With spring celebrations a bit of a wash due to COVID-19, it’s a good time to start looking ahead to what summer has to bring. While we’re still uncertain of how the pandemic will come to an end, planning for the future is a great way to be proactive in your business and can also get your mind off of the madness we’re living through currently.
There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everything. The largest flower market on the west coast is permanently shut down for thirty days, at which point they will revisit and make another decision. There is no guarantee when this will open again, so as florists, we are looking to our local growers for help in this area.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Photography
Of course, there’s also the fact that people are being forced to postpone their events to a later date and, in many cases, this means planning for a whole other season. Those darling spring sweetpeas just won’t have the same effect in October.
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With all of that to consider, it’s clear that this year’s floral trends will revolve around what is accessible and available within our markets. This likely means that we’ll see unique trends popping up across the country as local blooms steal the spotlight this summer, fall, and beyond.
Types of Flowers
For California, locally-grown Hydrangeas, Belladonna Delphinium, and Cornflower will star in many arrangements. It’s actually pretty fitting, considering our locally-grown flowers come in many shades of blue, which lends itself to the Pantone Color of the Year. We expect to see all of these beautiful blues paired with white Spirea, Sterling Range, and soft, pale yellow Stock to add depth in an earthy, organic fashion.
Photo courtesy Misty Dameron Photography.
Take a moment to connect with your local florists to see what they’re expecting for the seasons that lie ahead. This knowledge will be invaluable as you work with clients to navigate postponed events, in addition to newly-booked events.
Types of Arrangements
We expect that the majority of the installations we’ll be working on will be smaller and more personable. If anything, this pandemic experience is teaching us to seek humanity and learn to simplify where possible. This mindset will carry out far beyond the day restaurants reopen and people start going back to work.
Huge productions are lavish and luxurious, but the post-COVID world will not be ready for that level of extravagance — especially if a recession is coming, as experts have predicted. Expect more moderation and restraint from clients as they look to avoid waste in any way possible.
As of this writing, all floral is limited to local suppliers. This means that we’ll have to get creative to bring our clients’ visions to life. Clients will be looking to us as experts now more than ever, so we need to show up and do our best with what’s available. Unfortunately, not everything will be possible; two months ago, the world was our oyster but now we are working with limited access to resources. Some things will be out of our hands, so we must be prepared to discuss options with our clients and present the next-best-thing. Earning a client’s trust and respect in times of crisis is the best possible thing you can do for yourself, your clients, and your business.
