Channeling Optimism

With so many possible sales channels available to flower farmers in Canada, how do you choose the options that are best for you? In our latest learning session, Theresa Schumilas of Garden Party Flower Farms sat down to chat with flower farmers of different scales from across Canada as they compare their primary sales channels. If you’re debating your options or curious what others are doing, this video will walk you through the opportunities and limitations of on-farm sales, Pick Your Own, subscriptions, farmers’ markets, wedding design, direct to designers, and flower marketplace sales.

With proper planning, perennials can save time and money, fill gaps in the growing season, and appeal to a niche market. But perennials are not without challenges or limitations! In these videos, Theresa Schumilas of Garden Party Flower Farms talks about the advantages and drawbacks of perennials, and run through some of the most popular and profitable varieties for Canadian farmers. 

Do you use flower plugs on your farm? Plugs are very small seedlings, sold by the tray in a wholesale fashion. In this video, Theresa Schumilas of Garden Party Flower Farms talks about the history and the future of the Collective Plug Order, a grassroots collaboration that has let small flower farmers in Canada pool their plug orders, saving money and giving access to products they couldn’t meet the minimums for on their own.