Few flowers make a statement quite like the dahlia. Its lush petals and painterly colors add instant artistry to any arrangement; however, for years many designers hesitated to rely on them.

You’ve heard the myths: they don’t ship well, they’re too fragile, they’re only in season for a few months.

At Choice Farms, we’ve changed that story. By partnering with leading growers, such as the experts at Alexandra Farms, we offer premium dahlias that combine the creative impact florists love with the reliability they need.

Dahlia Myths, Debunked

Myth 1: Dahlias can’t handle travel.

Fact: Every stem is netted and can be shipped hydrated, ensuring petals arrive intact and fresh. Each bloom is protected by hand so it reaches the designer vase-ready and design-ready.

Myth 2: Dahlias are only seasonally available.

Fact: Grown in Colombia’s high-altitude climate where light and temperature remain consistent all year, Choice Farms dahlias are available year-round for your most time-sensitive projects.

Myth 3: Dahlias are too fragile for large-scale importing.

Fact: The varieties that Choice Farms offers were developed specifically for the cut-flower market, selected for longer vase life, post-harvest durability, and reliable performance across shipping environments.

At Choice Farms, we believe beauty should last — and now, dahlias do too.

Introducing Three of Our Newest Varieties

Within the last year, we are thrilled to add three new varieties to our year-round dahlia program — each bred for elegance, color, and consistency:

Diana’s Memory – A soft white bloom with blush undertones and beautifully layered petals. Refined and romantic, it brings a touch of grace to wedding and event work.

 Doris Duke – Rich lavender-pink petals with a classic rounded form and strong stems make this variety a standout for luxury designs.

Wizard of Oz – A pale blush beauty known for its texture, symmetry, and compact shape. It’s as versatile as it is dependable.

These new additions join our dahlia collection, each tested for longer vase life, consistent reliability, and year-round production.

Reliability That Never Goes Out of Season

Traditional dahlias come and go with the seasons — but ours are always in bloom.
With ideal growing conditions, steady production, and careful post-harvest handling, Choice Farms dahlias give florists the freedom to design confidently, no matter the month.

Whether you’re crafting large-scale installations or refined accent pieces, you can count on the same quality, consistency, and care that define the Choice Farms name.

For current pricing and availability, please contact your Choice Farms Sales Representative.

Over three days at SAF Amelia Island, conversations could move surprisingly quickly from tariffs to tattoo-inspired color palettes, from artificial intelligence to family-business succession, and from new varieties on the show floor to a question nearly every segment of our industry seems to be asking in one form or another:

What will customers value next?

That is what made this year’s Society of American Florists Convention particularly worthwhile for us at Choice Farms. The education was strong, but some of the most valuable insights emerged when what we heard from the stage began connecting with conversations happening between sessions, around tables and throughout the Supplier Expo. Together, they painted an encouraging, but increasingly nuanced, picture of floral right now. 

The Numbers and the Mood Tell a More Interesting Story Together

SAF CEO Kate Penn opened the State of the Floral Industry with plenty of reasons for optimism. U.S. household floral spending reached $78.1 billion in 2025, while Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day 2026 both produced historically strong consumer participation.

Then SAF Chief Economist Dr. Charlie Hall added an important layer. Consumer sentiment has been remarkably weak, even while floral usage remains strong. His advice was essentially to pay attention to what consumers do, not only to what they say they feel.

One line particularly stuck with us: “Units are the canary in the coal mine.”

Sales dollars alone can disguise what is happening underneath. If revenue rises because prices rise while units decline, businesses need to understand whether customers are beginning to pull back.

That point echoed what we heard in conversations throughout the convention. The mood among retailers was optimistic, but not blindly so. People want to grow. They are looking for new ideas and ways to differentiate themselves. At the same time, margin, pricing and customer value are very much part of the conversation.

The opportunity, then, is not simply to offer the lowest price. It is to give customers a compelling reason to choose one product, one design or one business over another.

SAF’s Marketer of the Year award offered a tangible example of that idea in action. Arizona Flower Market was recognized for Tempe Blooms, an immersive floral event that brought flowers into the community through installations, bouquet building, education and interactive experiences, ultimately drawing nearly 100,000 attendees. What stood out was not simply the scale of the event, but the way it turned flowers from a product into an experience. It was a strong reminder that value can also come from creating reasons for people to participate, discover and connect with flowers in new ways.

As Technology Gets Smarter, the Human Hand May Matter More

One of the most fascinating parts of SAF was seeing two movements happening side by side.

Technology was everywhere. Sessions explored AI-powered buying tools, employee training, business data, traditional search and the emerging worlds of Answer Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization. One SAF session even demonstrated how a florist took knowledge that had traditionally lived inside an owner’s head and turned it into a tool the broader team could use.

Yet Talmage McLaurin’s 2027 Flower Trends Forecast pointed strongly toward something much more human.

His six trends moved from expressive, hand-painted creativity to raw natural textures, vintage influence, heritage craftsmanship and deliberately imperfect design. At one point we were discussing dark botanicals, gothic influences and tattoo culture. Not long after, the conversation had shifted to restrained coastal environments, traditional textiles and the revival of older craft techniques.

The individual trends were interesting.The broader message may be even more important.

There may not be one dominant aesthetic defining what comes next.

Consumers increasingly have access to endless visual inspiration, which allows smaller aesthetics and highly personal tastes to flourish simultaneously. For floral professionals, that makes variety, color, texture and access to something unexpected increasingly valuable.

And there is an interesting parallel with AI.

The more technology can make certain parts of business faster and more standardized, the more consumers may notice the elements that still feel unmistakably human: creativity, imperfection, craftsmanship, personal taste and story.

For an industry built around a natural product transformed by human hands, that is an exciting place to be.

Change Is Becoming Part of the Job, Not an Occasional Event

Some of the most candid conversations at SAF were not really about flowers.

They were about introducing new technology to longtime employees. Developing the next generation of a family business. Training teams on new systems. Integrating companies after ownership changes. And figuring out how quickly a business can evolve without losing the people, relationships or culture that made it successful.

SAF addressed those realities directly.

Mike Lee’s Lead Through the Noise focused on leading with clarity and purpose amid constant change. Later, the Managing Ownership Transition session examined a particularly relevant issue as consolidation continues across retail, wholesale and growing operations. SAF framed the challenge not simply around completing a transaction, but around preserving employees, customer relationships, trust and continuity afterward.

One comment from that discussion captured the challenge particularly well: “Change is emotional before it’s operational.”

That extends far beyond acquisitions.

Technology changes. Leadership changes. Customer behavior changes. The way people discover businesses changes. Even the varieties and aesthetics customers ask for continually change.

What does not change as quickly is the need for trust.

Why Being in the Room Matters

For us, that may be the biggest value of SAF Convention.

As an importer, it would be easy to view our role primarily through the lens of product: what is growing, what is available and what customers are buying.

But our place in the supply chain gives us a much broader responsibility.

We need to understand what growers are developing. What wholesalers are navigating. What retailers are hearing from consumers. Where floral design is moving. How economic pressures are affecting buying decisions. And how technology and consolidation may change the way our industry operates.

SAF puts those perspectives in the same room.

We left Amelia Island optimistic, not because the floral industry is without challenges, but because there was a clear willingness to talk about them, learn from one another and keep evolving.

Consumers are still choosing flowers.

Our job as an industry is to keep giving them reasons to do so.

What happens when nearly 70 floral professionals step away from their day-to-day work and into the businesses helping move our industry forward? You get a close-up look at what is changing, what is working and what still matters most.

That was the spirit of WFFSA DevX 2026, held July 28 through 31 in Atlanta. The experience took us behind the scenes at Mayesh Atlanta, Flower General by Carlstedt’s, Carithers Flowers and Pete Garcia Group’s Floramart showroom, followed by an immersive AI Workshop & Buildathon led by Purple Horizons.

Each stop offered a different perspective, but together they revealed five important lessons for wholesalers, suppliers, retailers and floral professionals across the industry

1. Relationships Still Lead, but Digital Convenience Is Catching Up

At Mayesh Atlanta, the strength of the branch’s walk-in business was immediately clear. Its recently expanded cooler and the energy of the operation reflected the continued importance of personal service and the in-person buying experience.

At the same time, our conversation with Mayesh President Ben Powell and Director of E-commerce Rene Streng highlighted another reality: more floral customers are moving online, and Mayesh is investing heavily in that experience.

For wholesale floral, this is not an either-or decision. Customers still value trusted relationships, product knowledge and a familiar voice on the phone. They also expect the speed and convenience of digital purchasing. The businesses that succeed will make both experiences feel connected.

2. The Strongest Brands Know What They Will Not Compromise

Carithers Flowers offered a view from the high-end retail and corporate side of the industry. The second-generation business has a clearly defined customer, a polished brand and a strong sense of what it represents.

One message came through clearly: brand comes before everything. Carithers knows it is not the least expensive option and is unwilling to weaken the experience it has built simply to compete on price.

That perspective felt especially relevant to us at Choice Farms. Price will always be part of the conversation, but it cannot be the entire value proposition. Quality, consistency, responsiveness and care are what turn an order into a trusted partnership. A strong brand is not simply how a company looks. It is the promise customers experience every time they do business with you.

3. Growth Requires the Courage to Keep Adapting

No two businesses on the Road Trip were in the same season, which was part of what made the experience so valuable.

At Flower General by Carlstedt’s, team members from the Pensacola branch were helping introduce successful practices in Atlanta. Pete Garcia Group demonstrated how growth can come through strategic acquisitions and evolving product offerings, which were on display in their impressive 54,000 square foot FloraMart showroom.

Other conversations echoed the same theme. Some companies are investing in facilities and new leadership, while others are navigating system changes or pursuing new business more aggressively.

The paths may be different, but the lesson is shared: growth rarely means standing still. It requires businesses to evaluate what customers need now, learn from what is working elsewhere and make thoughtful changes without losing the qualities that built their success.

4. Family Businesses Continue to Shape the Floral Industry

Some of the most memorable moments at DevX had little to do with square footage, technology or product assortments. They were the stories behind the businesses.

Our visit and dinner at Pete Garcia Group celebrated a multigenerational immigrant family whose work has made a lasting impact on the floral industry. Hearing David Garcia speak about his grandfather’s journey to the United States brought the company’s history to life. With the Garcia family in attendance, the evening reminded us that succession is not only about transferring ownership. It is also about carrying forward the pride, values and resilience that shaped the business.

We saw that thread elsewhere, from the second generation leading Carithers to younger family members assuming larger roles in wholesale organizations. Family businesses provide continuity while each generation brings a new perspective on serving customers and preparing for the future.

5. AI Becomes Valuable When It Moves from Idea to Application

The AI Workshop & Buildathon with Purple Horizons was the icing on the cake. Instead of stopping at broad explanations of artificial intelligence, the session focused on practical applications. We explored platforms for different business needs, learned 18 AI power moves and spent the afternoon building tools ourselves.

The most important lesson was simple: AI works best when it has clear context, direction and purpose. For floral businesses, it can help improve internal collaboration, organize shared knowledge, strengthen communications and turn ideas into usable tools.

AI is not a substitute for floral expertise or personal relationships. Its value lies in helping people use their time and knowledge more effectively. The hands-on format made that opportunity feel immediate and approachable, even for attendees who did not consider themselves highly technical.

The Biggest Takeaway: Our Industry Learns Best Together

DevX opens doors, both literally and figuratively. Touring another business reveals details a presentation cannot. Sharing a meal creates room for honest conversation. Building something alongside industry peers turns an unfamiliar idea into a practical one.

We returned from Atlanta with fresh ideas about digital commerce, brand strength, business continuity and AI, along with a renewed appreciation for the people moving our industry forward.

Thank you to WFFSA, the DevX sponsors, Purple Horizons, our fellow attendees and each Atlanta host who generously shared their businesses and stories. At Choice Farms, we look forward to putting these lessons into practice as we continue serving the floral industry with the quality, consistency and care our partners trust.

At Choice Farms, we believe that strong relationships are at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re excited to welcome Mery Sanchez to our sales team.

With 15 years of experience in the floral industry, Mery brings a deep understanding of both the product and the people behind it. Her journey into floriculture was a natural one, rooted in a love for creativity and a passion for working with others.

Over the years, that passion has evolved into a career focused on helping wholesalers bring their customers’ visions to life, whether for weddings, events, or everyday floral needs.

For Mery, sales has always been about more than transactions. It’s about connection.

“I love building relationships and understanding what customers truly need. The most rewarding part is seeing them feel confident in what they’re creating.”

Her approach is simple and intentional: listen first, understand the need, and follow through with consistency. She is committed to making sure every customer feels supported, valued, and confident in their decisions.

When asked what wholesalers need most from their suppliers today, Mery’s answer was clear: consistency, quality, communication, and trust. These are the foundations of successful partnerships, and Mery is focused on delivering exactly that.

Mery was drawn to Choice Farms because of its reputation for quality and the passion of the team.

“It felt like a place where I could grow, contribute, and be surrounded by people who truly care about the industry,” she shared.

We’re proud to have her on board and excited for our customers to get to know her in the weeks ahead. And while her role is focused on supporting customers every day, her love for flowers extends far beyond the job. She admits it’s nearly impossible for her to walk past flowers without stopping to admire them, something we have a feeling many of our customers can relate to.

Fueling that passion? A good cup of coffee and a deep appreciation for the beauty in every variety, because if you ask her to pick a favorite flower, she finds that almost impossible. Each one has its own unique story to tell.

Welcome to the team, Mery!

Part of our Elevated Lily collection, rose lilies bring a fresh dimension to one of the floral industry’s most recognizable flowers.

Known as the double bloom lily, rose lilies feature multiple layers of petals that create a fuller, rose-like appearance while maintaining the scale and structure that make lilies such a staple in floral design.

At Choice Farms, we are always looking for exceptional varieties that help our customers create beautiful, memorable arrangements. Rose lilies are a perfect example of a flower that combines visual impact with practical benefits for florists.

What Makes Rose Lilies Different

Traditional lilies are known for their elegant form and dramatic presence. Rose lilies take that familiar shape and enhance it with layered petals that give the bloom a fuller, more textured appearance.

The result is a flower that feels both classic and modern at the same time. The layered structure creates depth and dimension in arrangements, making rose lilies a standout feature in bouquets, centerpieces, and large-scale floral installations.

Because of their unique petal structure, rose lilies are often described as the double bloom lily, a name that reflects the extra fullness and visual presence they bring to floral designs.

A Cleaner Lily for Floral Design

One of the most practical advantages of rose lilies is that they do not produce pollen.

For florists, this is a significant benefit. Traditional lily pollen can stain fabrics, clothing, and table linens, which is especially challenging during weddings and events. Rose lilies eliminate that concern, creating a cleaner experience both during the design process and for the final presentation.

Their lighter fragrance also makes them easier to incorporate into indoor spaces where strong floral scents may not always be desirable.

More Blooms Per Stem

Rose lilies are also valued for their productivity.

Each stem typically produces multiple blooms, allowing florists to create fuller arrangements with fewer stems. This not only enhances visual impact but also provides strong design flexibility for a wide range of applications.

From everyday arrangements to luxury event work, rose lilies offer both beauty and performance.

Ideal for Weddings, Events, and Everyday Design

The layered petals and romantic structure of rose lilies make them especially well-suited for wedding and event florals.

Designers often use them to add texture and softness to:

• Bridal bouquets
• Garden-style arrangements
• Elevated centerpieces
• Ceremony installations

Their fullness allows them to stand out as focal flowers while still blending beautifully with roses, ranunculus, and other premium blooms.

If you are interested in adding rose lilies to your floral offerings, contact your Choice Farms sales representative today to learn more about availability!

Reflections from WFFSA FDC 2026

Another year, another memorable Floral Distribution Conference in Miami. Each March, professionals from across the floral supply chain gather for the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association Floral Distribution Conference (FDC) to connect, exchange ideas, and reflect on where the industry is heading.

For the Choice Farms team, this year’s conference highlighted three key themes: service to the industry, innovation in floriculture, and the strength of wholesale partnerships.

Service to the Industry

Before the conference officially began, industry leaders gathered for committee and board meetings focused on shaping the future of the organization. The discussions centered on ensuring the conference and DevX continue delivering valuable networking and educational opportunities for members across the floral supply chain.

Members of the Choice Farms team were also actively engaged in these leadership conversations. Freddy Melero continues his service as President of WFFSA, while members of our team remain involved in committee and board leadership roles focused on strengthening the organization and its programming.

As the floral landscape evolves through consolidation, new technologies, and shifting supply chains, the importance of collaboration and leadership within the industry becomes even more essential.

Celebrating Innovation: Floral Xcellence Awards

In its second year, one of the highlights of the conference was the Floral Xcellence Awards, which recognize excellence in breeding and growing.

Choice Farms was honored to receive first place in the Garden Rose category with the Tie Dye Garden Rose.

This distinctive variety features layered peach tones that transition from deep tangerine at the center to soft creamsicle hues along the outer petals, paired with a subtle fruity fragrance.

Awards like this highlight the incredible innovation happening throughout the global floriculture community.

Honoring Wholesale Partnerships

At its core, the Floral Distribution Conference is about relationships.

Throughout the event, the Choice Farms team participated in wholesaler and supplier roundtable discussions where industry professionals exchanged ideas and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing the floral supply chain.

One of the highlights of the week was continuing a long-standing tradition of hosting our wholesale partners for dinner at Joe’s Stone Crab. For more than 16 years, this gathering has been our way of celebrating the partnerships that have supported Choice Farms for over two decades.

At the Supplier Expo, visitors also explored our newest product introductions, including rose lilies, specialty carnations, chrysanthemums, and premium novelty varieties.

A standout display featured a bridal gown created entirely from rose lilies, showcasing the creative potential of one of our newest and most in-demand product categories.

Looking Ahead

The Floral Distribution Conference remains one of the most meaningful events of the year for the floral industry.

It provides an opportunity to strengthen relationships, celebrate innovation, and explore how the floral supply chain can continue evolving together.

We are grateful for the conversations and connections made throughout the week and look forward to continuing our work alongside the wholesale partners who have been the foundation of our business for more than 26 years.

Some palettes never lose their magic — they simply evolve. Red and white is one of them. Long associated with love, celebration, and winter gatherings, the pairing continues to inspire florists year after year. With our Holiday Romance collection, we reintroduce this timeless duo through a modern lens — built on depth, texture, and the premium quality blooms Choice Farms is known for.

This story features rich, dimensional reds — Freedom, Red Piano, and Tess-style garden roses — paired with crisp whites like Playa Blanca, White Sweet Pea, and White Success Ranunculus. Enhanced with textural greens and seasonal accents, the result is a palette that feels familiar yet fresh, classic yet elevated.

Why this Palette Resonates:

• A Return to Romance: Designers are gravitating toward palettes that feel expressive and timeless. Holiday Romance embraces that movement.
• Cross-Seasonal Versatility: Perfect for holiday installations, winter weddings, and early Valentine’s designs.
• Tradition, Refined for Today: Red and white define love — but with the backing of Quality, Consistency & Care, this palette performs exactly how florists need it to.
• A Palette Rooted in Emotion and Craft: Every bloom in Holiday Romance was selected with intention. Velvet petals, airy whites, structured roses, and soft supporting flowers create designs that feel both emotive and artfully balanced.

Featured Varieties:

• Freedom Rose – iconic red and reliably strong
• Tess Garden Rose – lush, modern romance
• Red Piano Garden Rose – bold layers and seasonal richness
• Playa Blanca Rose – clean, crisp contrast
• White Sweet Pea – movement and lightness
• White Success Ranunculus – soft tonal layering
• Red Anemone – striking color contrast

Holiday Romance is available through Choice Farms. Because timeless beauty never goes out of style — it just gets better.

The future of wedding florals isn’t just about color palettes—it’s about creativity, connection, and smarter business. At Wedding MBA 2025, over 2,500 wedding and event professionals came together to share what’s next for the industry, and the floral community showed up in full force.

Here are our five floral takeaways from Wedding MBA 2025:

1. The Sales Process Is Evolving

Bron Hansboro (The Flower Guy Bron) encouraged florists to rethink how they sell. With referrals, reviews, and social media driving most inquiries, couples now expect fast communication, clear pricing, and transparent upsells.

Takeaway: Keep it simple, responsive, and visual. Your brand experience starts long before the first consultation.

2. Big Installations, Smarter Mechanics

Susan Davis of Fresh Designs Flora & Events shared practical ways to make large-scale floral installs more manageable from hanging pieces to grand backdrops. Her message: big impact doesn’t have to mean big stress.

Takeaway: The right mechanics and product planning can turn ambitious ideas into efficient, repeatable designs.

3. The Year of Editorial Florals

Lauren Bercier of Something Borrowed Blooms spotlighted trends that are defining 2025 weddings:

• Petite, refined bouquets with a “less-but-better” approach
• Grounded arches, cake meadows, and low runners
• Bold color blocking balanced with ethereal cottage-core palettes
• Modular, reusable designs
• Fresh and faux florals combined seamlessly

Takeaway: Florists are embracing a more artful, editorial sensibility, creating work that feels intentional, elevated, and emotionally resonant.

4. Connections Are the New Currency

Collaboration was the buzzword across the show floor. Tools like Details Flowers Software continue to streamline workflows, while innovators like Floral Eclectic (a luxury florist out of Dallas) are building digital bridges to connect freelancers across the wedding world.

Takeaway: Whether through technology or shared inspiration, connection is shaping the future of floral business.

5. The Industry Is Blooming with Opportunity

With over 2,500 professionals attending and a strong floral presence throughout the sessions, Wedding MBA proved that the wedding market continues to expand. Designers, wholesalers, and suppliers all share a common goal: delivering beauty through reliability, collaboration, and creativity.

Takeaway: The energy of this year’s show confirmed what many already feel: the wedding floral industry is entering a new era, one defined by artistry and partnership. Whether you design, supply, or support, the opportunity to grow together has never been greater.

Every two years, the global floral community gathers in Bogotá to celebrate the beauty, diversity, and innovation of flowers from around the world. Proflora 2025 brought together growers, breeders, and buyers across continents—each united by a shared commitment to quality and connection. For Choice Farms, it was an opportunity to reconnect with our growers, customers, and friends, and to be reminded that behind every flower is a story of dedication, collaboration, and care.

A Celebration 20 Years in the Making

One of the week’s most memorable moments was celebrating Alexandra Farms’ 20th anniversary, an event that captured everything beautiful about this industry: family, passion, and partnership.

Our Vice President Vicky Martinez was invited to speak at the celebration, a meaningful recognition of the longstanding relationship between Choice Farms and Alexandra Farms.

“It was wonderful to see everyone sharing the same admiration for Joey and the Alexandra Farms family,” said Vicky. “We’ve partnered with them for many years, and celebrating this milestone together was truly special.”

The joy of that evening continued when Alexandra Farms received two major awards at Proflora’s Outstanding Variety Competition:

• First Place in New Products for the Magnificent Bells hellebores
• Second Place in Special Shape Roses for Vicky Gardens! from their Deluxe Garden Rose Collection

Both wins highlight Alexandra Farms’ dedication to quality and innovation—values that mirror our own at Choice Farms.

Reconnecting Across Continents

Throughout the show, our leadership team—President Jorge Constain, VP Vicky Martínez, and Director of Sales & Procurement Freddy Melero—spent valuable time strengthening ties with our trusted farm partners, as well as rekindling collaborations with others eager to reconnect.

“This business is still primarily about relationships,” Jorge shared. “That’s something we hope newcomers to the industry will appreciate—our community thrives on trust and connection.”

While visiting one of our grower partners, our team witnessed firsthand the dedication and patience behind their work with Sweet Peas, a variety they have carefully developed for new growing conditions.

“Their attention to detail and commitment to make Sweet Peas thrive on a new continent is truly inspiring,” added Vicky. “It’s proof that perseverance and passion still drive the best results.”

A Reflection on Colombia in Bloom

Walking through Proflora’s bustling halls, it was impossible not to feel inspired by the creativity and scale of Colombia’s floral production—from the lush roses that have long defined the region to the growing diversity of Dianthus, Alstroemeria, Hydrangea, tropical foliage and carnations, which appear to be trending once again.

For Choice Farms, it was also a reminder that progress in floriculture comes from collaboration with growers, importers, and designers working hand in hand to bring beauty to every corner of the world.

Looking Ahead

While this year didn’t bring the dramatic product debuts of previous shows, the trip reaffirmed what matters most to us: reliability, quality, and relationships built on care.

We’re already exploring new varieties to add to our portfolio, selected with the same attention to excellence our customers have come to expect.

“It’s always rewarding to see our partners and customers at work and play in this great industry,” Jorge said. “We left Proflora feeling proud, respected, and motivated for what’s next.”