Flower Power

Story by Joy Gregory
Photography by Roth and Ramberg

There’s nothing like a bunch of fragrant flowers to knock the gloom out of winter. Alberta’s thriving flower industry makes it possible to enjoy a whiff of spring every day of the year.

THE NEXT TIME YOU TREAT YOURSELF TO A BOUQUETof fresh flowers, take a moment to thinkabout where they’ve come from. It used to bethat fresh flowers in the middle of winterwere an expensive luxury imported fromsouthern climates. Today, you can pick upposies virtually everywhere, anytime. That’sbecause Alberta greenhouses are nurturingthousands of plants and flowers in a myriadof colours, shapes and fragrances.

BRING ON THE SUN

Good ol’ sunshine tops the list of naturalresources that give Alberta’s flower industry acompetitive leaf-up in the marketplace, saysJohn Edwards of Savory Gardens, a 19,000-square-foot greenhouse he runs near Sundrewith his wife, Kelly Storm. Savory Gardenswholesales a vast array of custom-grownannuals and perennials, making it part ofAlberta’s thriving bedding-plant industry.

“I think the key in Alberta is our light and thefact that we’re providing a locally grown product,”says Edwards. “Our plants are definitelystronger than what importers can delivers andshorter transport times keep the product fresh.”

Even with lots of sunshine, the high cost ofheating greenhouses in a cold climate and thestress of cheaper imports hit Alberta’s cut-flowerbusiness hard in recent years. But with the valueof the provincial greenhouse industry topping$110 million and the prospects for continuedgrowth, this bloom is still coming into its own,says Dr.Mohyuddin Mirza, a greenhouse industrydevelopment specialist with AlbertaAgriculture, Food and Rural Development.

Alberta greenhouses cover about 275 acres ofland.More than 92 acres are devoted to vegetablesand another 127 acres produce an A-Zcollection of bedding plants. Perennials, pottedplants (chrysanthemums are the top sellers) andabout 10 acres of cut flowers, particularly rosesand lilies, round out the list of flowering plants.

To prune back the cost of doing business,greenhouse operators are reducing energyconsumption, adopting alternate energysources and honing their production andmarketing skills, says Mirza. In recent years,two Alberta growers have also installed microturbinesto generate electricity. Another usesan underground heat storage and extractionsystem to heat his greenhouse.

FIELD OF DREAMS

With our short summers, growing flowers commerciallythe old-fashioned way (outside thatis) is somewhat limited. No one keeps numberson how much Alberta land is devoted to fieldflower production for fresh and dried markets,but Buck and Nola Godwin were among thefirst. They started growing field flowers whenhe retired from Olds College in 1987.

Their company, Alberta Supernaturals,grows flowers, grains, grasses, ornamentals andcommercial pussy willows on about 7 acres ofland. A wholesaler and retailer located nearOlds on Highway 2A, they sell fresh-cut flowers,dried flowers and a range of finished productslike swags and wreaths. “We’re in a preferredlocation as far as soil is concerned, andwe’re able to have shipments into Calgary in acouple of hours,” says Buck Godwin.

A trip to their drying barn is a magicalexperience. Hanging from the rafters arebunches and bunches of gorgeous blooms—in every shade imaginable—blooms that findtheir way into the most exclusive florists,decorator showrooms, hotel lobbies, craftstores and even major venues like the CalgaryExhibition and Stampede. “If we need todesign or source something really unique fora table centre, our first call is often to Buck,”says Felicia Esposito, event coordinator at theCalgary Exhibition and Stampede. “Hiswarehouse is like ‘treasure island’ to eventdesigners.”

A pioneer of the flower growing and dryingtrade, the Godwins harbour no illusions abouttheir work. In the fickle world of flower appreciation,growers work hard to keep their producta step ahead of consumer demand for colour,type and size. Alberta’s cool nights, low relativehumidity and cold winters cut disease and pestproblems, a real bonus alongside the wealth ofsunshine. Still, field flower production is stooplabour and not for the weakly spined. •

Design a career in floristry

Ever wonder who dreams up and then actually creates the fabulous arrangements you see in shop windows, fancy restaurants and hotel lobbies? You might be surprised to know that many of Canada’s leading floral designers are graduates of the Commercial Floristry Certificate program at Olds College.

Olds College is the institution of choice “for people who want a career in commercial floristry,” says Carole Calenso-Fair, joint chair of the college’s widely acclaimed school of horticulture. The nine-month Commercial Floristry Certificate Program is one of two in Canada. Beginning in early August and ending with one month of work experience, students learn the nitty-gritty details of the floral business and gain invaluable hands-on experience with flowers, grasses and ornamentals grown in the college’s other horticultural programs.

“Students get the chance to work with product that is as fresh as it gets and about 50 per cent of their time is spent in design or design-related classes,” explains Calenso-Fair. Cutting and re-using the plant materials all week long boosts creativity and maximizes the students’ experience with a variety of designs, adds Katarina Ludvigsson, the worldclass floral designer who leads the floristry design classes.

The students supply all the flower arrangements for the hundreds of events held each year at the college and for many local businesses. And—as you can imagine—students of Olds College have the best corsages in the business at their graduation ceremonies!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT: OLDSCOLLEGE.CA

Keep ’em fresh

Get the most out of your flowers with these handy tips from Hole’s greenhouse (www.holesonline.com)

Cut Flowers

• Fill a clean container with fresh water and fresh flower food.
• Remove all foliage below water level.
• Re-cut stems immediately before placing in water. Check water daily. (not below 5°C).

Floral Arrangements

• Add water as soon as your arrangement
• Keep in a cool location out of direct sunlight and heat.
• Place in a cool location at night.
• Protect wood surfaces from water.