The global fallout of the pandemic has been far-reaching.

Here in the United States, florists and flower distributors shut down—at least temporarily—and flower growers around the world faced a collapse of demand, cost reductions, and shifts in production volume. As a result, flowers are getting more expensive—and at Beet & Yarrow, we’ve gotten crafty and creative with our offerings.

In addition to our set floral designs, we launched our Designer’s Choice arrangement: a way for us to work with shortages (and abundance!), what’s looking good at the moment, and what feels fresh.  Call it choose-your-own-adventure, or botanical roulette. With this option, we can’t guarantee a specific flower type—but arrangements are always bespoke and beautiful.

In many ways, shortages and shifting seasons have pushed us to be more flexible and creative. We can get wild with our color combinations; play with different types of greenery; and appreciate the harder to get cultivars and subtle varieties—not just a tulip, for example, but a double late tulip in a new color we’ve never seen before.

Dried florals are having a moment. Although they’re not necessarily cheaper—they’re still being worked with or treated—they last and can be enjoyed longer than traditional fresh arrangements. We dry stuff year-round (like grasses in the fall) and preserve them, too.

Growing season is short in Colorado—all the more reason to get to know your local growing season and buy when everything is most available at its peak. We always urge our friends and customers to learn about what’s growing around your house and in your neighborhood—we love watching the subtle color changes and differences in variation we see in our own backyards.

We love The Colorado Flower Collective for bringing Front Range flower farmers to one place, which allows us to really experiment with fun things for arrangements; family-owned Little Hollow Flower in Berthoud; and She Grows, European-style gardens in Arvada. Many, many props to these wonderful farmers and growers for thinking creatively around what can be grown, their use of trend forecasts to predict demand for colors and certain varietals, and finding ways to extend the growing season so we can keep offering the most luscious blooms.