That Mother’s Day bouquet could be getting pricier this year

By John Towfighi, Norma Galeana, CNN

(CNN) — Mother’s Day expenses can pile up fast. There’s brunch. Gifts. Cards.

And, of course, flowers –– which might not break the bank, but are getting pricier because of higher costs along the journey from garden to table.

Flowers delivered to loved ones on Mother’s Day travel through a fine-tuned supply chain before being arranged in a bouquet. A rose picked in Ecuador is flown to Miami by cargo plane and then distributed via refrigerated trucks to wholesalers or grocery stores across the United States.

But this season, the flower industry is grappling with added supply chain headaches, as higher fuel prices weigh heavily on flowers flown in from Central and South America and delivered by truck across the country. The cost of importing flowers, vases and ribbons has also increased because of tariffs.

Flowers can generally rise around Mother’s Day because of higher demand. But businesses are grappling with higher costs, and it could mean a pricier bouquet for everyone else buying in turn.

Indoor plant and flower prices rose 7.5% year-over-year in March, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, outpacing the 3.3% rise in overall inflation.

Mother’s Day is one of the most important days of the year for Saga’s Wholesale, which has been selling flowers in the Los Angeles Flower District for more than 30 years. High fuel prices are impacting the company, Marlene Gutierrez, Saga’s business manager, told CNN.

“The fuel cost is extremely expensive right now,” Gutierrez said. “It affects the cost of the flowers.”

While the cost of roses varies depending on where they’re shipped from, Gutierrez said a two-dozen bunch has climbed to around $30 on average, compared to $20 last year — a 50% increase.

Costs along the supply chain

More than 80% of cut flowers in the United States are imported from abroad, with the majority coming from Colombia. Ecuador is the second most popular source, according to the Department of Agriculture. About 90% of flower imports pass through Miami International Airport before being transported across the country.

And because flowers don’t last long, long-term storage is less viable, making shipments more vulnerable to unexpected disruptions like the surge in energy prices this year, said Charlie Hall, professor of international floriculture at Texas A&M University.

“Jet fuel is the second-largest cost driver in the imported flower supply chain after labor,” Hall said. “That feeds straight through to the rose in the consumers’ bouquet.”

Tariffs are also a factor. The United States and Ecuador signed a trade agreement in March, but it has yet to go into effect, meaning roses are subject to tariffs of about 15%, said Hall. Imports from the Netherlands, another top flower exporter, face at least a 10% tariff.

Armellini Logistics, which delivers flowers from Miami to 38 states, has implemented a fuel surcharge that shifts weekly depending on diesel costs. The national average price of diesel hit $5.66 Friday, hovering near its highest level since 2022.

“It’s hard to say it’s manageable when you increase your prices,” said David Armellini, the company’s CEO. “But it’s reality. The price of fuel has gone up, so the cost has to go up to everybody along the chain.”

Florists grapple with heightened costs

Seventy-five percent of Mother’s Day shoppers plan on buying flowers, and consumer spending on flowers is expected to hit $3.2 billion, similar to the year prior, according to the National Retail Federation.

Flower Den Florist in Lorton, Virginia, has been selling flowers for more than 35 years. The family-owned business is managed by Jenny Kalifa and her son Kamal Kalifa.

Kamal Kalifa said the price of their premium rose bouquet increased 7.5% compared to last year. The business was able to absorb some costs to maintain a steadier price point but also increased its delivery fee. He said rising costs of supplies like ribbons and vases have also been a factor to consider.

“Most customers have been understanding,” he added. “They still value flowers, but they are making more thoughtful choices around size, add-ons, pickup and delivery.”

“What we are seeing is more selective spending,” he said.

The end result might just be a more modest bouquet for mom.

“If the bouquet looks a little smaller or the stem count is a little lower this year, it is not a coincidence,” said Hall of Texas A&M. “That is how florists have been protecting price points while their input costs have run higher.”

But luckily, it doesn’t yet seem as if the recent shocks will hurt the flower industry too badly.

“The floral industry is remarkably resilient,” Hall added. “They have been through pandemics, supply chain shocks, and trade disruptions before, and they will get through this. Florists are ordering earlier, sourcing creatively, and leaning on long-standing grower relationships to keep Mom’s bouquet on the table.”

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