Lilies in the Field of Science

Growing flowers is not just an art, but a science. It takes skill and planning to produce lilies that peak at Easter and red roses that arrive just in time for Valentine’s Day.

“Timing is crucial in ornamental flowers,” said Karen Robb, commercial flower and nursery farm adviser in San Diego County. “You can’t give away a bronze mum the day after Thanksgiving. Farming flowers is very difficult. If your strawberry crop is two weeks late, you may not get as much money for it. But if your flowers are the wrong color for the wrong season, you end up dumping them.”

Growers plant bronze and gold chrysanthemums in the summer for the Thanksgiving season, white mums in the fall for Christmas, and pink and yellow blooms for the spring holidays like Easter, Secretary’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Mickey Ivicevic of Mickey’s Flowers in Encinitas grows roses in his greenhouses all year long. “I pick roses twice a day, every day,” Ivicevic said. “I pick the same amount, but prices vary. In January, February and March, prices are higher, especially on Valentine’s Day. Around Mother’s Day, there are a lot of roses, so the price gets cheaper.”

Wax flowers, used in place of the previously more popular gypsophilia to augment bouquets, are grown from January to Mother’s Day in North County, Ivicevic said.

Growers used to have more seasonal flowers, but many farmers plant a wide range of flowers all year long to stay market-competitive, says Dave Pruitt. Although his main crops are roses and chrysanthemums, he grows Oriental lilies, irises, gladiolus, larkspur and Queen Anne’s lace, among other blooms, at his Leucadia-based Sea Coast Greenhouses.

Most greenhouse crops take nine to 11 weeks to mature, said Bruce Hall, president of the San Diego County Flower & Plant Growers Assn., although some can take as long as 14 weeks.

Since field-flower production depends on the weather, it is more difficult to predict peak seasons.

So are Julian’s commercially grown lilacs, which can bloom anytime between March and May, although they usually peak in April.