Local farmers tap into growing demand for fresh-cut blooms

When warmer weather returns, people will start heading back to outdoor farmers’ markets. In addition to fresh meat and produce, bright, colorful cut flowers bundled in bouquets or available for custom arrangements are becoming an eye‑catching addition to the market experience.

As interest in cut flowers grows, farmers and wholesalers are looking to add blooms to their operations or improve the existing systems. During the recent “From Food to Flowers: Everything Local Conference” in Springfield, experts shared how taking sustainable steps over time has helped them better approach farmers’ markets or other cut flower expansion opportunities.

Karen Peditto of Historic Wagner Farms in Glenview said it’s important to start small when adding cut flowers to a farm, rather than trying to add an entire enterprise overnight. “You need to start where you are. You need to grow for your market, and you need to build intentionally,” she said.

Most farmers need to start with selecting hardy, dependable blooms like zinnias, sunflowers and marigolds. Peditto said adding a mix of flowers matters too, since growers also need fillers and foliage to build marketable bouquets.