Industry Snapshot: Colombia

The fresh cut flower industry is relatively new to Colombia. Commercial production began in the late 1960's and the first commercial shipment to the United States took place in 1968.

However, the production and demand for Colombia's wholesale flowers has grown dramatically and rapidly. Exports in 2002 reached almost $673 million dollars. Colombia is the world's leader in carnation exports and second largest exporter of fresh cut flowers, while maintaining only 2% of the globe's total cultivated, cut flower land mass.

95% of Colombia's fresh cut flowers are destined for the export market. Flowers hold the number one position in Colombia's non-traditional export products category; a category that totals 46% of Colombia's export economy.

The workers within Colombia's flower industry represent the diverse population of the country:

• 65% of workers are female
• 30% have completed primary studies
• 22% have incomplete secondary studies
• 21.8% have completed secondary studies
• 57.4% of workers are between the ages of 30 and 49
• average length of tenure per worker is 5 years
• average life span of flower companies is 16 years
• 100% of workers receive Social Security coverage
• more than 13% of floral industry workers are union members (Colombia's national average is 5%)
• 45.5% of employees have a worker's fund (cooperative workers association)
• more than 24% have collective bargaining agreements

The primary areas of cultivation within Colombia include Sabana de Bogota with 85% of the country's production, followed by Rionegro, Antioquia with 12%.

Colombia's cut flower industry provides approximately 94,000 direct jobs and 80,000 indirect jobs within the economy.


Information courtesy of the Colombian Association for Flower Exporters

Make Your Own Wedding Boutonniere

A boutonniere worn on the jacket at any wedding or formal event adds a touch of elegance and reinforces the primary color theme of the event, as well as the participant's dresses and gowns. Follow these simple steps to create your own boutonniere for wedding, anniversary, prom and graduation events.

1. Select a flower to use for your boutonniere, considering appropriate color, style and availability from your fresh cut, wholesale florist. Small and midsize flowers like roses and carnations work best as boutonnieres.
2. Create a complete presentation for your boutonniere by using baby's breath and greenery.
3. Cut your flower's stem to a length of approximately 3 inches.
4. Place your greenery on a flat surface, add a small stem of baby's breath, and finally place your fresh cut flower on top. The greenery and baby's breath should be visible from the sides and not extend too far above the focal flower.
5. Wrap all of the stems together with green floral tape. You can also use floral wire to secure the stems together.
6. Tie a small bow with 1/4 inch silk or satin ribbon that coordinates with the wedding dress or the event's theme colors. Use the bow to conceal extra floral tape or wire if necessary.
7. Your fresh cut flower boutonniere will best maintain its beauty and elegance if kept in a cool and moist environment prior to use.

Calla Lily Wedding Bouquets and Centerpieces

Few fresh cut flowers offer the elegance and versatility of the calla lily. If you are designing your own wedding bouquets, centerpieces or arrangements the calla lily will provide all of the style, beauty and sophistication that you require.

The white calla lily is immediately recognized as the traditional wedding flower. For a simple, elegant and traditional bridal bouquet, tie ten to twelve white calla lilies stems together with floral tape approximately six inches below the bloom. Now, using ribbon that matches your wedding theme's color, cover the tape and tie a simple bow. Place the bouquet over your arm and cradle it in your the bend of your elbow. Your walk down the aisle will exude class and understated sophistication with this beautiful and simple to make calla lily wedding bouquet.

If you prefer more color variety in your wedding flower bouquet and arrangements consider using the mini calla. A slightly shorter cousin of the standard calla lily, the mini calla lily is often available in shades of peach, pink, yellow, and red depending on the season. The mini calla offers tremendous versatility in both color and dimension; be sure to include it in your next wedding centerpiece or fresh cut flower arrangement.

Place five white, standard length calla lilies in the palm of your hand. Arrange the flowers so the middle flower is the tallest and the others are slightly lower, forming an arrow shape. Next, add eight to ten mini callas of yellow, pink or red and continue to fill out the arrowhead shape. Gently close the palm of your hand to solidify the wedding bouquet's shape and secure with floral tape. Finish once again with the ribbon of your choice.

Calla lilies work wonderfully with other fresh cut flowers as well. Roses are a fantastic complimentary flower in a calla lily wedding bouquet or arrangement. Alternate roses and calla lilies while constructing your next posie, nosegay or wedding bouquet. The differences between the flowers' contours and shades of color will add depth and dimension to your wedding arrangement.

Once again, don't be afraid to experiment with color. Pink roses and white calla lilies create the soft, pastel atmosphere of fairy tales. Green roses and white calla lilies will announce your modern approach to design, fashion and style, while dark red roses and calla lilies create a dramatic eye-catching arrangement that is sure to impress your guests and compliment your wedding's theme at the same time.

Be sure to incorporate calla lilies into your table centerpieces as well. Mini callas are great for table arrangements because they do not force your guests to strain their necks over the towering designs that often block everyone's view. Plus, with the wide color selection available you are sure to find the perfect combination to for your event's theme and style.

Calla lilies have much to offer and deserve their place in your next wedding bouquet or fresh cut flower arrangement. With traditional style, undeniable elegance, and a variety of colors and sizes available, you can't go wrong using the calla lily as your focal flower in any wedding centerpiece, bridal bouquet or fresh flower arrangement.

staff@sunkingwholesale.com

Wedding Flower Considerations

Fresh cut flowers add a romantic and breathtaking backdrop to your wedding celebration. Throughout history they have been used for their fragrance, beauty of color, or even as symbols of purity and fertility.

Consider these important factors when selecting the variety, color and source of your fresh cut flowers for wedding bouquets, centerpieces, and church or reception decoration:

• Durability - Some flowers are more likely to succumb to the effects of strong, direct sunlight if exposed for several hours. If you are determined to use these flowers, use them in small doses where their beauty will not fade. For the remainder of your flowers, select those with staying power that will resist wilting and still look fresh as the last couple leaves the dance floor.
• Color - Let your personality and your wedding's theme guide your choice of flower colors. Pick colors that coordinate, contrast or blend, whichever your preference; pale pastels, brilliant jewel tones, deep and rich hued colors, or maybe the purity of white. Don't forget to the greenery, which adds a lush and full appearance to your arrangements without breaking the bank.
• Fragrance - Be sure to consider your flower's aroma before adding it to your arrangements. Strongly fragrant blooms such as gardenia, jasmine or freesia which are ideal for bouquets, may not work quite as well in dining table centerpieces. The strong aromas may overwhelm some guests, as well as trigger allergies.
  
• Availability - Plan on using wedding flowers that are in season to take advantage of freshness, logistics and cost savings. Plan ahead to manage your budget and avoid last minute suprises regarding availability.

Commonly used fresh cut wedding flowers and their meanings:

• Carnations - distinctions
• Lilies - purity and innocence
• Roses - love
• White Daisies - innocence

Wholesale Flowers Fact Sheet

Here are some of the latest statistics regarding the fresh cut, wholesale flower industry:

• Roses continue to be the single most popular fresh cut flower with consumers. Approximately 1.3 billion stems were purchased in 2005.
• Nearly 180 million stems of roses are bought in the USA just for Valentine's Day gift giving.
• For the 2004 twelve-month season, imported cut flowers and greens accounted for some 80% of the total U.S. supply.
• Consumers purchased an estimated $19.5 billion of floral items (including artificial blooms, potted plants, outdoor bedding/garden plants and related items) in 2005. Approximately half of that was spent on fresh cut flowers and greens.
• The nation's 22,753 retail florists averaged $290,000 per shop annual sales in 2005.
• There are some 23,000 supermarkets selling fresh cut flowers in the United States.
• Most flowers are purchased during four key holiday months: February, April, May and December. Besides holiday sales, flowers are typically purchased for gifts and remembrances.
• Women prefer flowers in softer pastel colors (pale pink and pale purple top the list), while men tend to choose flowers with bold primary colors, like red.
• According to the nation's florists, secretaries are the number one recipient of floral gifts in offices. Bosses, they say, are the least likely to receive a gift of fresh cut flowers.
• Most growers pre-cool boxed flowers prior to shipping to prevent heat build-up and premature decay.

Information courtesy of the California Cut Flower Commission

Flowers Beat Depression!

We fresh cut flower fanatics know that flowers bring happiness, and research confirms that correlation. Evolution Psychology published results of three recent Rutgers University studies:

1. FLOWERS BRING SMILES: Of 147 women of varying ages, those who received flowers smiled significantly more than those who received fruits and sweets or a candle.
   
2. A SINGLE BLOOM CREATES TALK: Another study took place in an elevator where a single flower was handed to a man or woman. Both women and men who were presented with a flower (rather than a pen, or nothing) were more likely to smile. They were more likely to stand at a social distance (rather than an impersonal one) and were more likely to begin conversation.
3. BOUQUETS BEAT DEPRESSION: Retirees, whose average age was 73, were asked to keep a diary of daily social interactions. Those who received bouquets were happier and perhaps less depressed than those who did not, and scored higher on memory tasks.

GardenSmart by Fran Sorin (USA Weekend, Jan 20-22, 2006 issue)

Color Wheel Makes Choosing Flowers Easy

When designing fresh cut flower bouquets and arrangements one of the first questions often asked is, "What color flowers should I use?"

Well, that depends on your goals and expectations. Are you imagining a dramatic display of stunning colors that grabs everyone's attention with its bold style and bright color? Or perhaps you had something more subtle in mind; soft pastels that add a touch of elegance while providing that final detail to your event's theme.

Using the artist's color wheel can prove to be a tremendous aid in your flower color selection process. Take a look at these examples to get you started on your next fresh cut flower project.



The monochromatic theme uses one color, with tints, shades and hues of the same color: Using various red and pink flowers together.





The analagous theme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel: Cobalt can work with blue-greens, greens, blue-violet and violet.





The complementary strategy utilizes colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel: Red flowers in a green vase result in a dramatic arrangement!




The triadic theory requires using three colors of the color wheel that are equal distance apart; a balanced and strong approach.




The color wheel has three primary colors: red, yellow and blue. These three colors are what make all other colors, and they cannot be created from any of the other colors.

Secondary colors are created when two primary colors are mixed together. The three secondary colors are orange, green and violet.

Intermediate colors are created when an adjoining primary color and secondary color are mixed. For example, red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet and red-violet.

Give the color wheel a spin while designing your next fresh-cut flower arrangement!

Carnations: Rich in History and Beauty

The carnation is a flowering plant that has been cultivated for the past 2,000 years. Originally its color was a pinkish hue, however many cultivars have been developed since, including reds, whites, yellows and even green.

Pink carnations have the most symbolic and historical significance. According to Christian legend, the Virgin Mary shed tears at Jesus' plight and carnations sprang up from where her tears fell. Thus, the pink carnation became the symbol of a mother's undying love and in 1907 was chosen by Ann Jarvis as the emblem of Mother's Day.

A red carnation may be worn if one's mother is alive, and a white one if she has passed.

Carnations are also worn on special occassions and at weddings. They were known as "Jove's Flower" in ancient Rome as a tribute to one of their beloved gods. In Korea, a young girl places three carnations in her hair to tell her fortune. If the top flower dies first, her last years of life will be difficult; if it is the middle flower, her earlier years will bring the most grief. Worst of all, if the bottom flower dies first, the poor girl will be miserable her entire life.

For the most part, carnations express love, fascination and distinction. Light red carnations express admiration, while dark red denotes deep love and affection. White carnations indicate pure love and good luck, while striped carnations symbolize regret that a love cannot be shared.

Send someone a special gift of carnations today!