Even some life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania are dealing with uncertainty during the pandemic. Taylor's Greenhouse in Biglerville has seen sales go up and down in the past few months. "Luckily we've been fortunate enough to be open as a life-sustaining business," Kurt Taylor of Taylor's Greenhouse told CBS21 News.
Under the latest executive order from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, greenhouses and retail garden centers are considered non-essential. As warmer weather approaches, the seasonal shops do big business in the Spring. With the latest order in place until the end of April, many business owners are worried they could lose cash. At this point, greenhouses and other retail garden centers around the state are bracing for what is to come. Parran says if they can open by May 1st they can make up for lost time but if the stay home order is extended, it could kill business for the entire season. 13ABC has more on the situation in Michigan.
Like so many businesses in Vermont, Claussen's Greenhouse in Colchester is experiencing a new normal. Claussen's is the state's largest greenhouse business, with half a million square feet of flowers and plants. After Mother's Day, Easter weekend is usually their busiest. "It's really enlightening to see how many people have been coming in and buying color, color, color," says Conant. But the white Easter lily is ready for the taking. Literally. This weekend Claussen's was giving away thousands of them at no cost, WCAX reports.
In Waxahachie, Texas, a tulip farmer started his business with a single mission in mind: making life better for his son and other adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. When the coronavirus hit, he got help from local residents and disabled workers. Read the whole story at the Houston Chronicle.
With Easter Sunday, Mother’s Day (May 10) and spring weddings usually make spring one of the busiest periods for growers, florists, flower importers, logistics companies and shippers, which make up a billion dollar-plus industry in South Florida. But coronavirus has shuttered churches and restaurants, two major consumers of flowers for Easter services and brunches. Shelter-in-place orders mean fewer families are hosting Easter dinners at home. Spring weddings have been postponed, and growers across the world have had to kill their crops as demand has withered. The economic impact on South Florida is particularly acute because the region is a major hub for the importing of flowers. The Miami Herald has more.