This past week, most of our farms got hit (again) with an epic storm. Six inches of rain in an afternoon, flash flooding, direct lightning strikes, and gale force winds. Let me just tell you that flower farming in our region is not for the faint of heart! Thankfully the courageous crews at all our farms stayed safe. That’s the more important thing! Sadly, a lot of flowers in the field met their demise. You may have noticed our inventory is a bit sparse this week as a result. But, hallelujah, the lisianthus made it through!
If you haven’t laid your hands on local lisianthus yet, you’re gonna be hooked! Sure, maybe you’ve worked with lisianthus from the wholesaler before, but there’s nothing like the local. Imported lisi have a reputation for being finicky and damaged upon arrival. Like a lot of other flowers, lisianthus benefit from skipping all the steps in the supply chain, coming straight from the grower’s hands to yours, without any trucks or jets involved. No slimy stems or broken buds with local!
Did you know that lisianthus is actually a native plant to the U.S.? Yep, this is a homegrown gal on more than one level! Lisi are a wildflower in prairie states such as Texas, Colorado, and Nebraska. They loved living in the footprints of bison, back when large herds roamed across great stretches of grassland. For such a fancy flower that often gets mistaken for a classic rose, it is a bit surprising to know this bloom is just a wild child at heart.
Of course the ones for sale through PFG are all locally grown within 30 miles of our hub, cultivate with quite a bit of care actually. The lisianthus you’ll buy this week were started from seed alllllll the way back in December! That’s nearly eight months of continuous watering, weeding, and feeding to get these stems into your hands.
But it’s worth it! Lisianthus are that elegant summer focal flower we all need. AND it holds up in the heat!!! Virtually indestructible even when it’s topping 100F outside. Perfect for event installations (no water source required!) or personals (hello August hair crown!), they’re also fantastic for retail because they have a bonkers vase life: 2-3 weeks!!
Remember last week when we talked about zinnias and how to store them best? Lisianthus are in the same boat. These summer sweethearts don’t like to get super chilly. In fact, that’s what usually ruins them in the traditional supply chain. Keep your cooler above 38F to keep your lisianthus happy; 40-42F is even better.
Typically lisianthus is available in our area from the second week of July through August and then again in mid September through late October when the plants send out a second flush of flowers. This year we’re a bit behind schedule, but that means there’s a good chance these beauties will be with us for Thanksgiving (who the heck can think about Thanksgiving right now?!?).
Lisianthus come in a bunch of colors: white, ivory, pale yellow, blush, medium pink, bright pink, green, red (more of a burgundy really), deep purple, lilac, nearly blue (but not really), brown, taupe, lavender-gray (really!), and bordering on black. And while all of them resemble a rose in shape and form, they do have interesting variations in their sizes and petals structure. There are varieties with densely packed petals and large flowers that really could pass for a rose. There are varieties with a more open flower and fewer petals that almost feels reminiscent of a poppy (almost). There are highly-ruffled ones. There are even mini ones that look like miniature spray roses that are perfect for boutonnieres and hair crowns. A crowd favorite for wedding designs in particular is ‘Corelli Light Pink’ (pictured below).
Whatever you’re designing, you’ll want some local lisianthus for that! Visit our online shop now to place your order.