Mother’s Day brought a vibrant burst of blooms to flower shops across the Bay Area, where roses, hydrangeas, and other seasonal favorites filled shelves and arms alike.
Despite a 10 percent tariff increasing the cost of imported flowers—many of which arrive from Colombia, Ecuador, and Canada—customers continued to flock to local florists to mark the floral holiday.
Roughly 80% of cut flowers sold in the U.S. are imported, making Mother’s Day a costly but meaningful occasion for flower lovers.
Shops like Flowers of the Valley in San Francisco offered both imported hydrangeas and locally grown varieties, beautifully arranged and sometimes paired with handwritten notes to soften the rising prices.
“People think flowers are cheap — they’re not,” said shop owner Yuliya Van de Sande. “But they still bring happiness, and that’s the point.”
Despite what’s been called a “flower tax,” Bay Area residents like David Ehrlich and Paul Joerger didn’t hesitate to buy meaningful bouquets for the mothers in their lives. The flowers, they say, are worth every petal.
