Many people are surprised to learn that Michigan is the nation's leading producer of geraniums, hanging flower baskets and Easter lilies, and the second leading producer of gladiolus and flats of bedding plants. 

Kalamazoo County is the country's largest seasonal grower of bedding plants, and is ranked in the top five counties nationally for bedding plant production. Ottawa, Kent, Muskegon and Monroe counties are other large floriculture-producing counties in the state. 

Reports from Michigan's 696 commercial growers ($10,000 or more in gross sales) showed an estimated wholesale value of $384 million for all surveyed floriculture crops, virtually unchanged from last year's revised figure. This estimate includes summarized sales data as reported by growers with $100,000 or more in sales plus a calculated wholesale value of sales for operations with sales from $10,000 to $99,999. Read the full report here.

The leading crop category breakdowns for Michigan operations with more than $100,000 in sales were:

1. Annual bedding/garden plants with $183 million in sales.
2. Propagative materials with $82 million in sales.
3. Herbaceous perennial plants with $53 million in sales.
4. Potted flowering plants with $34 million in sales.

Michigan led the nation in value of sales for 13 crops:

• Potted Easter Lilies with 1.3 million pots sold, valued at $4.6 million.
• Potted Spring Flowering Bulbs with 6.9 million pots sold, valued at $8.7 million.
• Potted Geraniums (seed) with 15.9 million pots sold, valued at $12.7 million.
• Potted Petunias with 2.5 million pots sold, valued at $4.6 million.
• Potted New Guinea Impatiens with 4.8 million pots sold, valued at $6.9 million.
• New Guinea Impatiens Hanging Baskets with 803,000 baskets sold, valued at $5.0 million.
• Geranium Hanging Baskets (cuttings) with 716,000 baskets sold, valued at $4.8 million.
• Impatiens Hanging Baskets with 550,000 sold, valued at $2.8 million.
• Begonia Hanging Baskets with 434,000 baskets sold, valued at $2.4 million.
• Petunia Hanging Baskets with 544,000 baskets sold, valued at $3.0 million.
• Impatiens (flats) with 2.1 million flats sold, valued at $15.3 million.
• New Guinea Impatiens (flats) with 78,000 flats sold, valued at $832,000.
• Potted Geraniums (cuttings) with 4.9 million pots sold, valued at $11.7 million.

Michigan crops that ranked second in value of sales nationally were:

• Potted Hardy/Garden Chrysanthemums 5.7 million pots sold, valued at $11.2 million.
• Other Flowering Hanging Baskets with 2.1 million baskets sold, valued at $ 12.7 million.
• Petunias (flats) with 1.6 million flats sold, valued at $11.5 million.
• Begonias (flats) with 1.3 million flats sold, valued at $9.7 million.
• Potted Hosta with 1.1 million pots sold, valued at $3.4 million.
• Marigolds (flats) with 772,000 flats sold, valued at $5.7 million.
• Pansy/Viola Hanging Baskets with 85,000 baskets sold, valued at $408,000.
• Geranium (seed) Hanging Baskets with 68,000 baskets sold, valued at $421,000.

For more information about Michigan flowers, contact: 

Michigan Floral Association
Michigan Nursery & Landscape Association
Allied Florist Association of Metro Detroit
Metro Detroit Flower Growers Association
Michigan State Horticulture Society