Progress report for FNE24-087
Project Information
Our project intends to evaluate whether cut flowers in December can be a profitable crop for farmers in the Northeast. This project will:
- Determine whether nine specific cut flower species can be forced to bloom in December in the Northeast
- Determine ideal horticultural practices to achieve December blooms including planting dates, supplemental lighting schedules, and optimal temperatures for each crop
- Observe the performance of multiple varieties of each species by measuring qualities such as stem length, bloom count, and bud size, to determine which are best suited for December harvests
- Calculate profitability for each crop by tracking input costs, labor, and sales
- Determine interest of retail and wholesale flower buyers by measuring sales, tracking farmers market feedback, and conducting surveys
- Educate other cut flower farmers on maximizing December profitability by publishing articles and hosting a webinar
Nearly all cut flowers sold in the United States are imported from other countries (Gaul, E). Especially from December through March, few local flowers are available. Most cut flower farmers in the Northeast region have limited income from growing cut flowers during this winter season, which spans nearly half the year. However, consumer demand for fresh flowers is especially high in the winter months, when local gardens are not blooming and there are multiple holidays, including Christmas.
An additional problem is environmental. Flower consumers in the Northeast in December have limited access to local blooms and rely almost exclusively on imports at an extreme environmental cost. These flowers are mostly grown in South America and have huge cooling and transportation requirements, resulting in a devastating carbon footprint. Shifting cultivation to our local region, particularly during months when imports are high, would reduce this environmental harm.
Timing flowers for the Christmas season and other December holidays can be difficult for farmers. Even with access to heated greenhouse space such as the propagation greenhouse commonly found on many farms, farmers face unique challenges in growing December flowers in our region. To bloom in December, most plant varieties must be able to be planted during the hottest days of late summer, but then tolerate the cold dark days of winter. Further, farmers must navigate day-length requirements during the shortest days of the year. For some flower varieties, this may be dauntingly complex, requiring intricate supplemental lighting schedules in order to force flowers to bloom on schedule.
Despite the potential high payoff, trying to time cut flowers for Christmas and other December holidays is a gamble for farmers in the Northeast region. Unlike field-grown plants, greenhouse-grown flowers require supplemental heat and light, at considerable cost. While many farmers do not have in-ground heated greenhouse space, many have propagation greenhouses that go unused from late summer through early winter, after seed starting is over. Such greenhouses could be used to grow cut flowers for December, rather than sit empty through this time.
This project intends to test which cut flower varieties can be grown and marketed most successfully by local farmers for December.
We will evaluate 9 different cut flower species and their potential as profitable December cut flowers for farmers in the Northeast: Chrysanthemums, Asiatic Lilies, Double Oriental Lilies (Roselilies), Anemones, Ranunculus, Amaryllis, Matthiola (Stock), Snapdragons, and Dahlias. For each species, we will seek to identify key horticultural best practices for farmers to follow such as planting dates, optimal temperatures, and need for supplemental light. We will trial plants in both in-ground beds and containers, to provide options farmers may follow based on their existing infrastructure. By tracking input costs, labor, and sales, we will analyze the profitability of each crop to determine which flowers have the potential to bring the most income to farmers. We will study the marketability of these Decembers blooms to both the local retail and wholesale-to-florist markets. For retail consumers, we will track farmers market sales, customer feedback, and pricing. For wholesale florist customers, we will provide a survey gauging their interest in purchasing local flowers in December.
As a result of this project, farmers in our region will have accurate information about how to successfully grow flowers for December blooms, which varieties make the most sense to grow based on their farm’s infrastructure and market, and how their potential customers may respond. Armed with this information, farmers will be able to increase net farm income by extending their sales through the highly profitable holiday season. This will lead to enhancement of employment in farm communities by enabling steadier, more reliable, year-round employment to farm workers who commonly face unemployment during the winter months. In turn, farmers will be better able to retain their best talent year-to-year, saving money on training costs and improving the quality of life for the farming community as a whole.
The Northeast region is a major producer of cut flowers in the United States, with three of the top ten cut-flower-producing states in the country producing millions of dollars in annual revenue (New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, according to the latest USDA Commercial Floriculture Survey). Increasing farm income by extending the season through December would have an incredible impact for the hundreds of cut flower farmers in our region.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
Research
In the first season of the grant project, we completed the first year of Phase 1 - Horticultural Best Practices. In the second year, we tweaked planting timelines, temperatures, and varieties to achieve better results.
In the first year of the project, overall progress and results were impacted by several factors including the northeast port strike which delayed materials and unusual weather in our region (extreme hot/dry temps in the late summer, followed by record cool temps in the fall). As planned, we have trialed all nine flower species outlined in the grant across different planting dates and methods, however with varying results and success. Suppliers have provided significant help regarding greenhouse temps, spacing, and troubleshooting issues.
For each species, variety, and planting date, we have been tracking yields of marketable stems per plant and per square foot, bloom count, bloom quality, bloom size, and stem length, as well as any issues such as bud abortion and dropping buds. We have noted many different observations and outcomes for each species, with different adjustments to our planting schedule and methods implemented for the second season of the grant.
-Chrysanthemums: In Year 1, As planned, Syngenta provided unrooted cuttings across two different planting dates. We had initial success rooting the cuttings, getting them planted on time, and setting up night interruption lighting. However, our initial plantings budded extremely prematurely, when the plants were approximately 3" tall. A discussion of why is in the Results section below. Syngenta provided advice and new cuttings, which are currently growing in the greenhouse. While these cuttings will not bloom in December, the new planting has allowed us to improve our techniques for growing mums off season and set us up for success in the second year of the project. In Year 2, we planted the cuttings from Syngenta over one planting date. Mums were grown in crates. We had signficantly better results in the second year of the project.
-Asiatic and Double Lilies: As planned, a variety of lily blooms were planted over the summer under guidance from Zabo. Due to bulb availability, slightly fewer than the ten different asiatic varieties originally planned were tested. Lighting was provided to extend the day length and lilies successfully bloomed for December. Based on the outcomes, we adjusted our planting dates, varieties, and growing methods for the second year of the grant. We had success with lilies again in Year 2.
-Anemones and Ranunculus: As planned, corms were soaked and planted out in August both into crates and into the ground. Weekly observations have been recorded regarding plant health, yield, marketability, etc. In the second season, we tested different varieties.
-Stock and Snapdragons: While the initial plan was to plant snapdragons from seed, due to the extreme summer heat we decided to buy in snapdragon plugs from a commercial supplier. Stock was started from seed. In the first season, due to the extreme heat in the summer, our initial planting of stock suffered and died. We started a later planting, which did not bloom by December by provided useful information about different stock varieties. Dates and timeline were adjusted for the second season.
-Amaryllis: Due to the port strike, amaryllis bulb arrival was significantly delayed to late October. While this planting was too late to achieve December blooms, we have a later planting going to determine best practices, best varieties, etc. Amaryllis were planted upon arrival into bulb crates in the greenhouse, and are still growing now. In the second season of the grant, bulbs arrived earlier and were planted on time, blooming for December.
-Dahlia: In both years of the trial, dahlias were planted later than ideal timing due to the commercial availability of plugs in the USA; earliest cutting dates are too late to achieve December blooms. However working with the supplier, we are ran a later trial to determine best practices, best varieties, etc. Dahlias were rooted successfully upon arrival and grew well under night interrupiton lighting in the greenhouse.
During the first year of the grant, we also began Phase 2 - Marketability. While we did not have significant quantities of stems for December, what we did have was brought to our farmers markets. Sales and customer feedback was tracked. We continued tracking this data in Year 2 of the grant.
To gauge wholesale interest, a survey was sent to 100+ florists in the region, with approximately 65 responses received. We kept the continued to collect feedback into early 2025.
In January 2026, we completed Phase 3 --Profitability. We anaylzed our costs to grow against sales prices for both retail and wholesale outlets. This data was used to determine the best crops for growers in the Northeast.
Results have been collected for the following flower varieties in our trial.
Chrysanthemums:
Year 1 Notes: As noted above, our two initial plantings of chrysanthemums budded and bloomed prematurely, at 3-4" tall. In discussion with Alicain at Syngenta, we have determined two primary causes. First, our fall temps were very cool - into the 40s and 50s. According to Syngenta, temps below 65 degrees make chrysanthemums vulnerable to premature budding. Next year, if there is cool outdoor temperatures again, we will keep the greenhouse hotter to ensure the mums stay vegetative. Second, the night interruption lights were turned off for approximately 24-48 hours due to a construction project at the farm. As the mums were already vulnerable to budding, this caused them to immediately begin to flower. Next year we will ensure that the mums are provided with supplemental light as soon as they arrive at the farm. To better prepare for the second year of growing, Syngenta provided additional mum cuttings in November. We have been growing them at a hotter temp with consistent night lighting, and they are successfully staying vegetative. At the time of this report, they are around 8-10" tall and continuing to grow.
Year 2 Notes: Mums were stuck W31 and rooted rapidly in warm temps. Unlike in the first year, we successfully kept them vegetative from the start by using NI lighting and appropriate temperatures throughout the growth cycle. We planted the mums in crates which enabled us to move them from a greenhouse with supplemental lighting to a greenhouse with natural daylength in order to initiate blooms. The mums missed December by just a few weeks and bloomed in Week 3 of the new year. Based on this we recommend sticking the mums in W29 and lighting until W41. Major issues with aphids in year 2 on the mums which we will avoid in the future using organic pesticides.
Lilies:
Year 1 Notes: Lilies were the most successful crop in the trial, with the largest quantity of blooms available in the month of December. Due to the hot summer and high number of sunny days, many of the varieties bloomed early - some as early as September. Planting dates will be adjusted for 2025. A detailed breakdown of optimal planting dates and variety recommendations will be provided in the final report. Our most successful varieties for December were Forza Red (9/12 planting bloomed December 1-5) and Bataleon (9/18 and 9/26 plantings resulted in early to mid December blooms). We did not have great success with Double Oriental roselilies for the trial. A 8/29 planting of Aisha resulted in blooms in mid-November, with browning on the blooms. We expect the plants needed more water than was provided especially in early September when temps were hot. An 8/12 planting of Monica resulted in blooms mid-December however they had significant browning and dried stems; more water will be provided in 2025. The roselilies had a significantly higher watering need than the asiatic lilies.
Year 2 Notes: Dates were adjusted slightly and we again had major success with asiatic lilies for December blooms. We experienced similar bloom times despite slightly different weather conditions, underscoring that these are a reliable crop for growers. Bataleon (9/18 and 9/26 plantings again resulted in early to mid December blooms), Dynamix (planted 9/11), Forza Red (planted 9/10), Belvedere (planted 9/15) and Eremo (planted 9/15) were all strong varieties. Our double asiatic/roselily bulbs experienced major bud abortion and browning petals again; we do not recommend roselilies for December blooms for growers in the northeast.
-Anemones:
Year 1 Notes: Anemones were second to lilies in success in the trial. August planting resulted in blooms by mid November. Plants were sturdy, with large blooms. For the trial we planted several varieties from the Mistral series as well as the new double Levante series. The Mistral had significantly larger stems with bigger blossoms and higher yields than the Levante series, which we do not recommend for December production. The anemones bloomed through Valentine's Day and were high yielding and profitable.
Year 2 Notes: In year 2 we trialed more Mistral blooms as well as the Galilee series. Both were successful with Galilee producing slightly more stems per plant than Mistral. We had no major issues with the anemones, although the 2025-2026 crop ended earlier due to a greenhouse freeze in January.
-Ranunculus:
Year 1: August-planted ranunculus successfully bloomed by mid-November and continued blooming through December (and beyond). However, ranunculus suffered in the heat of the summer and fall. Plants were small and stressed, blooming prematurely. They also got significant powdery mildew, which thrived in the warmer greenhouse of the fall. One of the best results of our first year of the grant project was determining a successful, curative treatment for powdery mildew. We have found that a weekly, two-day organic spray regimen has significantly reduced the powdery mildew on the plants. On Day 1, plants are sprayed with a tank mix of M-Pede and Suffoil-X; on Day 2 (24 hours later), they are sprayed with a tank mix of Cease, Actinovate, Millstop, and Calcium. In year two, we will utilize this spraying program from early on in the trial and expect we will have better results. For this season, we planted Cloni Pon Pon Igloo ranunculus and a variety from the Elegance series. The Elegance series is performing better with higher yields. Ranunculus planted in crates suffered worse from the heat stress and powdery mildew than those in the ground.
Year 2: We followed a similar timeline but tested additional series this year (Amandine Red and White). Like in Year 1, plants were extremely stressed due to hot temps. Powdery mildew was even worse despite weekly spraying with the mixture recommended above. For growers who do not have rampent ranunculus powdery mildew on their farms, this may be a crop to consider, but we ended up removing the crop early on in November due to the extremely diseased plants.
-Stock:
Year 1: Early stock plantings suffered from the summer heat, and we think purchasing plugs may be a better option. In the second year, we will provide more shade and water to the stock during plug stage. To evaluate varieties, we seeded additional stock 7/29 and transplanted out in mid September. Four white stock varieties were tested - Xmas Whte, Katz Hi Double White, Canetto White, StoX White, and Spark White II. Canetto White was our favorite variety with tall strong stems and early double flowers. Spark White II was also promising as it had a spray form that took up more space in bouquets. StoX White was the worst variety in the trial, which surprised us as it is a favorite for spring production on our farm. The StoX double plants had yellow, sickly looking leaves; interestingly the singles in the trial had dark green leaves. We think this variety may not be optimal for winter production but will test it again in 2025.
Year 2: Based on the first year results, we pushed our timeline and upped our temperature in the second year. We transplanted two weeks earlier, 9/6/25 and bumped temperature from 40 to 60. While in year 1, stock took 15 weeks to bloom from transplant, it took just 7 weeks to bloom in year 2 at 60 degrees! Stock began blooming 10/30, well before our optimal December goal. As in Year 1, StoX was the poorest performing vairety. Iron White, Canetto White, and Spark White II were favorites in the trial.
-Snapdragons:
Year 1: Snapdragons from plugs were transplanted 8/27, with blooms beginning late November. Snapdragon blooms were very unevenly timed; one variety would bloom over the course of weeks and even months, making harvest and marketing difficult as we never had large quantities. All snaps were very tall with high quality blooms, but one variety (Cool White) suffered from disease which we are working with our extension office to identify. Chantilly Velvet, Double White, and Cool Crimson were the favorite varieties in the trial.
Year 2: We pushed planting date by one week to 9/5 and bumped temps slightly to 50 degree nights, blooms began late November and were more even. Cool Crimson was recommended in Year 1 but in Yer 2 was small and spindly. Chantilly White and Velvet also had spindly stems. Premier White was a favorite and Legend Double White, a new variety this year, was excellent.
-Amaryllis:
In Year 1, due to the port strike impacting shipping containers and bulb imports, amaryllis arrived too late to trial for December blooms. In Year 2, amaryllis were planted upon arrival in early October - most varieties bloomed by December. Amaryllis were planted into crates as well as into small pots. Overall amaryllis bloom time was extremely inconsistent and hard to predict. We also had issues with amaryllis "red blotch" disease which appeared on bulbs from multiple suppliers. Many varieties did not get tall enough to make adequate cut flowers, and stem length was inconsistent even in the same variety. We also had difficulty transporting stems too and from market - they were extremely fragile and hard to transport without breaking.
Dahlia:
In Year 1, dahlia cuttings were received in the earliest available weeks 44. While this was too late for December blooms, it enabled us to test them under short day winter conditions. Dahlias were rooted over around 4-6 weeks under frost cloth in soilless medium and 128 cell trays. We applied Night Interruption lighting from the first day of rooting. Dahlias were planted out at 9" spacing into the greenhouse at 60 degree nights. Plants were pinched to encourage branching. We were extremely impressed by the size of the dahlias - they reached 7-8' tall with vigorous, healthy plants. Plants made many stems and bloomed from late March through late April. Unfortunately they experienced extreme aphid pressure which we did not anticipate. This caused the plants to be terminated early, but we expect they would have continued to bloom through Mother's Day.
Like in the first year, in the second year dahlia cuttings were planted at the earliest available date (W45). We used the same methods for the dahlias as they were quite happy in the first year, however we have been more aggressive about scouting and treating for aphids. Now in late February, the plants are expected to bloom in late March.
Marketing and Profitability
Marketing and profitability anaylsis was tracked throughout the project. For our retail farmers markets, approximately 90-95% of fresh cut flowers sold out in December. December brought slower farmers markets than usual as the weather was particularly cold; most of our farmers market days were barely above freezing. Selling fresh cut flowers in December outdoors proved challenging, and some flowers were damaged due to freezing temps. Lilies, ranunculus, and anemones were the most popular retail flowers we offered. Mixed bouquets featuring lilies, assorted fresh cuts, and evergreens were extremely popular.
We completed a florist survey with approximately 60 florists and designers in the region. Overall florists were extremely interested in purchasing local flowers in December and provided information on variety preferences and pricing. Full results of the survey will be attached with our final grant report.
For profitability, we created a formula to define "gross profit" based on stem yield per square foot and sales price (both resale and wholesale), minus input costs (i.e., bulb or plug cost) and cost to heat per square foot. Different flowers had dramatically different heating costs based on temperature and time in greenhouse. This "gross profit" cost does not take into account labor or overhead costs, which will vary dramatically between farms, but provided valuable insight and enabled us to compare different flowers to determine the best candidates for December. Overall there were significant differences in gross profit per square foot from $63.842 retail gross profit per square foot for dahlias all the way to -$4.71 wholesale gross profit per square foot for amaryllis (due to high cost of bulb). Our full analysis will be attached to the final grant report, along with detailed growing information for each flower variety in the trial.
Our florist survey is still accepting answers, but with approximately 50 respondants so far, some key themes are clear. Almost all respondants who regularly source local flowers said that it is difficult to source them in December. The vast majority of respondants said they would buy more local flowers in December if they were available. The most popular varieties for florists so far are ranunculus, anemones, snapdragons, and stock. Lilies were not as popular as other varieties for florists, although they have sold well at our retail outlets. We will continue to collect responses to the survey and provide more detailed results in our final report.
Overall we have demonstrated that some flowers can be grown very well in December in the region, especially lilies, snapdragons, stock, chrysanthemyms, and anemones. We have also established that there is a strong market demand for flowers during this season both from the retail and the wholesale market, and that profitability is possible for farmers. We were able to fine tune planting dates, varieties, and recommendations for best practices for achieving cut flowers in December and other winter months. As a final output, we have created a December Cut Flowers Growers' Guide with best practices for each variety and our profitability analysis. Local farmers can use this guide to begin growing cut flowers in the winter on their own farms, with less risk and experimentation involved.
s.
Education & outreach activities and participation summary
Participation summary:
To date we have completed multiple education and outreach activities. An article entitled "Cut Flowers for December?" was published in Growing for Market Magazine (1k+ farmer subscribers) outlinining our research and the results of the SARE project. The article can be found at this link: https://growingformarket.com/articles/cut-flowers-december
In January 2026, Rebecca presented on the results of the SARE project to the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG) Continental Conference in Albuquerque, NM. She shared the background of the project (i.e., the problem statement), research methodology, overall themes, specific best practices for each variety, and her profitability analysis. This presentation was attended by approx 100 specialty cut flower farmers and is also available online to hundreds of ASCFG members for them to implement at their own farms.
Finally we have shared throughout the project on our social media (Facebook/Instagram) showing different techniques and discoveries made throughout the project.
Learning Outcomes
Farmers have learned significant skills in winter growing, variety selection, marketing during winter months, and lighting schedules for winter crops. As a result of the project, they will be able to expand their season, earn winter income, and develop a new income stream.
Project Outcomes
As this was the first season of a multi-year grant, project outcomes are not yet available. However, the overall first season was highly successful in documenting some major lessons learned for December cut flower production, including timing and ideal varieties. We are optimistic that the next season of the project will help to verify and flesh out these discoveries in order to share them with other farmers and improve outcomes for winter cut flowers in the region.
We are relieved this is a multi-year project, as the first season presented significant challenges including supplier delays, supply chain issues, record-setting weather patterns, and farmer mistakes. We are excited to repeat the plantings for a second season to verify our initial findings and improve outcomes. We're confident that after a second season, we will be able to share detailed recommendations for farmers throughout the region (and beyond) wanting to grow cut flowers for the local market in December - including ideal varieties, planting and lighting schedules, pest management best practices, and marketing/profitability insights.