In studies at UT, Starman and former graduate research assistants Teresa Cerny and Amy MacKenzie tested 20 annual and 20 perennial species over two consecutive growing seasons. The productivity and profitability of these field-grown specialty cut flower species were then evaluated for the southeastern United States. Most florists prefer longer stems than are required for mass market outlets. A long-stemmed rose purchased from a florist is usually 36 inches. For those reasons, the more casual, garden-type flowers are becoming fashionable now and are often sold by retailers such as grocery stores that cater to larger markets.
Cost is a factor, too.
Not everybody can afford a dozen long-stemmed red roses. In her research, Starman and her colleagues chose 15 inches as the minimum stem length acceptable for marketability. Some of the most productive species, however, had stem lengths that were too short for many market outlets. Low overhead of field production coupled with productive species were major factors in determining profitability. A producer may therefore decide not to incur the cost of growing the latter species if the price were below this level, said Starman.