EAST LANSING, Mich. – Producers of flowers in Michigan experienced a noticeable increase in business last year.

A survey conducted by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service revealed the sale of flowers in hanging baskets and other floriculture products in the state during 2022 jumped 12 percent from the previous year. The increase was from $635 million in 2021 to $711 million last year.

According to USDA, Michigan ranked third behind California and Florida in the sale of floriculture products nationwide last year. California had $958 million in sales while Florida recorded close to $1.2 billion in sales, USDA said.

According to NASS, sales in Ohio last year dropped to $244 million from $269 million the previous year while Indiana, with more than $56 million in sales in 2022, recorded a less than 1 percent decline. The sale of floriculture products in Illinois increased last year from $103 million to $107 million.

According to NASS, the statistics were compiled from producers with at least $10,000 in sales. In Michigan, for example, there were 514 producers with sales exceeding that figure, compared to 539 in 2021.

Michigan ranked second in the number of cuttings and bulbs shipped elsewhere for finishing and first in producing six floriculture crops such as petunias, begonia and geraniums, according to NASS.

Heidi Lindberg, who’s involved with greenhouse and nursery education and research at the Michigan State University campus in West Olive in the western part of the state, said a typical flower in Michigan is planted in early January inside greenhouses.

She said many of the plants grown indoors are ready for shipping to retailers in the south as early as late February.                                                                                                                                        Lindberg said the plants raised in greenhouses are usually delivered to retailers in the more local markets usually in May in time for Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, when customer demand for floriculture products is the highest.

According to NASS, the amount of greenhouse space in Michigan also climbed from 49.7 million square feet in 2021 to 51.8 million square feet last year.

Some floriculture products in Michigan also come to bloom during the summer.

Lindberg said Michigan being consistently near the top in floriculture production dates back to when immigrants skilled in growing plants indoors began settling in the state from The Netherlands. “They kind of brought their knowledge of greenhouse production with them,” she said. Lindberg said the skill was passed down to future generations and continues to be part of the “strong Dutch heritage here.”

She said she felt lower energy costs in Michigan from heating and cooling greenhouses along with being close to major population centers like Chicago and Detroit are also factors in the state having a dominant presence in the floriculture market. “You can produce in the northern climate here high-quality plants even in the cold months,” she said.

Lindberg said she believes the increase stems from people staying home during the pandemic looking for something to do safely outdoors.

Now that life has basically returned to normal, she’s not sure if sales will return to the still solid levels before the pandemic.

Lindberg holds educational classes strictly for producers about the latest developments in the floriculture industry to help them be profitable. Her instruction includes passing down information about any outbreaks of insects or disease and what can be done to protect their crops against the pests.

“If there’s some kind of disease that’s been spotted on a certain type plant, we talk about how to manage it, reduce it. That type of thing,” she said.