The seasons are always changing, regardless of the attention we pay them. For days and weeks my Bride-to-Be Dahlias had a seemingly endless supply of buds. I basked in their beauty as I harvested buckets. And then one day there were hardly any new buds coming. That moment of realization is often a surprise, but it shouldn’t have been. Yes, we had had some days that were warm as summer, but overall, daylight hours were fewer, temperatures were lower, leaves were falling, and birds were flying overhead in huge flocks southward. Every sign was there, but I, focused on the myriad tasks of the moment, didn’t comprehend them. The change that seemed so sudden had been happening every moment, as those plants knew the shorter days and cooler temperatures meant their time was ending.
Just as with my dahlias, circumstances that began in 2020 during the pandemic have resulted in repercussions today, including flower and supply shortages. The roots of these challenges can be traced back to waves of sickness or natural disasters or both that kept crops from being sown or supplies from begin manufactured or products from being transported. This scarcity seems sudden, but its causes were days and weeks and months in the making.
Sometimes, it seems all we hear about is lack – lack of cold glue, lack of white flowers, lack of available labor – everyone working in the floral industry has their list of what is not to be found. So, instead, let’s focus on what is abundant.
First to mind is creativity. I see every day on Instagram florists learning new ways, designing with new flowers or foliage when they can’t source the tried and true, often giving locally-grown a try for the first time. Cooperation is something else that flows from all of us. When I needed some vases that I couldn’t find anywhere a few weeks ago, another florist simply said, sure, I have them, I’m out of town, but here is the code to my studio – take anything you need. Ingenuity is next on my list, and we see this all the time in flowers, even before the pandemic, as many designers committed to reducing their use of floral foam and began looking for ways old and new to support and hold flowers and foliage.
You likely can add a few more qualities to these three, as you cope with an every- changing supply scenario. I’ll end with just one more – camaraderie – the sense that we are in this together, that we have trust between us, and, together, we will make it through. Happy Thanksgiving!
What’s Available Locally in November: This list is by no means comprehensive, just a sampling of what growers in our area may have this month.
Cabbage Roses, Chrysanthemums, Dusty Miller, Eucalyptus, Ilex, Paper White Narcissus, Rosemary, Sage, Evergreens, Dried Flowers
Highlighted Bloom: Whenever I look up Chrysanthemums in certain flower books, I am shocked when it isn’t there, and I feverishly turn the pages to Mums, and then the index – where I again find the scientific name is Dendranthema. Mums come in every gorgeous color, type, and stem-length, and they fill a critical need for focal flowers after frost.
Care tips for Chrysanthemums: Mums have a terrific vase life, often two weeks or more. While some varieties might last a little longer with flower food, the vase life is excellent even without it. Leaves may yellow before flowers fade; to prevent this, store in the dark at 34 degrees.