What’s News

These bulletins offer an in-depth look at a variety of subjects, from production cycles of a particular flower to how market conditions affect price and quality. Published several times a year, these bulletins are great to print and keep for future reference.

• Standing Orders The advantages of a standing order are important for all sectors of the floral industry. From more consistent quality and availability to stability and great value, standing orders are a foundation for building respectful, co-operative and profitable relationships among all participants in the industry. Read more
• Rose Care & Handling at Valentine’s Day The roses you receive at Valentine’s Day have probably come directly from the producer and, contrary to other times of the year, have not received any treatment since leaving the farm. It is therefore critical to properly condition your roses upon arrival. Here are a few tips for re-hydrating and conditioning that will assure maximum performance of your roses. Read more
• Valentine’s Day Roses Roses are without a doubt the symbol of valentine’s day. There is an increase of up to 10 times the normal demand, resulting in an increase in price, a decrease in availability of some varieties, and an overall challenging situation for the industry. Let’s look at some of the demand and supply conditions that affect the market at Valentine’s. Read more
• California Greens California foliages offer a vast range of interesting varieties. Their generous bunch sizes offer excellent value, extra-long vase life, interesting textures and a wide variety of colours for all kinds of design work. Read more
• Gypsophila Gypsophila has been a staple in the floral industry for many years. Used to “fill out” floral arrangements and bouquets, gyp was seen as an important but unsophisticated flower with a limited vase life. Over the last two decades that perception has changed dramatically with the development of new and improved varieties, a change in growing climates and more effective post harvest treatments. Read more
• Alstromeria Alstromeria is a native plant to South America, and is also known as Inca Lily or Peruvian Lily. The South American climate is particularly well suited for the production of superior quality alstromeria. The new generation of Premium Alstromeria from South America offers a wide range of varieties and colors with lasting qualities that are hard to beat! Read more
• Chrysanthemums Chrysanthemums were identified in Asia more than 2500 years ago and are known as the oldest flower in the world. Some of the largest producers of chrysanthemums are located in South America, particularly Columbia, Ecuador and Costa Rica. Read more

As the title suggests, this bulletin is a look at flowers that are in season, what we consider to be in high availability and at their best. We cover many areas of the globe, from California to Australia, as well as many countries in South America. “In Season…” bulletins will help you know what flowers are recommended to buy.

• Gladiolas The summer months mean many floral consumers' thoughts turn to glads. One producer who stands out from the competition is Donald Mayer Glad Farms, known for the exceptional quality and consistency of their glads since 1940. Read more
• Proteas Proteas are native to Australia and Africa, and are also grown in California. Australia and South Africa are presently offering us many interesting varieties. Producers recommend that the best care and handling for proteas and banksias is to cut and put them in water as soon as possible and store them in a cool place. Read more
• Valentine’s Day This year, Sierra would like to offer you a great opportunity to market some brand new varieties of spray roses for Valentine’s Day. Denmar, one of the world’s leading spray rose producers, has given us exclusivity to sell these new varieties into our marketplace before making them available to the mass market. Read more
• Christmas Here is a collection of some of the most popular Christmas greens, valued for their fragrance, lasting ability and design qualities. They are harvested with care in the forests of the West Coast and receive a special post-harvest treatment to keep them fresh and hardy throughout the holiday season. Read more
• Limonium Limonium has evolved from the traditional caspia varieties to a broad range of hybrid varieties featuring: much more vivid color, a variety of stem structures, a significantly reduced odour and long lasting blooms. Below you will find a sampling of the new hybrid varieties available, with their different structures. Read more
• Cymbidiums Cymbidiums and mini cymbidiums have become New Zealand's largest cut flower export. Their outstanding quality standards and grading criteria have placed them among the best in the world. Availability begins in April and goes through until November. Read more
• Waxflower With the California wax season drawing to a close, Peru is ready to offer us excellent Israeli and Australian varieties from May to September. Grown in an arid area of Peru, the dry, desert like climate is perfect for the cultivation of Waxflower. Peru wax is graded in bunches of 350 grams with a minimum of 60cm in length. Read more
• Hypericums Originally a fall product available only in red, hypericum can now be found in vivid shades of peach, pink, red, orange, yellow and green and is available year round from Ecuador. Grading for hypericum includes the size of the berry (fruit), the number of berries per stem and the length of the stems, which ranges from 50 to 80cm. Read more
• California The California season is in full swing! There is a broad range of products available, from Australian natives to field flowers, and a host of novelty fillers and foliages. Below you will find a sampling of some of the many varieties available. Read more
• Australia Kicking off in May / June, the season for these products will keep on going strong until late November. Flown directly into Canada weekly, all products are pre-cooled before departure from Australia and then immediately pre-cooled to 2 degrees Celsius upon arrival to ensure maximum freshness and vase life. Read more

A combination of Growers in the Spotlight, Newsletters, videos and interesting articles that effect all of us in the floral industry.

• Resendiz Brothers: Newsletters Filled with beautiful and useful information, the Resendiz Brothers produce an impressive newsletter 4 times per year. See them all here. Read more
• The Produce News: Mel Resendiz and the American dream come true The inspiring story of Rainbow California Protea Growers, the Resendiz Brothers, from The Produce News. Read more
• La Vie en Vert: Les fleurs équitables (French Only) Dans les entrepôts de Sierra Eco, des travailleurs s’affairent à classer et à vérifier la qualité des fleurs qu’un camion vient de livrer dans de grandes boîtes de carton. Plusieurs d’entres elles affichent le logo Sierra Eco, qui atteste de la qualité environnementale et équitable de leur contenu. Read more Read more
• Dos Gringos: Sunflowers 101 Dos Gringos, one of our premier California suppliers, created an excellent information document using pictures to illustrate the various cut stages of Sunflowers. Read more
• The Production of Roses Watch these 2 extremely interesting videos about the production of Roses from the perspective of Agrocoex in Ecuador. Read more