What is the difference between Michigan-grown and imported flowers?
The Short Answer
Michigan-grown flowers are freshest and most affordable during the local growing season from spring through fall, often lasting longer because they travel a short distance. Imported flowers offer year-round variety and consistency, especially for blooms like roses and orchids that cannot grow here. The best arrangements often blend both depending on the season.
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The case for local flowers
Michigan-grown flowers have real advantages during the growing season. Because they travel only a short distance from farm to shop, they are often cut more recently and last longer in the vase than blooms that spent days in transit. They support local farmers and reflect what is genuinely in season, which gives arrangements an authentic sense of place. Local flowers also tend to include varieties that do not ship well, like fragrant sweet peas, delicate dahlias, and just-picked zinnias. During summer and early fall, choosing local usually means fresher flowers at a better value.
The case for imported flowers
Imported flowers fill the gaps that Michigan's climate creates. Roses grown in the ideal conditions of Ecuador and Colombia, lilies and tulips from the Netherlands, and orchids from tropical regions are available all year with remarkable consistency. This global supply is why you can order a dozen red roses in the depths of a Michigan February. Imports also allow reliable color matching and volume for weddings and large events, where you need dozens of identical stems that a small local farm might not be able to guarantee. Consistency and year-round access are their great strengths.
How we blend the two
In practice, the best arrangements are rarely all local or all imported. Our designers lean heavily on Michigan flowers when they are in season, adding imported blooms for color, structure, or a specific flower a client wants. In winter the balance shifts almost entirely to imports, softened with local evergreens. This flexible approach gives you the freshness and character of local flowers when available and the reliability of imports when they are not. If seasonality and local sourcing matter to you, just say so and we will build the arrangement around what is growing nearby.
Planning Tips From Our Designers
- Choose local flowers in summer and fall for the best freshness and value.
- Rely on imports for year-round staples like roses and orchids.
- Blend both to get seasonal character plus reliable color and volume.
- Ask specifically for locally grown flowers if that matters to you.
- Expect mostly imported blooms in winter, accented with local evergreens.
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