week, when I started to see the flower begin to wilt again.  Remember, it was wilted out of the box.  I used Alum and it rehydrated and lasted an entire week.  Now the second wilt had happened and what do you think I did.  Yes,  I tried it again.  This time it only took about 3 hours for it to rehydrate and looked brand new.

About a week later, it wilted again……..you know I had to try it again!  It worked again!  It completely rehydrated a third time and lasted another week.  After the third week I was tired of it and tossed it.  I know I received my money’s worth out of that flower. 

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I created this short Youtube Video showing me actually processing some hydrangea and can be viewed along with other tutorials on our Channel at The Flower Podcast.  I hope you found this post helpful and encouraging to ease your fears with this wonderful flower.  Hydrangeas come in so many colors and varieties from almost every corner of the world and should be enjoyed not feared. Let’s celebrate this magnificent flower!

Scott Shepherd

Peony Highlights from Alaska Peony Cooperative

As the curtain falls upon the glorious peony season in the lower 48, a new season is just beginning to peak among the majestic backdrop of white tipped mountains, 20 hour sun filled days, and fields patiently waiting to burst into a kaleidoscope of color. The Alaskan Peony Season has arrived!

I recently spoke with Martha Lojewski, Sales Manager for Alaska Peony Cooperative, in a podcast episode and also was joined by two amazing peony growers on IG Live for tours showcasing their own peony fields. Peonies continue to be one of the favorite flowers for floral work and for personal gardens around the world. With its signature lush blooms, versatile color palette, and of course their unforgettable fragrance, peonies are a perfect choice for the simplest of bouquets to the luxurious most dreamy wedding.

In a previous blog post, we featured the Alaska Peony Cooperative “ How to Plant a Peony Cutting Garden”, a guide to creating and maintaining a beautiful display of peonies. Click Here to learn more about the comprehensive guide to planting, irrigation, maintenance, cultivars and more.

I am excited to bring you just a few of my favorites from this latest guide by Alaska Peony Cooperative, “Passionate for Peonies Guide”. For the complete PDF follow the link at the end of the post.

Be sure to listen to Martha’s episode and visit our YouTube Channel for the peony farm tours through Instagram LIVE. We’ve included links at the end of this post. We’re also excited to share, that for the 2020 Peony Season, you can use the Discount Code THEFLOWERPODCAST and save 20% off your peony order when you Shop Alaska Peony Cooperative.

Image by @rawsomephotography

Image by @abigaillewisphoto ⁠

There’s so much great content about each of these peonies, some of which I’m just now learning about too. Being able to source peonies throughout the summer, especially this summer with the downsizing of weddings to a more intimate congregation of family and friends, it’s nice to know that you can access peonies to make your wedding and event extra special.

The season for peonies with the Alaska Peony Cooperative begins June 29th and hopefully will extend to August 13th, give or take a few days, due to weather. So if you need flowers for a bridal bouquet or to create a stunning tablescape, know that you can order as few as 20 stems up to whatever number of stems you might want. With the Cooperatives smaller packing you can even order these amazing flowers for friends and family members as special gifts.

Again, We’re also excited to share, that for the 2020 Peony Season, you can use the Discount Code THEFLOWERPODCAST and save 20% off your peony order.

If you’ve enjoyed these information packed pages, I would encourage you to follow the link below to see the full 30 page resource from the Alaska Peony Cooperative. Thank you Martha and the entire cooperative for you dedication in creating this resource and for growing such beautiful peonies.