CFC Cut Flower Production Statistics 2018-1

A review of production statistics for the cut flower and
foliage sector
Updated 2018
(part of AHDB Horticulture project PO BOF 002a)
Gordon Hanks
Horticultural Consultant
i
Contents
1.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background ............................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Sources of statistical information ........................................................................... 2
1.3 Disclaimer ................................................................................................................. 3
2.0 Cut flower sales and prices ......................................................................................... 5
2.1 Buying habits ............................................................................................................ 5
2.2 Wholesale markets ................................................................................................... 9
2.3 Top selling flowers ................................................................................................. 11
3.0 Horticultural Statistics UK ......................................................................................... 20
3.1 UK production areas............................................................................................... 20
3.1 UK production values ............................................................................................. 21
3.2 UK imports .............................................................................................................. 22
3.3 UK exports .............................................................................................................. 25
4.0 UK exports and imports country by country ............................................................ 29
4.1 Cut flowers (fresh) .................................................................................................. 29
4.2 Rose ......................................................................................................................... 32
4.3 Chrysanthemum ..................................................................................................... 34
4.4 Carnation ................................................................................................................. 35
4.5 Lilies ........................................................................................................................ 37
4.6 Gladiolus ................................................................................................................. 38
4.7 Ranunculus ............................................................................................................. 38
4.8 Orchids .................................................................................................................... 38
4.9 Treated cut flowers ................................................................................................. 38
4.10 Cut foliage (fresh) ................................................................................................. 42
4.11 Treated cut foliage ................................................................................................ 44
4.12 Mosses and lichens .............................................................................................. 46
4.13 Flower bulbs etc. (dormant) ................................................................................. 47
5.0 The production of ornamentals worldwide ............................................................ ...50
6.0 Cut flower and foliage production in key countries ................................................. 55
6.1 Netherlands ............................................................................................................. 55
6.2 Canada..................................................................................................................... 64
6.3 China ....................................................................................................................... 67
6.4 Columbia ................................................................................................................. 69
6.5 Ecuador ................................................................................................................... 70
6.6 Finland ..................................................................................................................... 73
6.7 Germany .................................................................................................................. 75
6.8 Greece ..................................................................................................................... 77
6.9 Hungary ................................................................................................................... 78
6.10 India ....................................................................................................................... 79
6.11 Ireland .................................................................................................................... 81
6.12 Israel ...................................................................................................................... 82
6.13 Italy ........................................................................................................................ 83
6.14 Japan ..................................................................................................................... 84
6.15 Kenya ..................................................................................................................... 86
6.17 Mexico ................................................................................................................... 88
6.18 Morocco................................................................................................................. 91
6.20 Poland.................................................................................................................... 93
6.21 Spain ...................................................................................................................... 95
6.22 Sweden .................................................................................................................. 98
6.23 Taiwan China......................................................................................................... 98
6.24 Thailand ............................................................................................................... 100
6.26 USA ...................................................................................................................... 104
6.27 Vietnam................................................................................................................ 106
7.0 The major cut flowers: producers, exports to the EU and imports by the EU ..... 107
ii
7.1 Rose ....................................................................................................................... 108
7.2 Carnation ............................................................................................................... 110
7.3 Chrysanthemum ................................................................................................... 112
7.4 Lily ......................................................................................................................... 114
7.5 Orchids .................................................................................................................. 116
7.6 Cut foliage, branches, etc. ................................................................................... 118
8.0 Summary and conclusions ...................................................................................... 120
iii
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background
The bulk of UK cut flower production consists of alstroemeria, chrysanthemum
(although both of these would now be considered minor crops), column stock and
lisianthus under glass, forced daffodil, lily and tulip bulbs, and field-grown daffodil and
gladiolus. In addition a small area of non-bulb cut flower crops has been grown in the
open, comprised largely of natural-season chrysanthemum, pinks and sweet william,
dried flowers and, more recently more significant areas of sunflower, asters and
peony.
For many years, the UK had a low per capita purchase of cut flowers compared with
many other western European countries, providing little incentive for UK cut flower
growers to expand production, or to hope to compete with well-established Dutch
exporters and the emerging producer countries in Africa and South America. But
between the late-1980s and early-2000s the UK’s imports of cut flowers rose from
some £125m per annum to around £550m. Over the same period the farm-gate value
(FGV) of cut flower production in England & Wales (E&W) remained static at around
£50m to £60m per annum, including the non-bulb outdoor flower sector worth some
£5m to £10m annually.1 This inertia has been attributed to a lack of ‘know-how’ in
non-traditional UK crops and a culture of buying-in ‘from across the water’.
In addition to the upwards trend in cut flower purchases, several factors might have
been expected to have bolstered UK cut flower production, in both quantitative and
qualitative terms:
● The avowed environmental interest of supermarket chains in production in the

UK, with its closeness to markets, fresher products and fewer air-miles;
● The perceived interest of supermarkets and consumers in a greater variety of
products;
● The success of relatively cheap Spanish tunnels in enabling season
extension and weather protection for strawberries and other crops and finding
that they are also useful in cut flower production.
Despite the largely positive influence of supermarkets on cut flower buying habits,
they also present UK growers with the disincentive of reaching high specifications on
low margins.
In order to provide UK growers with more information on the cut flower production of
1 For a justification of these figures, see section 3.1, UK production areas and values
1
a wider range of species grown in Spanish tunnels and in the open, AHDB
Horticulture is funding the National Cut Flower Centre (CFC) to carry out near-market
R&D, information gathering and technology transfer. As one part of the CFC’s
information gathering and dissemination role, in 2015 a review was conducted to
summarise the statistics of the cut flower business, looking at production areas and
values worldwide, the crops being grown, and imports and exports to and from the
UK and the EU. It was hoped that this information could provide some insights to
guide UK growers at a time of huge changes in the cut flower business globally.
Reading large statistical compilations is time consuming, so one aim of the review
was to extract the most relevant statistics and make them more succinct and
accessible. The present review is an update of the earlier one.
1.2 Sources of statistical information

Business statistics are maintained by governments for planning and accounting
purposes and by trade organisations to inform and advise their members.
Government statistics appear particularly prone to evolving over time: for example,
the UK’s official agricultural statistics may have started as a comprehensive, well-
resourced planning tool, but over time the exercise has been cut back due to
budgetary restraints, leading, for example, to the use of estimates rather than
surveys, and restricting the data collected to that needed to fulfil internal and
international requirements such as providing customs and excise data and serving
EU-wide statistical exercises. A specific example in the UK is the recent loss of
regular production area statistics for the ornamentals sector, despite the
maintenance of import and export data.
Although numerous agricultural statistics can be accessed over the Internet, this
review has not attempted to be comprehensive, rather to concentrate on a few key
sources. The main UK sources consulted were Defra’s Basic Horticultural Statistics
(BHS) 2014 and Horticultural Statistics 2016,2 the latest runs of compilations of the
UK’s area, production, value and external trade of horticulture crops. Unfortunately,
since 2004 this coverage has been reduced to provide full statistics for fruit and
vegetables only: for ornamental plants and flowers it contains only historic data (up to
2004) on production areas, etc., though ongoing import and export data have been
maintained. In compiling BHS 2014 the authors stated “Data on area, yield and
production for England and Wales are [now] collected for Defra under contract by an
2 see https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/horticulture-statistics-2016
2
external provider. These are combined with data for Scotland [3] and Northern Ireland
[4] to produce UK figures [but] breakdowns to county or Government Office Region
cannot be produced due to the method by which the statistics are collated.” The
publication has therefore become less useful to those in the ornamentals industry.
The area of bulbs and flowers grown in the open are broken down to genera and
other broad categories in Defra’s (former) annual Survey of Vegetables and Flowers
(SVF).5 These surveys were published annually until 2006 and then in 2008, probably
for the last time due to budgetary restraints (Defra Crops Statistics, personal
communication, 2015). Longer runs of Defra’s agricultural statistics can be found on-
line under the general title of ‘Structure of the agricultural industry’.6 For horticulture,
however, the information is limited to the areas of horticultural farms, the combined
area of horticultural crops, and the areas of hardy nursery stock (HNS), bulbs and
flowers (including ‘bulbs and flowers in the open’) and ‘glasshouses (flowers, foliage
and other plants)’. Note that in this context crops in Spanish tunnels were treated as
‘in the open’ rather than protected.
The main trade report consulted was the annual International Statistics Flowers and
Plants (ISPF) published by the International Association of Horticultural Producers
(AIPH) and Union Fleurs and currently in its 65th volume (2017). It is compiled by
Sabine Hübner, Leibniz University, Hanover, Germany.7 Using a comprehensive
range of national statistical sets, the compiler provides a mass of information on the
producer countries and world trade. Its compilations of exports to and imports from
the EU are particularly useful.
Sources of data are fully acknowledged in the text. This review was completed in
March 2018.
1.3 Disclaimer
In this report all data have been interpreted in good faith, but the definitions of terms
and the mode of data acquisition may vary from survey to survey, from time to time,
and from country to country; in addition the riders and footnotes attached to the
original information are often numerous and not always unambiguous.
Please note that:
3 see http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Agriculture-Fisheries/PubEconomicReport
4 see https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/statistical-review-ni-agriculture
5 http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107131523/http://www.defra.gov.uk
/statistics/files/defra-stats-foodfarm-landuselivestock-vegflowers-latestrelease.pdf
6 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/structure-of-the-agricultural-industry#history
7 http://aiph.org/resources/statistical-yearbook/
3
● In many data sets the most recent data are ‘provisional’ and subject to
change (they are usually corrected in the next edition);
● A recurrent problem of interpretation is the many changes made by compilers
over time in definitions or in the classes of product included or excluded;
● Sometimes the data collected extends to individual species or genera, but
these may be omitted from published surveys because they may be based on
small samples, and therefore may be imprecise or may compromise the
anonymity of growers of speciality crops (Defra Crops Statistics, personal
communication, 2015);
● In different surveys the data for foliage (cut foliage), branches, etc., may or
may not be included in the total ‘cut flower’ figures;
● Very often ‘totals’ do not total correctly, due to rounding or other errors;
● In some cases apparently erroneous data have been found and these have
been noted and omitted from the review, but otherwise figures have been
used ‘as found’;
● Crop names – scientific or common – have also been quoted ‘as found’;
● Gaps in tables and figures can be difficult to interpret, and in this review ‘-‘
has been entered for values missing for any reason, and some explanation
has been noted where feasible;
● No attempts have been made to reconcile the figures in different surveys.
The following definitions have been used in this review:
● ‘Cut flowers’ and ‘foliage’ always refer to the ‘fresh’ product; where product
has been ‘treated’ (e.g. dried, dyed or preserved), this is specified;
● The terms ‘bulbous’ plants or ‘flower bulbs’ are used in the commercial sense
to include true bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes, etc., that is ornamental
geophytes generally;
● Data often refer to the numbers of items produced as ‘number of pieces’; this
very often (but not always) means the number of stems.
4
2.0 Cut flower sales and prices
2.1 Buying habits
The table below summarises spend on flowers, plants and garden goods for some
EU countries, Japan and the USA. Amongst EU countries, Norway’s per capita
spend was exceptionally high at €283, while those of the Czech Republic
(understandable with its low Gross National Income, GNI) and Spain (where perhaps
climatic or cultural factors are causal) were low, at €41 and €28, respectively. Per
capita spend in the UK has risen from historically low levels, but at €78 (in 2012) was
still low for European countries. Perhaps surprisingly, the UK’s per capita spend was
similar to that of the USA (with its substantially larger economy) and is roughly twice
that of Japan. The GNI of a country and its per capita spend on flowers, plants and
garden goods are evidently not always correlated: cultural and other factors must
come into play.
Spend on flowers, plants and related goods in recent years in selected countries 1
Spend per Total spend GNI2 per capita Population
capita (€) (€millions) (€1000) (million)3
2011 2012 2011 2012 2012 2012
Austria 158 153 1,132 1,102 33.5 7.2
Belgium 137 135 1,249 1,240 31.0 9.2
Czech Rep. 41 32 368 284 19.4 9.0
Denmark 189 184 862 846 33.6 4.6
France 129 127 6,802 6,732 28.6 53.2
Germany 139 139 9,851 9,900 33.4 71.0
Italy 113 75 5,871 3,835 26.5 51.1
Netherlands 125 126 1,724 1,738 33.5 13.8
4
Norway 283 - 1,131 - 51.5 4.1
Spain 28 - 1,092 - 24.2 39.7
Sweden 150 170 1,174 1,342 33.5 7.9
UK 86 78 4,453 4,062 27.0 52.3
2015 2016 2014 2015 2015 2015
Japan 39 44 5,052 5,578 34.3 126.9
2015 2016 2015 2016 2016 2016
USA 83 85 26,671 27,797 50.7 323.1
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from many national and other sources; note the years
for which this information is available varies between the EU, Japan and the USA
2 Gross National Income at purchasing power parity in 2012
3
Population aged 15+ years except for Japan and USA where entire population given
4
- Indicates data not available
Where successive years’ data were available for a country, its per capita spend
appeared mostly static or falling modestly over the two years shown. In Italy,
however, there was a marked reduction in spending between 2011 and 2012, while
there was a substantial increase in Sweden. On the whole, these figures do not paint
5
too pessimistic a picture for the future sales of plants, flowers and other horticultural
products.
Customer’s buying habits are changing. The histogram below shows cut flower sales
at different types of outlet for several European countries, assessed in 2013. The
averages across these countries are also shown (right-hand column). Most sales - on
average making up over three-quarters of the total - were made in florists and
supermarkets. A major difference between countries is the ratio of florist sales to
supermarket sales. The UK was a clear exception, having the largest proportion of
supermarket sales (56%) and the smallest of florist sales (20%). In all other countries
in the survey the sales at florists topped those at supermarkets, though Switzerland
and Germany appeared to have started on a similar trend to the UK. The smallest
proportions of supermarket sales - 4 or 5% - occur in the Russian Federation and
Spain. Sweden is unusual in having a high proportion of garden centre sales (21%),
while the Russian Federation and Italy have relatively high sales at kiosks (16 and
12%, respectively).
Sales expressed as 2013 expenditure on cut flowers by consumers aged 18–65

years; source: ISPF 2014, from Flora Holland, 2014
Equivalent figures for 2016 are available for selected EU countries and for 2015 for
the Russian Federation, and the data for 2013 and 2015/2016 are compared in the
next histogram. Note that in 2015/2016 there had been some re-classification of the
outlet categories used. The obvious feature is that by 2016 Internet sales had made
6
their mark in all countries included, taking on average 11% of cut flower sales, with a
maximum of 21% in the UK and a minimum of 4% in the Russian Federation. In
Germany, France and Sweden there were also increased sales by florists over this
period, and these shifts in buying habits were at the expense of sales by
supermarkets (in Germany and France) or garden centres (in Sweden). On the other
hand, in the UK, the Netherlands and the Russian Federation sales from florists had
held up well, with supermarkets in the UK further losing out. In the Russian
Federation and the Netherlands sales of cut flowers from supermarkets were in any
case smaller than in the other countries studied; in Russia additional factors were
that sales from cut flower kiosks are important (16% of all sales in 2013) and Internet
sales not yet fully developed.
These findings may suggest that UK producers and packers have developed a high
level of expertise in marketing cut flowers to supermarkets and on the Internet: these
skills should be useful in developing sales to multiple retailers in mainland Europe.
7
Sales expressed as 2015 or 2016 expenditure on cut flowers by consumers aged 18–65 years; source: ISPF 2017, from Flora Holland, 2017
8
2.2 Wholesale markets
The turnovers of a number of wholesale flower and plant markets are shown in the
table below, though unfortunately it contains few continuous runs of data over the
whole period. In terms of size, Royal FloraHolland and Landgard (including Veiling
Rhine-Maas) are hugely dominant, with 2016 turnovers of €4,633m and €1,181m,
respectively. While Royal FloraHolland’s turnover has continued to increase steadily
in recent years, Landgard’s turnover peaked in 2011 and has slowly declined
thereafter. In comparison, many of the other markets are modest in size, with
turnovers that have been fairly stable or have declined somewhat over recent years.
The growth of Veiling Holambra in Brazil, however, might be noted, having grown
from €67m to €170m over the seven years to 2014, the latest year for which figures
are available. Over a similar period, 2007 to 2016, the turnover of New Covent
Garden Flower Market has declined from €76m to €67m, having bottomed-out at
€54m between 2011 and 2013.
9
Turnover of some wholesale markets for flowers and plants, 2007-2016 1
Market Country Turnover (€m) 2
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Euroveiling, Brussels Belgium -3 - - 31 27 - 32 32 - -
Veiling Holambra, São Paulo Brazil 67 78 - 137 148 160 163 170 - -
Ontario Flower Growers Canada - - - 14 15 - 15 15 - -
UFG (United Flower Growers), Burnaby Canada - - - 24 35 - 35 36 - -
Dounan Flower Market, Kunming China - - - 380 400 - - - - -
Kunming International Flower Auction China - - - - - - 46 160 - -
SICA Marché aux Fleurs, Hyeres France - - - 35 30 - 30 24 - -
Landgard (including Veiling Rhine-Maas) Germany 883 913 1078 1145 1337 1314 1216 1170 1139 1181
Veiling Rhine-Maas Germany - - - 250 282 319 316 335 350 364
Il Contadino, Marsala Italy - - - 5 5 - 5 5 - -
UC Flor, San Remo Italy - - - 16 7 5 7 3 - -
Aucnet Flower Auction (on-line) Japan - - - - - - - 52 55 -
FAJ Flower Auction Japan - - - 220 207 - 207 165 - -
Naniwa Flower Auction, Osaka Japan - - - - - 130 130 165 - -
OTA Floriculture Auction Japan 180 174 201 226 246 - 300 198 - -
Flora Max New Zealand - - - 11 11 - 6 10 - -
United Flower Auction New Zealand - - - 10 10 - 15 20 - -
Multiflora, Johannesburg South Africa - - - 18 19 - 21 30 - -
Taipei Flower Auctions Taiwan China 37 34 - 40 42 - 42 68 - -
4
Royal FloraHolland Netherlands 4064 4074 3861 4130 4160 4400 4350 4537 4465 4633
Plantion Netherlands 92 96 95 105 115 101 88 88 92 1005
SS Flora Koop, Istanbul Turkey - - 29 30 42 - 42 42 - -
New Covent Garden (Flower Market) UK 76 67 - 56 54 55 54 63 77 67
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from FloraCulture International (May 2014 and May 2015), Royal FloraHolland and Landgard; note that some
markets deal with pot- and other plants as well as cut flowers (see 4 and 5)
2
For New Covent Garden Market, years are financial years (e.g. 2016 means 2016/2017)
3
- Indicates data not available or not applicable 4
Of which 59% (€2,727m) is for cut flowers 5
Of which 48% (€48m) is for cut flowers
10
2.3 Top-selling flowers
Figures on the top-selling cut flowers are available from some auction houses and
government statistics, and some of these data provide quantities sold and average
prices on a time-series.
2.3.1 Royal FloraHolland, the Netherlands

The next table gives quantities and average prices for the top-sellers by turnover in
clock sales at Royal FloraHolland over the period 2009–2016. In 2009, rose, tulip and
spray chrysanthemum were paramount in terms of quantities sold, with sales of over
a billion pieces annually (2.7b in the case of spray chrysanthemum). Between then
and 2016 their sale volumes fell steadily, by 33%, 16% and 24%, respectively.
Comparable loss of sales affected most of the other most traded flowers, with huge
losses in anthurium and gypsophila (each 53%), zantedeschia and cymbidium (each
45%), gerbera, lily, freesia, alstroemeria and hypericum (all with losses of more than
one-third). Only lisianthus, limonium and peony sale volumes remained static, and
the only gain in sales among this group of best-sellers was hydrangea, with a 57%
increase in sales. Of course many other types of flower are traded, and the total
sales shown of all types are also shown: they declined by 28% over the period.
Quantities sold and (see continuation below) average prices for the best-selling cut flowers
(clock sales) at Royal FloraHolland 2009-2016 1
Quantity sold (million pieces) and % change from 2009 to 2016
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
Rose 2,701 2,655 2,561 2,312 2,115 2,012 1,936 1,813 -33
Tulip 1,143 1,211 1,215 1,161 939 944 839 963 -16
‘Mums (spray) 1,026 987 933 873 833 830 844 781 -24
Gerbera 610 592 584 568 515 466 427 397 -35
Lily 255 219 204 204 182 162 158 155 -39
Freesia 241 226 221 179 173 171 163 149 -38
‘Mums (bloom) 160 157 161 155 149 148 134 119 -26
Alstroemeria 190 168 161 145 137 117 115 115 -39
Carnation 143 138 151 144 120 130 110 107 -25
Hypericum 154 135 128 115 115 114 97 98 -36
Lisianthus 106 120 118 113 107 109 112 115 8
Gypsophila 154 114 105 91 74 67 66 73 -53
Limonium 52 49 62 67 67 59 52 56 8
Zantedeschia 85 77 63 62 57 59 55 47 -45
Anthurium 73 68 62 55 48 44 39 34 -53
Peony 55 64 61 53 57 53 60 56 2
Helianthus 48 41 40 39 -2 - - - -
Hippeastrum 41 39 39 35 36 36 35 30 -27
Hydrangea 23 27 30 32 31 35 38 36 57
Cymbidium 20 18 16 14 13 13 12 11 -45
Total of sales3 9,002 8,700 8,478 7,885 7,216 6,986 6,649 6,504 -28
(continued)
11
(continuation) Average price (€/piece) and % change from 2009 to 2016
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
Rose 0.22 0.24 0.24 0.25 0.26 0.25 0.25 0.27 23
Tulip 0.13 0.14 0.12 0.13 0.16 0.14 0.17 0.14 8
‘Mums (spray) 0.18 0.21 0.22 0.25 0.25 0.26 0.24 0.25 39
Gerbera 0.12 0.14 0.13 0.14 0.12 0.13 0.12 0.12 0
Lily 0.41 0.50 0.50 0.46 0.50 0.55 0.53 0.52 27
Freesia 0.14 0.16 0.15 0.18 0.18 0.17 0.18 0.19 36
‘Mums (bloom) 0.31 0.37 0.37 0.40 0.42 0.39 0.40 0.42 35
Alstroemeria 0.15 0.17 0.17 0.18 0.17 0.19 0.20 0.21 40
Carnation 0.13 0.15 0.14 0.14 0.15 0.14 0.16 0.16 23
Hypericum 0.15 0.17 0.17 0.19 0.17 0.17 0.20 0.22 47
Lisianthus 0.30 0.30 0.32 0.36 0.36 0.38 0.40 0.43 43
Gypsophila 0.19 0.20 0.20 0.22 0.24 0.22 0.25 0.27 42
Limonium 0.18 0.22 0.20 0.19 0.21 0.23 0.25 0.26 44
Zantedeschia 0.36 0.41 0.46 0.43 0.40 0.38 0.38 0.41 14
Anthurium 0.40 0.43 0.45 0.45 0.46 0.46 0.50 0.48 20
Peony 0.39 0.37 0.39 0.50 0.47 0.52 0.48 0.58 49
Helianthus 0.26 0.28 0.27 0.26 - - - - -
Hippeastrum 0.77 0.75 0.79 0.84 0.73 0.72 0.72 0.94 22
Hydrangea 0.99 1.03 1.03 1.02 1.04 1.03 1.04 1.22 23
Cymbidium 2.03 2.40 2.45 2.85 2.58 2.50 2.59 2.77 36
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from FloraHolland 2013 and 2016
2
- Indicates data not available or not applicable
3
Total of sales figures are for all cut flowers, not of the figures above
Despite the loss in sale volumes, this was compensated for to some extent by an
increase in prices over the same period. Of the listed commodities, only the price of
gerbera remained static, and only the prices of tulip and zantedeschia increased by
<20%; all other subjects saw prices increase between 20 and 49%. Hypericum and
peony saw increases of nearly 50%. The figures showed a fall in demand for some of
the stalwarts of the trade, accompanied nevertheless by a willingness (or the
available wealth) to pay higher prices for them, and that consumers are interested in
buying a wider range of flowers including new or novel subjects.
2.3.2 Plantion, the Netherlands

The next table gives the equivalent information for Plantion over the period 2009–
2016. Plantion is a Dutch market that operates on a much smaller scale than
FloraHolland. Sales here were again dominated by roses, though these decreased
rapidly from 201 million pieces in 2011 to 48 million in 2013, then were static until
2016, an overall drop of 77%; prices however rose by 62% over the same period.
Tulip and gerbera were next in importance, and, compared to rose, saw sales and
prices remaining relatively stable. Tulip sales fell by about one-third between 2011
and 2013, then increased to 2016 to finish the period 10% higher. Gerbera sales,
however, decreased, mainly between 2011 and 2012, but ended the period 10%
12
lower. Average prices for both commodities fell steady over the period 2009–2016,
ending down by 18 and 15%, respectively.
Other flowers were traded at much lower volumes than these, so it would be unwise
to draw many firm conclusions from the figures. Carnations and eucalyptus alone
showed substantially increased sales, by 133 and 50% respectively, but average
carnation prices fell by 9% and eucalyptus increased by about 5%. Sales of spray
and bloom chrysanthemum, peony and hydrangea remained static, while others
declined: alstroemeria (down by 14%), hypericum, lily and lisianthus (-25%),
helianthus (-33%), hippeastrum (-50%) and fatsia (-60%). In the case of spray
chrysanthemum and lily, average prices also fell, but prices rose for the other
flowers, sometimes considerably: hippeastrum (up by 14%), bloom chrysanthemum
(+17%), peony (+19%), helianthus (+32%), alstroemeria (+33%), hydrangea and
hypericum (both +36%), fatsia (+50%) and lisianthus (+60%). Higher lisianthus and
fatsia prices may have provoked higher prices through shortage of supply.
Quantities sold and (see continuation below) average prices for the best-selling cut
flowers at Plantion 2011-2016 1
Quantity sold (million pieces) and % change from 2011 to 2016
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 change
Rose 201 92 48 54 51 47 -77
Tulip 31 29 22 27 27 34 10
Gerbera 21 16 17 16 17 19 -10
Alstroemeria 7 6 6 6 5 6 -14
Carnation 9 9 6 11 22 21 133
‘Mum (spray) 7 6 6 6 6 7 0
‘Mum (bloom) 4 5 6 4 3 4 0
Hypericum 4 4 4 4 3 3 -25
Peony 4 3 5 4 6 4 0
Lily 4 4 3 2 2 3 -25
Lisianthus 4 4 3 3 3 3 -25
Veronica -2 - 3 2 2 2 -
Anthurium 2 2 2 - - - -
Eucalyptus 2 2 2 2 2 3 50
Hippeastrum 2 1 1 1 1 1 -50
Hydrangea 1 - 1 1 1 1 0
Fatsia 5 6 3 3 3 2 -60
Helianthus 3 2 0 2 2 2 -33
Ranunculus - 3 3 3 3 2 -
Total of above sales 311 194 141 151 159 164 -73
(continued)
13
(continuation) Average price (€/piece) and % change from 2011 to 2016
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 change
Rose 0.13 0.16 0.20 0.18 0.19 0.21 62
Tulip 0.17 0.18 0.19 0.14 0.15 0.14 -18
Gerbera 0.13 0.14 0.11 0.12 0.12 0.11 -15
Alstroemeria 0.15 0.17 0.17 0.18 0.20 0.20 33
Carnation 0.11 0.13 0.15 0.10 0.10 0.10 -9
‘Mum (spray) 0.20 0.24 0.22 0.18 0.18 0.18 -10
‘Mum (bloom) 0.29 0.30 0.19 0.30 0.34 0.34 17
Hypericum 0.14 0.15 0.14 0.14 0.16 0.19 36
Peony 0.31 0.41 0.34 0.36 0.34 0.37 19
Lily 0.35 0.36 0.34 0.39 0.33 0.33 -6
Lisianthus 0.25 0.32 0.32 0.37 0.36 0.40 60
Veronica - - 0.14 0.15 0.15 0.16 -
Anthurium 0.33 0.35 0.32 - - - -
Eucalyptus - 0.24 0.24 0.26 0.26 0.28 -
Hippeastrum 0.79 0.81 0.76 0.74 0.73 0.90 14
Hydrangea 0.75 - 0.83 0.86 0.86 1.02 36
Fatsia 0.14 0.13 0.13 0.14 0.20 0.21 50
Helianthus 0.25 0.23 0.27 0.24 0.33 32
Ranunculus - 0.18 0.16 0.14 0.18 0.17 -
1
Source: ISPF 2014, from Plantion, 2012, 2013, 2014
2
14
2.3.3 Veiling Rhine-Maas, Germany
Sales volumes and average prices for the main cut flower lines of Veiling Rhine-
Maas, Germany, are shown in the next table – but note that, due to procedural
changes, these carry a warning that the figures for each year may not be strictly
comparable. The major products were large-flowered roses, mini-gerberas and
single-flowered tulips. As only two years’ data were available, no clear reliable trends
on sales or prices can be seen. However, but the high values of cut foliage and
hippeastrum may be noted.
High-selling cut flowers at Veiling Rhine-Maas, 2011 and 2012 1

Quantity sold Average price
(million pieces) (€/piece)
2011 2012 2011 2012
Alstroemeria 8 -2 0.16 -
Anthurium 3 1 0.44 0.54
Aralia 11 - 0.14 -
Carnation, standard 7 11 0.12 0.09
Chrysanthemum, bloom - 2 - 0.32
Chrysanthemum, multiflora 12 16 0.21 0.22
Chrysanthemum, multiflora Santini 11 6 0.17 0.24
Foliage (bunch) - 3 - 1.04
Gerbera, large-flowered 11 31 0.24 0.26
Gerbera, mini 48 37 0.14 0.13
Gypsophila 10 5 0.19 0.20
Helianthus - 5 - 0.16
Hippeastrum - 3 - 0.81
Hypericum 7 3 0.18 0.20
Peony - 4 - 0.37
Ranunculus - 8 - 0.19
Rose - 43 - 0.20
Rose, large-flowered 172 148 0.22 0.23
Rose, small-flowered 15 9 0.12 0.13
Solidago 7 - 0.13 -
Tulip, double flowers - 17 - 0.15
Tulip, single flowers - 57 - 0.13
1
Source: ISPF 2014, from Veiling Rhine-Maas, Straelen-Herongen; more
recent data were not available in ISPF 2017
2
15
2.3.4 Wholesale markets in the USA
Cut flower sales volumes and average prices are shown for popular flowers in the
USA in the next table, covering the period 2010 to 2015. Tulip, gerbera and lily were
the predominant sales. Over this period the volume of sales has decreased for most
subjects, most notably for delphiniums (down 52%), orchids (38%), gladiolus (32%)
and rose (28%), with smaller losses for lily, iris, leather-leaf fern and alstroemeria.
Exceptionally, volumes of tulip (up 7%), lisianthus (13%) and, especially, snapdragon
(42%) increased over this period. The average prices obtained for all the listed
subjects increased steadily between 2010 and 2015. The increases for tulips and
gerbera were modest (11 and 17%), but other price hikes ranged from 26% (iris) to
85% (delphinium), and even 239% for orchids.
16
Quantity sold and average price for wholesale cut flowers in the USA, 2012-2015 1
Quantity sold (million pieces) Average price (€/piece)
and % change over period and % change over period
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Change
Tulip 156 169 162 162 161 167 7 0.28 0.25 0.28 0.28 0.27 0.31 11
Gerbera 108 114 108 99 105 107 -1 0.23 0.20 0.23 0.23 0.24 0.27 17
Lily (all) 93 141 100 87 79 83 -11 0.49 0.41 0.50 0.52 0.58 0.68 39
Iris 58 62 55 55 46 44 -24 0.19 0.19 0.18 0.18 0.20 0.24 26
Gladiolus 90 60 61 59 62 61 -32 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.26 0.25 0.28 47
Leather-leaf fern
(bunch) 28 26 32 32 32 22 -21 0.78 0.70 0.77 1.02 0.95 1.26 62
Snapdragon 31 35 35 42 42 44 42 0.20 0.18 0.22 0.19 0.19 0.27 35
Rose 39 37 33 29 31 28 -28 0.32 0.35 0.37 0.44 0.42 0.55 72
Delphinium 27 20 19 17 17 13 -52 0.20 0.22 0.28 0.29 0.27 0.37 85
Alstroemeria 10 9 11 10 9 8 -20 0.13 0.14 0.16 0.16 0.14 0.18 38
Lisianthus 8 7 10 9 8 9 13 0.29 0.30 0.32 0.34 0.34 0.41 41
Chrysanthemum
(pompon) (bunch) 8 8 9 9 7 8 0 1.06 1.01 1.01 1.27 1.30 1.34 26
Orchids (bloom) 8 7 6 6 7 5 -38 0.75 0.60 0.68 1.23 1.85 2.54 239
Carnation
(standard) -2 1 1 1 1 1 - - 0.12 0.18 0.18 0.23 0.31 -
Total of sales 664 695 641 617 607 600
1
Source: AIPH 2014 and 2017, from Floriculture Crops 2013 and 2015 Summary (June 2014 and April 2015), USDA, National Agricultural
Statistics Service, 15-States-Program, Operations with $100,000+ Sales; carnation figures derived from states outside the 15-state programme;
figures quoted are per stem or spike except where specified
2
- Indicates non-equivalent figures excluded
17
2.3.5 Wholesale markets in Taiwan China
Flower auction sales and prices are also available for the Taiwan China wholesale
auctions, and the combined sales across five auction houses are shown in the next
table for the top cut flowers. Over the period from 2012 to 2016 the predominant crop
was lily (‘Casablanca’-type), with a following group of spray chrysanthemum,
standard chrysanthemum, rose and gerbera. Of these, only the lilies and
chrysanthemums showed an increase in sales volumes over 2012–2016, of 9, 11
and 26%, respectively, while rose volumes declined by 29% and gerbera by 16%.
Regarding average prices, those with a small (9–11%) increase in sales volumes (lily
‘Casablanca’-type and spray chrysanthemum) showed small price increases (6–7%);
rose, while those with a large change in sales (rose, standard chrysanthemum and
gerbera) showed large price rises, suggesting that not only shortages in supply but
also increased consumer interest could deliver rising prices.
All of the other top crops suffered sharp falls in sales volumes over the period, slight
in the case of lisianthus (6%) but in double figures for carnation (down 23%),
gladiolus (30%), anthurium (37%) and a massive 53% for lily ‘Acapulco’-type. The
corresponding changes in average price were -8, +22, +27, +27 and -8%,
respectively.
18
Total sales volumes and average process for top selling cut flowers at five Taiwan auctions 2012–2016,
listed in descending order of turnover in 2013 1
Flower type and standard Quantity sold (million bunches) and % increase over period
numbers per bunch 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
Lily, 'Casablanca'-type (5) 8.43 8.82 8.9 10.4 9.2 9
Chrysanthemum, spray (10) 6.42 6.84 7.6 7.0 7.1 11
Rose (20) 3.52 3.38 3.2 2.9 2.5 -29
Chrysanthemum, standard (10) 3.02 3.26 4.0 4.0 3.8 26
Gerbera (10) 5.71 5.04 5.1 5.1 4.8 -16
Lily, 'Acapulco'-type (5) 1.49 1.48 1.5 1.1 0.7 -53
Lisianthus (10) 1.49 1.62 1.7 1.6 1.4 -6
Gladiolus (20) 1.43 1.42 1.4 1.2 1.0 -30
Anthurium (1) 12.76 12.70 11.2 10.0 8.1 -37
2
Carnation (10) - 1.56 1.8 1.6 1.2 -
Dendrobium (10) 0.99 - - - - -
Average price (€/bunch) and % increase over period
Lily, 'Casablanca'-type (5) 3.73 3.51 3.50 3.34 3.96 6
Chrysanthemum, spray (10) 1.48 1.25 1.20 1.59 1.59 7
Rose (20) 2.49 2.31 2.40 2.73 2.98 20
Chrysanthemum, standard (10) 1.61 1.70 1.65 1.97 2.19 36
Gerbera (10) 0.95 1.07 1.02 1.05 1.26 33
Lily, 'Acapulco'-type (5) 3.55 3.15 3.12 2.89 3.26 -8
Lisianthus (10) 2.33 2.14 2.37 2.67 3.10 33
Gladiolus (20) 2.73 2.39 2.46 2.61 3.46 27
Anthurium (1) 0.26 0.25 0.27 0.29 0.33 27
Carnation (10) - 1.30 0.95 1.08 1.58 -
Dendrobium (10) 3.28 - - - - -
1
Totals across the Taipei, Taichun, Kaohsiung, Changhua and Tainan auctions; source: ISPF 2014 and
2017, from Taiwan Floriculture Exporters Association and Taiwan Floriculture Development Association
2
- Indicates not in top-10 this year
19
3.0 Horticultural Statistics UK
3.1 UK production areas
As explained in Section 1.2, Defra area statistics for ornamental horticultural produce
have not been available since 2004. Although by now rather dated, if required those
statistics can be found in CFC’s earlier review of production statistics for cut flowers,
published in 2015. The following summary is taken from the 2015 review.
Despite a setback in the late 1990’s, the UK area of flowers and bulbs in the open
increased by 22% over the 18 years to 2004 to stand at 6,376ha. This area was (and
still is) dominated by daffodils. Other bulbs and flowers accounted for ca 1,300ha
until 1994, fell sharply until 1999 (presumably largely due to the cessation of tulip
growing in the UK) and then remained steady at ca 600ha until at least 2004. The
gladiolus crop was recorded starting 1998 and has remained steady at ca 100ha. For
non-bulb flowers in the open, separate figures were collected only for natural-season
chrysanthemum and for pinks and sweet william. The latter were recorded on about
100ha in 1996, and were about halved by 2008, while natural-season
chrysanthemum fared even less well, falling from 130ha in 1995 to only 16ha in
2008. As seen in many other datasets in this report, of the types recorded the ‘others’
category has been most widely grown. After settling to around 300ha for most of the
period the ‘other’ cut flowers have enjoyed a rise in popularity since 2005, rising to
over 400ha in 2008. Dried flowers were recorded on 400ha in 1996, since when they
have declined steadily to stand at 25ha in 2008. Foliage, recorded separately only
since 2003, has remained steady at around 40 to 60ha.
The area for protected flowers and bulbs (including forced bulbs) fell from a peak of
231ha (1987) to 145ha in 1995; thereafter it remained steady, with 161ha in 2004.
This sector will formerly have included large quantities of forced daffodil, while more
recently lily and tulip will have predominated. For non-bulb flowers a striking change
occurred between the late-1980s and 2004 with the area of chrysanthemum (both all-
year-round (AYR) and others) experiencing a substantial fall of about 75%, to 25ha
(AYR) and 18ha (others). The smaller areas of alstroemeria (average 21ha) and
carnation and pinks (16ha) were maintained over the period 1987 to 2004. Although
the ‘other’ species also suffered a large drop in area over this period – partly due to
recording alstroemeria and carnation and pinks separately starting in 1987 - they
have held their own since 2001 and dominate the sector with some 52ha grown in
2004. These figures will actually have changed radically in the past decade and
indeed one of the current most important protected crops i.e. column stocks is not
20
even mentioned in the previous statistics.
3.1 UK production values

Despite the lack of current data on production areas, production values and import
and export statistics continue to be available, though often these statistics refer only
to broad categories rather than individual kinds of cut flowers.
Defra’s estimated UK production values for ‘protected ornamentals – cut flowers and
forced bulbs’ (PFB) and ‘flowers and bulbs in the open’ (FBO) are shown in the
graph below. The value of PFB has increased strongly over the period shown, 1986–
2015, from £135m to £321m, despite a slow-down between 2000 and 2008. Over the
same period the production value of FBO increased from £27m to £45m. Regrettably,
starting in 2016, these commodities have been re-classified into groupings (‘flowers
and blooms’ and ‘pot plants’) that do not correspond obviously to those formerly
used.
Source: Horticultural Statistics 2016
Some limited production values for the components of PFB and FBO were available
for E&W from 1986 to 2004. The values for FBO showed that despite considerable
fluctuations along the way, the values were virtually the same in 2004 as in 1986 -
£13m to £14m for each sub-sector. Other flowers and bulbs in the open climbed
rapidly from 1986 to peak at £35m in 1993-1994, before falling back. Daffodils
increased later, peaking at £25m in 1996. For PFB, after something of a trough in
21
production in the intervening years, the 2004 values for forced bulbs were back to
1986 levels of £18m to £19m. Over the same period the value of alstroemeria
climbed from £1m to £5m, but the values of AYR chrysanthemum fell from £12m to
£6m, other chrysanthemum from £6m to £1m, and ‘other’ flowers from £11m to £4m.
The carnation and pinks crop dwindled below £1m.
3.2 UK imports
The next graphs cover the UK’s imports from 1988 to 2016 of flower bulbs and cut
flowers, starting with bulbs.
The imports of tulip bulbs were fairly static until around 2006, since when they have
increased sharply to virtually double by 2016. This is presumably fuelled by the
uptake of tulips grown hydroponically by UK producers. Imports of narcissus and
hyacinth bulbs have stayed around the same levels over this period, with some
spikes in recent years and a tendency for fewer hyacinth bulbs and more narcissus
bulbs. Overall, the imports of gladiolus corms have remained steady throughout.
The main point of interest, however, is the considerable increase in imports of other
bulbs, though the large peak in imports around 2011 subsequently moved back on
trend (note that in the graph the numbers of other bulbs are described by the right-
hand axis). As well as lily bulbs, which continue to be widely grown in crates under
protection to satisfy the demand for cut flowers, a wide range of other so-called
‘minor’ bulbs is imported, such as dwarf types for garden planting and exotics such
as hippeastrum.
22
The value of UK imports of cut flowers and foliage are shown in the next two graphs,
starting with those imported in large amounts. Over the period shown the import of
roses increased steadily, from a few £m in 1988 to approaching £150m in 2016,
while imports of chrysanthemums increased steadily but less dramatically. Imports of
carnations remained static. Imports of lilies have been separately recorded only since
2012. But, rather like the situation with the import of ‘other’ bulbs, it is the progress of
the ‘other’ cut flowers that is striking, with a steep rise around the millennium,
followed by something of a plateau and then a reversion to a steady upwards rise.
The effect of the separate recording of cut flowers of lily, can be seen on the ‘other’
cut flower results.
23
The following graph shows imports of orchids, gladiolus, foliage and prepared flowers
and buds. Also shown are the dwindling cut flower imports (of all types) from the
Channel Islands (CI), which were no longer recorded separately after 2004. Perhaps
the most notable feature is the steady rise in the imports of foliage8, from £8m in
1988 to around £40m by 2010. Imports of orchids and gladiolus remained steady at a
low level before increasing from around 2010, orchids peaking in 2012 (with no
explanation known) and then reverting to increasing slowly, and gladiolus peaking in
2016. Imports of prepared flowers and buds increased dramatically around 2006.
8In this usage, ‘foliage’ includes “prepared moss, branches and other parts of plants of
Christmas trees, firs, trees and grasses”
24
3.3 UK exports
The UK’s exports and re-exports of flower bulbs are shown in the next two graphs.
The bulk of bulb exports comprised narcissus and ‘other’ bulbs.
25
Narcissus bulb exports started the period at about £3.5m and ended it nearer £4m,
though the intervening period saw a sharp fall in 1992 and irregular high points
between 1995 and 2011. Exports of other bulbs started and ended the period at
approaching £1.5m and hardly fell below this level, although there were large peaks
in the intervening years in 1992, 1995 and 2007–2014 that reached a maximum of
nearly £6.5m.
Exports of hyacinth, tulip and gladiolus bulbs were modest. Gladiolus corm exports
remained below £0.1m for the whole of the period studied, although there was a
suggestion of rising exports since 2011. Hyacinth exports fluctuated, mostly
remaining around £0.1m, but there were irregular peaks of up to £1.1m. Tulip exports
were mostly <£0.1m annually, but peaked at a maximum level of £0.5m in 2011.
There is no obvious explanation for these fluctuations, but when operating at such a
low level they may be purely opportunistic.
Exports of cut flowers are given in the next two graphs. The largest export category
was the ‘other’ cut flowers, which started the period at about £4m, ended at about
£16m, and peaked in the intervening years, 2003–2007, at around £20m. Exports of
‘prepared flowers and buds’ started at about £1m and fluctuated in the intervening
period, with sharp peaks in exports of £5m to £7m in 1992, 2011 and 2016. Low
levels of foliage exports generally improved to a peak of £2.8m in 2007–2008, rising
again in 2016 to £5.5m. Roses started the period at a very low level, then rose to
26
£1m to £2.8m over 2000–2008, peaking again (at £3.4m) in 2016.
The next graph shows the remaining cut flower exports.
Carnations started the period at £1.2m and reached £1.2m in 2016, peaking
27
irregularly up to £1.7m in the interim years. Chrysanthemums remained fairly steady
around £0.2m, until 2013 when there was a peak that reached £0.8m in 2016. Orchid
exports were generally negligible, except for an export plateau reaching around
£0.1m between 2003 and 2008. Gladiolus exports were also mostly negligible, until
after 2010 when they rose to about £0.1m; perhaps this may be related to the
expansion of growing gladiolus in the field in England at this time. Lily records started
in 2012 and probably account for some of the decrease in ‘other’ cut flower exports
(see above) from that time.
28
4.0 UK exports and imports country by country
The ISFP reports provide matrices of the value and volume of imports and exports for
the main sub-sectors of the ornamentals industry. The information on individual
countries is more detailed than that given in BHS and Horticultural Statistics, and
section 4 summarises the UK’s overall imports and exports of cut flowers and cut
foliage (both fresh and treated), with separate data on the major cut flowers - rose,
chrysanthemum, lily, gladiolus, carnation and orchids, and, more recently, ranunculus
too. Separate categories are also included for dormant bulbous plants (which are
largely used for cut flower production) and lichens and mosses (another component
of floral displays). Categories in the ISFP reports not included in this review are pot-
plants, nursery stock, and Christmas trees and conifer branches.
The following histograms show the values of the UK’s imports (in black/blue) and
exports (in dark green/light green) in 2013 and 2016, with countries ranked in
descending order of value for their exports to the UK in 2016. Where the values of
imports from or exports to a country were less than €10,000 (€0.01m) p.a. they have
been aggregated into the figures for ‘other EU countries’ or ‘other countries’. Where
the figures for ‘other’ EU countries9 or other (non-EU) countries were less than
€10,000 p.a. they have been ignored. The values of the UK’s imports and its exports
are invariably highly disparate, therefore note that the vertical axes of import and
export histograms for a given commodity are not drawn to the same scale and so
should be interpreted with care.
4.1 Cut flowers (fresh)

As shown on the next figure, the UK’s overall imports of fresh (as opposed to treated)
cut flowers are, as expected, utterly dominated by the Netherlands, with massive
imports worth nearly €550m annually and gaining €10m between 2013 and 2016.
Imports from the Netherlands were followed by those from Kenya (about €60m),
Columbia (about €35m) and Spain and South Africa (around €10m each, the former
increasing, and the latter decreasing, over this period). Over the same period imports
from Ethiopia rose to over €8m, from Turkey to nearly €6m and from Morocco to over
€5m. Smaller amounts of imports came from a wide range of countries in Europe,
Central and South America, the Middle East and Asia.
9In the context of ISFP ‘other EU countries’ means those not listed individually in the matrices
of importing and exporting countries, i.e. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Ireland,
Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia
29
30
The UK’s exports of fresh cut flowers are an order of magnitude smaller than its imports (figure below). Overall, the value imported is about
stable over the period 2013–2016. They go primarily to the Netherlands (increasing from over €11m to nearly €15m over our time period) and
‘other’ EU countries (decreasing from about €11m to just under €8m). The only other destinations worth over €1m are Denmark and Germany.
31
4.2 Rose
As shown in the next figure, the Netherlands dominates cut rose imports to the UK,
although their value fell from €131m p.a. in 2013 to under €92m in 2016. The second
main supplier was Kenya, exporting about €50m to the UK. Columbia supplied
imports worth €8m, as did Ethiopia by 2016, a substantial increase. Several countries
each supplied imports worth over €1m: Zambia, Uganda, India, Germany, Ecuador
and Tanzania.
No exports by the UK were reported in 2013, but by 2016 modest exports of roses
were being made, mainly to the ‘other’ EU countries (€3.3m) and the Netherlands
(€0.2m).
32
33
4.3 Chrysanthemum
The figure below shows that the Netherlands also dominates UK imports of cut
chrysanthemum, worth around €100m annually. Showing some similarities with the
imports of roses, imports from the Netherlands fell over the 2013–2016 period, while
other sources have increased – in this case from Columbia (up to €16m from €11m)
and South Africa (up from €6m to €10m). Imports from other countries were small,
with Spain’s exports having fallen from €1.4m to €0.1m by the later year.
No UK exports of chrysanthemum were listed in 2013, but by 2016 UK exports were

valued at a modest total of €0.868m, most of this (€0.826m) having been sent to the
‘other’ EU countries.
34
4.4 Carnation
For cut carnations the Netherlands leads exports to the UK, but by much less of a
margin than those seen for the previous commodities. From 2013 to 2016, the value
of Dutch exports fell from €35m to €19m, but this was part of a fall in demand for
carnations: over the same time, Columbia’s exports fell from €14m to €11m, Kenya’s
from €9m to €7m, Spain’s from €6m to €3m and Egypt’s from €2m to negligible. On
the other hand exports from Morocco rose from €4m to €5.4m, and Turkey’s from
€1m to €6m.
No UK exports of carnations were listed in 2013, but by 2016 UK exports to EU

countries reached €1.3m, most of this (€1.186m) to the ‘other’ EU countries.
35
36
4.5 Lilies
Virtually all cut lilies imported into the UK derive from the Netherlands, and the values
of imports illustrate their current popularity: in 2013 nearly €60m were imported, a
figure increasing to almost €80m by 2016. Only Spain and the ‘other’ EU countries
imported more than €1m of lilies to the UK in 2013, and, by 2016, only Spain.
No cut lilies were exported from the UK according to 2013 figures, while there were
very modest exports, totalling €0.4m, in 2016, most of this (€0.379) being to the
‘other’ EU countries.
37
4.6 Gladiolus
There appeared to be a mix-up over the figures for cut gladiolus imports and exports
in ISFP 2014, so only the values from ISFP 2016 are considered here. Although the
quantities traded were much smaller than for lilies, a similar pattern can be seen in
the imports and exports. In 2016 the Netherlands dominated exports to the UK, these
worth €29.2m. The next largest exporters were Columbia (€0.4m) and the ‘other EU
countries’ (€0.2m). In 2016 the UK exported a small quantity of gladiolus, worth
€0.135m in all, to the USA and the ‘other EU countries’.
4.7 Ranunculus
ISFP now includes separate figures for cut ranunculus. In 2016 imports to the UK
from the Netherlands were worth €9.2m and from Italy €0.3m. A small quantity, worth
€0.1, was (re-)exported to the Netherlands.
4.8 Orchids
The bulk of the cut orchids that are imported to the UK come from the Netherlands,
and these were valued at €7m in 2013 and €12m in 2016. The other substantial
source of cut orchids was Thailand (worth €0.4m and €0.3m in 2013 and 2016).
Malaysia, Belgium and Luxembourg and other EU countries supply small additional
amounts. No UK exports of orchids were listed.
4.9 Treated cut flowers

Following the trends in the data for fresh cut flowers, the UK’s imports of treated cut
38
flowers in 2013 were dominated by the Netherlands (€83m), a figure that fell
dramatically by 2016 when these imports reached only €25m. This change was not
balanced by an increase in the value of treated cut flowers imported from Columbia,
which rose from €10m to €15m over the same period. The only other substantial
imports were from Kenya, but these accounted for only €5m and €4m in 2013 and
2016, respectively. Much smaller quantities were imported to the UK from South
Africa, Ecuador, Cosa Rica, Israel and a number of European and Asian countries.
Most UK exports of treated flowers went to the ‘other’ EU countries, totalling about
€4m in both years. In 2016 (but not 2013) there were significant exports to the
Netherlands (€1.5m) and the USA (€2.5m). Much smaller quantities were exported to
several European and Asian countries, and, in 2013, to Saudi Arabia. The picture is
one of potential markets being explored.
39
40
41
4.10 Cut foliage (fresh)
Moving from flowers to foliage, the next figure shows the familiar pattern of Dutch
dominance in exports of fresh cut foliage to the UK, with Netherlands’s exports
valued at between €13m and €13.5m in 2013 and 2016. The ‘other’ EU countries
filled second place, with some €1m and €3m of exports in these years. Sri Lanka and
Italy exported over €1m annually over this period, while Costa Rica, the USA,
Malaysia and South Africa also contributed reasonable quantities.
The UK’s exports of foliage were small. In 2013 exports were recorded only to the
‘other’ EU countries, €0.134m in 2013, decreasing to €0.109m in 2016. Minor exports
to a few other countries were negligible.
42
43
4.11 Treated cut foliage
The UK’s imports of treated cut foliage also derived largely from the Netherlands,
worth €7.2m in 2013 and €8.7m in 2016. South Africa exported €1.5m annually, India
€1.0m annually, and Belgium and Luxembourg €0.8m in 2013 and €0.6m in 2016.
Smaller quantities came from a wide range of European, Middle Eastern and Asian
countries as well as the USA and Turkey.
The UK’s exports of treated cut foliage are small, but now cover a large number of
countries. In 2013 the only export destinations were the ‘other’ EU countries (€0.3m),
the USA (€0.2m), Japan (€0.05m) and other countries (€0.05m), €0.55m in all. In
2016, although the total exports fell to €0.44m, this was distributed to 17 countries (in
North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia) plus smaller amounts to ‘other’ EU
countries and other countries, the main recipient being the ‘other’ EU countries
(€0.22m). As with fresh cut foliage, this may indicate a greater preparedness abroad
to buy UK foliage, or a greater sales effort.
44
.
45
4.12 Mosses and lichens
Data for mosses and lichens are also collated in ISPF. The UK’s imports and exports
are shown in the next figure. The UK’s imports come primarily from the Netherlands,
worth €0.63m in 2013 but falling to €0.25m by 2016, and from Denmark (€0.10m
each year) and Italy (€0.14m in 2013 but none recorded in 2016). Small quantities
come from a range of countries, including France, the USA, Turkey, New Zealand,
Spain, China, Germany and elsewhere.
In 2013 the UK exported small quantities of mosses and lichens to the USA (€0.08m)
and Taiwan China (€0.01m). In 2016 exports were mainly to the ‘other’ EU countries,
€0.20m, with very small quantities to a few other, mainly European, countries. The
pattern of imports and exports looks rather random, perhaps it was incidental to other
trading.
46
4.13 Flower bulbs etc. (dormant)
The UK also imports large quantities of ‘bulbous’ plants (i.e. bulbs, corms, tubers,
tuberous roots, rhizomes, etc.) in their dormant state. Not unexpectedly, most are
from the Netherlands, worth €48m in 2013 and nearly €46m in 2016. Much smaller
but still sizeable imports came from Germany (€2m in 2013, €1m in 2016), ‘other’ EU
countries (€2m in 2016), with between €0.5m and €1m annually from Spain, France
and Belgium and Luxembourg (not necessarily in both years).
The UK is an active exporter of flower bulbs, mainly daffodil, sending €4m to the
Netherlands in 2013, falling to under €2m in 2016. Other sizeable exports went to the
‘other’ EU countries (€2m in 2013, €1m in 2016) and the USA (€1m and €2m in each
year). The Czech Republic took €0.210m in 2016 (none in 2013) and Sweden
€0.271m (but less than in 2013, €0.486).
47
48
49
5.0 The production of ornamentals worldwide
Figures on the production of ornamental plants worldwide are tabulated in ISPF,
though there is no compilation for cut flowers alone: nevertheless the information
reveals much about the current state of ornamentals production. Recent statistics are
shown in the following two tables, but note that the years of data collection vary
between countries, in spite of which the figures probably represent the best current
estimates. The first and second tables are taken from ISPF 2014 and ISPF 2017,
respectively: both are reproduced because there are many empty entries in the later
version, and reference may need to be made to both to obtain a fuller picture.
Recent production areas, production values and numbers of holdings for flowers and
pot plants, based on information given in ISPF 2014 1
Area (ha) Production value Number of
Protected Open Total (€millions) holdings
Europe
Austria 211 197 408 195 1,320
Belgium 426 912 1,338 227 841
2
Czech Rep. - - 612 129 1,000
Denmark 265 - 265 453 415
Finland 128 26 154 101 697
France - - 9,159 954 7,234
Germany 1,848 4,893 6,741 1,319 4,449
Greece 363 732 1,094 66 -
Hungary 280 680 960 42 850
Ireland - - 415 17 133
Italy 5,443 7,282 12,724 1,330 14,093
Netherlands 4,396 2,905 7,301 4,130 4,127
Norway 113 - 113 32 402
Poland 1,616 3,840 5,456 180 4,800
Portugal 610 1,090 1,700 258 1,415
Spain 1,911 4,611 6,522 880 3,969
Sweden 135 - 135 154 501
Switzerland 195 - 195 294 402
UK 545 5,163 5,708 430 304
Middle-East
Israel 1,748 1,000 2,748 129 1,100
Turkey - - 1,192 57 -
Africa
Ethiopia 700 1,300 2,000 470 300
Kenya - - 4,039 595 140
Morocco 113 52 165 10 -
South Africa - - 11,461 49 900
Tanzania - - 120 21 15
Uganda - - 205 42 20
Zambia - - 195 25 30
Continued…
50
…Continued
Asia/Pacific
Australia 349 3,840 4,189 175 877
China - - 169,081 5,095 83,338
Hong Kong - - 153 5 -
India - - 242,000 - -
Japan 10,190 9,869 16,840 2,512 77,980
Korea Rep. 3,132 - 3,132 598 10,383
Malaysia - - 2,000 102 600
Philippines - - 670 3 42,189
Singapore - - 312 27 <149
Taiwan China - - 4,929 199 -
Thailand - - 9,280 60 25,000
North America
Canada 814 - 814 786 1,885
USA 21,294 8,113 29,407 4,434 26,884
Central/South America
Brazil - - 13,800 1,747 8,000
Columbia 6,783 - 6,783 1,012 541
Costa Rica - - 850 116 -
Ecuador 5,377 1,292 6,669 630 -
Mexico 1,158 13,963 15,121 281 7,857
Regional totals
Europe 61,000 11,191 >46,952
Middle East 3,940 186 >1,100
Africa 18,185 1,212 >1,405
Asia/Pacific 452,586 >8,776 >240,367
North America 30,221 5,220 28,769
Central/South America 43,223 3,786 >16,398
1
Based on the most recent year or estimate available, mostly 2011 to 2013 but data
often around 10 years’ old has been used for many numbers of holdings; source: ISPF
2017, from a variety of worldwide sources (see original publication for details); naturally
the information collated will be subject to many different collection protocols in the
original countries, so it should be treated as a general guide only
2
51
Recent production areas, production values and numbers of enterprises for flowers
and ornamental plants, based on information given in ISPF 2017 1
Area (ha) Production Number of
Protected Open Total value (€m) holdings
Europe
Austria 174 174 348 182 624
Belgium 398 612 1,019 193 737
Czech Rep. -2 - 612 129 1,000
Denmark 282 - 282 378 401
Finland 121 90 211 86 526
France - - 6,520 970 7,234
Germany 1,724 5,583 7,307 1,133 5,060
Greece 363 732 1,094 66 -
Hungary 280 680 960 42 850
Ireland - - 415 31 133
Italy 5,443 7,282 12,724 1,146 14,093
Netherlands 3,815 2,755 6,570 2,373 3,330
Norway 113 - 113 26 402
Poland 1,615 3,845 5,460 526 -
Portugal 610 1,090 1,700 194 -
Spain 2,336 3,961 6,297 1,032 -
Sweden 155 32 187 139 579
Switzerland 183 - 183 329 347
UK 522 5,800 6,322 1,467 -
Middle-East
Israel 1,748 1,000 2,748 - -
Turkey - - 1,192 - -
Africa
Ethiopia - - 1,426 173 -
Kenya - - 4,039 610 -
Morocco - - - -
South Africa - - 11,461 61 -
Tanzania - - - - -
Uganda - - - - -
Zambia - - - - -
Continued
52
Continuation
Asia/Pacific
Australia 286 3,852 4,189 175 690
China - - 170,397 6,598 79,512
Hong Kong - - - - -
India - - 243,000 - -
Iran 2,200 3,500 5,700 - -
Japan 10,190 9,869 16,840 2,688 27,063
Korea Rep. - - 2,343 - 9,450
Malaysia - - - - -
Philippines - - - - -
Singapore - - - - -
Taiwan China - - 5,020 - -
Thailand - - 12,324 - -
Vietnam - - 4,500 - -
North America
Canada 722 - 722 889 1,865
USA 21,294 8,113 29,407 5,500 26,884
Central/South America
Brazil - - 14,992 1,770 8,248
Columbia - - 6,796 1,186 -
Costa Rica - - 850 124 -
Ecuador 6,609 1,845 8,454 725 -
Mexico 2,047 14,698 16,745 - -
Regional totals
Europe - - 60,000 11,000 35,000
Middle East - - 6,200 - -
Africa - - 18,000 1,000 -
Asia/Pacific - - 480,000 15,000 150,000
North America - - 30,200 5,500 28,700
Central and
South America - - 49,000 3,000 18,000
1
Based on the most recent year or estimate available, mostly 2011 to 2013 but data
often around 10 years’ old has been used for many numbers of holdings; source: ISPF
2017, from a variety of worldwide sources (see original publication for details);
naturally the information collated will be subject to many different collection protocols
in the original countries, so it should be treated as a general guide only
2
Compared with the earlier version of the table, it is striking that the later version
contains fewer countries with full sets of figures, particularly for production areas and
numbers of holdings; this may be because many administrations are now less willing
or able to collect or estimate horticultural production on a regular basis. It is also
likely that some data are missing for reasons of business confidentiality. Looking at
the total areas of ornamentals production, it can be seen that European countries
have relatively full data-sets. For the larger producing countries of Europe (taken as
those with >1,000ha and figures in both ISPF 2014 and 2017), production areas have
increased in Germany and the UK, remained static in Poland and declined in
53
Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain. In the UK the substantial increase in
production area was accompanied by a substantial increase in production values,
while in the Netherlands both production area and the consequent production value
had fallen substantially.
Another striking feature of these data is the enormous production area in China and
India and of number of holdings in China (equivalent figures on holdings numbers are
not available for India, though it is likely they are also high). The Chinese statistics
show that the recent increase in production area has been matched by increased
production value. Such production is apparently mainly for national use - little is
destined for western markets, as later export/import figures will show. Japan and the
Philippines also have huge numbers of holdings, though these countries are also
lacking in figures for production areas and values. In Africa, South Africa has by far
the largest production area, dwarfing that of new producer countries (Kenya and
Ethiopia). In the Americas, the USA has a large production area and number of
holdings. Substantial areas of production in Brazil and Mexico are also linked to large
numbers of holdings, whereas in Columbia the substantial area of production is
associated with relatively few.
ISFP reports include a similar dataset for bulb production, shown in the table below.
The UK is not included in these figures, perhaps because statistics comparable with
those of the other countries shown were unavailable.
Recent production areas, production values and numbers of holdings for bulbs1
Area (ha) Production value (€m) Number of holdings
2
Belgium 101 - 34
France 1,118 - -
Germany 270 - 161
Netherlands 20,577 - 1,622
Turkey 60 - -
China 2,630 53 -
Japan 379 - -
USA 2,521 55 193
1
Based on the most recent year available, mostly 2012 or 2013; source: ISPF
2017, from a variety of worldwide sources (see original publication for details)
2
As expected, the Netherlands leads bulb growing, with a substantial increase in

production area and a large reduction in number of holdings, compared with the
figures in ISPF 2014. China, the USA and France (and the UK) also have substantial
production areas (though that in China has been substantially reduced in the last 3
years).
54
6.0 Cut flower and foliage production in key countries
Some knowledge of changing production patterns for the various cut flowers could be
useful in informing future UK cropping plans. ISPF provides tables of production
areas and values for numerous countries, though, as might be expected, the level of
reporting varies widely from country to country. Information for the Netherlands is
comprehensive and is summarised first. Data for some other countries follows in
alphabetical order, but country statistics are included only when they include at least
some breakdown to individual crops.
6.1 Netherlands
The next five graphs show Dutch production areas for cut flowers and related crops
over the period 2005–2016.10 The first of these has the overall figures for the
production of spring- and summer-flowering bulbs, and cut flowers, foliage and
branches grown under protection and in the open. It is notable that the area of
flowers grown under glass declined by 43% over this period, while the areas of cut
flowers11 and foliage, shrubs for cutting,12 and spring- and summer-flowering bulbs,
grown in the open, remained more or less stable. In the case of the spring-flowering
bulbs, their area declined between 2005/06 and 2011/12 and then recovered by
2016/17 to a level 9% higher than at the start of the period in 2005/06.
10 Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) and
Bloembollenkeuringsdienst (BKD)
11 In 2008 there were some changes in the way cut flowers grown in the open were recorded,
and both sets of results are shown on the graph: they can be seen to be in reasonably close
agreement
12 Records of shrubs for cutting started in 2007
55
56
The areas of cut flowers under glass, broken down to the main species, are shown in
the following two graphs. Over the 2005-2016 period a decline in areas grown under
glass was shared by virtually all species, with major losses of the staples, rose and
chrysanthemum. Over the whole period the rose and chrysanthemum areas declined
by 67 and 36%, rose being overtaken by chrysanthemum for first place in 2010.
Similar or worse losses were suffered by the other species included: lily, gerbera,
freesia, anthurium, alstroemeria, lisianthus and carnation. The area of orchids
remained stable until 2013, even enjoying a peak in 2010–2011, but then declined.
The area of other cut flowers (and presumably cut foliage) declined over the whole
period in an irregular way, even reversing the trend from 2013 to 2016, but then
falling; over the whole period the area fell by 30%. These figures reflect, no doubt,
the burgeoning cut flower production (especially of staples such as rose) in the new
producer countries of Africa and South America. It is disappointing to see such a
reduction in Dutch-grown ‘other’ cut flowers/foliage, since these may have been
thought of as diversification to new and alternative glasshouse flower crops grown to
fill the void left by rose, chrysanthemum and other staples. Unfortunately these
statistics do not provide a comparable breakdown of the flower and foliage crops
grown in the open.
Perhaps tunnel-grown alstroemeria, lisianthus and other or alternative crops might

provide opportunities for UK growers. Promising results have already been achieved
in the AHDB Horticulture-funded trials at CFC.
57
58
59
Data for the flower bulb sector are shown in the next three graphs. This sector is
difficult to interpret in terms of cut flower production, because different crops will be
grown for cut flowers, dry bulbs for planting, pot-plants, or some combination of such.
While the overall area of Dutch bulbs has remained more or less stable in recent
years – up by 7% between 2005 and 2016 – there have been some important
changes for individual genera. Areas of tulip and lily are shown in the next graph,
which shows that the area of each has risen steadily between 2005 and 2016; over
the period the area increases were 21 and 12%, respectively. The Dutch tulip and lily
sectors are notable for their continuing flow of superior new cultivars that add to the
enduring appeal of both bulbs as cut flowers, garden plants and container-grown
plants. Maybe such factors will ensure the continued demand for northern
hemisphere bulbs, though it is noted that South American producers are showing
increasing interest in this group of plants that until recently was seen as the preserve
of northern temperate countries.
Areas of narcissus, hyacinth, gladiolus, crocus and iris are shown in the following
graph. Apart from hyacinth, which showed a gradual increase in area over the period
2005-2016 (up 7%), the areas of the others have all fallen, and substantially so:
narcissus (down 23%), gladiolus (31%), crocus (36%) and iris (54%). The following
graph completes the story, showing the production areas of ornamental allium,
muscari, and other smaller bulbs. For muscari the area fell by 19%, and for the ‘other’
bulbs13 by 41%; areas of ornamental allium, on the other hand, rose by 24% over the
period. Growers of ornamental alliums have benefitted from the promotion of the crop
as a trendy and architectural alternative to traditional cut flowers, and a striking
component of ‘less formal’ landscape and garden design (though their invasiveness
may not yet have been appreciated). Alliums are available in a good range of
colours, heights and styles.
The reason for the decline in production of most spring-flowering ‘minor’ or small-
bulbed genera, after considerable interest a few years ago, is unclear; perhaps it is
simply that their small size and the large range of species and varieties present
logistical difficulties for mainstream bulb growers used to handling larger bulbs in
bulk. The ‘minor bulbs’ must surely represent niche opportunities for specialist
growers.
13Here including Anemone, Chionodoxa, Hyacinthoides, Nectaroscordum, Pushkinia and

Scilla,
60
61
62
63
6.2 Canada
The table below indicates that the total number of stems produced in Canada
increased steadily from 2009 to 2013 and then fell to 2016, with an overall 7%
increase across the whole period. During this time gerbera, antirrhinum and
lisianthus production continued to increase, by 44, 44 and 147%, respectively. The
production of several other crops, however, fell quite markedly across the period: lily
(down 28%), rose (53%), alstroemeria (54%), ‘others’ (66%) and daffodil (71%). The
large fall in the ‘other’ category was surprising, given the general trend in the industry
towards growing novel or alternative cut flowers.
The Canadian data also give the area of cut flowers and pot plants grown in
glasshouses, under film plastic, or in other structures (i.e. fibreglass and other rigid
structures) over 2008-2016 (see following table). The overall protected area fell by
13% during this period, but the area of glass remained static while the areas under
film plastic and ‘other’ structures fell; again, this may seem surprising considering
that film plastic structures are being used more widely in the USA and Europe.
64
Cut flower production in Canada, 2009-2016 1
Category Production (thousands of stems) and % change from 2009–2016
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
All cut flowers2 285,037 310,656 302,624 321,099 332,900 317,576 314,349 306,315 7
of which:
Tulip 91,685 96,670 80,473 -3 128,743 117,095 122,021 111,177 21
Gerbera 60,939 69,029 66,046 75,086 78,560 74,284 75,229 87,778 44
Alstroemeria 19,504 15,617 15,924 - 13,180 10,732 12,250 8,964 -54
Chrysanthemum 20,108 27,531 23,105 - 34,949 32,470 33,562 25,378 26
Antirrhinum 16,481 - - - 19,272 13,835 12,146 23,772 44
Rose 11,483 12,047 10,456 8,435 8,306 5,944 5,388 - -53
Lily 16,049 19,778 15,197 14,465 13,307 9,191 9,721 11,557 -28
Daffodil 12,827 - - 3,724 4,098 6,618 4,061 3,745 -71
Freesia - - 4,777 - - 4,492 4,576 5,821 22
Lisianthus - - 2,344 - - 2,455 5,498 5,793 147
Iris - - - 2,723 2,408 4,598 3,198 - -
‘Other’ 48,788 69,984 66,303 - 21,141 35,289 28,657 16,484 -66
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Statistics Canada, CANSIM database
2
The figures in this row do not appear to sum the values below, perhaps because of some missing data
3
65
Production area of flowers and pot plants in different greenhouse types in Canada, 2008-2016
Structure type Area (ha)
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Glass greenhouses 217 198 215 218 218 257 239 237 215
Fibreglass and other rigid greenhouses 92 65 62 41 54 42 43 32 24

Film plastic 523 565 561 556 544 517 508 527 482
Total 833 828 838 816 817 816 790 800 722
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Statistics Canada, CANSIM database
66
6.3 China
China’s production of ornamental plants rose substantially between 2005 and 2016,
as shown in the next table. The production area for (fresh) cut flowers, foliage and
branches increased steadily by 66% over this period. With the exception of
chrysanthemum, the area of which fell dramatically over the period 2006 to 2011
before recovering almost to its former extent by 2016, all the recorded crops showed
increases, sometime substantial increases. Rose and gerbera areas increased by
over 100% across the period, and cut branches by 77%, carnation by 71%, lily by
67%, cut foliage by 52% and gladiolus by 15%. The area grown for dried flowers, first
recorded in 2008 at 24ha, increased dramatically to 705ha by 2016.
In contrast to the positive situation with China’s cut flowers generally, the area of
bulbs – 4,606ha in 2005 and 2,630ha in 2016 - fluctuated very widely in the
intervening years – between 3,404 in 2006 and 6,070ha in 2015. Such patterns are
difficult to explain, because stocks of bulbs can take years to bulk-up and cannot
usually be disposed of quickly. Perhaps it represents bulb stocks that are picked or
left unpicked, depending on market forces.
Chinese horticultural statistics also include a category of flowers grown for medicinal
purposes and food, and another for industrial and ‘other’ uses. Plantings in the first
category increased steadily over the period from 2005 to 2016, reaching 265,532ha.
Those in the second category remained at a reasonably steady level except for a
small fall in recent years: in 2016 the acreage given was 59,026ha. These are
extremely large areas of production – do they represent opportunities for
entrepreneurial growers elsewhere?
67
Production area of cut flowers and foliage, bulbs and dry flowers under protection and in the open in China, 2005-2016 1
Production area (ha) and % change from 2005–2016 2
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
Cut flowers, 38,853 41,603 44,325 44,079 44,603 50,859 57,935 59,382 65,128 64,782 62,904 64,560 66
foliage and
branches,
of which:
Rose 7,676 7,424 8,140 7,388 9,021 9,946 12,530 13,870 14,316 14,348 13,544 15,730 105
3
Lily - 4,908 4,717 5,373 5,827 7,485 8,831 9,105 9,989 8,977 8,824 8,212 67
Chrysanthemum 7,486 4,279 4,722 4,500 4,122 4,927 5,719 7,185 8,475 7,427 7,274 7,229 -3
Gerbera - 2,180 2,531 2,764 4,563 5,156 5,444 5,378 6,204 5,749 5,127 4,838 122
Carnation 2,362 2,068 2,674 2,658 2,396 2,826 3,582 3,380 5,312 3,326 3,017 4,031 71
Gladiolus 2,523 2,140 2,365 2,386 2,447 2,891 3,414 3,327 4,896 3,308 2,038 2,896 15
Cut foliage 4,926 4,720 5,835 5,362 6,037 5,609 6,805 7,409 8,592 7,698 7,431 7,497 52
Cut branches - 3,701 3,713 3,798 5,190 4,960 5,404 4,170 5,187 5,216 5,758 6,563 77
Bulbs 4,606 3,404 3,897 4,680 4,132 4,794 4,514 4,471 4,174 5,658 6,070 2,630 -43
Dried flowers - - - 24 32 23 44 62 53 621 705 - 2838
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from China Flower Association, released annually by the Ministry of Agriculture, PRC, from 2004 to 2017
2
Or from earliest to latest year available
3
68
6.4 Columbia
For Columbia the production area data for 2012, 2015 and 2016 were available and
are shown in the table below. Production is dominated by rose, with about 2,500ha,
followed by carnation, hydrangea and chrysanthemum, each with about 1,000ha.
Around 800ha of ‘other’ flowers and foliage were in production, which must be a
substantial assembly of different kinds. Over the four year period the total area of cut
flowers and foliage remained stable, but there were some moderate changes in the
proportions of different species grown. Large falls were recorded for leucadendron
(down by 55%), carnation and aster (each down by about 25%) and gypsophila
(14%), with small decreases (<10%) of eucalyptus, ‘others’ and rose. On the other
hand the production of hydrangea increased by 81%, chrysanthemum by 23%,
alstroemeria by 17% and ruscus by 12%.
Production area of cut flowers and foliage in Columbia, 2012–2016 1

Production area (ha) and % change from 2012–2016
2012 2015 2016 Change
Total, 6,782 7,161 6,796 0
of which:
Rose 2,465 2,642 2,348 -5
Carnation (all types) 1,269 1,066 933 -26
Hydrangea 639 972 1,155 81
Chrysanthemum (all types) 716 859 883 23
Alstroemeria 306 332 358 17
Ruscus 127 161 142 12
Leucadendron 71 63 32 -55
Heliconia 68 -2 - -
Calla 62 - - -
Gypsophila 58 50 50 -14
Aster 55 50 41 -25
Ferns 54 - - -
Eucalyptus 53 66 49 -8
Gerbera 48 - - -
Solidago - 50 49 -
Sunflower - 36 - -
‘Other’ 791 822 755 -5
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from DANE 2014 and Asocolflores/PCA 2017
2
- Indicates not available or not applicable
69
6.5 Ecuador
With a similar total production area to Columbia until around 2012, recent years have
seen a substantial increase in cut flower production by Ecuador. Their data set (see
next table) is comprehensive, covering several years and being split between
protected crops and crops in the open. Over the decade 2006–2016, Ecuador has
seen an increase in total area of cut flowers grown of 32%, standing in 2016 at
8,454ha. This change is made up of a 60% increase in the area of cut flowers grown
under protection and a drop of 19% of the area grown in the open, presumably
reflecting the same sorts of advantages to protected growing that are found in
temperate countries.
The paramount crop is rose, now grown virtually all under protection and, at 5,486ha,
making up 65% of Ecuador’s cut flower area. Gypsophila was the second-ranking
crop, peaking around 2012 to 2013, but declining over the 10-year period by 83%
under protection and by 59% in the open. Carnation, grown only under protection,
peaked in 2012 and 2013 at over 600ha, but only a little over 100ha is now grown.
Under protection, few other cut flowers have been grown consistently over this
period, but a considerable area has always been devoted to ‘other’ flowers, both
annual and perennial, in all 872ha by 2016, the areas having increased by 109%
(annuals) and 419% (perennials). In the open the crops grown consistently included
hypericum and sunflower, while a number of others have been cultivated
intermittently, perhaps indicating a single-mindedness to concentrate on only the
most profitable products while trialling a variety of new or alternative species. As with
the protected crops, ‘other annuals’ are well represented in the outdoor crops, with
116ha grown in 2006, rising steadily to 864ha in 2016.
70
Production area of cut flowers under protection and in the open in Ecuador, 2006-2016 1
Area (ha) and % change from 2006–2016 2
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
Overall total 6,395 5,391 5,889 5,893 5,961 6,629 6,682 9,328 6,729 7,724 8,454 32
Under protection 4,119 3,489 3,913 4,287 3,950 5,066 5,390 6,222 5,395 6,161 6,609 60
of which:
Rose 3,273 2,704 3,500 3,648 3,746 4,253 4,071 5,297 4,639 5,163 5,486 68
Carnation 35 51 107 85 64 99 628 620 141 110 123 251
Gypsophila 407 423 51 66 16 -3 521 15 61 84 69 -83
Sunflower - - - - - - 24 - - - - -
Larkspur - 13 8 29 - 12 15 - - - - -
Delphinium - 3 1 231 - - 5 - - - - -
Limonium 49 22 23 16 10 10 2 - - - - -
Chrysanthemum 11 11 8 - - - 1 0 42 59 52 373
Hypericum - 1 3 19 - - - - - - - -
Aster - - - - - - - - - 28 6 -
Other annuals 248 172 7 24 89 654 90 253 279 270 519 109
Other perennials 68 88 183 169 25 31 13 34 227 441 353 419
Continued
71
Continuation Area (ha) and % change from 2006–2016 2
2006 2007 20082009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
Overall total 6,395 5,391 5,889
5,893 5,961 6,629 6,682 9,328 6,729 7,724 8,454 32
In the open 2,276 1,902 1,976
1,606 2,011 1,563 1,292 3,106 1,334 1,563 1,845 -19
of which:
Gypsophila 902 951 917 962 1,100 954 890 1,217 540 545 368 -59
Hypericum 241 172 98 71 54 110 83 26 118 340 130 -46
Sunflower 2 2 30 83 21 27 15 11 42 25 52 2,500
Delphinium 307 261 132 18 - - 9 1 3 37 44 -86
Ginger 85 45 41 33 6 20 8 4 10 8 6 -93
Liatris 47 9 5 22 39 62 4 19 7 9 10 -79
Chrysanthemum 48 - - 9 - - 2 - - - - -
Heliconia 71 158 147 98 11 33 2 5 20 13 -100
Rose 294 40 350 54 517 21 2 176 10 233 11 -96
Aster 63 28 - 37 - - - 18 47 - 23 -63
Godetia - - - - - - - - 85 18 -
Other annuals 116 94 127 154 29 36 168 1,474 320 236 1,118 864
Other perennials 94 141 128 65 222 269 109 155 133 99 83 -12
1
Source ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INEC) ESPAC Resultados – Tablas y gráficos
2
Percentage change given only for crops with a full run of data
3
- Indicates not available or not applicable
72
6.6 Finland
Finland has a small cut flower industry whose statistics are worth considering (see
table below). Between 2005 and 2016 the area of cut flowers fell from nearly 40ha to
under 5ha, largely because of a great reduction in cut rose production, from 28ha in
2005 to <5ha in 2012, presumably the result of cheaper imports.
Over the same period the production of bulb flowers increased as a result of greatly
expanding tulip growing, from 44m pieces in 2005 to 86m in 2016, a particularly
strong and steady achievement. The production of hyacinth and amaryllis and
flowers of the ‘other’ bulbs has remained reasonably steady, but the production of lily
and, particularly, daffodil has fallen, daffodil by 78%.
73
Production of cut flowers, foliage and bulb flowers in Finland, 2005-2016 1
Area (ha) and % change from 2006–2016 2
2005 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
Cut flowers and 37.9 26.3 20.9 16.6 12.9 8.6 6.9 4.4 3.9 4.9 -87
foliage
of which:
Rose 28.3 18.4 13.7 10.2 8.0 4.5 -3 - - - -
‘Other’ 5.5 5.0 4.6 4.2 3.2 2.4 - - - - -
Gypsophila 1.4 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.9 - - - - -
Gerbera 1.5 1.3 1.3 0.8 0.5 0.5 - - - - -
Chrysanthemum 1.3 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.2 - - - - -
Cut foliage 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.3 - - - - -
Production (1,000 pieces) and % change from 2006–2016
2005 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
Bulb flowers 57,685 73,749 79,842 70,461 76,420 66,707 64,186 64,261 74,323 86,147 49
of which:
Tulip 44,320 56,582 59,964 59,975 65,290 59,104 59,219 59,189 68,695 80,828 82
Hyacinth (pots) 2,570 2,751 2,937 2,676 2,478 2,572 2,394 2,404 2,220 2,393 -6
Amaryllis 866 1,246 1,055 1,237 1,238 1,108 919 1,048 1,131 993 15
‘Other’ 1,829 2,172 2,275 1,709 2,117 - 893 810 1,694 1,548 -15
Daffodil (cut) 1,622 2,455 2,791 1,041 1,291 847 669 538 583 349 -78
Lily 831 909 841 788 770 503 92 272 - - -
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Tike Horticultural Statistics 2014 and LUKE, Horticultural Statistics 2017
2
Percentage change given only for crops with a full run of data
3
74
6.7 Germany
Four-yearly cut flower production figures are available for Germany, though the
actual data collected appear to have varied from time to time, rendering them less
useful than they may have been. Unfortunately these 2014 figures were not updated
in ISPF 2017.
The figure below shows the area of cut flowers and foliage grown in the open
between 1992 and 2012.14 Over this period the area of chrysanthemum and of dried
flowers each fell by nearly 80%. In contrast the areas of annual and perennial
flowers, although fluctuating widely, finished the period 34% up, and shrubs for
cutting increased by 40%. The rose area remained relatively stable. Only the data for
2008 and 2012 include an entry for ‘other’ cut flowers (this including gladiolus and
tulip), approaching 1,000ha by 2012: it is not clear how these were recorded
previously, but the net effect is to increase the overall area of cut flowers grown in the
open considerably.
Germany: production areas of cut-flowers and cut-foliage in the open
1,200
Annuals, perennials 1,090
Gladiolus, tulip, other 1,018
Shrubs for cutting 955
1,000
Rose
Dried flowers
756 790
Chrysanthemums
800 856
700
638 644
Area (ha)
731
600
485
459
432
400 342
312
253 263
230
193 189
218 187
200
77 65 69
178 37
124 78
0 61
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
Year
In contrast to open-ground growing, the production of cut flowers and foliage under
protection has declined dramatically over the same period, though data are difficult to
interpret because of changes in the categories collected and missing data for some
years. However, the figure below shows that the area of most subjects has fallen,
14 Source: ISPF 2014, from Statistische Bundesamt, Zierpflanzenerhebung 2004, 2008, 2012
75
drastically so in the case of chrysanthemum (85%) and rose (48%). The growing of
‘other’ cut flowers and foliage also fell dramatically at the start of this period, though it
seems to have revived more recently - it reached 172ha by 2012. Overall, the figures
may reflect the higher energy costs for glasshouse production, competition from new
producer countries, and perhaps a fashion shift towards more ‘natural looking’
products.
Germany: production areas of cut-flowers and cut-foliage under protection
Rose
300 293 Summer flowers, perennials
Chrysanthemum
Gerbera
Tulip
250 241
Other cut-flowers
219 Cut-foliage
Cut-foliage and other cut-flowers
200
175 172
Area (ha)
150 142
124
114
100
83
62
64 59
56
49 45
50 41
26 32
24 26 22
14
0
1992 na 2004 2008 2012
Year
76
6.8 Greece
Only relatively dated statistics are available, and unfortunately they were not updated
in ISPF 2017. The table below shows that between 1990 and 1995 the overall
production area of cut flowers and foliage was quite stable at around 400ha. The
areas of the main crops – carnation, rose, chrysanthemum and gladiolus – were
equally stable.
Production of cut flowers and cut foliage under glass and in the open in Greece,
1990-1995 1
Area (ha)
1990 1993 1994 1995
Total 402 421 380 420
of which:
Carnation 173 190 170 190
Rose 74 90 90 90
Gladiolus 95 80 56 80
Chrysanthemum 52 55 53 54
Tulip 3 1 6 3
Foliage 5 5 5 3
1
Source: ISPF 2014, from Ministere del Agriculture, 2004; Office of Agricultural
Affairs, Athens
77
6.9 Hungary
Only very limited information is available on Hungarian cut flower production, and
unfortunately this was not updated in ISPF 2017. The table below shows that, with
some intervening fluctuations, the area of cut flowers and foliage remained stable
between 1997 and 2009. Under cover, the main crops were carnation, rose, gerbera
and asparagus, though carnation growing reduced sharply at the end of the 1990s. In
the open, the main crops in 2006 were dried flowers, gladiolus and gypsophila.
Production of cut flowers and foliage under glass and in the

open in Hungary, 1997-2009 1,2
Area (ha)
1997 1998 2006 2009
Under cover 180 220 174 180
of which:
Carnation 72 60 20 -3
Rose 16 30 25 -
Gerbera - - 20 -
Asparagus - - 20 -
Gypsophila - - 15 -
Chrysanthemum - - 15 -
Lily - - 6 -
Calla - - 6 -
In the open - - 145 -

of which:
Dried flowers - - 80 -
Gladiolus - - 75 -
Gypsophila - - 20 -
Tulip - - 10 -
1
Source: ISPF 2014, from Hungarian Ornamental Plant
Association and Commodity Board
2
The totals do not tally correctly in this table, some data
may be missing
3
78
6.10 India
Some recent statistics for cut flower production in India are tabulated below. The
importance of marigold (see the area grown) and the sale of cut flowers ‘loose’ will be
unfamiliar to European growers: both are connected with the floral decorations that
play a large part in Hindu festivals such as Diwali.
Marigold production currently occupies about 56,000ha, and these are predominantly
sold ‘loose’. Jasmine, rose, chrysanthemum, gladiolus and tuberose are also
important, with between 7,000 and 26,000ha of each currently grown, and these are
also often sold loose. The production of ‘other’ cut flowers is also extensive, currently
involving 126,000ha, and these are sold both conventionally and ‘loose’. Anthurium,
carnation, gerbera, tulip and orchids are grown in small quantities and are sold
conventionally.
To the reviewer there appeared to be numerous inconsistencies in these data (mainly

very different figures from one year to the next). At this point they cannot be
explained.
79
Production areas and quantities of cut and 'loose' flowers produced in India, 2011/12 to 2014/15 1
Total area (1,000ha) Cut flowers (millions) Loose flowers (1,000 metric ton)
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15
Total 234 254 255 248 7,673 7,507 543 484 1,729 1,651 -2 -
of which:
Marigold 43 44 56 56 - - 4 4 360 382 511 498
Jasmine 10 42 12 10 - - 2 2 51 207 65 57
Rose 28 28 31 26 1,990 2,740 166 121 76 66 96 92
Chrysanthemum 18 19 17 11 3 148 6 6 176 195 179 107
Gladiolus 9 12 12 11 707 1,061 93 55 12 11 51 48
Tuberose 8 12 8 7 156 1,401 14 6 28 39 40 43
Anthurium - - - - 32 12 3 3 - - - -
Carnation - - - - 15 37 6 5 - - 1 1
Gerbera - - 1 1 25 32 18 22 - - 4 4
Tulip - - - - 5 4 - - - - - -
Orchids - - - - - - 5 6 - - 3 3
‘Other’ 116 97 118 126 4,741 2,072 225 254 1,027 751 804 806
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from National Horticulture Board, India, Indian Horticulture Database
2
- Indicates data not given, not applicable or zero
80
6.11 Ireland
Ireland’s horticultural industry is noted for its development of the cut foliage crop, and
the table below is useful in giving a breakdown of the types of foliage grown, mainly
ozothamnus, pittosporum, laurel and eucalyptus.
Production area (ha) of ornamental plants in the

open and under protection in Ireland, 2010 1
Total bulbs, cut flowers and cut foliage 357
of which:
Daffodil bulbs 59
Daffodils for cutting 103
Ozothamnus 56
Pittosporum 53
Laurel 34
Eucalyptus 32
Other foliage 18
Cut flowers under protection 2
1Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from National Amenity
Census 2011, Department of Agriculture, Food and the
Marine (DAFM), Bord Bia Irish Food Board; Annual
Report 2016, DAFM
Unfortunately no updated values were given in ISPF 2017. However, the following
values were given for the output value of the bulbs, outdoor flowers and foliage
sectors combined: from 2011 to 2016 these were €4.2m, €3.6m, €4.5m, €5.9m,
€8.1m and €8.8m (farm-gate value), indicating a gradual expansion of ornamentals
production.
81
6.12 Israel
Cut flower and foliage production in Israel is shown in production areas and millions
of pieces produced in the next two tables (unfortunately the data available in each do
not cover the same periods). Over the period 1995 to 2004 the production area
increased, but production in number of pieces appeared to decline and to continue to
do so in the additional years’ data to 2008. Unfortunately no more recent data were
given in ISPF 2017.
Gypsophila, solidago, rose and wax flower each occupied around 200ha in 2004,
followed by smaller areas of carnation and gerbera. ‘Other’ cut flowers occupied a
substantial area, nearly 800ha in 2004, while cut foliage (largely ruscus, see below)
occupied over 400ha.
Production area (ha) of cut flowers and foliage under protection and
in the open in Israel, 1995/96 – 2004 1
1995/96 1998/99 2000 2004
Total 1,950 2,245 2,700 2,748
of which:
Wax flower 300 282 300 256
Rose 215 227 210 214
Gypsophila 165 229 220 207
Solidago 67 149 170 198
Gerbera 49 60 60 58
Carnation, spray 32 10 2 -2
Carnation, standard 130 141 - -
‘Other’ cut flowers 810 724 788 -
Foliage 225 423 430 -
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from National Flower Board, Israel;
Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel
2
– Indicates data not available or not applicable
However, the next table, of production amounts, shows that the production of
gerbera, gypsophila, rose and wax flower subsequently fell over the period to 2008.
In the case of rose, the fall was dramatic, from 340m pieces in 1995/96 to 10m in
2008, presumably reflecting the impact of the new producer countries. In contrast,
the production of ruscus increased between 2000 and 2008, while the substantial
production of ‘other’ cut flowers seems to have reversed a decline and is increasing.
There is too little information here to draw conclusions about the other crops
mentioned, carnation, limonium and solidago. Israel seems able to effect rapid
change in its profile of crops grown, accompanied by a search for novel, replacement
products.
Unfortunately these data do not cover the flower bulb sector, which is a dynamic
82
aspect of Israeli horticultural production.
Production amounts (million flowers) of cut flowers and foliage in Israel,

1995/96 – 2008 1
1995/96 1998/99 2000 2006 2008
Total 1,350 1,670 1,282 1,078 962
of which:
Gypsophila 105 165 146 104 86
Wax flower 78 77 56 67 33
Gerbera 42 46 49 43 31
2
Limonium - - - 22 13
Rose 340 500 395 59 10
Carnation, spray 38 13 - - -
Carnation, standard 110 103 - - -
‘Other’ cut flowers 501 376 349 454 445
Ruscus - - 286 333 344
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from National Flower Board, Israel; Central
Bureau of Statistics, Israel
2
6.13 Italy
The first table below shows the overall importance of cut foliage and branches, grown
both outside and under protection, in Italy’s horticultural produce. The second table
contains details of the different species grown.
Unfortunately these figures were not updated in ISPF 2017.
Overall Italian production areas for cut flowers and foliage in 2007 1
Category Cultivated area in 2007 (ha)
Total In the open In glasshouses Under other covering
Total 5,834 3,337 2,037 459
of which:
Cut flowers 2,752 740 1,830 182
Cut foliage and
branches 3,082 2,597 208 278
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Indagine Florovivaismo 2007, Ministero delle
politiche agricole alimentari e forestali
The next table shows that, while traditional cut flower crops such as chrysanthemum
and rose remain important, so are newer crops such as gerbera and ranunculus.
There is also substantial production of ‘other’ cut flowers and cut foliage and
branches, suggesting a quest for innovation. Cut foliage includes the expected
asparagus, eucalyptus, pittosporium and ruscus, and also aralia and aspidistra.
Flowering branches include genista, mimosa and viburnum.
83
Italian crop types and species in 2007 (production in million pieces) 1
Cut flowers 2,422 Cut foliage 548
of which: of which:
Rose, large-blooms 331 Eucalyptus 197
Chrysanthemum, multiflora 319 Ruscus 145
Rose, medium and small blooms 258 Aralia 58
Gerbera 218 Asparagus 38
Ranunculus 132 Pittosporum 32
Carnation, standard 118 Aspidistra 25
Chrysanthemum, bloom 118 Other 53
Carnation, spray 90
Lily, Oriental hybrids 70
Lily, Asiatic hybrids 64
Anemone 58
Lisianthus 51 Flowering branches 182
Gladiolus 33 of which:
Wallflower 32 Genista 77
Calla 20 Mimosa 60
Orchids 20 Gypsophila 19
Iris 19 Viburnum 6
Alstroemeria 18 Other 19
Lilium 14
Anthurium 10 Fruit-bearing branches 2
Gerbera, mini 2
Antirrhinum 1
1
Other 425 Source: see previous table
6.14 Japan
Japanese production areas are shown in the next table. They illustrate the
importance of the traditional chrysanthemum crop, which occupies nearly one-third of
the overall area – over 5,000ha of the about 17,000ha total. Unfortunately, after
2008, the figures do not provide either the total of all cut flowers or the area of ‘other’
cut flowers, so it is not possible to be precise on the area of ‘other’ cut flowers. As an
example, in 2008 the total area of all cut flowers was 16,840ha, of chrysanthemum
5,530ha, of ‘other’ cut flowers 8,243ha, in addition to 5,307ha of cut foliage, tree
branches and bulbous plants. The large area of ‘other’ cut flowers suggests a very
broad spectrum of species and probably a search for innovative products. A new
addition to the list in 2013 was the Japanese gentian, with some 450ha cultivated.
Over the 2006–2014 period all the specified cut flower types, including
chrysanthemum, showed a fall in production area. The largest declines, of about
25%, were in rose, carnation, limonium and tropical orchids, while lily fell by 18%,
gerbera by 17%, chrysanthemum by 12%, gerbera by 10% and lisianthus by 6%. In
contrast the cut foliage area increased by 6%; but the area grown for cut tree
branches fell by 6% and the area of bulbous plants by a substantial 34%. In the
subsequent table these trends can be seen as the numbers of stems produced.
84
Production area of cut flowers, cut foliage and bulbous plants in Japan, 2006-2014 1
Area (ha) and % change from 2006 to 2014 2
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Change
Cut flowers 17,450 17,230 16,840 - 3
- - - - - -
of which:
Chrysanthemum 5,700 5,650 5,530 5,420 5,331 5,233 5,230 5096 5007 -12
Lily 880 860 860 869 855 833 805 789 722 -18
Lisianthus 449 465 466 462 454 439 435 431 424 -6
Rose 490 484 474 457 432 419 409 395 378 -23
Carnation 430 410 410 405 390 378 367 348 326 -24
Gypsophila 290 270 270 260 255 253 251 - - -
Japanese gentian - - - - - - - 452 440 -
Limonium 250 210 210 212 204 214 212 192 189 -24
Tropical orchids 189 185 178 172 167 161 157 152 141 -25
Alstroemeria 102 97 95 92 89 91 93 89 85 -17
Gerbera 103 98 99 98 94 93 92 94 93 -10
Other cuts 8,547 8,500 8,243 - - - - - - -
Cut foliage 672 681 744 768 763 742 713 710 714 6
Cut tree branches 4,024 4,100 3,996 3,739 3,813 3,707 3,703 3718 3667 -9
Bulbous plants 575 564 567 538 505 478 472 414 379 -34
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Statistics Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Statistical
Yearbook, Number 88, 2012/13 and Number 90 2014/15
2
Only given for full runs of data
3
- Indicates data not given or not applicable
85
Production amount of selected cut flowers in Japan, 2000-2008
Number (million pieces)
2000 2006 2007 2008
Cut flowers 5,593 4,934 4,829 4,734
of which:
Chrysanthemum 2,028 1,857 1,814 1,792
Lily 204 174 170 171
Rose 459 371 355 347
Carnation 495 412 387 388
Gypsophila 87 69 60 61
Limonium 138 127 118 120
Other cut flowers 2,182 1,924 1,925 1,855
1
Source: see previous table
6.15 Kenya
The Kenyan cut flower production area is summarised in the next table: unfortunately
more recent figures were not available. Between 2010 and 2011 the total area fell,
but it more than recovered in the following year, to >4,000ha. Rose was the
predominant crop, making up >2,000ha in 2012, but this had fallen from the previous
figures. The areas of Easter lily and eryngium showed major rises in 2012, the former
from 24ha in 2011 to >1,000ha. Asclepias, carnation and ‘other’ cut flowers showed
smaller increases over the same period, while in contrast the area of ‘arabicum’
(presumably Ornithogalum arabicum) was halved and that of alstroemeria was down
by one-third. Kenya looks like another emerging producer seeking its best options.
Production area of cut flowers in Kenya, 2010-2012 1

Area (ha)
2010 2011 2012
Total 3,419 3,213 4,039
of which:
Rose 2,674 2,597 2,164
Carnation 160 157 252
Hypericum -2 78 80
‘Arabicum’ 286 92 140
Easter lily 152 24 1,073
Asclepias 25 52 55
Alstroemeria 55 55 38
Eryngium 20 56 176
Anthurium - 7 3
‘Other’ - 26 155
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Horticultural
Crops Development Authority (HCDA), Kenya
2
- Indicates data not given
86
6.16 Korean Republic
Korea is a newcomer to the ISPF statistics, and the table below shows production
levels for 2012. The most grown flowers were chrysanthemum and rose. There was
evidence of a wide range of new or alternative crops being grown, the ‘others’
category involving 227ha of production.
Production of cut flowers in the Korean Republic,

2012 1
Area Number (million
(ha) pieces)
Rose 377 198
Chrysanthemum 527 270
Lily 192 41
Carnation 82 46
Gypsophila 52 5
Gerbera 68 47
Freesia 37 24
Gladiolus 23 5
Snapdragon 24 19
Statice 10 2
Calla 14 6
Lisianthus 14 6
Iris 5 2
Marigold 10 1
Tulip 6 4
Solidaster 7 -2
Sunflower 4 1
Stock 18 4
Alstroemeria 11 7
Aster 2 -
Bird of paradise 5 -
Liatris 6 -
Pinks 3 -
Others 227 -
Total 1,724 726
1
Source: ISPF 2017, from Ministry for Food,
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Agricultural
Office
2
- Not available or not applicable
87
6.17 Mexico
Detailed statistics on the wide range of cut flowers grown in Mexico over the period
2007 to 2016 are given in the table below. Over this time Mexican production has
showed major growth. It is a pity that recent statistics did not include total areas for
each crop and areas of ‘other’ cut flowers.
The area of cut flowers grown under glass more than doubled in the period 2007 to
2016, mainly because of a large increase in rose production in 2010. Rose has
continued to be the paramount cut flower produced by Mexico, and over the 10 year
period its area increased by 69%. Expansion of all the other specified crops
continued over the same period, with chrysanthemum, lily and solidago areas all
increasing by >100% over the same period.
The area of cut flowers grown in the open is many times larger than that grown under
protection. By 2016, the combined area of outdoor-grown gladiolus, chrysanthemum
and tagetes was in excess of 8,000ha, and many other species were grown in small
amounts, notably gypsophila, rose, carnation and sunflower. Their success – in terms
of production area growth from 2007 to 2016 – has been mixed. Only gypsophila,
carnation, antirrhinum and lunaria showed losses, of between 14 and 36%. Several
crops showed large gains: limonium (249%), sunflower (212%) and agapanthus
(134%), and some showed smaller gains: gladiolus, chrysanthemum, tagetes, aster
and alstroemeria all increased by between 13 and 33%. The area of rose, tuberose
and heliconia was more stable.
Cut foliage was dominated by chamaedorea, which increased in area by 50% over
the period, reaching 1,607ha in 2016. A much smaller area of ferns was also grown,
although this too was growing steadily.
88
Production area of cut flowers and foliage under protection and in the open in Mexico, 2007-2016 1
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
Cut flowers under glass
Chrysanthemum 10 10 10 110 170 102 107 121 122 113 1,030
Rose 663 688 696 1,375 1,488 712 798 794 769 1,121 69
Lily 108 124 112 157 163 145 186 195 198 251 132
Gerbera 77 81 86 87 88 87 97 91 88 96 25
Carnation 10 17 27 15 17 18 5 7 4 19 90
Solidago 5 10 12 10 11 61 45 11 11 14 180
Other 1 - 3
30 4 30 33 - - - - -
Continued
89
Continuation
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change
Cut flowers in the open
Gladiolus 3,854 3,461 3,667 3,611 3,715 3,806 4088 3927 3983 4580 19
Chrysanthemum 2,359 2,630 2,435 2,319 2,310 2,365 2564 2492 2343 2656 13
Tagetes 1,162 981 855 791 1,187 1,735 1479 1672 1781 1545 33
Gypsophila 739 685 768 417 780 586 587 559 604 605 -18
Rose 590 735 718 676 788 709 662 635 616 610 3
Carnation 557 515 452 452 442 447 454 454 451 447 -20
Matthiola 509 351 405 399 535 - - - - - -
Sunflower 233 257 269 243 562 211 262 298 363 728 212
Tuberose 338 287 225 266 255 276 265 282 369 369 9
Heliconia 200 198 203 212 206 208 219 225 201 205 3
Limonium 110 83 180 132 222 123 159 148 141 384 249
Aster 98 112 121 122 117 110 112 113 115 121 23
Antirrhinum - 107 106 108 205 101 99 67 64 69 -36
Alstroemeria 52 62 71 71 67 67 69 67 64 69 33
Lunaria (honesty) 69 69 67 67 62 62 64 64 59 59 -14
Agapanthus 77 69 62 52 55 57 64 97 175 180 134
Other 1,410 1,429 1,117 992 1,713 976 - - - - -
Cut foliage
Chamaedorea 1,068 1,066 1,461 1,471 1,484 1,498 1497 1533 1620 1607 50
Ferns - 52 62 62 63 85 32 32 52 79 52
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Servizio de información Agroalimentaria y Pesquera, Mexico
2
% Change only given for complete or near-complete runs of data
3
90
6.18 Morocco
Some limited statistics for Morocco are shown in the table below, covering the period
2007 to 2008 in which production appeared remarkably stable. Some two-thirds of
the total production area, 113ha out of 165ha, was under protection and this was
dominated by rose and carnation crops, with small areas of ‘other’ cut flowers. In
outdoor growing there was a small amount of rose production but most was down to
strelitzia and ‘other’ cut flowers. Unfortunately no more recent figures are available
for Morocco in ISPF 2017.
Production area and number of cut flowers grown under protection

and in the open in Morocco, 2006/07 - 2007/08 1
Area Number
(ha) (million stems)
2006/07 2007/08 2006/07 2007/08
Protected crops, 113 113 74 79
of which:
Rose 72 73 43 47
Carnation 28 30 27 29
‘Other’ 14 11 4 4
In the open, 52 52 6 5
of which:
Rose 10 9 3 1
Strelitzia 23 23 1 1
‘Other’ 20 20 2 3
Overall total 165 165 79 84
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Royaume du Maroc, Ministère
de l’Agriculture, du Développement Rural et des Pêches Maritimes,
Morocco
91
6.19 Norway
Some patchy statistics for Norway’s cut flower production are given below;
unfortunately no more recent figures are available for Norway in ISPF 2017. Total
production had been stable or growing slightly between 1995 and 2006, but between
2006 and 2010 production was greatly reduced - by nearly 50 million pieces. All
crops were affected, but particularly rose, chrysanthemum and ‘other’ cut flowers, the
last category dropping from 5.7m pieces to 0.5m pieces. Lily and tulip saw relatively
smaller reductions. This is another example of a European country affected by the
new producer countries.
Production (thousand pieces) of cut flowers (under protection) in Norway, 1995-

2010 1
1995 1998 2001 2004 2006 2010
Total, 104,646 109,137 109,580 110,048 117,471 69,303
of which:
Tulip -2 - - - 78,873 53,879
Rose - - - - 25,713 10,596
Lily - - - - 4,717 3,075
Chrysanthemum - - - - 2,432 1,208
‘Other’ - - - - 5,736 493
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Statistics Norway, Census of Agriculture 2010
2
.
92
6.20 Poland
The data available on Polish cut flower production is limited, especially as there
seems to be no clear figure for the total of cut flowers. The production of flowers and
plants, a much broader category that includes cut flowers, under cover increased by
about 1% per annum over the period 2002-2016. The main cut flowers listed are rose
and chrysanthemum, both of which saw an increase in production area somewhere
between 2002 and 2010, followed by a more or less stable area up to 2016. ‘Other’
cut flowers represented a far greater production area than rose or chrysanthemum,
with areas of 192, 65 and 573ha, respectively, in 2014 (the last year with data for all
three categories. Flower production in the open, including bulbs, showed a steady
rise until 2011, then stayed stable at about 3,800ha.
Unlike the data seen from other European countries, in Poland there appears to have
been a continued increase in production over these years, without the rapid falls in
cut flower production seen in recent years when exports from the new producer
countries started to affect home production.
93
Flower and bulb production areas (ha) in Poland, 2002-2016 1
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Flowers and
plants under 1,417 1,433 1,445 1,477 1,518 1,554 1,589 1,602 1,608 1,616 1,616 1,614 1,613 1,615 1,615
cover2
Cut flowers:
Rose 110 -3 - - - - - - 194 - - 194 192 - 185
Chrysanthemum 50 - - - - - - - 65 - - 65 65 -
‘Other’ 657 - - - - - - - 573 - - 573 575 -
Flower
production in the
3,176 3,246 3,311 3,364 3,455 3,507 3,609 3,698 3,799 3,833 3,835 3,835 3,838 3,840 3,845
open, including
bulbs
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Agricultural Census 2002, 2010, Central Statistical Office, Poland; reports on questionnaires by A.
Marosz, Institute of Horticulture, Skierniewice, Poland
2
The figures in this row may include pot- and garden-plants as well as cut flowers
3
94
6.21 Spain
The table below shows that cut flower production in Spain has fallen consistently
from 2008 and 2015. Production of the main crops, carnation and rose, fell by about
half over this period. It is interesting to note that the large area of ‘other’ cut flowers
has fallen by only about 20% during this time.
Until 2012 Spanish statistics also provided a breakdown between ‘standard’ and
‘other types’ of carnations and between different types of roses. In the case of rose,
all types seem to have been reduced in area over this period.
The data are also provided split between production in the open and under protection
(see subsequent table). Cut flower production under protection has accounted for
roughly twice the area as that carried out in the open, and this differential has been
maintained over the 2008 to 2015 period, cropping in the open falling by 48% and
under protection by 35%. While the area of all the main flower types has fallen, the
reduction in area of the ‘other’ cut flowers has been much less (17% in the open and
21% under protection). During the same period carnation and rose each fell by about
80% in the open and 45% under protection.
95
Total production area and numbers of cut flowers produced under protection and in the open in Spain, 2008 to 2015 1
Area (ha) Production (million pieces)
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Total 2,236 1,667 1,724 1,458 1,383 1,442 1,394 1,356 - 2
2,042 1,838 1,778 1,393 1,694 1,296
Carnation, of which:
All types 923 592 592 469 429 426 415 379 1,324 1,082 859 788 658 723 589
Other types 706 405 441 351 310 - - - 992 799 679 612 - - -
Rose, of which:
All types 308 194 195 174 164 150 141 141 216 184 166 156 144 131 129
Other types 290 182 184 164 121 - - - 206 175 157 115 - - -
American 190 163 133 117 109 - - - 295 251 180 164 - - -
Baccara/ - - - - - -
Meilland 18 12 11 11 11 10 9 9 9
Anita 27 23 18 <1 - - - - 38 32 1 - - - -
Other cut
flowers 1,005 881 937 815 790 866 838 818 - 777 813 834 592 840 578
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentacion y Medio Ambiente, Avance de Anuario de Estadistica,
2013 and 2016, Spain
2
96
-
Production areas (ha) of cut flowers produced in the open and under protection in Spain, 2008 to 2015 1
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Change
Total in the open,
829 359 570 462 417 505 456 433 -48
of which:
Carnation 318 57 130 89 68 69 59 59 -81
Rose 81 10 27 17 18 18 15 15 -81
Other 430 293 412 356 330 417 382 359 -17
Total under protection,
1,406 1,304 1,147 990 953 931 932 917 -35
of which:
Carnation 605 534 459 378 359 355 355 336 -44
Rose 227 184 167 156 144 131 124 125 -45
Other 574 586 521 456 455 445 453 456 -21
1
97
6.22 Sweden
Some rather incomplete statistics for Sweden are given in the next table. Between
2002 and 2005 the numbers of units of total cut flowers and of chrysanthemum and
rose have fallen drastically, suggesting the high figures for 2002 may be doubtful.
Aside from this issue, the total number of cut flowers appears thereafter to have
fallen up to 2011, after which it increased. The number of units of other cut flowers
fluctuated considerably over the period.
For flower bulbs, the total number – basically tulip - increased steadily from 2002 to
2011, followed by a relatively small fall. The numbers of daffodils and other bulbs
declined substantially over the 2002-2014 period.
Production of cut flowers and flower bulbs for cut flowers in Sweden, 2002-2014 1
Number (thousand pieces)
2002 2005 2008 2011 2014
Cut flowers 11,383 2
3,805 3,636 2,568 3,327
of which:
Chrysanthemum 43,211 2 3,185 204 50 -3
Rose 10,032 3,070 3,216 - -
Alstroemeria 477 178 - - -
‘Other’ 433 240 199 647 -
Flower bulbs for cut flowers 127,349 119,589 130,320 152,776 142,045
of which:
Tulip 112,025 114,363 125,727 152,428 141,824
Daffodil 1,023 787 456 336 104
‘Other’ 2,580 634 501 11 117
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Swedish Board of Agriculture, Horticultural
Census 2011 and 2014
2
Anomalous figures?
3
6.23 Taiwan China

In marked contrast to the figures for mainland China, the total area of cut flowers
grown in Taiwan fell steadily by 26% between 2004 and 2015. The most serious
reductions were for dahlia (88%), gladiolus (64%), tuberose (60%), carnation (40%),
rose (37%), chrysanthemum (35%) and other cut flowers (17%). Lily and heliconia
production was more or less stable. On the other hand, the areas of oncidium,
anthurium, lisianthus and gerbera all increased, by 43, 41, 18 and 17%, respectively.
The area of bulbs also fell sharply – by 82% for the same period - though bulbs were
only a very small sector in Taiwan.
98
Production area of cut flowers in Taiwan China, 2004-2015 1
Production area (ha) and % change from 2004 to 2015
2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Change
Total cut flowers, 4,498 4,265 4,170 3,912 3,862 3,707 3,748 3,401 3,321 3,288 3,319 -26
of which:
Chrysanthemum 1,074 959 945 799 772 827 825 728 745 747 703 -35
Gladiolus 529 416 354 276 236 246 207 208 197 210 189 -64
Lily 339 271 345 331 337 287 370 307 290 303 322 -5
Tuberose 121 174 140 96 91 72 70 67 55 53 48 -60
Oncidium -2 182 191 216 216 207 217 243 249 261 261 43
Rose 324 321 320 332 273 287 262 239 228 222 203 -37
Anthurium 130 150 160 189 196 209 215 193 198 189 183 41
Carnation 80 86 79 129 115 98 75 67 58 57 48 -40
Gerbera 63 63 81 82 78 77 81 77 69 70 74 17
Lisianthus 89 65 59 58 54 76 101 130 114 121 105 18
Dahlia 99 84 39 43 29 9 9 10 14 11 12 -88
Heliconia 56 48 47 43 39 36 40 35 35 40 54 -4
‘Other’ 1,596 1,629 1,601 1,534 1,641 1,483 1,495 1,337 1,318 1,263 1,325 -17
Bulbs 22 10 11 7 4 5 - 2 2 1 4 -82
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Chinese Taipei Council of Agriculture, Yearly Reports 2010, 2011, 2012
2
99
6.24 Thailand
Production areas for cut flowers in Thailand for 2003 to 2013 are shown in the table
below. The area of orchids, the main flower crop, increased from nearly 3,000ha in
2003 to over 5,000ha by 2013, an increased production area of 85%. Several other
crops are grown on a large scale, say >1,000ha, and these had mixed success:
production of palms (mainly pandanus), marigold and rose increased considerably,
by 128, 32 and 21%, respectively, the area of calotropis remained stable, and lotus,
jasmine and chrysanthemum areas declined, by 67, 24 and 13%, respectively. Of the
less extensively grown cut flowers, the area of michelia fell by 25% while the area of
solidago increased by 5%.
Calotropis and Michelia may be unfamiliar to UK readers. Calotropis (crown flower,

milkweed) is a shrub with lavender/white flowers, and with some religious and
medicinal attributes in its native Thailand. Michelia (white chempaka) is a magnolia-
like shrub or tree with attractive, sometimes fragrant flowers.
The category ‘nursery plants’ is also included under cut flowers and foliage, perhaps
because they are grown for foliage or flowering branches. In recent years some
1,500ha have been cultivated.
Production area (ha) of cut flowers and foliage in Thailand 2003–2013, and the %
change from 2003 to 2013 1
2003 2008 2013 Change
Orchids 2,864 3,066 5,286 85
Jasmine 2,516 3,263 1,910 -24
Lotus 1,595 2,143 526 -67
Marigold 1,244 1,172 1,645 32
Calotropis 1,074 1,068 1,087 1
Rose 826 439 1,002 21
Chrysanthemum 504 2,199 440 -13
Michelia 342 356 255 -25
Solidago 164 - 2 173 5
Pandanus and other palms 753 1,275 1,719 128
Ficus 1 5 4 300
Bamboo 2 - 2 -
Nursery plants 1,559 - 1,528 -2
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from 2013 Agricultural Census, National Statistical
Office, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Thailand
2
100
6.25 Turkey
Detailed statistics of cut flower production in Turkey are available, and are presented
in the next two tables.
The first table gives the overall area of production and, for the earlier years, the areas
grown under protection or in the open. Between 2004 and 2016 this total area varied
little, with annual figures between 1,082 and 1,212ha. For years when the protected
and outdoor areas are given – up to 2012 – the area grown under plastic increased
steadily, from 771 to 938ha. The area under glass fell slightly over the same period,
and we can infer that there was a substantial fall in the area of cut flowers grown in
the open.
Production area of cut flowers grown under protection and in the open in Turkey, 2004-
2016 1
Area (ha)
2004 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Total 1,199 1,212 1,142 1,178 1,082 1,137 1,183 1,195
(of which)
Under glass 64 47 57 55 -2 - - -
Under plastic 771 890 914 938 - - - -
Open field 364 274 - - - - - -
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from Turkish Statistical Institute, Crop Production
Statistics, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock
2
The next table shows the production areas for different cut flowers over the period
2011 to 2016. The paramount crop is carnation (with about 500ha grown) and others
grown on 100ha or more are rose and gerbera. Over the 2011–2016 period the areas
of all three have been remarkably stable, though the numbers of stems cropped fell
by 15% for rose and by 6% for gerbera.
The second-ranking crops, with around 50ha grown in recent years, are
chrysanthemum, lily, tulip, gladiolus and ‘other’ cut flowers: all have shown increases
of at least one-third in production area over the six year period, and especially in the
latter part of that period. Tulip, ‘others’ and gladiolus area increased by 41, 59 and
103%, respectively. Apart from lily, where there was no corresponding increase in
numbers of stems cropped despite the increased acreage, numbers increased
across the years, sometimes substantially – by 67% for ‘others’ and 71% for tulip –
but not proportionately, suggesting that factors such as the stature of the cultivars
grown or the planting density were coming into play. Daffodil should also be
considered with these most widely grown flowers, though in this case the area grown
101
has contracted (by 13%) though numbers cropped have been stable.
Among the less grown crops, fortunes have varied. Production-wise gypsophila,
gillyflower (matthiola) and solidago have remained fairly static, but freesia and
lisianthus have seen heavy reductions in the numbers cropped (31 and 23%,
respectively). Over this period hyacinth area and numbers cropped fell by 73 and
80%, respectively.
Anemone, iris, statice and orchids are grown in very small areas, and no firm
conclusions can be drawn about them.
102
Production area and numbers produced of cut flowers grown in Turkey under protection and in the open, 2011-2016 1
Area (ha) Production (million pieces)
and percentage change from 2011 to 2016 and percentage change from 2011 to 2016
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 % 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 %
Carnation 504 504 489 495 481 482 -4 588 623 594 600 591 593 1
Rose 186 190 161 168 179 181 -3 105 112 83 87 93 89 -15
Gerbera 114 116 113 115 115 114 0 136 125 123 129 130 128 -6
Chrysanthemum 47 43 57 58 58 64 36 38 36 42 42 42 45 18
Lily 57 73 52 44 71 77 35 13 14 10 9 12 13 0
‘Others’ 20 33 43 42 39 38 90 15 22 28 27 26 25 67
Tulip 26 22 34 38 43 41 58 24 24 56 37 41 41 71
Gladiolus 29 44 33 41 58 59 103 14 17 10 11 15 15 7
Gypsophila 25 25 26 25 24 25 0 18 18 17 17 17 18 0
Freesia 17 18 16 16 16 16 -6 26 30 17 18 18 18 -31
Lisianthus 16 22 14 17 19 15 -6 13 19 9 10 11 10 -23
Solidago 12 13 12 12 12 13 8 20 18 16 16 18 18 -10
Gillyflower 18 17 11 11 11 16 -11 6 6 3 3 3 6 0
Anemone 1 1 8 1 1 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 -50
Hyacinth 15 6 5 5 4 4 -73 10 2 2 2 2 2 -80
Iris 3 2 3 2 2 2 -33 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
Statice 1 1 3 3 3 3 200 - 2
- - 1 0 0 -
Daffodil 48 43 33 43 43 42 -13 14 9 11 15 15 14 0
Orchids 2 2 1 1 2 2 0 - - - - 3 - -
1
2
- Indicates data <0.5, or % change not applicable
103
6.26 USA
According to the statistics quoted below, the last ten years or so have seen a major
change in the production of cut flowers and ‘florist greens’ (cut foliage), presumably
as a result of cheaper imports from Central and South America in particular. The
table below gives the overall figures for the period 2002 to 2012. They show a drop of
almost one-third in production in the open, without any overall compensating
increase in production under protection. Production in the bulb sector remained
steady between 2007 and 2012 (the only figures available), presumably as spring-
flowering bulbs are less amenable to growing in the new producer countries.
Overall USA production areas for cut flowers, florist greens and flower bulbs,
2002 to 2012 1
Cultivated area (ha)
2002 2007 2012
Cut flowers and florist greens, of which:
In the open 13,387 10,400 9,217
Under glass or other protection 2,140 1,620 2,185
Flower bulbs, of which:
In the open -2 2,452 2,509
Under glass or other protection - 20 12
1
Source: ISPF 2014 and 2017, from 2012 Census of Agriculture, USDA,
National Agricultural Statistics Service, and USDA, Floricultural Crops 2013,
Summary, Data for Operations with $100,000+ Sales, 15 States Program
2
The statistics for individual crops are shown in the next two graphs. Tulip, gerbera
and lily were the major crops, with >100m stems produced annually in many or all
years. However, their patterns of production over time were quite different. Over the
2006-2015 period tulip production had increased by 15%, though with peaks in 2008,
2011 and 2015. Gerbera production was relatively stable, 5% down over this period,
while lily production was down by a substantial 22%, having peaked in 2011. These
patterns may be related to growing conditions, the price of bulbs, changes in
customer preference or spending power, and many other factors.
A second-ranking group – with >10 but <100m stems produced annually – comprised
gladiolus, iris, rose, snapdragon, delphinium and larkspur (taken together) and
leatherleaf ferns. Of these, only snapdragon ended the 10y period with higher
production than at the start, by 20%. The other five ended with reduced production,
by between 25 (leatherleaf ferns) and 66% (rose).
Grown on a smaller scale (and shown on the second next graph) were alstroemeria,
lisianthus, pompon chrysanthemum, orchids and carnations. While the production of
lisianthus remained consistent over the period, the others all showed falling
104
production between 11 (alstroemeria) and 83% (carnation).
Source: see table above
105
Source: see table above
6.27 Vietnam
ISPF 2017 gives the following production areas of cut flowers and foliage for Vietnam
in 2008: chrysanthemum 800ha, rose 700ha, gladiolus 300ha, carnation 150ha and
other cut flowers and foliage 2,550ha, an overall total of 4,500ha.15 It is interesting to
note the acreage given to ‘other’ flowers and foliage (greater than the total area of
the listed main crops), giving evidence for innovation to try new and alternative
species.
15Source: ISPF 2017, from Dutch Embassy Hanoi, Agriculture, Nature and Food Section,
published in An overview of the floricultural sector in Greater China, Vietnam and Thailand,
Summer 2008, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands
106
7.0 The major cut flowers: producers, exports to the EU
and imports by the EU
Despite the diversity of cut flower species that make up commercial production
worldwide, the bulk of the industry is concentrated on very few kinds, mainly rose,
carnation, chrysanthemum, lily and (taken as a single group) orchids. The sheer
dominance of these five cut flowers may partly explain the slow pace at which new or
alternative cut flowers catch the imagination of industry and consumers and are
considered worthy of commercialisation. ISFP provides useful information on where
the major cut flowers are produced and their export to and import by the countries of
the EU. Cut foliage, taken generically, forms another major product, and is also dealt
with in this section.
The figures on important producers’ crop areas were based on ISPF 2014 and 2017,
in turn based on the latest year’s data available at the time of each publication; for
example, in the case of cut roses, the median dates were 2012 and 2015. For some
crops comparable production figures were not available for Ethiopia and some other
countries, and, where applicable, this is mentioned below. Area grown does not, of
course, necessarily equate to the amount of marketable product, its market value or
quality; the acreage grown, however, is the statistic that is most often available.
Export and import values were the 2013 and 2016 figures from Eurostat, also taken
from ISPF 2014 and 2017. These figures may be complicated by re-exports from the
importing countries; thus, the figures for exports to EU countries includes intra-EU
trade, often, in this case, from the Netherlands to other EU countries. On the export
and import histograms, for clarity data labels are shown only for the later year.
107
7.1 Rose
The histogram above establishes something of a pattern – that one or two countries
often overwhelmingly dominate the production of a cut flower crop. In this case,
according to the more recent figures, India grew 26,000ha of roses, China some
16,000ha, and the next largest producer, Ecuador, 5,500ha. Columbia, Kenya and
Mexico followed, each with some 2,000ha, ahead of the largest European grower,
Italy (1,200ha). Figures were not available for another main producer, Ethiopia.
The next two histograms show the top countries exporting cut roses to EU countries
(or to other EU countries in the case of intra-EU trade) and the top EU countries
importing cut roses.
Two striking features – again common to this series of statistics – were the
predominance of the Netherlands in the import-export trade and as an intra-EU
trader, and the non-appearance of the new, major Asian producer countries in the list
of exporters to the EU. The Netherlands was by far the main exporter of roses,
recently worth €819m. The next largest exporters to the EU, each exporting more
than €100m, were Kenya, Ethiopia, Ecuador and Belgium. Indian and Chinese
product do not feature in exporting roses to the EU.
The major EU importing countries recently were (in descending order) the
Netherlands (€819), Germany (€325), the UK (€170) and France (€141).
108
109
7.2 Carnation
The figure above shows that China dominates the production area of cut carnation,
growing over 5,000ha in 2012, though production fell to 4,000 ha in 2013. China is
followed by Columbia and Italy, each growing approaching 1,000ha. Ethiopia was
also a main producer, though figures are not available.
The next two histograms show that the Netherlands and Columbia dominate exports
to EU countries, recently to the extent of €77m and €67m, respectively. Turkey and
Kenya each achieved exports of more than €10m, with Morocco, Spain, Ethiopia and
Italy around €5m each.
Among the EU countries, recently the Netherlands (€61m), the UK (€52m) and
Germany (€34m) imported the largest values of cut carnation, followed by Spain
(€12) and Poland (€10m).
110
.
111
7.3 Chrysanthemum
As shown above, India dominates the area of chrysanthemum grown for cut flowers
(11,000ha in 2014), followed by China (7,000ha), but the area in each of these
countries had fallen sharply from 2012 (by over 5,000ha in the case of India) and
Japan (5,000ha). Mexico, Thailand (until 2012) and Italy were the next main growers,
each over 1,000ha. Figures were not available for Ethiopia and Kenya, which are
also main producers.
The next two histograms show the top countries exporting chrysanthemum to the EU,
and the EU’s chief importing countries. The Netherlands overwhelmingly dominates
(re-)export markets to other EU countries, with €224m in 2016. Other exports are
puny in comparison, though led by Columbia, South Africa and the Czech Republic,
each with exports worth between €9m and €17m.
Reflecting its fondness for chrysanthemum, chrysanthemum imports are dominated

by the UK, with €123m in 2016. At the same time the UK was followed by Germany
(€59m), Lithuania (€23m) and France (€14m).
112
113
7.4 Lily
The histogram above shows that China alone dominates the growing area for cut
lilies, with over 8,000ha in 2015, though this was down from nearly 10,000h in 2012.
Kenya and Japan grown around 1,000ha each. Figures were not available for
Ethiopia and Columbia, also main producers.
The next two histograms show exports to, and imports by, EU countries. As with
chrysanthemum, the (intra-EU) exports of cut lily were dominated by the Netherlands,
and of imports by the UK. In 2016 the Netherlands exported lilies worth €112m.
There was no other substantial exporter.
The EU’s predominant importing country was the UK (€81million in 2016). The
Netherlands imported some €30million in 2013, but by 2016 this value had fallen to
€2million. Of the other EU countries the main importers were Germany (€8m), France
(€7m) and Ireland (€4m).
114
115
7.5 Orchids
There appear to be some difficulties in interpreting information from ISPF 2014 and
2017 about cut orchid production; there is mention of “unspecified areas” and
perhaps some confusion over fresh-cut orchids and pot-plants. The main producer
countries were Thailand and Taiwan China, with smaller amounts in Japan, the
Netherlands, Italy and Poland. Hence, only export and import statistics, which are
unaffected by these issues, are reported here.
The next histogram shows that exports (intra-EU trade) were dominated by the
Netherlands, with exports worth some €60m in 2016. Thailand exported €13m
orchids to the EU, but other countries’ trading was valued at < €1m each.
Currently, the main EU importing countries for cut flower orchids are Italy (€19m),
Germany (€13m), the UK (€12.5m), France (€11), the Netherlands (€4m) and
Portugal and Spain (€2m each). Several other EU countries import orchids worth
around €1m
116
117
7.6 Cut foliage, branches, etc.
Taken together, cut foliage (including leafy, flowering and fruiting branches) make up
an important sector complementing cut flowers, or even in their own right. The
histogram above compiles the most recent statistics from ISPF 2014 and 2017,
though several countries may be missing and in some cases the figures have not
been revised for some years. China is a dominant producer of cut foliage, while Italy
and the Netherlands have substantial production.
The next histogram shows that, once again, it is the Netherlands that dominates
intra-EU trade, with exports to other EU countries well in excess of €100m. The USA
and Costa Rica, at €65m and €37m, respectively, are major suppliers, followed by
Guatemala, Israel, Mexico and Canada. A wide range of American and European
countries, South Africa and Sri Lanka, also supply the EU. No doubt some are
developing niche products in this dynamic and expanding sub-sector.
The following figure shows the EU importing countries are dominated by the
Netherlands (€187million), followed by Germany (€74million), the UK (€21m), France
(€16m), Italy (€15m) and Belgium (€12m).
118
119
8.0 Summary and conclusions
Background
1. AHDB Horticulture funded the National Cut Flower Centre (CFC) to provide
‘know-how’ and stimulate growth in the sector and the commercialisation of
alternatives to the traditional UK cut flowers, particularly those that can be grown
in low-cost polythene tunnels (Spanish tunnels) or in the open. As part of the
CFC’s information-gathering role, the worldwide statistics of cut flower and foliage
production have been reviewed.
Sales
2. Despite a rise in the UK’s cut flower imports from £125m in the late-1980s to
£550m in the early-2000s, the farm-gate value of UK-grown cut flowers has
remained static at around £50m to £60m per annum, including the non-bulb
outdoor flower sector worth some £5m to £10m annually. Hence, there would
seem to be scope for expansion by UK growers.
3. Amongst EU countries, Norway’s annual per capita spend on plants and flowers
is exceptionally high (although the population is small), while those of the Czech
Republic and Spain are low. Per capita consumption in the UK has risen from
historically low levels, but is still relatively low for a western European country.
Over the period 2011 to 2012, cut flower consumption in most EU countries
remained static, though in Italy there was a marked reduction in spending while
there was a significant increase in Sweden: on the whole, these figures do not
paint too pessimistic a picture for future sales of horticultural products.
4. Across the EU, most cut flower sales, on average over three-quarters of the total,
are made in florists and supermarkets. A major difference between countries is
the ratio of florist to supermarket sales, and here the UK is an exception, having
the largest proportion of supermarket sales and the smallest of sales at florists.
Sweden and Switzerland appear to be following this course. Cut flower sales in
the UK looked set to continue being dominated by the supermarkets, though by
2016, when Internet sales were becoming significant in many countries, the UK’s
Internet sales of cut flowers, 21% of the total, were the highest of the countries
surveyed.
5. In terms of wholesale markets Royal FloraHolland and Landgard are dominant,
with 2016 turnovers of €4,633m and €1,181m. Between 2007 and 2016 Royal
FloraHolland’s turnover increased by 14% and Landgard’s by 34%. In
comparison, many of the other world wholesale markets are modest in size,
though Veiling Holambra (São Paulo, Brazil) should be noted, with a turnover of
120
€170m in 2014, having increased by 153% since 2007. In comparison the
turnover of New Covent Garden in the UK was € 67m in 2016, a fall of 12% since
2007.
6. Figures on the top-selling cut flowers are available from auction houses. At Royal
FloraHolland rose, tulip and spray chrysanthemums maintained their dominance
in terms of numbers sold, but all three showed a substantial fall in the number of
stems sold of 13% between 2009 and 2016. There were also large decreases (by
more than one-third) in the numbers of many cut flowers sold, particularly of
anthurium, cymbidium, freesia, gypsophila, hypericum, gerbera, lily, alstroemeria
and zantedeschia. However, the average price increased for all subjects, with
many – alstroemeria, bloom chrysanthemum, spray chrysanthemum, cymbidium,
freesia, hypericum, lisianthus, gypsophila, limonium and peony - showing
increases of one-third or more. But the price of one of the top subjects, tulip,
remained static, which must be a cause for concern.
7. Another, smaller Dutch auction house, Plantion, showed similar recent trends,
with decreasing sale volumes and increasing prices. Plantion’s sales were
dominated by roses, which decreased from 201 million stems in 2011 to 47
million in 2016, a drop of 77%, with prices increasing by 62% over the same time.
Next in importance were tulips, with sales increasing by 10% and prices falling by
18% over the period, and gerbera, with both sales and prices decreasing (by 10
and 15%, respectively).
8. For Veiling Rhine-Maas, Germany, the major products were mini-gerberas, large-
flowered roses and single-flowered tulips. No clear trends on quantities or prices
could be seen in 2011–2012 (the latest years available), but the high-values of
cut foliage and of hippeastrums were notable.
9. Wholesale cut flower volumes and average prices in the USA over 2010-2015
showed similar trends. Sales were dominated by tulip, gerbera and lily, of which
only lily showed falling production. Gladiolus showed a 42% drop in sales, partly
compensated by a 21% rise in price. Leather-leaf fern showed sales increased by
14%, though prices fell a little. There was a substantial reduction in both volumes
and prices of orchids.
10. Flower auction sales and prices are also available for the Taiwan China auctions,
where lily is the predominant crop, with a following group of chrysanthemum,
gerbera and rose. Only chrysanthemum and lily showed a marked increase in
sales volume over 2012–2016, while prices rose markedly except in the case of
lily and spray chrysanthemum.
121
UK production
11. Utilising Defra’s estimated UK production values for protected ornamentals (cut
flowers and forced bulbs) and flowers and bulbs in the open, the value of the
protected sector increased strongly between 1986 and 2015, from £135m to
£321m, despite a slow-down between 2000 and 2008. Over the same period the
outdoor sector increased from £27m to £45m.
UK imports and exports

12. The UK’s cut flower and foliage imports grew substantially between 1988 and
2016, from £130m to £788m. The ‘other’ category was notable, going from £31m
to £242m over the period, with a peak reaching £339m in 2003 (part of this post-
2003 decrease may have been due to the separate collection of data for lily).
13. Over the same period the imports of rose climbed from £12m to £1608m, of
chrysanthemum from £25m to £130m, and of carnation from £45m to £47m. In
2012 and 2016 imports of lily were £83m to £863m.
14. Smaller categories of imports comprised ‘prepared flowers and buds’, only £9m in
1988 but reaching £44m in 2016, with a massive increase between 2006 and
2013 to £84m. Gladiolus increased from <£1m to £32m over the same period,
and orchids from £2m to £13m.
15. Imports of all cut flowers from the Channel Islands (CI) were recorded separately
until 2004; they had been running at £16m to £29m over this period.
16. Tulip bulb imports rose from £5m to £17m over 1988 and 2016. Imports of
daffodil, hyacinth and gladiolus bulbs remained at £1m to £3m each over the
period. In contrast, imports of other bulbs rose steadily, from £14m in 1988 to
£75m by 2016 and increasing massively between 2009 and 2011 to 95m.
17. The main cut flower export categories were ‘other’ cut flowers, up to £16m in
2016 from £4m in 1988, and ‘prepared flowers and buds’, up to £7m from £1m.
Smaller export categories comprised rose (<£1m in 2013 to £3m in 2016) and
carnation, lily and chrysanthemum, the export of which had been negligible in the
late-1980s but rose to around £1m each. Foliage exports increased from £1m to
£6m. Note that ‘exports’ include re-exports, not all exported product was
necessarily grown in the UK.
18. Despite some fluctuations in the intervening years, exports of daffodil bulbs at the
start and end of the period (1988 and 2016) remained £3.5m to £4m. Exports of
other bulbs rose erratically, reaching a high of £6.5m but generally increasing
122
from £1.5m to £4m over the same period. Exports of gladiolus, hyacinth and tulip
bulbs each remained at <£1m annually, apart from occasional blips.
UK imports and exports country by country

19. The UK’s total imports of cut flowers (including all types) are dominated by the
Netherlands with massive imports worth over €550m in 2016. Dutch exports are
followed by those of Kenya (€60m), Columbia (€35m), Spain and South Africa
(about €10m), Ethiopia (€8m), Turkey (€6m) and Morocco (€10m). The UK’s
exports are primarily to the Netherlands (€11m) and the ‘other EU countries’
(€8m), with smaller amounts going to several other countries.
20. The Netherlands dominates cut rose imports to the UK, worth €92m. This is
followed by imports from Kenya (€50m), and Columbia and Ethiopia (€8m each).
By 2016 the UK made modest exports of roses, largely to the ‘other EU
countries’.
21. The Netherlands also dominates UK imports of cut chrysanthemum, worth about
€100m currently. Other significant imports are from Columbia (€16m) and South
Africa (€10m). Again, the UK makes modest exports to the ‘other EU countries’.
22. Cut carnation imports come mainly from the Netherlands (€195m), Columbia
(€11m), Kenya (€7m) and Spain (€3m), though these sources have reduced in
recent years, while those from Turkey and Morocco are increasing (currently €6m
and €3m, respectively). The UK makes modest exports to the ‘other EU
countries’.
23. The Netherlands exported cut lilies worth €80m to the UK in 2016, €20m up on
the 2013 figures. Other imports and exports are very small.
24. The UK imported cut gladiolus valued at €29m from the Netherlands in 2016.
25. The UK also imported cut ranunculus worth €9m from the Netherlands.
26. The bulk of the cut orchids that are imported to the UK come from the
Netherlands, valued at €12m. Other sources are small.
27. Following these trends for (fresh) cut flowers, the UK’s imports of treated cut
flowers are dominated by the Netherlands at €25m, although this figure had fallen
hugely, from €83m in 2013. There were smaller amounts from Columbia (€15m)
and Kenya (€4m). The only substantial UK exports were to the ‘other EU
countries’ (€4m).
28. The UK’s imports of fresh foliage come mostly from the Netherlands (€13m) and
the ‘other EU countries’ (€3m). Imports of ‘treated’ foliage also derive largely from
the Netherlands (€9m). Very modest UK exports of foliage are made, though
across a large number of countries.
123
29. The UK’s imports of mosses and lichens come primarily from the Netherlands
and are worth <€1m).
30. The UK also imports large quantities of flower bulbs from the Netherlands, worth
€46m in 2016. The UK is an active exporter of flower bulbs, mainly daffodil,
sending €2m to the Netherlands, €1m to the ‘other EU countries’ and €2m to the
USA.
Worldwide production of ornamentals

31. The striking feature of data is the enormous production area - though not
necessarily value - and numbers of holdings in China and India. This is mainly for
internal use - little is destined for western markets, as export/import figures show.
Japan and the Philippines also have huge numbers of holdings, though they lack
the production areas and values. How will producers in the West cope when
horticultural production in India, China and some other Asian economies adopts
new technology and ways of working?
32. In Europe, the largest areas of production and number of holdings are found in
Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Poland, though it is the UK that concentrates
its production on relatively few holdings and the Netherlands that excels in
production value. In Africa, South Africa has by far the largest production area,
dwarfing that of new producer countries Kenya and Ethiopia. In the Americas, the
USA has a large production area and number of holdings, and substantial areas
of production in Brazil and Mexico are also linked to large numbers of holdings,
whereas in Columbia the substantial area of production is associated with
relatively few holdings.
33. As expected, the Netherlands leads bulb growing, but China, the UK, the USA
and France also have substantial production areas. It is interesting to note that in
the Netherlands and Japan similar numbers of holdings are involved - despite a
40-fold difference in production areas.
Production in key countries

34. The striking feature of the Dutch production area statistics is the overall steady
decline in production of cut flowers under glass, down by 43% over the 2005-
2016 period. In contrast, the areas of cut flowers and foliage grown in the open,
shrubs for cutting in the open, and spring- and summer-flowering bulb area
remained relatively stable.
35. Over the 2005-2016 period the decline in the area of cut flowers under glass in
the Netherlands was shared by virtually all crops. Rose, down 67% over the
period, was overtaken by chrysanthemum, down 36%, for first place in 2010.
124
Carnation, freesia, alstroemeria, anthurium, gerbera, lily and lisianthus all
suffered falls of 20 to 26%, while other crops fell by 30%. These figures reflect the
production, of rose particularly, in the new producer countries of Africa and South
America. Could some of the decreased production of Dutch glasshouse flowers
be substituted for part of the year by tunnel-grown UK crops? Alstroemeria,
lisianthus and ‘others’ might provide opportunities for UK growers - promising
results have already been achieved in the AHDB-funded trials at CFC.
36. While the overall area of Dutch bulbs has remained more or less stable in recent
years – up 7% between 2005 and 2016 – there were been some important
changes for individual genera. Tulip, lily, hyacinth and allium all showed
increased production areas, while narcissus, gladiolus, crocus, iris, muscari and
‘minor’ bulbs declined to some extent – iris by half and the ‘minor’ bulbs by 41%.
Dutch tulips and ornamental alliums appear to have the most promising future,
though the reasons for the decline in spring-flowering ‘minor’ flower bulb genera
is unclear – perhaps difficulties in reliable production, which could indicate a
niche opportunity for specialist growers.
37. The total number of stems produced in Canada in 2016 was a 17% increase over
the 2009 figures, notable increases being recorded for lisianthus, tulip, gerbera
and antirrhinum. However, production of alstroemeria, daffodil, lily, rose and other
flowers all fell substantially. Canadian data also records the area of flowers grown
in glasshouses or other structures: while the overall area fell slightly over this
period, an increase in glasshouse area was compensated by a fall in the area of
rigid plastic structures, which may reflect the types of ornamentals being grown.
38. China’s production of ornamental plants rose hugely over the period 2005-2016,
with the production area for all cut flowers and foliage increasing by 66% over the
period. All the recorded crops showed an increase, but particularly gerbera
(122%), rose (105%), carnation (71%) and lily (67%). The once small dried flower
sector also showed a massive increase. The area of flower bulbs cultivated
changed erratically. In addition, a separate, large area of flowers and bulbs is
grown for medicinal, food, industrial and other purposes.
39. Columbian production is dominated by rose, occupying 35% of the total cut flower
area. Carnation, pompon chrysanthemum and hydrangea are widely grown.
Other crops grown include ‘exotics’ such as heliconia and leucadendron, foliage
(eucalyptus, ferns, ruscus) and a substantial assembly of others species.
40. In Ecuador between 2006 and 2016 the total area of cut flowers increased by
32%, to account for 8,454ha, involving a 60% increase in production under
protection and a 19% drop in production outside. The paramount crop is rose,
125
now grown virtually all under protection and making up 65% of the protected cut
flower area. Gypsophila is the second-ranking cut flower, grown equally under
protection and in the open, though under protection the area dropped
considerably after 2008 before recovering later. Carnation under protection make
up the third main crop. Sunflower remains a small-scale crop, but expanded both
outdoors and under protection between 2006 and 2012. The areas of ‘other’
annuals and perennials under protection fell, but both have increased in the open,
by 109% between 2013 and 2016. Most other crops have fallen in area during
this time, including once popular lines such as aster, chrysanthemum,
delphinium, heliconia, hypericum, ginger, liatris and limonium. Maybe these
changes indicate a single-mindedness to concentrate on only the most profitable
products.
41. Finland has a small cut flower industry, and between 2005 and 2016 the area of
cut flowers fell from nearly 40ha to under 10ha, largely because of the great
reduction in cut rose production, presumably the result of cheaper imports. Over
the same period the production of bulb flowers greatly increased, largely owing to
expanded tulip production which doubled over this period. Amaryllis and hyacinth
production and growing other bulbs have remained more or less steady, but the
production of daffodil and lily flowers fell.
42. For Germany the area of cut flowers and foliage grown in the open fell between
1992 and 2012. The areas of chrysanthemum and dried flowers fell by nearly
80%. In contrast the areas of annual and perennial flowers, although fluctuating
widely, finished the period 34% up, and shrubs for cutting increased by 40%. The
rose area remained relatively stable. The area of ‘other’ cut flowers, including
gladiolus and tulip, approached 1,000ha by 2012. In contrast the production of cut
flowers and foliage under glass declined dramatically over the same period. The
area of most subjects has fallen, drastically so in the case of chrysanthemum
(85%) and rose (48%), while the growing of ‘other cut flowers and foliage’ also fell
dramatically at the start of this period then seems to have revived more recently
to reach 172ha by 2012. Overall, the figures may reflect the higher energy costs
for glasshouse production, competition from new producer countries, and
perhaps a fashion shift towards more ‘natural looking’ products.
43. For Greece, only relatively dated statistics are available, showing that between
1990 and 1995 the overall production area was quite stable at around 400ha. The
areas of the main crops – carnation, chrysanthemum, gladiolus and rose – were
equally stable.
126
44. Only very limited information is available on Hungarian cut flower production.
With some intervening fluctuations the area of cut flowers and foliage remained
stable between 1997 and 2009. Under cover, the main crops in order of
importance were carnation, rose, gerbera and asparagus, though carnation
growing reduced sharply in the late 1990s. In the open, the main crops in 2006
were dried flowers and gladiolus.
45. The cut flower statistics for India may look unfamiliar to European growers, with
the large amount of marigold grown and the sale of cut flowers ‘loose’ (both
connected to the floral decorations that play a large part in Hindu festivals). By
the latest figures available, 2014/2015, marigold and jasmine production currently
occupy about 56,000 and 10,000ha each and they are sold ‘loose’.
Chrysanthemum, gladiolus, rose and tuberose are important, with production
generally on the increase, and of these only chrysanthemum is sold loose in any
quantity. Anthurium, carnation, gerbera and tulip are grown in small quantities
and sold conventionally. The production of ‘other’ cut flowers is extensive and
makes up some 40% of the total area, being sold both conventionally and ‘loose’,
mostly the former. There is a suggestion of a slightly expanding production area
with a trend for somewhat lower yields.
46. Ireland’s horticultural industry is noted for its development of the cut foliage crop,
which is steadily growing in area and consists mainly of eucalyptus, laurel,
ozothamnus and pittosporum. Daffodils are also grown for cut flower and dry bulb
production.
47. The cut flower and foliage production area in Israel increased over the period
1995 to 2004, but production in number of pieces appeared to decline and to
continue to do so after 2008. Gypsophila, rose, solidago and wax flower occupied
around 200ha each in 2004, followed by smaller areas of carnation, gerbera and
limonium. ‘Other’ cut flowers occupied a substantial area, nearly 800ha in 2004,
while cut foliage, probably largely ruscus, occupied over 400ha. However, the
production amounts showed that total production and the production of gerbera,
gypsophila, rose and wax flower fell over the period to 2008; in the case of rose
the fall was dramatic, from 340 million pieces in 1995/96 to 10 million in 2008,
presumably reflecting the impact of the new producer countries. In contrast, the
production of ruscus increased between 2000 and 2008, while the substantial
production of ‘other’ cut flowers seems to have reversed the decline since 2000
and is now increasing. Israel seems to be an example of rapid change in the
profile of crops grown, accompanied by a search for novel, replacement products.
127
These data examined did not cover the flower bulb sector which is a dynamic
aspect of Israeli horticultural production.
48. Italian statistics show the overall importance of cut foliage and branches grown
both outside and under protection, while traditional cut flower crops, like
carnation, chrysanthemum and rose also remain important, along with newer
crops such as gerbera and ranunculus. There is also much production of ‘other’
cut flowers, suggesting a quest for innovation. Cut foliage production includes the
expected asparagus, eucalyptus, pittosporum and ruscus but also aspidistra,
while flowering branches include genista, mimosa and viburnum.
49. Japanese statistics illustrate the importance of the traditional chrysanthemum
crop that occupies almost one-third of the overall area – over 5,000ha of the
about 17,000ha total. Over 2006 to 2014 the production areas of alstroemeria,
carnation, gerbera, gypsophila, lily, limonium, lisianthus, orchid, rose and
Japanese gentian were small in comparison, but would be considered very
substantial in other situations. The area of ‘other’ cut flowers – in 2008 (the latest
figure available) over 8,000ha or nearly half of the total cut flower area – suggests
a very broad spectrum of species and a search for innovative products. Additional
areas (2014 figures) include >700ha for cut foliage, >3,000ha for cut tree
branches, and nearly 400ha of flower bulbs. Apart from cut foliage, all these
crops and sub-sectors saw decreases in production areas between 2006 and
2012, though these were relatively modest compared with those in some
European countries.
50. The Kenyan cut flower production area fell between 2010 and 2011, but more
than recovered in the following year, to >4,000ha. Rose is the predominant crop,
making up >2,000ha in 2012, but this had fallen from the previous figure. The
areas of Easter lily and eryngium showed major rises in 2012, the former from
24ha in 2011 to >1,000ha, and eryngium from 56ha to 176ha. Asclepia, carnation
and ‘other’ cut flowers showed smaller increases over the same period, while in
contrast the area of ‘arabicum’ was halved and that of alstroemeria was down by
one-third. Kenya looks like another emerging producer seeking its best options.
51. Some information is available for the Korean Republic’s production area in 2012.
With a total area of 1,724ha, chrysanthemum occupied 527ha, rose 377ha, lily
192ha and others, 227ha.
52. Mexico has seen major growth in cut flower production, with the area under glass
more than doubled between 2007 and 2016, mainly down to increased rose
production in 2010. Over the 10-year period the rose area increased by 69%
under glass and by 30% outside. Under protection, only a small area (10ha) of
128
chrysanthemum was grown before 2010, and by 2012 it had risen to >1,000ha.
The other glasshouse crops – chrysanthemum, gerbera, lily, solidago and ‘other’
cut flowers – all increased by >100%. Amongst crops grown in the open, by 2016
gladiolus, chrysanthemum and tagetes accounted for >8,000ha. Limonium
sunflower and agapanthus saw large gains. In 2011 there was a doubling of the
sunflower area, indicating flexibility in cropping plans. In the open there was a
large area of ‘other’ cut flowers grown – around 1,000ha. Chamaedorea formed
the bulk of the cut foliage area, increasing from >1,000ha in 2007 to about
1,500ha in 2012.
53. Limited statistics for Morocco show that over the period 2007 to 2008 production
appeared stable. Some two-thirds of the total production area, 113ha out of
165ha, was under protection and dominated by the rose and carnation crops, with
small areas of ‘other’ cut flowers. In outdoor growing there was a small amount of
rose production but most was down to strelitzia and ‘other’ crops.
54. Patchy statistics for Norway’s cut flower production show that production had
been stable or growing slightly between 1995 and 2006, but between 2006 and
2010 production was greatly reduced by nearly 50 million pieces. All crops were
affected, but particularly rose, chrysanthemum and ‘other’ cut flowers. Lily and
tulip saw smaller reductions. This is another example of a European country
affected by the new producer countries.
55. The amount of data available on Polish cut flower production is limited but shows
an interesting pattern: between 2002 and 2016 the total areas of cut flowers
grown under cover, and in the open (including flower bulbs), increased
continuously and steadily, with apparently none of the knock-on effects see in the
data of several other European countries. There is a large area (around 600ha) of
‘other’ cut flowers.
56. Cut flower production in Spain fell steadily between 2008 and 2015. For most
crops – mainly carnation and rose - production areas fell by about half over this
period. The large area of ‘other’ cut flowers lost only about 20% of its area.
57. Some rather incomplete statistics for Sweden show that over the period 2002 to
2014 the production area for cut flowers - alstroemeria, chrysanthemum and rose
- appears to have fallen considerably, though the area of ‘other’ flowers has
increased recently. For flower bulbs, the total number has increased steadily from
2002 to 2011, made up of a considerable increase in the numbers of tulips
produced, accompanied by large falls in the numbers of daffodil and ‘other’ bulbs.
58. The total area of cut flowers grown in Taiwan China fell by 26% between 2004
and 2015. The most serious reductions were for dahlia (88%), tuberose (60%),
129
heliconia (38%), chrysanthemum (35%), rose (37%) and gladiolus (64%). The
area of bulbs also fell sharply, though bulbs were in any case a very small sector.
On the other hand, the production areas of anthurium and oncidium increased, by
41 and 48%, respectively.
59. The data for Turkish cut flower production show a more or less steady total
production area between 2011 and 2016. The production areas of carnation, rose
and gerbera were stable, while areas of chrysanthemum, lily, tulip, gladiolus and
‘other’ flowers increased by at least one-third. Although the area of daffodil
declined, the numbers of stems cropped remained stable. In general crops are
increasingly grown under plastic.
60. Basic data is available for cut flower production in Thailand. Over the period
2003–2013 the main crop, orchids, increased from 3,000 to 5,000ha. Several
crops that are grown on >1,000ha showed substantial increased production, such
as palms, marigold and rose, while the area of calotropis was stable and the
areas of lotus, jasmine and chrysanthemum declined.
61. In the USA statistics show the last ten years have seen a major change in the
production of cut flowers and cut foliage (‘florist greens’), presumably as a result
of cheaper imports from Central and South America and elsewhere. The overall
figures for the period 2002 to 2012 showed a drop of almost one-third in
production in the open, without any compensating increase in production under
protection. Between 2007 and 2012 production in the bulb sector remained
steady, presumably as bulbs are less amenable to growing in the new producer
countries. Despite the overall fall in production of cut flower crops from 2006 to
2013 of 21%, in the same period the production of tulips – already the most
numerous product by far - increased by 15%, and alstroemeria and lisianthus
growing increasing by 31 and 9%, respectively. This confirms the enduring
popularity of tulips and, perhaps, an increased appreciation of alstroemeria and
lisianthus as cool-grown crops (also noted in CFC trials). Production of the other
listed crops fell over the same period, most dramatically in the case of carnation
(by 90%), rose (63%) and gladiolus and orchids (each by 47%).
62. Cut flower areas for Vietnam are available for 2008. There were 800ha of
chrysanthemum, 700ha of rose, 300ha of gladiolus, 150ha of carnations and
2,550ha of other flowers and foliage.
The main cut flower types – production and trade with the EU
63. The cut flower trade is dominated by rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, lily and
orchids, plus cut foliage. The sheer dominance of this group may partly explain
130
the slow pace at which alternative or novel cut flowers catch the imagination of
the industry as worthy of exploitation.
64. The production area of a crop is often dominated by one or two producer
countries. In the case of rose, India has >26,000ha of crops (and falling), China
>16,000ha and rising, and the next largest producer, Ecuador, 5,000ha (2015
figures are used in this and following paragraphs). Other emerging South
American and African countries follow, ahead of the largest European grower,
Italy (about 1,000ha). Of course, area grown does not equate to the amount of
marketable product or market value, but those figures, which might allow the
amount or value of product per hectare to be estimated, are often unavailable.
Two striking features common to this series of statistics are the predominance of
the Netherlands in the import-export trade and as an intra-EU exporter, and the
non-appearance of new, major Asian producer countries in the list of exporters to
the EU. Aside from the Netherlands, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ecuador are the EU’s
main source of imports. The major EU importing countries are (in descending
order) the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Belgium, but most
other EU countries import some cut roses.
65. China dominates the production area of cut carnation, growing over 4,000ha,
followed by Columbia (<1,000ha), and lesser producers are Italy, Ecuador,
Turkey, Mexico, Spain, Japan and Kenya. The Netherlands and Columbia
dominate exports to EU countries, with smaller amounts from Kenya, Turkey and
Spain. Of the EU countries, the UK and the Netherlands are equal in importing
the largest value of cut carnation (€88million), followed by the Netherlands,
Germany, Spain, Poland and France, but carnations remain popular amongst
several other EU states.
66. For cut chrysanthemum too, India dominates the growing area (11,000ha)
followed by China (7,000ha). Japan, Mexico and Thailand are the next main
growers, again ahead of Italy, the main European producer. As always, planted
areas may not correspond with the amount of product or its value. As with roses
the Netherlands dominates trade with its intra-EU exports. Reflecting a fondness
for chrysanthemum, the UK leads the list of EU importers by far, with only
Germany, Lithuania and France importing reasonable amounts of the product.
67. China alone dominates the growing area of cut lilies, with 8,000ha; the next
largest growers are Kenya and Japan. Intra-EU exports are again completely
dominated by the Netherlands. The EU’s predominant importing country is the UK
(€63million), many other EU countries import small quantities.
131
68. For cut orchids Thailand dominates the production area with nearly 3,000ha, and
other substantial grower countries are Taiwan China with smaller amounts from
the Netherlands, Japan, Italy and Poland. Exports to EU countries are dominated
by the Netherlands and Thailand, with only modest amounts from elsewhere. The
main EU importing countries, in descending area, are Italy, France, Germany and
the UK, with several other countries import smaller quantities.
69. For cut foliage, including flowering branches, etc., China again has by far the
largest growing area, some 7,500ha, followed by Italy (3,000ha) and the
Netherlands (2,000ha). Although having a relatively smaller area, Ireland figures
here, with nearly 200ha of foliage in production. The Netherlands again
dominates intra-EU trade with exports to other EU countries, and other key
exporters to the EU are the USA and Costa Rica, and amongst other important
exporters are several Central American countries, Israel and Sri Lanka, all
presumably developing niche products in this dynamic and expanding sub-sector.
The EU importing countries are dominated by the Netherlands, followed by
Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Belgium.
132

CFC Cut Flower Production Statistics 2018-1

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CFC Cut Flower Production Statistics 2018-1

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A review of production statistics for the cut flower and

● The avowed environmental interest of supermarket chains in production in the

1.2 Sources of statistical information

Please note that:

The following definitions have been used in this review:

Sales expressed as 2013 expenditure on cut flowers by consumers aged 18–65

2.3.1 Royal FloraHolland, the Netherlands

2.3.2 Plantion, the Netherlands

High-selling cut flowers at Veiling Rhine-Maas, 2011 and 2012 1

3.1 UK production values

Source: Horticultural Statistics 2016

Source: Horticultural Statistics 2016

Source: Horticultural Statistics 2016

Source: Horticultural Statistics 2016

The next graph shows the remaining cut flower exports.

Source: Horticultural Statistics 2016

4.1 Cut flowers (fresh)

No UK exports of chrysanthemum were listed in 2013, but by 2016 UK exports were

No UK exports of carnations were listed in 2013, but by 2016 UK exports to EU

4.9 Treated cut flowers

As expected, the Netherlands leads bulb growing, with a substantial increase in

Perhaps tunnel-grown alstroemeria, lisianthus and other or alternative crops might

13Here including Anemone, Chionodoxa, Hyacinthoides, Nectaroscordum, Pushkinia and

Fibreglass and other rigid greenhouses 92 65 62 41 54 42 43 32 24

Dried flowers - - - 24 32 23 44 62 53 621 705 - 2838

Production area of cut flowers and foliage in Columbia, 2012–2016 1

Germany: production areas of cut-flowers and cut-foliage in the open

Germany: production areas of cut-flowers and cut-foliage under protection

Production of cut flowers and foliage under glass and in the

In the open - - 145 -

To the reviewer there appeared to be numerous inconsistencies in these data (mainly

Production area (ha) of ornamental plants in the

Production amounts (million flowers) of cut flowers and foliage in Israel,

Unfortunately these figures were not updated in ISPF 2017.

Production area of cut flowers in Kenya, 2010-2012 1

Production of cut flowers in the Korean Republic,

Production area and number of cut flowers grown under protection

Production (thousand pieces) of cut flowers (under protection) in Norway, 1995-

6.23 Taiwan China

Calotropis and Michelia may be unfamiliar to UK readers. Calotropis (crown flower,

Source: see table above

Reflecting its fondness for chrysanthemum, chrysanthemum imports are dominated

UK imports and exports

UK imports and exports country by country

Worldwide production of ornamentals

Production in key countries

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