What's holding San Antonio back from being a blooming city for flowers?

SAN ANTONIO - Spring will bloom before we know it in San Antonio, and with Valentine's Day fast approaching, you may soon be buying flowers for your special someone.

With spring on its way and flower season with it, a new study by Lawn Love sought to find the best cities for local flowers.

How did San Antonio rank in this? San Antonio placed 106 out of the 500 cities surveyed, falling significantly behind similarly sized cities. San Antonio faired well in most categories, scoring in the top 15 for delivery access and local demand. However, San Antonio took a hit in Vendor Quality, ranking 313th out of the 500 cities.

Other major Texas cities fared much better, with Houston scoring 10th, Dallas scoring 11th, and Austin scoring 25th. These cities had high access to flowers, including delivery, and solid local demand, but excelled in quality.

Quality was measured by checking the number of premium flower growers, average flower shop ratings, and the average number of reviews.

The study looked at several metrics, ranging from flower shops per square mile, number of flower farms, vendor quality, flower demand, and number of local flower events. From that data, they ranked 500 cities across the US.

The study ranked New York, Miami, and San Francisco as the best cities for flowers, with ready access to shops, and plenty of events for flower shops and flower lovers alike.

Smaller cities without a strong supply of flower shops and growers fell behind, such as Almeda, California (Rank 498), and Woodbury, Minnesota (Rank 499).

When we called vendors to see if there was something unique about San Antonio that would lead to poor quality, we were met with confusion from vendors.

“We have the best flowers around, all very high quality. You should stop by and see them sometime,” said one vendor. (San Antonio Flower Co.)

Experts weighed in on the benefits of buying locally sourced flowers, such as their environmental benefits and supporting local economies.

“Buying local flowers promotes and strengthens the local economy,” said Melinda Knuth, Assistant Professor at NC State University. “Additionally, buying local flowers allows for more specialty selection since some flowers, such as dahlias, do not transport well. They can only be found locally. Lastly, it could help reduce the carbon footprint of the flowers because they do not have to travel as far.”

Experts also discussed how to get the most for your money, ensuring that your flowers are high quality and will last as long as possible.

“Local florists often sell their flowers in farmer’s markets or local floral shops. Local flowers sold also tend to be seasonal,” said Shital Poudyal, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Utah State University’s Department of Plants, Soils & Climate. “When buying flowers, observe the petals for turgidity and firmness. Avoid flowers with petals that are wilted, rustic, and have brown spots. If available, buy flowers that are just beginning to open and still in the bud phase. Those flowers tend to be fresh and last longer.”

Experts generally recommend shopping from local vendors and growers and making sure you follow any care instructions and use any “flower food” you may receive with your purchase.

To see the full study, check out Lawn Love here.