"Easter was good and we are used to a slow week in outdoor plants afterwards. However, last week was slower than usual", says Sloot. According to her, the current temperatures and weather conditions are the bottleneck. "The temperatures are low and Sunday night we even had 6 inches of snow."
Pansies are hit the hardest. Last week, the season started and usually, according to Sloot, they are in high demand during this time of the year. However, due to the cold weather they are not being sold. "They are just not selling. People do not start planting and retailers are not even buying them as they do not survive outside their shop. Even though there is no demand, the growers are still holding on to their prices as it is still early in the season", she says.
Unfortunately, Sloot does not expect the sales to improve this week. "Midweek, the temperatures are expected to be above zero (Celsius), but in the weekend they will drop below zero again, she says.
For more information
Ontario Flower Growers (OFG)
Michelle Sloot
Email: msloot@ontarioflowers.com
www.ontarioflowergrowers.ca