Connie Dennis is creating striking centerpieces for one of five weddings this weekend. She says May through September is usually the busiest season for Columbia Florist, a popular flower shop in Riverdale. And now, she’s having a hard time getting enough blooms from wholesalers to fulfill all of her orders.

"We’ve had a couple of sleepless nights, calling up all night long to different places,” said Dennis.

Hydrangeas are among several types of flowers that are commonly used in weddings. A large portion of them are imported from Colombia. The political crisis in the South American country has caused a drastic drop in supply. Flower farms spent much of last year closed due to the pandemic. There weren’t enough growers to care for them. Add to that the weeks of protest against the government there, which has left some ports closed.  

“They are still selling to us, South America, but we are not getting the top-grade flowers. So when flowers used to last for two to three weeks, they’re lasting 10 days if you are lucky,” said wholesaler Marty Basternak of Fisch Florist Supply.

Event Designer Yoly Arias says the scramble to find flowers comes at the worst possible time. The city is lifting venue restrictions to allow larger gatherings, as the number of vaccinated people who can attend these parties, continues to increase.

"It has affected us a lot. We make slight adjustments to client orders and present them with new ideas and options," said Arias the owner of Events by Yoly.

Arias says the price of roses has doubled, but she is honoring the prices in her client contracts. That leaves her at a loss again after all the events that were canceled due to COVID.

There is one plus side to the pandemic. The sale of house plants has gone up. As more people are spending time at home and want to breathe some fresh air.

The industry is in agreement that what happens in the next four months will decide if it can recover from the pandemic.