'Happiness in a bouquet': Cut flower industry starting to blossom in Sask.

Megan Ruf has always loved gardening, but this summer she decided to take it one step further and profit from her passion.

With a background in business and a course in permaculture, the Regina woman decided
mid-pandemic to do some research and open Hatch Flower Farm.

"It's pretty astounding to see what some focus and dedication and hard work — and a lot of shoveling of dirt — can result in," Ruf said with a smile.

She now grows an eighth of an acre of specialty cut flowers northeast of the city, near Zehner, Sask., along with patches in her Lakeview neighbourhood backyard and alley.

"The advantage to that is they're fresh," Ruf said. "I can harvest [the flowers] 24 to 48 hours before giving them to someone, and they're fragrant — that's something you lose during transport. They also last longer in a vase."

Ruf said those who pass by are often surprised when she tells them people can grow fancy flowers like hers in Saskatchewan.

And according to Janis Harris, the Canadian regional director for the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG), that's a realization many have had in the last few years.

"People are thinking more about where flowers are coming from and they're starting to realize the cool flowers that we can grow here [in Canada]," Harris said, noting cut flowers have always been more popular in Europe and parts of the United States.

Watching the industry evolve

To date, the ASCFG has about 150 Canadian members. Ontario and British Columbia account for the most, with members joining more recently from prairie provinces, like Saskatchewan.

Harris said the industry first blossomed in Saskatchewan about a decade ago. Now, the association has at least 20 growers based in the province.

Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote, co-owner of Blackfox Farm and Distillery outside of Saskatoon, is among the first in Saskatchewan to start growing cut flowers.

When they initially started, Stefanyshyn-Cote said they thought it would be easy having come from an agricultural background. But instead, it was a challenge.

"If I was going to grow wheat, barley or canola, there are thousands of people in Saskatchewan who I could ask, 'When is the best time to plant? When do you harvest? How do you fertilize?' But not many people in Saskatchewan knew at the time when was the best time to plant a zinnia," she explained.

With 250 varieties of cut flowers, Stefanyshyn-Cote remembered it being "a very steep learning curve."

Over the last nine years, she said she's watched her business evolve with the industry.

"We transitioned from simply growing flowers for ourselves to growing flowers for others, and now what we do is we welcome people to come out to cut their own flowers," Stefanyshyn-Cote said.

She added the you-pick business was especially popular at the height of the pandemic because it made for a COVID-safe outdoor activity.

'Recognizing the joy that flowers bring'

Social media and the "Instagram aesthetic" is part of the reason why much of Canada is seeing a new surge in demand for cut flowers, Harris said.

"They just want a different look, and we can do something different than what they're used to seeing with roses and more traditional kinds of flowers," she explained, noting more people are using them in weddings.

While Stefanyshyn-Cote agreed that's part of it, she said she's also noticed more people finding an appreciation for the plants — especially during the pandemic when people have had to remain apart.

"I think the reason the cut flower industry is growing [in Saskatchewan] is because people are recognizing the joy that flowers bring," she said.

And for new growers, like Ruf, it's being able to offer that smile to her customers.

"Flowers are pretty much happiness in a bouquet," she said. "It gives people such an immense amount of joy and, to me, it's really rewarding."