Kentucky grown cut flowers are being celebrated this July in a month-long promotional event organized by the Kentucky Horticulture Council and the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. Each day, cut flower growers across the state will be featured on KHC’s social media channels highlighting where customers can find locally-grown flowers on farms, at farmers markets, pop-up shops, through community supported agriculture subscriptions, and other outlets.
“I’m glad that we have designated July as the month for celebrating specialty cut flower production in Kentucky and spotlighting growers producing these magnificent blooms” said Kristin Hildabrand, Warren County horticulture extension agent. “Kentucky cut flower growers offer a wide variety of unique plant material from fresh to dried in the form of buds, flowers, stems, colorful budding branches, seed heads, and stalks throughout the different growing seasons. There is always room on your table to have fresh, locally grown flowers!”
Most – about 80% – of cut flowers are imported for US markets, yet Kentucky farm conditions are well-suited for high-quality commercial production. The commonwealth is home to well over 125 commercial cut flower operations. The number of farmer-florists continues to increase each year, with a 20% increase in just the last year.
“Selling through local retail and wholesale markets can be profitable for small to large scale Kentucky cut flower growers,” said Cindy Finneseth, KHC executive director. “We continue to see high demand for locally-grown products in both urban and rural areas and our flower farms are growing high quality, diverse products to meet that demand.”
“It has been great to see the growth that cut flowers have had in the recent years among Kentucky’s horticulture industry. No longer are we seeing just a few zinnias at a farmer’s market booth, but an increase in commercial farms, solely dedicated to producing cut flowers and making a living doing it,” said Alexis Sheffield, Boyle County horticulture extension agent. “Kentucky is home to some large-scale farms that exemplify the diversity of agriculture across the state.”
To help customers find Kentucky operations, the Kentucky Horticulture Council and UK horticulture agents have partnered with UK’s Center for Crop Diversification to produce an interactive, online map at https://uk-horticulture.github.io/KY-Cut-Flowers/.
“We invite all Kentuckians to explore the many local cut flower growers in their area to see what services they offer and to find ways to purchase locally-grown floral products when celebrating future events, programs, graduation, parties, and weddings,” added Hildabrand.
To follow the cut flower month promotional activities, visit Facebook (@KYHortCouncil), Instagram (@KYHorticulture) or Twitter (@KYHorticulture).
For more information about the monthly activities, please contact:
Kristin Hildabrand, kristin.goodin@uky.edu, Alexis Sheffield, alexis.amorese@uky.edu, or Cindy Finneseth, cindy@kyhortcouncil.org.