Where to Find Organic Flowers (in Teaneck!?)

There's always the Thursday Farmers Market. Farmers Markets are, of course, seasonal and the selections (if there are any) are hit-and-miss. Sometimes you can score some righteous sunflowers, or sweet william, black-eyed susans, lavendar, and of course, herbs. Most times there are no flowers to be found. We love our local growers (Encke Flowers began as grower in Bogota, NJ back in 1906...) but for us, the closest source of organic flowers is Lawrenceville, NJ - just outside Philadelphia. That's a four-hour drive round-trip from Teaneck with the A/C running full blast in the back of the van.

If I can't/won't do this kind of floral beer-run on a regular basis, I can order from organic wholesalers such as EcoFlowers, based in California. I applaud their foresight and efforts. They've been sowing organic cut flower seeds for a few years, and I hope they reap the benefits. I have one big issue, though, which is if I order their cut flowers, they are cooled, boxed, and sent FedEx Overnight by jet and van, with a hefty delivery charge per box. I have to pass this on to my customers as a sort of "organic" fuel surcharge. See the contradiction?

Here's the problem: with the exodus of flower cultivation to Colombia, Ecuador and other places with 365-day growing seasons and exploited labor, folks like us who are interested in buying and selling organic cut flowers and plants have very few sources. Wholesalers in the US haven't caught up to their European counterparts. We're going to make this a personal mission.

I'm challenging my local wholesalers to find us some Veriflora certified, organic and Fair Trade certified lines of flowers. Aside from being the right thing to do on so many levels, I think it will be profitable for them in the very near future. We're working to educate our customers, and it will be a matter of time before a demand exists for "green" flowers in the US. I wrote to my wholesaler today, and I will share his response.

Meanwhile, you can find organic flower and fair trade gifts at our two shops: Tiger Lily Flowers on Cedar Lane, and Encke Flowers and Gifts on Queen Anne Road in Teaneck, NJ. Visit us on the web at www.enckeflorist.com