And speaking of tariffs Spring has sprung, and flowers are blooming.
But so are President Trump’s tariffs on dozens of countries.
Baylee Wojcik spoke with owners of a local flower shop and a farm and tells us what concerns they’re sharing ahead of their busiest season.
Easter, Mothers Day, and other Spring events are just around the corner, but local Florists say that President Trump’s tariffs might force them to raise the prices of their products.
The past few years have been a whirlwind for florists everywhere. Penny Hoffman, the owner of Forget Me Not Floral in Davidsville, says that she’s seen major changes in the industry since the pandemic.
“Since 2020 flower costs have increased definitely during Covid and the supply chain issues that we had it was very difficult supply was difficult to get flowers in and and the cost was higher gas was even higher so delivery charges were higher because of that as well”
“Prices definitely went up 2024 was particularly difficult I think for florists I’ve seen an increase in sales in 2025 has definitely been better so far from 2024”
Now they’re facing the affects of Tariffs. Hoffman says that the majority of flowers that local shops use come from overseas with places like Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, and the Netherlands supplying many different species.
“There are some growers in California, but majority of our flowers come from South America and Canada and of course, Holland and then it’s distributed throughout the United States”
Meanwhile, flower farmers like those with Rustic Springs Farm in Johnstown say their business works to buy and support local and domestic seeds and plants whenever possible. However, they say some seeds, bulbs, and even equipment still come to their business from around the world, adding that they could be impacted by the tariffs as well.
Hoffman also explained that her wholesalers that ship from overseas have already alerted her about expected price increases of 6-8% because of tariffs.
“South America has excellent climate especially for roses.”
“Cases come in packs of 25. So with that idea we could be looking at maybe three or four dollars increase on a pack of roses.”
However, she says she’s not concerned about raising her prices just yet.
“I’m particularly not too worried about it. I think that I’m not sure that it will last quite that long. I guess time will tell what happens and how long the tariffs continue.”
Hoffman and those at Rustic Springs Farm also say that during this uncertainty, they’re hopeful that community members will continue to support small businesses.