Flower Power Rears Its Lovely Head

The 6:30 a.m. bell sounds the start of the Carlsbad auction. Bidders sit up expectantly on bleacher seats, equipped with buzzers. A video screen displays each item, quantity and minimum price. It’s not beef or barley up for bid, but blooms--freshly cut flowers grown in North County.

Begun two years ago, the San Diego Flower & Plant Auction caters to retailers, full-service florists and flower stand operators. To be auctioned here, the flowers must be locally grown.

Although the auction, where roses can sell for from 15 cents to $1.35 per stem, is not open to the public, it is how flowers get from the growers to the people who just want to smell the roses, daisies and ranunculus.

North County’s cut-flower industry has been supplying the world over for some time, but these days it is increasingly putting fresh flowers in the hands of area residents.

Establishing a local auction house was one big step in that direction. The proliferation of small flower stands is another. So is the increased acreage being committed to growing more and different kinds of flowers.

The bottom line is that these changes and others have made it more affordable and more convenient for those who live amid the vast fields of flowers grown in North County to fill their homes with fresh blooms.

Florist Renata Engert of Del Mar Floral on Camino del Mar is among those who sees attitudes toward flowers evolving here. “In Europe, flower buying is way ahead of the United States,” said Engert, who grew up in Germany. “At least once or twice a week, people buy fresh flowers. It’s just a way of life. Everyone has fresh flowers in their house. If you go to visit someone, it’s automatic to take fresh flowers. When you drive through small towns, you don’t see one house without flowers--in the garden, on the balconies or in the window boxes. People just decorate with flowers.”

And, although flower appreciation here may not have reached quite that level yet, North County is getting closer all the time.

Florist Socorro Varela, who owns Casa de las Flores in Solana Beach, said the cheaper prices he pays at the flower auction in Carlsbad translate into savings for his customers.

He was at the auction to buy, among other things, flowers he would use in corsages and boutonnieres to be worn at the Torrey Pines High School prom last weekend.

Prices at the auction house are competitive. When Varela buys flowers for less, he says, he sells them for less. “Fancy and extra-fancy roses usually sell for $40 to $42.50 a dozen. When I get them cheaper, I will put a sign in the window for $35 a dozen.”

Those in the floral trade can also purchase flowers “after auction” and in the 45 booths of wholesalers, growers and suppliers in the San Diego International Floral Trade Center, housed in the same Carlsbad building as the auction, but operated independently.

“Since they built the trade center, flowers sold there are one-third less expensive than they were before,” said Norma Crutchfield, owner of a flower stand on the Encinitas side of La Costa Avenue. Barbara Bertran, who owns florist shops in Poway, Rancho Penasquitos and Scripps Ranch, concurs. She can buy fresh flowers for 40% to 50% less than two years ago--savings she passes on to her customers.

Many florists and flower-stand operators buy directly from North County growers or use wholesalers, like Rich & Benny’s Wholesale Flowers. Rich & Benny’s operates five delivery trucks, which begin servicing shops at 7:30 a.m. daily, and the wholesalers sell to more than 200 customers at their booth in the trade center.

The number of flower farmers in North County has increased to more than 900, and more than 400 varieties of flowers are produced in the area, according to Karen Robb, a commercial flower and nursery farm adviser.

San Diego County has ranked first in ornamental horticulture production statewide since 1982 and is a leading producer of floricultural crops in the United States. About 6,681 acres of farmland was used for growing nursery products and flowers in 1990, almost triple the 2,572 acres in 1980. The wholesale value of the blooming crop was about $500 million, up from $89 million 10 years ago.

“Flower production is one of the few agricultural industries in San Diego that is actually growing, increasing in acreage and dollar value,” Robb said. “This is the perfect environment for growing plants, although there has been a change in the composition of what is grown.”

Carnation production has all but disappeared in the county, but more perennials like protea, tea bush and wax flowers are grown.

And the demand from European markets for different varieties of flowers has pushed North County growers into new areas. For example, snapdragon, liatris and delphinium, flowers popular in the ‘40s and ‘50s, are again available here because of interest from overseas markets.

The top five flowers grown in North County are roses, chrysanthemums, gerbera daisies, all varieties of lilies, and field flowers such as ranunculus, which are now in bloom, according to Eric Larsen, manager of the flower auction.

Where the flowers are grown has also changed. The coast is still a prolific flower-growing area, with Carlsbad claiming the bulk of rose production. However, no new greenhouses have begun operations in Encinitas or other coastal cities.

Field flowers, which have increased in popularity among growers because of the cost of installing greenhouses, are planted outside. Farmers have gone inland to plant--to places like Valley Center and Escondido, where the topography and climate dictate different products.

In addition to full-service florist shops, consumers now also have flowers available at roadside stands, grocery stores and farmers’ markets throughout North County. Each type of business has tailored its services to fill a market niche.

Flower stands, called “bucket stands” in the trade, have proliferated in North County during the past 10 years. “The stands move a lot of volume,” said Cynthia Bueker, floor manager of the San Diego Flower & Plant Auction.

Stand operators rely on walk-in trade for their business, although many can wire flowers and arrange bouquets for specific orders.

“You would think that the competition would hurt, but the awareness of flowers has made more people buy them and, since prices are lower, flowers are more affordable,” stand owner Crutchfield said.

She offers many of the services of traditional florists at her stand--such as flowers for weddings, funerals and parties on a pre-order basis. At the flower stand, bouquets typically cost about $8, but can be purchased for as little as $5. The stand specializes in fresh-cut bouquets and roses.

Francis Rogers sells from her kiosk at Camino del Mar and 15th Street in Del Mar. She sold $500 worth of flowers to one customer last Easter, but typical sales range anywhere from $5 to $50. Rogers bases the number of flowers she buys on weekly sales from the previous year. She purchases her flowers directly from North County growers and from wholesalers at the San Diego Trade Center, although she does buy at the auction during holidays, which are the busiest times in the floral industry.

Rogers’ best seller, the lily, can cost customers anywhere from $2.50 to $10 per stem. Pre-arranged bouquets start at $5, but Rogers will mix any number of flowers for a customer, as will most stand operators. She can also wire flowers and receive incoming orders, a service not always available at flower stands.

Christine Case owns a flower stand on the corner of Carlsbad Boulevard and Oak Avenue in Carlsbad. She sells prearranged bouquets for $6.50; the cost of a single flower starts at $1. She will arrange bouquets on the spot for customers. “I consider myself an artist,” she said. Her shop specializes in the more unusual blooms, such as the Valley Center-growing protea, which can retail at $10 per flower.

Case offers a service unusual for a flower stand--she has home delivery. Her stand is next to a small shopping center with Pepi’s Pizza.

“In the local Carlsbad area, the pizza delivery will also deliver my flowers,” Case said. “I give them the delivery charge, and they are happy to do it.”

There is no exact count available of the number of flower stands in North County. The stands are regulated by the city in which they operate. The owner must have a business license and some cities have a special permit process.

Fresh flowers sold from buckets on the roadside, usually during the busy floral holiday season, are often not sanctioned by city regulations. Some locations tolerate the sales; others do not. For example, no non-permanent structures, including flower stands, are allowed in the city of Poway. The city of San Marcos will not allow roadside selling.

Meanwhile, the city of Escondido is researching a plan to encourage more outdoor sales.

“We are looking at allowing outdoor sales of certain desirable items, for example, flowers and antiques,” said Barbara Redlitz, an Escondido planner. “These items can add to the ambience and give character to the commercial environment.”

Grocery stores have also proved to be a convenient place for consumers to buy flowers. Some sell bouquets by the cash register; others offer a range of florist services.

Back in 1974, a florist shop was opened in the Vons grocery store on Bernardo Center Drive in Rancho Bernardo, the first site in the supermarket chain to do so. In the early 1980s, more full-service shops were included in the larger stores, according to Ray Royer, produce supervisor and buyer for Vons in the county. In varying combinations, the stores offer pre-wrapped bouquets, specific order bouquets, fresh-cut flowers and other services.

The flowers now constitute about 15% to 20% of all produce sold at Vons, Royer said, and it can go as high as 25% on holidays. On Secretary’s Day, April 22, more than 60 customers purchased flowers from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Rancho Bernardo Vons.

In addition to various supermarkets, other stores that carry fresh flowers include the Price Club in San Marcos and some Home Depot stores, which also sell potted plants. Many smaller markets also offer fresh cut blooms.

Not so long ago, traditional full-service florist shops were the only place to buy fresh flowers. Because of the changing market, many now offer even more diversified services and promote their expertise.

“The future of mom and pop flower shops is that the owners will be out doing more marketing and less designing,” said Mike Kaul, who owns La Costa Florist with his wife, Jamie. “We go out and sell our service to people. We’ll send a nice, fresh bouquet along with our brochures.”

The shop has a beer and wine license, so it’s able to offer a package that includes fresh flowers and Chardonnay. La Costa Florist also operates a small handcart outside its front door with bouquets and garden baskets starting at $3.

At the Four Seasons Flower shops in Poway and Rancho Penasquitos, owner Barbara Bertran offers “Happy Hour Flowers,” from 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Flowers are half-price, and customers can arrange their own bouquets.

The quality and artistry of the arrangements and the range of services are what continue to distinguish traditional floral shops from the newer outlets. Key factors have become the talent of the designers on staff and the ability to build long-term customer loyalty.

Del Mar florist Engert said about 75% of her business is by order, rather than from walk-ins. Arrangements typically cost between $30 and $50. In addition to weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and party bouquets, florists are often called upon to fill unusual requests--such as the six arrangements Engert designed for a customer at a cost of about $3,000.

Although traditional florist shops have needed to be responsive to the changing market, they exert their own influence on the overall market.

Among the factors that determine what North County growers plant are the types of bouquets planned by floral wire services such as FTD, Teleflor and Florfax and sold through florist shops. The wire services design those bouquets more than a year before a specific holiday.

“We take (those designs) into consideration when we grow flowers,” said Bruce Hall of Robert R. Hall, an Encinitas grower.

And North County florists can display not only the photograph of how an arrangement will look, but also often the product itself.

Mike Kaul, who with his wife, Jamie, owns La Costa Florist, points to the biggest difference between being in the flower business in North County and being in it elsewhere: “A lot of the vendors for fresh flowers are 15 minutes from my shop.”