It’s a big move for us, from a small coastal city so near the ocean we could walk there in minutes to a temporary home at the farm in the middle of land locked North Okanagan. We are adapting, learning where to buy our special brand of kitty litter, and Boo’s low cal cat food. But I do so miss my cut tulips. Not that I ever took all the masses of colorful flowers decking the outside of corner stores for granted. It’s just that they were always there when I wanted to buy them. Huge white buckets direct from the flower auction, choices galore. Up here I can’t seem to find any and I do so miss my cut tulips, or any flower bright colors, petals, that’s all I want.
The selection here is limited, and they are expensive. I stalked visited our local florist until she finally admitted that the fresh flower delivery was scheduled for Tuesdays. We got to the florist that afternoon, and were delighted to see boxes of potted flowering plants. But to my dismay when I could get the florists attention for a second, everything I liked was declared spoken for already. Sure I could buy a single stem of carnation for $3.00 each, or a lily, at $6.00+ a stem, but what I was looking for was a simple bunch of cut tulips. Just like the kind we would pick up at the corner store for a few bucks. A few dollars for maybe 5 stems, a few dollars only. “Nope, they are too expensive, we didn’t get any.” I enquired about daffs, those beautiful yellow harbingers of spring. “Too much money” she muttered.
I found out why the flowers up here are so expensive. They are sent by the grower to the flower auction, marked up to wholesale cost, purchased by and shipped on a cooler truck that hits all the small florists up country. Then the florist marks them up to a retail price. By the time they reach us, they have been through at least 4 middle men, and each needs a slice of the petal. That leaves me with tulips that cost over $2 a stem. Too much for tulips I say.
So next on my agenda, after finding our dream home, is finding a good source for fresh cut flowers, since with the –11 C temperatures, I won’t be growing my own.