Care & Handling Resources, Guides, and Research for Cut Flowers

When the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers recently announced their Cut Flowers of the Year, the Endowment asked Dr. John Dole from NC State University to provide information on the handling of each crop. AFE has been supporting the important research at NC State for decades and is funding a new two-year project on long-term storage of cut flowers beginning in July. Care & Handling for Cut FlowersFresh Cut Flower of the Year:  Hellebore Ice N’ Roses series.  Interest in hellebores as cut flowers has steadily increased over the years, fueled by their durability and new genetics that feature outward-facing flowers in many colors and color combinations. Flowers can be harvested over a long period – interestingly, the older flowers last…

Applications Open for AFE’s Educational Grants

Call for Applications!AFE is now accepting applications for2021 Educational Grants.The application deadline is June 1.APPLY NOWAFE has opened applications for their 2021-2022 educational grants. The deadline for submission is June 1st, 2021. AFE’s educational grants help fund programs that are wide-reaching educational endeavors that solve industry needs and challenges and focus on education and/or attracting young people to the industry.AFE welcomes applications from industry organizations and universities that host local to national industry-wide events, student events, and even virtual learning opportunities. AFE’s educational grant funding provides financial assistance to support educational opportunities of all kinds. The Endowment is committed to providing funding for a variety of resources empowering everyone to invest in their continued education.Over the last 60 years, the Endowment funded over $1.6 million in educational…

Collaborative Sponsorships Fund New Houseplant Consumer Study!

Five major industry contributors, including the Floral Marketing Fund, Altman Plants, Costa Farms, Green Circle Growers, Hortica, and Metrolina Greenhouses have come together in collaboration to fund an exciting new research project. The study, “Houseplants Consumer Preference and Purchasing Behaviors,” is led by researchers, Hayk Khachatryan and Melinda Knuth at the University of Florida and Charlie Hall at Texas A&M University.Houseplant purchases have been on the rise for the past decade, a trend that further escalated sales throughout 2020 due in part to COVID-19. Industry experts hypothesize that because people are home more, they are engaging in more plant-related activities, but current predictions still lack empirical evidence on the driving factors of consumer usage, and many questions remain unanswered. The study intends to provide an in-depth…

Mother’s Day is Approaching – 10 QUICK TIPS for Success!

As the old Chinese proverb goes, “There’s only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.” As we hop out of Easter, we have another great opportunity for a mother lode of sales and profits before the Fall season-Mother’s Day 2021. With effective ordering, merchandising, and salesmanship through this year’s pandemic, each business will be able to hold court as the “prettiest child” among some of the best marketers in the country. The good news is that public demand for plants and flowers is at an all-time high!  But without a doubt, we have new challenges that are hitting us from all sides: product availability, higher costs, labor shortages, and building new touch-free strategies that make customers feel safe…

Ready-to-Use Flower Promotion Graphics

Download any FREE flower graphics below to use on your personal or business social media. To download, please click an image and then right click/hold and save your desktop or phone. These are sized to fit social. Flower Positivity That Flower Feeling That Flower Feeling is a cooperative effort and campaign to get more Americans enjoying more flowers, more often. This movement provides the industry with free promotional materials including videos, flower graphics, and language to help spread the effortless, positive impact of flowers. Visit ThatFlowerFeeling.org to read more and request materials. “Self care has become a lot of work. Flowers on the other hand are self care made easy. They won’t replace working out or eating well. But they’re a spiritual tune-up.…

Preparing for Valentine’s Week 2021

How Do I Love Thee? Let’s Me Count the Dollars!Indeed, we’re all reciting love sonnets to the success of Valentine’s Week 2021, as 2020 has dulled so many financial arrows! In 2020, Valentine’s Day fell on a Friday, and in 2021, Valentine’s Day will move to the end of a weekend – SUNDAY! Yikes!  In the retail floral business, this is equal to kissing a frog!But Cupid’s not the only one with arrows in his quiver! How do we hit our financial bull’s eye and convert the pigeons of discontent into the bluebirds of happiness? With the Valentine’s holiday holding court as the first- or second-largest sales week of the year, and generating 30 percent to 40 percent of the…

AFE’s Awarded Educational Grants for 2020

The American Floral Endowment is pleased to announce that 16 organizations will receive funding through our 2020-2021 Educational Grants.  This year’s list includes 5 new programs in addition to continued funding for 11 ongoing programs. The funding will support educational training, conference program support, and industry resources for floral industry members, students, and faculty.Through AFE’s Educational Grants programs, organizations, universities, or industry groups can apply for grant funding or sponsorships from the Endowment. Every organization that AFE supports provides an important resource or program that is vital to the advancement and success of the floral industry.The Annual Educational Grants prioritize programs that are wide-reaching and those that aim to bring young professionals to our industry. Weight is also placed on…

What’s in “Store” for the 2020 Holiday Season?

Will It Be Naughty or Nice?On Dasher, On Dancer, On Master and Visa! Without doubt, the 2020 holiday season will be one for the record books — either good, bad or somewhere in the middle!  The timeline of Christmas selling continues to evolve, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday compelling many retailers to be “first out” with the holiday. As a result, the transition time between Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas has become shorter and shorter each year as we compete with the efficiency of the 24/7 online “clicks” to buy floral products and other gifting items.  In addition, the convenience of same-day, next day, and free delivery options has raised the bar of service expectations in the eyes of today’s…

Determining Consumer Preferences for Floral Designs Elements

Floral designers have long been taught that the most important attributes of a floral design are the elements of line, color, texture, pattern, form, space, and size. Yet, little formal research has been conducted to determine which of these design elements are truly important to consumers and drive their purchasing behavior. This project, co-funded by the Floral Marketing Research Fund and PMA, seeks to answer this overarching question and thereby enhance the likelihood of floral purchases in the future.We know from experience that people tend to “buy with the eye” when purchasing flowers (and produce). Therefore, we are using eye-tracking technology to obtain the “eye view” of consumers when viewing the elements of a floral design while shopping. The study…

Small Beginnings Can Achieve Big Rewards

Giving Back Through AFE’s Legacy CircleShirley Lyons, AAF, PCFI, recalls that during her tenure as president of the Society of American Florists, other retail florists would sometimes approach her shyly at industry events.“We’re just a little store,” they would start out by saying.“I’m just a florist like you,” Lyons would reply. “I wear an apron every day.”And if those florists could see pictures of the very first storefront occupied by her shop, Dandelions Flowers & Gifts, back in 1974, they would have a good laugh, she adds. It was all of 250 square feet. Today, it is the biggest flower shop in its market area.While Lyons retired and sold the business in April 2018, she remains proud of that success—and…

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