April showers bring May flowers. The old saying is true again this year even though a cool and wetter than normal spring has caused some late blooming. From tulips to irises, Oregon owes much of its color to floriculture. Sunny days have been limited, yet there have been the usual blossoms and blooming sales of flowering plants from Oregon growers. Cut flowers, potted flowering plants, and bedding plants are visible elements of Oregon's $667 million nursery industry. All it takes is a drive down I-5 to see the splendor.
"Freeway travelers can begin to see the diversity of Oregon floriculture this time of year," says Gary McAninch, supervisor of the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Nursery and Christmas Tree Programs. "Tulips and daffodils have already been in bloom. Irises are now into bloom. A little later in the summer the dahlias will be out. Many of these flowers seem to have an associated festival. It's great for the family to come out and enjoy the colors along with other activities."
The US Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released its annual floriculture survey. Nationally, the 2010 wholesale value of floriculture crops increased three percent to an estimated $4.13 billion. California accounts for about 24 percent of the nation's production followed by Florida, Michigan, Texas, and North Carolina. California and Florida combine to produce nearly half of the US floriculture production. Oregon ranks 11th in the nation in value of floriculture, with 250 growers responsible for about $137 million in wholesale value- a slight increase from 2009. The statistics show bedding and garden plants with a wholesale value of $82 million, potted flowering plants at $18 million, propagative materials, such as bulbs, at $12 million, and cut flowers at $10 million.
Floriculture may be a small slice of Oregon's number one agricultural commodity, but producers of these flowering plants have demonstrated excellent skills in delivering a specialty product.
"Floriculture generates quite a bit of money for several Oregon businesses," says McAninch.
People have already enjoyed some of the state's floricultural bounty, and there is more to come.
Easter would have a different look without Oregon. Easter lilies are raised in greenhouses and sold at retail outlets throughout North America, but virtually all of the bulbs that give rise to the lovely white flowers come from Curry County on the south coast and its California neighbor, Del Norte County.
Many Oregon growers welcome the public to experience the annual rite of spring flowers. Earlier this month, the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm- located just outside Woodburn- held its 26th annual Tulip Fest. The popular celebration attracts up to 150,000 visitors each year. Traffic jams are common along the country road as motorists gaze at the colorful fields of tulips and daffodils. Flowers picked from the field are sold on the farm, but most sales come from bulb orders by people have visited the festival.
Up next are the blooming iris fields of Marion County. Among the popular public attractions is Schreiner's Iris Gardens north of Keizer- a long-time family farm that offers tours and public viewing areas. Schreiner's has marketed the iris bloom by adding a plant sale, flower show, picnic facilities, and gift shop. The company's tall bearded iris has won numerous national and international awards.
Oregon sold 90,000 iris stems in 2010 with a wholesale value of $27,000. That's just a drop in the bucket compared to California's $11.8 million iris industry, but still enough to please local customers and flower enthusiasts.
Later in the year as the holiday season approaches, Oregon-grown poinsettias will be on display. Oregon has 18 producers of poinsettias who sold 702,000 pots in 2010 resulting in nearly $3.1 million in sales. Both production and sales figures have increased over the past couple of years.
Add the production of brightly-hued hanging baskets and bedding plants like begonias, geraniums, impatiens, marigolds, pansies, and petunias- it all adds up to the color of money for many Oregon growers.
The annual Rose Festival begins in earnest this week. Portland is known as the City of Roses, even though the number of commercial rose producers in the metropolitan area has dropped over the years. The NASS survey does not include statistical information for Oregon's rose production.
Then there is the relatively quiet, behind-the-scenes production of Oregon floriculture that ends up at retail outlets and ultimately in a person's home or garden. Several producers in the Willamette Valley provide indoor flowering plants to home and garden centers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Part of the lifestyle for many people is the use of flowers and plants in their homes and gardens. Still floriculture is like agriculture in general- it is now competing in a world market. Shipping costs are the main consideration.
Flower sales nationwide are starting to pick up once again following the nation's economic downturn. Oregon follows that national trend as the recession eases.
Oregon is ahead of the pack for certain types of flowering plants, leading the nation in production of potted florist azaleas. Five Oregon producers last year sold more than 3 million pots resulting in $13.6 million in sales. The numbers have dropped over the past couple of years but Oregon still produces more than half of the nation's florist azaleas.
"For us, the azaleas are big business because we can ship them throughout the country and Canada," says Tom Fessler of Woodburn Nursery and Azalea, Inc. "Many other types of flowering potted plants can only be shipped within a 500 mile radius. Our product ends up in grocery chain stores and wholesale florists. Other greenhouse operations throughout North America buy it, bloom it, and sell it locally."
Perhaps the best showcase for local floriculture continues to be the Oregon Garden in Silverton. In one location, visitors can see a wide variety of flowers and other nursery products in resplendent display. While the garden is open year around, the next several weeks could be a wonderful time to stop and smell the flowers.
For more information, contact Bruce Pokarney at (503) 986-4559.
Source: Oregon Department of Agriculture