With the arrival of spring, many people are eager to buy colorful tulip bouquets, but rising prices may undermine their enthusiasm.
Blume, a spokesman for Blume 2000, a major German flower retailer, reported in 2000 that 10 tulips are now priced about 1 euro ($1.09) higher than last year, with prices for some varieties rising 30% to 50%.
Despite the higher prices, the quality of tulips was reported to be reduced, and supermarket chain Rewe reported similar difficulties.
Price increases are mainly due to poor harvests. Industry experts explained that the last two years of wet weather and frosts hindered the growth of tulip bulbs.
Therefore, only 70% to 80% of the conventional supply is available, resulting in higher prices.
Among retailers like the Blume 2000 and Blumen Risse in Germany, the price of tulip bundles is around €4.99, while premium varieties such as Parrot Tulips are as high as €7.99.
In the Rewe supermarket in Dusseldorf, the price of tulips is 4.79 euros. Prices depend on the region and type, and the number of stems per bunch ranges from 7 to 10.
Some retailers also pointed out that they did not pass on the full price increase to their customers.
Germany is the largest importer of tulips in the Netherlands
Tulips are usually purchased from mid-January to mid-July, and most of the flowers sold in Germany are from the Netherlands.
Tulip cultivation is the largest flower and bulb farming section there, covering half of the country’s 28,000 hectares of flower fields.
Dutch traders export approximately 10 billion tulips to global markets each year, including their largest customers.
Mark-Jan Terwindt, director of Royal Anthos of the Flower Bulb Trade Association, pointed out that this year’s tulip harvest is significantly lower than in previous years.
However, traders are not expecting a major recession. In January 2025, Dutch flower and plant exports increased by 7% compared with the previous year.
Why are tulips so popular?
According to Nicola Fink of the German Association of Florist Associations, tulips symbolize the arrival of spring and provide much-needed colors after winter.
“In the dark winter and the beginning of the New Year, people crave colors, which is why tulips are so popular,” she said.
In addition to tulips, other spring harvests such as daffodils and hyacinths also have poor harvests, although these varieties are usually sensitive to weather conditions.
In recent years, the price of cut flowers in Germany has risen significantly. The Federal Bureau of Statistics or Destatis reports that consumers pay 31.3% more for flowers in 2024 than for flowers in 2020.
