Valentine’s Day is the Biggest Holiday for the Floriculture Industry

Floriculture is an international, multi-billion-dollar industry, and this Valentine’s Day there is a good chance you’re going to be supporting the industry. Floriculture includes production of cut flowers, potted flowering plants, foliage plants, bedding and garden plants, cut cultivated greens, and floriculture materials.

Annually, about 34% of consumers purchase fresh flowers and 20% buy houseplants. Valentine’s day is one of the biggest holidays for purchasing flowers. In 2019, 28% of Americans spent about $1.9 billion on flowers for Valentine’s day. It’s not a surprise that the majority of consumers were men. Only about 19% of women purchased flowers for the holiday. Most of the flowers purchased were for a spouse or significant other, while some purchased flowers for their mother, child, friend or even themselves.

It’s probably no surprise roses are the most purchase flower for Valentine’s Day, accounting for about 84% of purchased flowers. Tulips, carnations, lilies, and mixed flowers make up the rest. About 29% of consumers purchased plants instead of flowers.

California is the leading producer of floriculture crops, followed by Florida. Florida leads in foliage plant production, while California is the leading state in cut flowers. Other leading floriculture states include Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington. In these top 15 states there are nearly 6,000 floriculture growers.

California might lead in the nation for floriculture crops, but 64% of fresh flowers are actually imported. Colombia is the top source in the United States for flowers, accounting for about 78% of flowers. Over 20,000 acres of flowers are grown in Colombia. Roses are the primary flowers exported by the country, followed by carnations and chrysanthemums.

More Facts

1. Over 83,000 people work in the floral industry in the United States, from growers to florist.
2. 45% of all flowers grown for sale are thrown out before being sold.
3. There are over 400,000 varieties of flowers in the world.
4. 50% of flowers are purchased in the supermarket.
5. Roses are the most sold cut flower.
6. Mother’s Day and Christmas are other big holidays for purchasing flowers.

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Sources:
Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
About Flowers
FlowersAndSympathy.com
Gozinnia.com
Oregon Live