'We'll Do Whatever We Need To Do:' Florists Facing Flower Shortage Ahead Of Mother's Day

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Flower prices have increased ahead of Mother's Day because of a shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local florists said people should be able to find flowers tomorrow (if you go early) but it will be more expensive, and the options will be limited compared to last year.

A bouquet of flowers is one of the best gifts that shows your mom how much you love her.

Cheryl Bakin, owner of Parkway Florist in the city's West End, said that it has been a challenge dealing with the flower shortage ahead of Mother's Day.

"We scrambled a lot this week and there were a number of things we would have liked to of had that just were not available to us. We had a lot of late arrivals of products," said Bakin said.

Don't panic though, local floral shops should have some blossoming products available Sunday, including Parkway Florist in the West End and Leone Florist in Bloomfield.

If you decide to get flowers, be ready to accept substitutes.

"There's a lot of substitutions we have to get. If you want yellow roses, if we have white, we have to give you white," said Ronald Leone, owner of Leone Florist in Bloomfield.

Also, prepare to pay more for them.

"I would say it's gone up 20 to 30 percent price-wise from last year," said Leone.

Many factors led to this shortage. The global flower market slowed down last year and it's difficult getting flowers from overseas right now, like South America.

"There aren't enough planes flying to the South American countries with people so there's not enough planes to bring flowers back into the United States," said Bakin.

There's also been a shortage of workers in the flower industry and a shortage of truck drivers in the United States.

"Growers that have greenhouses can't get people to work in them so that's where the shortage comes in and gas prices going up, a lot of truckers can't bring them to Pittsburgh," said Leone.

Local floral shops and many small businesses are also facing the challenge of finding employees.

"People either can't or couldn't work before or they stay on unemployment. They're not coming to work for small businesses," said Leone.

Business is blooming for Pittsburgh area floral shops, with lots of planned deliveries for Sunday. They're doing the best they can for mom's special day.

"We'll do whatever we need to do to make sure that mom or grandma gets her package tomorrow," Bakin said.

Parkway Florist and Leone Florist have flowers available for in-store purchases on Mother's Day. They suggest going early because they will eventually sell out.

Last-minute deliveries are not available.