Mother’s Day: Flower prices to remain high amid tariff laws
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California: Mother’s Day is set to be celebrated this coming Sunday (May 11). Most people like to give gifts to their mothers. However, the prices of flowers are likely to be higher this year compared to last year. The United States has to import most of its flowers, but this year the situation is different due to tariffs, and flowers are not coming in bulk.
"Everybody loves Mother's Day," said Claussen's Florist co-owner Chris Conant. "It's a great time — the start of our growing season here in Vermont." Conant further added they have people from all over Vermont and neighboring states coming in to find the perfect Mother’s Day flowers. "We grow 35,000 hanging baskets for spring," said Conant. "We'll sell almost 10,000 hanging baskets this week alone."
The demand for flowers remains high on Mother’s Day every year. The huge demand can’t be fulfilled without imports from other nations. However, flower exports have gone down this year due to tariffs imposed by the USA. Several nations are not able to send flowers freely.
"We import cuttings from all over the world. In the early part of the winter — January, February, March — we're bringing in cuttings from multiple countries," Conant said. "Those go into our pots, and then we grow those plants."
"We pay closer attention to that and try to find the right time to buy," said Conant. "I think the tariff equation is going to have an impact next year, not so much this year because we buy so early."
