Month: March 2026

A bouquet feels simple.

But the journey behind it is anything but.

Most of us don’t think twice about where our flowers come from. We pick up a bouquet at the grocery store or send one to a friend, assuming it’s fresh, seasonal, maybe even local.

But the truth is—most flowers have traveled farther than we have.

Where most flowers really come from

Today, about 75–80% of cut flowers sold in the United States are imported.

The majority come from countries like:

• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Kenya
• Ethiopia
• The Netherlands

Colombia alone is the largest supplier to the U.S., exporting billions of stems each year.

These regions are chosen for year-round growing conditions and lower production costs—but they are often thousands of miles away from the person eventually holding the bouquet.

The miles (and stops) along the way

Before a bouquet reaches your hands, it typically travels 1,500 to over 4,000 miles—and sometimes more than 5,000 miles.

And it’s not a direct journey.

A single stem might:

1. Be harvested on a large-scale farm
2. Placed into refrigeration immediately
3. Packed into boxes and transported to an airport
4. Flown (in refrigerated cargo) to a hub—often Miami
5. Sent to a wholesaler
6. Distributed to a florist or grocery store
7. Finally arranged and sold

At every step, temperature and timing are tightly controlled—because the clock is already ticking on vase life.

The role of chemicals

To survive this long journey, flowers are often treated with chemicals at multiple stages.

Large-scale cut flower production can involve:

• Pesticides and fungicides during growing
• Chemical preservatives after harvest
• Treatments to slow blooming and extend shelf life

Unlike food, flowers are not subject to the same pesticide residue regulations, and studies have found measurable residues on imported stems.

These treatments help flowers look perfect after days (or weeks) in transit—but they’re also part of what makes the supply chain so intensive.

The climate cost of a bouquet

Flowers are perishable. That means speed—and refrigeration—are essential.

Most imported flowers travel via:

• Refrigerated airplanes
• Refrigerated trucks
• Climate-controlled storage facilities

This combination creates a significant environmental footprint.

Because of long-distance transport and cold storage, a single bouquet can carry a surprisingly high carbon cost—especially when flown thousands of miles for a product that may last only a week or two.

So what’s the alternative?

There’s nothing wrong with loving flowers.
(If anything, we need more of that.)

But there is another way.

Local flowers:

• Travel a fraction of the distance
• Are often grown with fewer chemicals
• Last longer because they’re fresher
• Reflect the season and place they were grown
• Connect you directly to a person—not a supply chain

A small shift with a big impact

The next time you buy flowers, it’s worth asking a simple question:

Where did these come from?

Because behind every bouquet is a story.

And when you choose local, it becomes a much shorter—and much more meaningful—one.

Shop flowers from local growers here

16 bouquets. Daily matchups. One winner.

March Madness is not just for basketball.

This year, we are bringing that same energy to something we love: locally grown flowers.

We have selected 16 of our favorite bouquets created by Local Blooms growers last season and placed them into a bracket. Over the next two weeks, our community will help decide which arrangement comes out on top.

Along the way, you will discover just how beautiful, diverse, and creative local flowers can be.

What Is Bouquet Madness?

Bouquet Madness is a bracket-style competition featuring real bouquets grown and designed by Local Blooms growers.

Each arrangement reflects the beauty of seasonal flowers, the creativity of local growers, and the uniqueness that comes from flowers grown close to home.

These are not imported flowers traveling thousands of miles. They are flowers grown with care, harvested at peak freshness, and designed by small growers in communities across the country.

How It Works

Step 1: Meet the contenders
We are introducing all 16 bouquets on Instagram so you can get to know each one.

Step 2: Submit your prediction
Before voting begins, choose the bouquet you think will win it all. You will find the link to submit your bracket in our Instagram stories.

Step 3: Vote daily
Starting March 29, we will post daily matchups in Instagram stories. Vote for your favorite bouquet in each round to help it advance.

Key Dates

Bracket predictions open: March 24 through March 28
Daily voting: March 29 through April 6
Winner announced: After the championship round

Prizes

For participants:
Anyone who correctly predicts the winning bouquet will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Local Blooms gift card.

For growers:
The grower who created the winning bouquet will receive a free Pro Membership, a $150 value.

Why We’re Doing This

Most flowers purchased in the United States are imported.

They travel long distances, are often treated with chemicals, and are selected for durability rather than beauty, scent, or uniqueness.

Local flowers are different.

They are fresher, more seasonal, often more unique, and grown with care by people in your community.

Bouquet Madness is a simple and fun way to highlight the work of local growers, celebrate the diversity of locally grown flowers, and help more people discover a different way to buy and send flowers.

How To Participate

Head over to Instagram and follow us at @localbloomsonline.

There you can:

• View all 16 bouquets
• Submit your bracket prediction
• Vote in daily matchups

A Kinder Way To Buy And Send Flowers

At Local Blooms, we believe flowers can be more than a transaction.

They can support small growers, strengthen local economies, and bring more beauty and connection into everyday life.

Bouquet Madness is one small way to celebrate that.

Join Us

Take a few minutes to look through the contenders, choose your favorite, and submit your prediction.

You might win free flowers, and along the way, you will help shine a light on the growers behind them.

Flowers have a way of bringing joy into everyday life. A bouquet on the kitchen table, a handful of blooms shared with a friend, flowers at a celebration or marking an important moment.

But most people don’t realize that the flowers we buy in grocery stores and traditional flower shops have often traveled thousands of miles before they reach us.

Over the past several decades, the U.S. flower industry has shifted dramatically. Today, the vast majority of flowers sold in the United States are imported from countries in South America and overseas. They’re grown in massive farms, harvested early, packed tightly into boxes, and flown long distances before they arrive here.

By the time they reach your home, those flowers may be more than a week old.

There’s another way.

The Beauty of Local Flowers

Local flowers are grown closer to home — often right in your own community.

They’re harvested at peak freshness, not days before they bloom. They don’t travel thousands of miles in refrigerated trucks and cargo planes. And they often include varieties you won’t find in conventional floral supply chains.

Many of the most beautiful flowers simply don’t ship well.

Delicate blooms like sweet peas, anemones, poppies, and dahlias are incredibly fragile. They bruise easily and have shorter vase lives if they’re harvested too early for shipping. Because of this, they’re rarely available through traditional flower distribution.

But they thrive when grown locally.

When you buy local flowers, you get blooms that are fresher, more seasonal, and often more unique than what you see in most stores.

Supporting Small Growers and Backyard Gardens

One of the most exciting parts of the local flower movement is that it isn’t just made up of large farms.

Across the country, thousands of people are growing flowers in backyard gardens, small plots of land, and micro farms. Many started growing flowers simply because they love them.

Some sell a few bouquets each week at a farm stand. Others grow for their community or local events. Some are just beginning to explore the idea of sharing their flowers with others.

These growers are part of something bigger — a growing movement to bring flowers back to local communities.

Flowers That Reflect the Seasons

Just like fruits and vegetables, flowers have natural seasons.

Spring brings daffodils, tulips, and ranunculus.
Summer is full of zinnias, sunflowers, and cosmos.
Late summer and fall bring dahlias, marigolds, and chrysanthemums.

When flowers are grown locally, the bouquets we bring into our homes begin to reflect the rhythms of the seasons. Each time of year offers something new and beautiful.

Buying seasonal flowers reconnects us with nature in a small but meaningful way.

Why I Started Local Blooms

Local Blooms began with a simple idea: what if it were easier to find and buy flowers grown right in your community?

Many talented growers don’t have websites or traditional retail channels. At the same time, customers who want to buy local flowers often don’t know where to find them.

Local Blooms was created to help connect the two.

Our platform allows small-scale flower growers and backyard gardeners to offer their flowers locally, while making it easy for customers to discover fresh, seasonal blooms grown nearby.

It’s a small shift in how we buy flowers — but it has the potential to create meaningful change.

A Different Way to Buy Flowers

When you choose local flowers, you’re doing more than buying a bouquet.

You’re supporting small growers in your community.
You’re reducing the distance flowers travel.
You’re helping bring more beauty and biodiversity into local landscapes.

And you’re becoming part of a movement that’s changing the way people buy flowers.

At Local Blooms, we believe flowers should be fresh, seasonal, and connected to the communities where they’re grown.

Because some of the most beautiful flowers in the world might be growing just down the street.

Find Local Flowers Near You

Browse flowers grown by local growers in your area at Local Blooms