01/24/2026
We love our Lancaster Farmers Market neighbors and their flowers too!
As we start the 2026 growing season, prices are going up on everything.
But as we struggle to reflect the true cost of growing flowers that support the land, pollinators, and our local economy, the grocery store and even Dollar General (yikes!) are out here selling discount blooms that fail to reveal the high cost of cheap flowers.
The underreported truth is that the environmental and human costs of factory farming are just as high for flowers as they are for food. Mainstream, imported flowers have hidden costs you may never expect:
🌻 Almost 80% of cut flowers in the U.S. are imported, and come from farms where production practices can HARM THE LAND and surrounding communities. The vast majority come from Colombia, where rare cloud forests are destroyed for the commercial flower trade.
🌻 These flower farm workers often face DANGEROUS WORKING CONDITIONS. Cancer is a serious issue in the flower world, from those working on farms to florists handling chemical-laced stems.
🌻 FOSSIL FUELS drive the imported flower trade, from temperature-controlled cargo planes to refrigerated trucks and warehouses. Columbian Valentine's Day flower imports produce about as much CO2 as 80,000 cars being driven for one year.
🌻 Imported flowers can contain up to 111 different SUBSTANCES, including herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. Because flowers aren’t food, the USDA doesn’t regulate them the same way, meaning there are a lot fewer protections than you might expect.
What makes this even more alarming?! We don’t just look at flowers — we touch them, breathe them in, bring them into our homes. Often for days. Often around kids and pets.
At our farm, we believe flowers should be grown as naturally as possible with as few chemicals as possible. That means:
💐 All our flowers are GROWN BY HAND in Perry County and travel no farther than the next county over. We never source imported flowers.
💐 We are committed to NURTURING our land and biodiversity. We focus on soil-building practices and integrated pest management.
💐 Our LOCAL SUPPLY CHAIN strengthens the regional economy, supports neighboring businesses, and reduces fossil fuel emissions.
💐 We RESPECT our customers, our family, and our land, by making sure our flowers are safe and grown without hazardous synthetic chemical herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, or fertilizers.
➡️ The legendary Jane Goodall once said: "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." ⬅️
THANK YOU for making a positive difference. Thank you for valuing this work and choosing to enjoy local flowers instead. Your support allows us to continue growing flowers with care, for families just like yours.
Later this week, we will launch EARLY BIRD sign-ups for our 2026 FLOWER BOUQUET SUBSCRIPTION! Stay tuned to learn about a SPECIAL DISCOUNT and BONUS GIFTS for members who sign up early.
📷 Lauren at market, May 2025
