I was born in Colombia a  country that is generally associated with drugs and insecurity. However, there is so much my country has to offer, starting from its beautiful landscapes that will leave you speechless, heartwarming people that will greet you with open arms, the richest coffee in the world and the most precious emeralds. But there is another industry that we native Colombians tend to forget to mention when we talk about our country: The flower industry. Colombia is one of the largest producers of fresh-cut flowers in the world and it has more than 130,000 species of plants. Roses are the most popular ones and in just one farm you could find 30 different color types of roses. Orchids, on the other hand, are more exotics and you can find  4,000 different species. The blooming industry in Colombia has grown so much throughout the years to the point that it now commands about 70% of the US flower market. So, if you have bought flowers at your local supermarket there is a very high possibility they came from Colombia. 

 I started researching about it during the weeks leading to Valentine’s day. It was incredible to see the many flower arrangements that were coming every day. I couldn’t help, but to wonder, Where do these flowers come from? I could tell you many interesting facts about the flora in Colombia, but one thing that impacted me the most was the amount of work that goes into bringing fresh cut flowers to the U.S. Especially during the weeks around Valentine’s day. 

Here are some facts you need to know about the floral industry in Colombia:

• 65 % of labor are women.
• The work in floriculture has all the occupational risks:
  physical- Due to the constant use of scissors.
  chemical- Because of the number of pesticides they need to use to accelerate the production.
  biological – Working with plants exposed them to various microorganisms. 
  physiological- The amount of stress they undergo during high demand seasons. 
• The workers have to work on their feet during an entire day (most of the times).
• The lack of a good irrigation system of some floral companies has left smalls town in a shortage of water.   

After knowing all these facts and the many risks the floral workes have can undergo. I now appreciate more the flowers that I buy at my local grocery store. That’s why my mom and I felt so sad when we saw all the leftover bouquets and flower arrangements from Valentine’s day going to the trash because they were no longer fresh. That saddened us deeply knowing the amount of work women in our country put on the cultivation those flowers. We knew that something else could be done with them. So,  we decided to talk to  Adam the general manager of Kroger and  Jessica Harper the one in charge of the floral department, and asked them if we could take the leftover flowers and use them to make flower arrangements for the patients at a hospital. They loved the idea and let us took as many flower bouquet as we needed. We were so impressed by the generosity of Kroger and the kindness of its employees! 

Jessica Haper- Floral Manager at Kroger
She is such a sweet and helpful girl. This wouldn’t have been possible without her help. 

As soon as we had the flowers we talked to The Memorial Herman Hospital located in Katy,TX and we told them about the generous gesture of Kroger and asked them if we could bring the flower arrangements the next day at 10:00 am. Madison  the Marketing manager at the hospital was on board with the plan and allowed us to do it. As soon as we had her approval we run to the dollar store and bought 40 vases. 

As soon as we got home we put all the flowers in buckets and the vases on our kitchen island. We didn’t know where to begin. So many flowers of different types and colors. We filled out all the vases with cold water and started making one by one. Even though my mom and I love flowers, we are no florists, but we had so much fun picky and choosing the different flowers to make each arrangement look unique and pretty. 

In the end, we end up making 36 flower arrangements. We really wanted to make forty, but we were short in flowers and it was already 11:00 pm. 

We loved how they all turned out, but we thought it would be a good idea to make some tags to put in each vase so they could contact us in case they know of any other hospitals or nursing homes that would allow us bring them flowers a well.

As soon as we got to The Memorial Hermann Hospital, we had two volunteers – Rekha Tirrumalai and Stan Skukauski –  help us to carry all of the flowers out of our car and took them to nurses’ office. The nurses were in charge of distributing the arrangements among the different patients who don’t have any allergies or flower restrictions.  

“So, Why The Memorial Hermann Hospital? ” you might ask. Well for those who don’t know my Dad had colon cancer and he had his radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery done at the Memorial Hermann Hospital. The doctors and nurses always took good care of him and we felt so blessed for having such a professional group of physicians by our side. The Memorial Hermann Hospital has a very special place in our heart!

Thank God my Dad is cancer free, but during a conversation I had with him, he mentioned how downhearted one can you get when you are in a hospital room for a long period of time. Seeing the same white walls for weeks can definitely affect one’s mood. So, what better way to brighten up a person’s hospital stay, than by bringing them a colorful floral bouquet? 

Yes, flowers won’t change their current situation, but there is nothing better than a kind gesture to make someone smile and feel appreciated. 

We would love to continue spreading love and encouragement through flowers, not only in Memorial Hermann but also in many other hospitals and nursing homes in the Katy area. So, I would like to ask for your help. If you know of any packaging company that would be willing to donate any vases, glassware or general purposes jars. Please don’t hesitate to contact us!

This is one of my most personal and special posts. And I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to read it. Thank you!!