LUBBOCK, Texas It’s one of the busiest times of the year for flower shops, with Mother’s Day and graduation season in full swing. But florists like Justin Hughes are now facing added stress and added costs.
“Mother’s Day and graduation it keeps us afloat through the summer,” said Hughes, who owns House of Flowers.
Like many florists, Hughes buys most of his flowers from outside the United States. Countries like Colombia and Ecuador supply a large share of what ends up in American bouquets. Now, new tariffs are starting to hit those shipments.
“I stocked up on all of our containers ahead of time because I knew the tariffs were coming,” Hughes said. “But yes, some of our flower costs have gone up.”
Hughes recently got an email from one supplier informing him of a 5% surcharge on flowers and greenery. And it’s not just the flowers getting more expensive.
“One of our container suppliers, we get some colored glass from him and that’s going to be four to five months out because it’s stuck on a boat coming from China,” he said.
Even so, orders haven’t slowed down. Hughes and his team are still trimming stems and filling vases as fast as they can.
But he’s watching the numbers closely.
“As prices go up everywhere, flowers are a luxury, basically,” Hughes said. “And people are going to spend on their necessities rather than their luxuries.”
