Overview

Floriculture includes crops such as bedding and garden plants, foliage plants, potted flowering plants, cut flowers, cut cultivated greens and floriculture materials.

The wholesale value of all floriculture crops rose slightly in 2012, reaching $4.1 billion for growers in the top 15 states of California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Washington (NASS 2013).

California continued to be the leading state, with floriculture crops valued at $985 million, down 3 percent from 2011. Florida, the next largest producer, also declined 3 percent, with the floriculture crop falling to $812 million in wholesale value. These two states accounted for 44 percent of the 15-state total value. Michigan, Texas and North Carolina rounded out the top five states in terms of the wholesale value of floriculture crops.  (NASS 2013)  May 2013 ... Floriculture

Marketing

• Assessment of Product Development and Market Opportunities in Michigan’s Floriculture Sector, Michigan State University, 2008 - This AgMRC-funded study was conducted to assist Michigan entrepreneurs in the identification of floriculture product lines, markets and services with high profit potentials. During the study, the structure of the floriculture industry was examined to identify major production and consumption trends as well as the key market drivers, new product introductions and market channels. The authors conclude that growers who introduce new products meeting the needs of their direct and wholesale markets will likely increase the sales of their floriculture products.
• Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers - This site lists resources, publications, flower guides, conferences, etc. of interest to flower producers.
• California Cut Flower Commission
• Census of Horticultural Specialties (2009), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), USDA, 2010 - The census provides the only comprehensive, detailed data on U.S. floriculture, nursery and specialty crop production at the national and state levels. It provides such information as the number and types of establishments, value of sales, varieties of products and cut Christmas trees sold.
• Edible Flowers, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), NCAT, 2004 - Used to complement existing flower operations. Gives guidelines on growing and marketing edible flowers.
• Floriculture Crops, 2012 Summary, NASS, USDA, April 2013 - This report is based on all known growers of floriculture crops in 15 states with $10,000 or more in annual gross value sales (both retail and wholesale) of fresh cut flowers, potted flowering plants, foliage plants, annual bedding and garden plants, herbaceous perennials, cut cultivated florist greens, propagative floriculture material and/or unfinished plants.
• Floriculture Information Center, North Carolina State University - Specific flower and crop information, as well as research reports, software, disease and pest information and more.
• Society of American Florists
• Statistical Marketing Research, American Floral Endowment - Numbers on floral production and marketing.
• Wholesale Cut Flower Price Reports, Ag Marketing Service, USDA - Under Browse by Commodity, select Ornamentals.
• Woody Ornamentals for Cut Flower Growers, ATTRA, NCAT, 2002 - This publication discusses how cut flower growers can extend the growing season and fill arrangements with ornamentals - marketing their flowers in a different arrangement.

Production

• 2013-2014 New England Greenhouse Floriculture Guide, New England State Universities - This publication includes current recommendations for nonchemical and chemical management of greenhouse insects, mites, diseases, weeds and algae, plus recommendations for using plant growth regulators.
• 2012 Cornell Guide for the Integrated Management of Greenhouse Floral Crops, Cornell University
  Cooperative Extension, 2011.
• Assessing the Market Potential of Specialty Forest Products in Local Food Systems, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, 2005 - This project evaluated the interest in and obstacles to the production and marketing of non-timber specialty forest products.
• Commercial Horticulture Fact Sheets - Cut Flowers, University of Maryland Cooperative Extension - This site lists fact sheets for individual flowers, including sunflowers, lillies, celosia, yarrow, purple coneflower, anemone and larkspur.
• Economic Contributions of the California Nursery Industry, Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics, Information Series No. 04-1, University of California, 2004.
• Floriculture, Integrated Pest Management guidelines, University of California, Davis.
• Floriculture, University of Massachusetts - Information on business management, greenhouse management, pest control and specific crop information.
• Floriculture at Michigan State University - In 2012 Michigan ranked third in floriculture production output behind California and Florida.
• Floriculture and Ornamentals Education and Extension at Purdue University, 2012.
• Floriculture Program, Ohio State University.
• Florifacts, Floriculture and Nursery Production, University of Minnesota.
• Getting Started in the Production of Field-Grown Cut Flowers, Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2002.
• Greenhouse Costs of Production Budgets, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service. 
• Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture Program, University of Massachusetts.
• Greenhouse Production, West Virginia University Extension Service - This fact sheet explains the steps to follow and the decisions to make before starting a greenhouse business.
• PlantFacts, Ohio State University - This Web site provides a full-text search engine of all extension and academic department information from all land-grant universities in the United States. Additionally, there are significant image and video databases, a FAQ database and a glossary.
• Floriculture, Purdue University Extension - Includes perennial, bedding plant, potted flowering and cut flower guide sheets, as well as greenhouse management guide sheets.
• Specialty Cut Flower Production and Marketing, ATTRA, NCAT, 2006 - This site covers production basics, harvest and post-harvest handling and several marketing channels for specialty cut flowers.

Processing/Manufacturing

• Agricultural Permits – Cut Flowers, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA - Importers of cut flowers are no longer required to have permits.
• Field Production of Cut Flowers: Potential Crops, Virginia Cooperative Extension -This chart lists common cut flowers and post-harvest treatments for each.  

Businesses/Case Studies

• American Daylily and Perennials, Kansas City, Missouri - This operation produces daylilies and other perennials.
• Baker's Acres, Groton, New York - This operation began in 1980 as a modest, family business but today is one of the largest herb and perennial growers in Central New York. This 75-acre farm features more than 1,000 varieties of perennials and 250 varieties of herbs.
• Dickman Farms, Auburn, New York - This fourth-generation family business is a 365,000-square foot modern greenhouse facility. It provides finished plant product to more than 80 independent garden centers in the Northeast and operates an upscale retail garden center.
• Dried Flowers Direct, Penn Yan, New York - Located in western New York, this operation’s site contains resources for those wishing to market dried flowers.
• Flowers, The New American Farmer, SARE, NIFA, USDA - Describes five flower-growing operations located throughout the United States.
• Nixon Flower Farm, Jacksonville, Arkansas - This farm will rent their gardens, house and even the entire farm for weddings and parties. The 200-acre fourth-generation farm is located about 15 miles north of downtown Little Rock.
• Oberle Botanical, Fort Collins, Colorado - Run by Matt and Sue Oberle, this diversified operation blends a variety of horticulture ventures with a commitment to keeping things local and using sustainable agriculture methods.
• The Sunflower Farm, Cincinnati, Ohio - This farm, a division of Turpin Farms, offers cut sunflowers shipped anywhere in the United States.
• White Flower Farm, Litchfield, Connecticut - This local nursery also has an extensive presence on the Internet.
• Woodburn Nursery and Azaleas, Portland, Oregon - This family-run business is one of the country's leading azalea growers. Outside the greenhouses, Woodburn produces 250 acres of ornamental nursery stock. 

Links checked January 2013.