Cut-flower pricing depends on how stems are grown, handled and sold. What should a locally grown flower cost? For flower growers, that question can be surprisingly difficult to answer. Production expenses, labour, seasonality, market conditions and the type of customer buying the flowers can all influence the final price.
A new cut-flower pricing survey from the University of Kentucky’s Center for Crop Diversification is providing some useful data. The university surveyed Kentucky cut-flower growers this summer to examine prices for 10 selected Kentucky-grown flowers sold through direct-to-consumer and intermediary market channels.
The University of Kentucky reports that the survey collected 68 responses between July 23 and Aug. 31, 2026, with 34 responses considered usable and complete for the report. Researchers collected information on average price per stem as well as growers’ sales channels, commercial experience and business growth.
Why Flower Pricing Is Complicated
For local flower growers, there is no single price that applies to every market. A grower selling directly to consumers at a farmers market is operating under different circumstances than one supplying florists, wholesalers or another intermediary.
That’s why the Kentucky survey separates pricing into direct-to-consumer and intermediated channels. The university also looked at the percentage of growers’ 2025 sales coming through each type of market and the growth they experienced during the previous three years.
For florists interested in sourcing locally grown flowers, understanding these differences can be useful. A locally grown stem may carry costs associated with small-scale production, hand harvesting, post-harvest handling and limited seasonal availability that aren’t reflected in the price of a mass-produced imported flower.
That doesn’t necessarily make locally grown flowers a poor value. Instead, it highlights why comparing flowers strictly on price per stem can overlook differences in production and supply.
More Data Could Help the Industry
The University of Kentucky’s Center for Crop Diversification says the project is intended to help growers price their products for direct-to-consumer and intermediated markets while collecting information that has historically been difficult to obtain.
Researchers plan to continue collecting cut-flower pricing data throughout the project’s duration, potentially creating a larger body of information that growers can use when making future pricing decisions.
The university also offers resources for cut-flower growers covering topics such as marketing, profitability and selling locally grown flowers to florists.
For U.S. florists considering a stronger relationship with local flower farms, the survey is a reminder that flower pricing is about much more than the number on a price sheet. Knowing how flowers are grown, marketed and sold can help both growers and florists have more productive conversations about value, availability and expectations.
Source: University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification, Results from Pricing Survey for Kentucky Cut Flower Growers. For the broader buying context, read our floral market wrap up on flower prices and freight costs.
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