Explore Southeast floriculture prior to one of its biggest days of the year: Valentine’s Day.

If you’re in the floriculture industry, February is likely a busy time. Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest times for cut-flower growers, and Southeast floriculture accounts for the lion’s share of floriculture crops by wholesale values, according to USDA NASS-compiled statistics. Explore the statistics about roses, carnations and other cut flowers— and Southeast floriculture in general— below.

A Look at Southeast Floriculture by the Numbers

California is the largest state offering floriculture production, with 27 percent of the nation’s 2013 floriculture wholesale market coming from California. However, Southeast Floriculture— comprised of the floriculture industries of Florida, Texas and North Carolina— accounts for 33 percent of the wholesale market, according to 2013 data from a USDA NASS publication.

Floriculture is on the rise, with the wholesale value of the floriculture industry increasing 4 percent in 2015. Similarly, Florida’s floriculture industry increased from 22 percent of the wholesale market in 2014 to 24 percent in 2015, according to a 2016 Southern Region News Release. In addition, the wholesale value of floriculture crops sold by Florida operations (with $100,000 or more in sales) rose 12 percent from 2014 to 2015, totaling $1.03 billion.

Florida provides 13 percent of the cut flower market, according to USDA NASS statistics from 2013. Incidentally, while ag-centric Texas is one of the top 5 floriculture-heavy states in the U.S., it doesn’t rank in the top five for providing cut flowers such as those popular at Valentine’s Day. However, there is a very focused section of the cut flower market with a long history in the Lone Star State: the rose industry in the Tyler area in East Texas. In business since the 1920s, the area—called the Rose Capital of America—still features many major rose-producing nurseries.

Stats on Cut Flower Floriculture for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest days of the year for selling cut flowers. A Bankrate survey found that a bouquet of a dozen long-stem roses is still one of the top gifts bought and given on Valentine’s Day. Red roses are the most popular, with pink and purple as second favorites.

Other popular cut flowers are lilies, Gerbera daisies, carnations, and tulips. According to consumer statistics gathered by the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend roughly $2 billion on flowers this Valentine’s Day.

AgAmerica supports the Southeast floriculture industry, offering our custom loan products featuring low interest rates, long amortizations, and an outstanding 10-year line of credit to help the nation’s growers and producers thrive.