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Micro
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SEATTLE, WA © 2007 Barbara Berst Adams www.BarbaraBerstAdams.com Flowers have been described as "The part of the plant kingdom through which heaven enters earth." The world needs and loves flowers! In the USA, retail sales of floral products are close to $13 billion annually. The floral industry in the United States ranges from dried floral bouquets to fresh-cut flowers to value added products such as handmade greeting cards (see below). These flowers for sale are grown from backyards and small greenhouses to 100-acre fields. Micro eco-farms prosper from the growing demand for organic or eco-grown flowers along with the revival of local, cultural uniqueness and local production. Thousands and thousands of workers in Central and South America are becoming poisoned because of working in the non-organic flower industry. North America shares some of this plight, also. Non-organic flower farming contributes to the destruction of the planet with its chemical inputs for growing, and harms wildlife and people who come in contact with this industry, regardless that the flowers are not grown for consumption. Larger eco-farms offer quantities of familiar, staple flowers needed en masse. Micro-sized flower farms complement them by offering local appeal, surprising rare and new varieties, and one-of-a-kind touches that larger farms cannot. Following are examples of how these flower farms prosper: In small towns, they put out neighborhood flower carts with bouquets from their backyard cut flower gardens. They grow rare, unusual, native, vintage and antique flower varieties and become known for this. They build up a flower delivery route to local independent bed and breakfasts and restaurants. They merge with other local community supported agriculture farms that don't yet offer flower shares to their customers. They are the first to offer unusual new cultivars, and watch the catalogs each year for new heirloom offerings. They sell via honor-system flower stands or family U-pick cutting gardens. One farm has a special cut flower garden just for brides and grooms. Some hold weddings right on their flower farms. Jan Johnson, of Larkspur Farm in Washington State, rents her small acreage farm from $500 to $1500 a day for beautiful country flower-filled weddings. Some add photo booths and flower craft classes to their cut-flower businesses. Workshops include flower pressing for children or demonstrations on arranging flowers for weddings. Owners of very small flower farms produce value-added products from their own flowers, including greeting cards, as does Nancy Hayes, owner of Backyard Beauties ™ in Missouri. She grows cosmos, native wildflowers, and other flowers in her backyard, and harvests the seeds to produce handmade cards which she sells to businesses and individuals looking for unique expressions of thanks and other special occasions. Her All-Occasion Seed Cards ™ include cards with wildflower seeds, making the cards both a gift and a greeting, with a local, one-of-a-kind handmade twist. For more information, Backyard Beauties ™ is the April 2007 Micro Eco-Farm of the Month. An option for organic flower certification comes from the "Veriflora Certified" seal offered by Scientific Certification Systems which requires not only sustainable agricultural practices, but social responsibility. |
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| RESOURCES: for Immediate Download |
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Flower Pressing Secrets: How to Press Flowers for Fun or Profit |
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PRINT BOOKS: The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers Flowers for Sale: Growing and Marketing Cut Flowers: Backyard to Small Acreage Specialty Cut Flowers: The Production of Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, and Woody Plants for Fresh and Dried Cut Flowers, Second Edition
The
Complete Book of the Flower Fairies |