#416: Ask A Florist: Selling to Florists, Pricing, and Design Tips

What do florists really want from local flower growers? In this episode, floral designer Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers and the FlowerMore community shares practical advice on selling to florists, pricing your stems, creating availability lists, choosing colors customers love, and designing with seasonal flowers.

Mentions

YouTube: Ellen Frost Flowers

Instagram: @ellenfrostflowers

Ellen's Online Community: FlowerMore

Ellen's Online Courses: Preparing to Sell to Florists, Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Field and Garden Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, owner of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Gardener’s Workshop,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Flower Farming School Online,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and the publisher of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Farmer-Florist School Online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Florist School Online.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Lisa’s Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and connect with Lisa on social media!

 

How to Sell Flowers to Florists, Price Your Stems, and Design With Local Flowers

What do florists look for when buying locally grown flowers? How should flower farmers price their stems, approach potential florist customers, and decide which flowers to grow?

I'm Ellen Frost, owner and head designer of Local Color Flowers in Baltimore, Maryland. For nearly 20 years, I've built a floral business around flowers sourced from local farms. I'm not a flower farmer. I'm the person buying those stems, creating floral arrangements, and selling finished designs to customers.

That experience has given me a unique perspective on what makes relationships between flower growers and florists successful.

In this episode of The Gardener's Workshop's Field & Garden podcast, we're answering questions about selling cut flowers, choosing the right customers, creating flower availability lists, setting prices, selecting color palettes, and using seasonal flowers in floral design.

Whether you're a hobby gardener considering your first flower sales, a beginning flower farmer, or an experienced grower looking for new customers, here's what I've learned about turning beautiful flowers into a business.

 

How Do You Start a Flower Farming Business?

If you're growing flowers as a hobby and thinking about turning that passion into a business, the first question isn't necessarily what to plant next.

It's how you want to sell your flowers.

There are several ways to build a business around locally grown cut flowers:

• Sell fresh bouquets at farmers markets.

• Operate a roadside farm stand or on-farm flower shop.

• Sell wholesale cut flowers to local florists.

• Supply flowers to grocery stores or other retail businesses.

• Create arrangements for weddings, events, or everyday floral orders.

• Offer flower subscriptions or other direct-to-consumer products.

Each business model has different requirements, opportunities, and challenges.

For example, selling bouquets at a farmers market requires a different approach than supplying wholesale stems to an event florist. The flowers you grow, the quantities you need, your harvesting schedule, and how you price your products may all be different.

Before expanding your growing space or planting more varieties, think about the kind of business you actually want to operate.

If you're interested in floral design, there's another important consideration: growing beautiful flowers and designing beautiful arrangements are two different skills.

Spend time practicing with flowers. Learn how different stems behave, experiment with color combinations, and make arrangements for different purposes. The more experience you gain, the better you'll understand how growing and design fit together.

How Do Flower Farmers Find Florists to Sell To?

One of the biggest mistakes a grower can make is assuming that every florist will want the flowers they're growing.

Not every florist is the right customer for every flower farm.

Before approaching a floral business, do some research.

Look at the florist's website, social media accounts, and portfolio. Pay attention to the types of arrangements they create, their preferred colors, and the flowers they use.

A traditional retail flower shop may need very different products from a florist specializing in weddings and events.

For example, you might grow gorgeous zinnias that would be perfect for an event designer who loves colorful, garden-inspired arrangements. But a retail florist serving customers with different preferences might not be interested.

Neither business is wrong. They're simply serving different customers.

Understand a florist's ordering and delivery schedule

A good wholesale relationship also needs to work logistically.

Retail flower shops often purchase flowers early in the week to prepare for everyday orders. Wedding and event florists may need flowers delivered on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays for weekend events.

If you have another job, attend farmers markets, or have limited harvesting time, think carefully about whether you can accommodate those schedules.

A successful florist relationship depends on more than growing the right flowers. You also need to deliver them when your customer needs them.

What Should Be Included on a Cut-Flower Availability List?

If you want to sell wholesale flowers to florists, creating an organized, easy-to-use availability list is one of the most important things you can do.

Growers frequently ask me which ordering platform florists prefer.

The answer is that the specific platform matters less than how easy it is to use.

A Google Sheet, Airtable, Rooted, or an online store can all work well. What matters is that your customers can quickly see what's available, understand the pricing, and place an order.

Your wholesale flower availability list should include:

• Flower name and color: Identify each variety clearly.

• Photos: Show customers what the flowers actually look like.

• Stem length: Help florists determine whether the flowers will work in their designs.

• Bunch size: Specify how many stems are included in each bunch.

• Available quantity: Clearly indicate how many stems or bunches can be ordered.

• Pricing: State whether the price is per stem or per bunch.

• Harvest stage: Explain whether flowers will arrive fully open, partially open, or in bud.

• Special handling notes: Include anything florists need to know about conditioning, storage, or vase life.

Ten stems is a common bunch size, but never assume your customer knows how many stems you're selling.

Special handling information is especially helpful.

For example, some flowers have milky sap that may require additional conditioning. Basil often needs to be kept out of standard floral cooler temperatures. Other flowers have specific harvest stages that affect how long they'll last.

Providing this information helps florists use your flowers successfully.

Make ordering and payment simple

When you update your availability list, email your customers to let them know what's available and explain how to order.

Make the payment process straightforward, too. An online checkout or a clear invoice can both work.

Remember, florists have other sources for flowers. Traditional wholesalers have spent years creating convenient ordering systems.

Local flowers offer wonderful advantages, but the buying experience still matters.

And please, include good photographs!

Florists are visual people. I might open an availability list looking for specific flowers, but a beautiful photograph of locally grown dahlias could persuade me to add another couple of bunches to my order.

How Do You Know When Your Flowers Are Ready to Sell to Florists?

My advice to beginning flower farmers is not to rush into florist sales during your very first growing season.

Give yourself time to become a confident grower.

Learn how to produce reliable crops, harvest flowers at the correct stage, and handle them properly after cutting.

Quality matters in every sales channel, including farmers markets and farm stands. But when you're selling to a florist, there's another important consideration: the florist must be able to resell your flowers to their own customers.

That means things like insect damage, bruised petals, short stems, and improper harvest stages can create problems.

A stem that looks beautiful in your garden isn't necessarily ready for professional floral work.

Consistent quality, dependable availability, and proper post-harvest care are essential for building long-term relationships with wholesale buyers.

Before approaching florists, make sure you're confident in the flowers you're offering.

How Should Flower Farmers Price Cut Flowers?

One of the most common questions growers ask is how much they should charge for their flowers.

Here's something important to understand: The flower farmer sets the price, not the florist.

Your availability list should clearly show your prices so customers know what they're purchasing.

Of course, determining those prices isn't always easy.

When pricing cut flowers, consider:

• Your growing expenses, including seeds, supplies, and labor.

• The time required to grow, harvest, and prepare each crop.

• Prices charged by other growers and flower suppliers.

• What customers in your market are willing to pay.

• Whether you're selling retail or wholesale.

• The profit your business needs to remain sustainable.

There isn't a single correct price for every flower variety or every farm.

For example, when someone asks what to charge for safflower foliage, I can't necessarily give a reliable answer. The growers I work with have supplied safflower as a flower, not as a foliage crop.

The product itself matters. Stem length, quality, presentation, and intended use all affect how customers perceive its value.

Research your market, understand your costs, and set prices that make sense for your business.

What Flower Colors Do Florists Want to Buy?

It's natural to begin growing flowers in your favorite colors. But if you're building a flower business, you'll eventually need to think about what your customers prefer.

Different customers often want different color palettes.

At farmers markets, bright and saturated colors can be especially eye-catching.

Wedding and event florists often work with more specific palettes, including:

• Soft pinks and peaches.

• Creams and whites.

• Mauves and muted purples.

• Terracotta, rust, and warm browns.

• Blush and other softer, romantic shades.

These are general observations, not universal rules.

The best way to decide which flower colors to grow is to study the florists and customers you want to serve.

Look at their previous work. Notice recurring color combinations and the types of flowers they frequently use.

Those details can help you make more informed planting decisions.

How Do You Choose Colors for Beautiful Flower Arrangements?

If you're growing flowers to make and sell your own bouquets, understanding color theory can make a big difference.

One common mistake is trying to include every available flower color in a single bouquet.

Sometimes a simpler, more intentional color palette creates a stronger design.

A color wheel is a useful tool for planning your arrangements.

Try analogous color combinations

Analogous colors are colors that sit next to one another on the color wheel.

For example:

• Red, orange, and yellow create a warm, vibrant palette.

• Blue, green, and purple create a cooler, more peaceful combination.

Working within a limited palette helps different flower varieties feel connected, even when their shapes and textures vary.

You don't need to eliminate creativity or bold color. The goal is to make thoughtful choices about how your flowers work together.

What Locally Grown Flowers Can Florists Use in Fall?

One of my favorite things about designing with locally grown flowers is the variety of seasonal materials available.

Fall is an especially exciting time for floral design.

Depending on the growing region and season, locally grown flowers and materials may include dahlias, zinnias, amaranth, salvia, gomphrena, strawflowers, berries, and beautiful fall foliage.

These materials bring wonderful texture, color, and movement to arrangements.

Don't overlook ornamental grasses

Grasses can be incredibly useful in floral design.

In our Flowermore community, we held a monthly design challenge focused on grasses, and it was exciting to see how many creative approaches people developed.

I especially enjoy working with muhly grass and exploring native panicums and sedges.

I also try to avoid using invasive plants in my floral work.

Grasses can add softness, movement, and a natural garden feeling to arrangements. They're worth exploring if you want to expand beyond traditional cut flowers.

Can Florists Source Local Flowers and Greenery in Winter?

Absolutely! Local floral design doesn't necessarily end when the summer growing season is over.

Winter simply brings a different selection of materials.

At Local Color Flowers, we purchase our materials from growers rather than foraging them ourselves.

Some of our favorite locally sourced winter greenery includes magnolia, boxwood, pine, arborvitae, and blue ice cypress, one of my personal favorites.

We also love working with interesting branches and seasonal accents, including curly willow, pussy willow, fantail willow, winterberry, and coralberry.

Depending on availability, we may have cut poinsettias, followed later by locally grown anemones and tulips.

In our region, some growers use protected growing spaces to extend production and supply flowers into the holiday season.

The key is learning what your local growers can provide throughout the year and designing creatively with those seasonal materials.

Is Tweedia a Good Cut Flower for Wedding Florists?

Tweedia is a flower I love, particularly because its beautiful blue color is relatively uncommon in the floral world.

Blue flowers can be very appealing to wedding and event florists.

However, there are a couple of important considerations when growing tweedia for the cut-flower market.

First, stem length matters. Florists need stems long enough to use effectively in arrangements.

Second, post-harvest care is especially important because wilting can be a concern.

One grower I've learned from removes most of the foliage and uses a very hot-water treatment before transferring the stems into clean water and a cooler.

I don't have the exact timing for that treatment, so be sure to research a tested conditioning method before trying it yourself.

For any specialty flower you're hoping to sell to wedding florists, proper harvesting and conditioning are just as important as growing the plant successfully.

How Can Flower Farmers Build Better Relationships With Florists?

If there's one lesson I hope growers take away from this conversation, it's that a successful wholesale relationship requires understanding the person buying your flowers.

Beautiful blooms are a wonderful starting point, but florists also need reliability, clear communication, appropriate pricing, and an easy ordering experience.

Spend time getting to know your potential customers.

Learn what kinds of flowers they use, when they need them, and how they prefer to order.

Be realistic about what you can consistently supply.

And remember that the right customer is not necessarily the one who buys the greatest quantity of flowers. It's someone whose needs and expectations fit what your farm can provide.

Those relationships can grow into wonderful opportunities for both flower farmers and florists.

Frequently Asked Questions About Selling Cut Flowers to Florists

Can a beginning flower farmer sell flowers to florists?

Yes, but it's helpful to gain experience growing, harvesting, and conditioning flowers before approaching wholesale buyers. Florists depend on consistent quality and reliable supply, so developing those skills first can improve your chances of building lasting customer relationships.

What information do florists need before ordering local flowers?

Florists typically need the flower variety, color, stem length, bunch size, price, available quantity, photographs, and any relevant harvest or handling information. A clear availability list makes purchasing easier.

Do florists buy flowers by the stem or by the bunch?

Both arrangements are possible. Ten-stem bunches are common for many cut flowers, but bunch quantities vary. Growers should always specify the number of stems and whether prices are listed per stem or per bunch.

What flowers should I grow to sell to wedding florists?

Start by researching the floral designers you hope to sell to. Their work may reveal demand for particular varieties, colors, or stem types. Popular wedding color palettes can include blush, peach, cream, mauve, and terracotta, but individual florists' preferences vary.

How do I price flowers for wholesale customers?

Calculate your production costs, labor, and desired profit, then research relevant market prices. Clearly communicate your prices to customers. Your wholesale pricing should support a sustainable business rather than simply matching another grower's prices.

Can you build a floral business using only locally grown flowers?

Yes. Local Color Flowers in Baltimore, Maryland, is an example of a floral business built around sourcing flowers from local farms. Success requires understanding seasonal availability, developing strong grower relationships, and designing with the materials each season provides.

Keep Learning: Flower Farming, Selling, and Floral Design

Whether you're interested in selling your first bunches of flowers or expanding an established flower business, there's always something new to learn.

If you're preparing to approach florist customers, my short course, Preparing to Sell to Florists, covers researching potential buyers, creating availability lists, setting up ordering systems, and pricing your flowers.

For a deeper look at building a floral business around locally grown products, explore Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing.

And if you'd like more practice designing with seasonal flowers, Ellen's Flowermore community offers design challenges, inspiration, and opportunities to connect with other flower lovers.

Whatever direction you choose, keep practicing, keep asking questions, and keep listening to your customers.

Growing beautiful flowers is an important skill. Learning how to connect those flowers with the people who want them is how you build a business that works for you.