Hosted by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Flower Show is a spectacle of all things botanical, and a quarter million people flock to this first peek of spring each March. You can see a slideshow of highlights from the Philadelphia Flower Show at bit.ly/PhiladelphiaFlowerShowHighlights2015.
Meanwhile, we caught up with Peace Tree Farms’ Lloyd Traven to ask about how the Flower Show figures into his business plan.
GG: How has becoming a supplier for the Flower Show changed your business?
Traven: It’s totally reinvented our business. Our timing revolves around Flower Show forcing. And we have invested in a lot of equipment.
We now demand a signed contract. It’s very clearly written about what they do, what we do, when it happens and what they have to pay. I think more growers should be doing this — spell it out and hold their feet to the fire. They pay us as it goes along. A third of the total bill — except for freight — is due in November. If I don’t have that check, I stop growing your stuff. We receive a second third in January and the final third at the Flower Show.
GG: How do you balance growing for the Flower Show with growing for the spring season?
Traven: We drop all the stuff we carry through the winter, our bigger plants for the Garden Geek stuff and even poinsettias, to get more Flower Show business. It’s more profitable. If I have a way of generating more cash flow, I’ll take it. We’ve not had to scramble to make payroll. We’re current with our suppliers. That’s a big change for us.
Designers are used to the old style of paying in the spring. For me, that is not how it’s done. We consider this a privilege to be trusted to do this. But we want to be treated respectfully.