Flowers from Australia
by Dave Marshall on April 25th
Australia is well known for its unusual and exotic flowers which are unlike any others in the world. Due to Australia being surrounded by oceans, it has quite a unique growing condition. Areas along the coastal strip are especially suitable as they have a mild climate and summer rainfall.
The island has a wide variety of climate conditions which means that there are a vast variety of colours and styles produced. The exotic flowers are extremely sought after overseas as many other countries do not have the conditions to grow such flowers. The demands for unusual flowers have increased as florists have noticed more and more people have taken an interest in flowers, and now they are not just purchased on special occasions. 80-90% of flowers that are exported are Australian native which proves the overseas demand is high.
Australia competes mainly with Israel and South Africa, but unlike those countries, Australia suffers with higher labour costs and expensive freight charges. Japan is one of biggest market for the Austrlian flower growers where most flowers are sold through the auction system.
The USA are also big consumers from Australia and import nearly half of the total floriculture sold. There is a great demand from the US market for high quality flowers such as wax flower which is a filler flower. There is also a great demand for foliage which is used in exotic bouquets. Commercially grown flowers on a farm site have controlled conditions such as good water quality, pH controlled soil, and a plantation site that face North or East, all of which encourage excellent quality.
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