Jennifer Hunt

Jennifer is the owner, designer, and event coordinator for jh Events and Flowers.

APRIL SHOWERS MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO BRING MAY FLOWERS

In our business, Spring is always a wonderful and busy time.

People are excited for new signs of life and growth in their yards. We celebrate Easter and Passover. Schools start to prepare for graduation, and in earlier years, prom (thanks to COVID we will still need to wait for this one).  And for your local florist…Administrative Professionals Day, Mother’s Day and Wedding Season- it is kind of a marathon of flowers for us.

This year, however, is bringing challenges that we have never experienced. I have been doing this for over 30 years. I have dealt with hurricanes, crop failures, volcanos, and strikes.  There were floods so bad that flowers were transported by boats from the farms to a dry place.  After 9/11, they grounded planes, halting the delivery of flowers. But this year is the epitome of the “perfect storm”.

Everyone remembers what March and April 2020 felt like, but for the flower farmers it meant throwing thousands of dollars in product away, pulling out plants because they could not have staff there to maintain the crops. I am sure you are thinking, “but they work outside,” however, much of our product is grown under glass or plastic in greenhouses and therefore need people to attend to it.

At the time, we knew it could be a problem but not this bad. For many of the small flower farms it meant closing or selling their businesses to bigger farms and for others it means starting all over. Many of the larger farms secured exclusive contracts with the mass market, aka grocery stores, since they were permitted to stay open. Then, as if that was not enough, the weather has been unkind with below normal temperature, lack of sun and rain.

So why am I telling you all this?  Not to make you feel sorry for the flower farmer or the florist but to educate you on what Mother’s Day is going to look like for us this year.

We are having a flower shortage and it is hitting many of the traditional flowers like carnations, poms, alstroemeria, lilies and more.

We all know the rules of supply and demand, when the demand is high and the supply is low, the farmers charge more and therefore the prices go up.

Does this mean Mom won’t get flowers this year? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

We are working to secure beautiful flowers and plants. We are asking that you be open to new and exciting flowers and designs, focus on color and style more than specific flowers.

BE KIND

All the florists around the world will be facing the same problems and we will continue to work hard to make sure we have something for you.

SHOP LOCAL

Remember to be cautious of order gatherers (e-Commerce businesses that advertise floral products that it does not actually produce but instead calls the floral order out to a local florist) . They will promise you the moon, specific items and cheap prices, and fail you. Cut out the middleman and call the florist directly!

ORDER EARLY

We will all have some limitations, but order early to help your success in securing the perfect arrangement. That gives us time to secure your amazing product, professionally design the composition and get it delivered for you.

Need something out of our delivery area? We can assist you with that, however many areas stop taking orders the Thursday before Mother’s Day, so don’t wait too long!

We look forward to helping you honor all the special ladies in your life!

Jennifer Hunt AFID, CFD, ICPF

Jennifer has been designing for over 30 years, and has had the privilege of being part of more than 1,000 weddings and special events.  Having served on various committees and boards both in and out of the industry, she loves working with people to create the perfect design, which is why she made the change from large store management to her own family run business. She is a member of the Illinois State Floral Association, as well as an accredited and certified designer from the American Institute of Floral Designs. Jennifer can be reached at 815-331-8616 or jennifer@jheventsandflowers.com.

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