Flower trends shift as Australians buy locally grown blooms

“Roses are red, violets are blue” is a century-old poem that has become synonymous with declarations of love on Valentine’s Day.

But it seems that even the classic rose is not immune to the changing trends of the modern world.

Dahlias and native wildflowers have overtaken the rose in popularity as customers turn away from imported blooms.

Flower Industry Australia chief executive Anna Jabour said rising consumer focus on sustainability led to more people sourcing Australian grown flowers.

“People are learning to ask where flowers are from and so a lot of florists can point to Australian-grown varieties.”

She said hydrangeas, dahlias, banksias and even Australian-grown chrysanthemums and tulips had grown in popularity.

Local blooms trump imports

About 50 per cent of flowers sold in Australia are imported from Kenya, Colombia, Ecuador, Malaysia, and China, according to Flower Industry Australia data.

But Ms Jabour said there was an increase in micro flower farms and people seeking out other flower varieties.

“I think roses have been the main cut flower to buy for decades so people are just looking for something different, they want to be more creative so they’re moving away from the rose,” Ms Jabour said.

It is a trend Renmark Flower House owner Georgie Vermeeren has also seen.

“I’m trying to source locally where possible,” Ms Vermeeren said.

“It is always fresher to get them off the farm.

“It saves on freight and also with imports you get a lot of chemicals that can come in on your flowers as well.

“The closer I can get to the farm, the better the flowers are going to be for the customer.”

However, when it came to roses, Ms Vermeeren said she used imported blooms due to supply and demand challenges.

“If people want red roses from me in the middle of winter, I’m going to have to go imported because they don’t grow in winter, so Australia’s climate doesn’t allow me to really source roses from anywhere else.”

With majority of roses sold in Australia imported, Ms Jabour expressed concerns over chemical use and lax biosecurity practices.

“So, for a cut flower to come into the country, only about 20 per cent of shipments are inspected and that creates a very real pest pathway,” she said.

However, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a statement every consignment of fresh cut flowers imported to Australia was inspected.

“If import conditions are found not to have been met, the consignment is either treated, exported, or destroyed at the importers’ expense,” the department stated.

Dahlias rising trend setters

Amid one of the country’s newer small scale flower growers is Keely Pampling, who runs a flower patch in Loveday, South Australia.

She said dahlias had grown in popularity since starting her business in 2022 and they were her favourite flower to grow with 100 varieties in her garden.

“We’re also seeing them a lot more in everyone’s gardens, more locals are planting them, more florists are using them,” she said.

“They’re just definitely a lot more popular in the last few years than what they have been, five years ago.”

She said more people had turned to local producers in the wake of the pandemic.

Her patch is also filled with zinnias and “filler flowers”, such as scabiosas, straw flowers, cosmos and snapdragons.

The size of her garden means she has to be selective about what she can grow.

“We’ve changed a lot from last season to this season with what sells and what doesn’t,” she said.

“Sales will always influence what you grow.”

While roses were waning in popularity throughout the year, Ms Vermeeren said Valentine’s Day was the exception.

“It’s not a trend that looks like it’s going away anytime soon.”