The prolonged closure of churches, the cancellation of weddings, quinceañeras and first communions due to COVID-19, has some nurseries in Pescadero about to close, the measure also affects other businesses in San Francisco related to flowers.
The Westland Nursery in Pescadero had about 70 employees last year, the business began to decline slowly before the pandemic from competition with imported flowers, but after the two and a half month shelter-in-place the decline has left it on the brink of closing.
When the nursery reopened in May, it was only able to hire ten of its employees and for fewer hours a day.
The greenhouses look desolate, without single cultivated plant, much less flowers, with outdoor fields covered with weeds.
On one of the farms there is a small parcel of Amor en la Niebla (Nigella) and on another of the company’s farms there is a small parcel of lilies. These two parcels were cultivated in May upon return from quarantine.
As if the damage caused by the quarantine closure were not enough, the new plantations were about to be lost with the August fires near the coast.