SPRING GROWTH Rothe’s Florist & Flower Delivery has served Philadelphia for more than a century from its historic Germantown building, where owner Herb Rothe and his wife, Cheryl (above), carry on the family legacy amid a greenhouse filled with spring plants.


Throughout the year, the entrepreneur introduces some exotic varietals, like birds


of paradise and pineapple plants, but he’s strict about not turning the greenhouse into a collection. His goal is to make sure everything sells, and that requires keeping tabs on customer preferences. When the COVID-era plant craze hit, accessories like bows and decorative stakes were in demand. But lately, Rothe has noticed customers moving away from extras. “We’re finding that a lot of the little knickknacks are not selling like they used


to,” he says. Customers increasingly want the plant itself, with fewer extras. “We’ll suggest things, and they’ll say, ‘No, I just like the plant,’” he explains. “Even bows are decreasing in popularity.” In many cases, shoppers opt for a clean presentation instead: a green plant


dressed simply in a ceramic pot, finished with moss and soil. “That’s where your add-ons are now — your pots and your moss,” Rothe says.


The magazine of the Society of American Florists (SAF) 9


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