I love using flowers and greens to decorate charcuterie boards and food tables. What I don’t love is paying retail prices. That’s why I had to find out for myself how to get the best prices on my florals and greens. I found the best way to get a beautifully decorated table at the best price is to use an online wholesale florist.
To buy flowers at wholesale prices, you can order directly from a wholesale floral supplier online. Minimum order requirements differ from supplier to supplier. While some wholesalers allow you to buy small quantities of florals, many require large bulk orders. If you have a commercial resale license you may be able to get a bigger discount by not being charged sales tax.
I’ve put together a list of online wholesale suppliers that I like with some of their pros and cons for your reference. Also, I’ve included a table comparing 3 common flowers and greens used on grazing tables, wedding tables and charcuterie boards. As you will see, they vary widely in the quantities they offer for purchase as well as their unit prices. Each website also has their own unique vibe. See for yourself which one is your favorite.
What Wholesale Supplier Should You Use
With more and more companies doing business online, it has opened up a whole new market for consumers to tap into that wasn’t available in the past. The floral market is no different. I found that while some wholesalers only market to floral shops and companies who place large bulk orders, there are some online floral wholesalers that offer products in quantity sizes that are perfect for decorating food tables and charcuterie boards.
Depending on what you are looking for will depend on which company you will want to use. For example, if you needed a large order of eucalyptus to decorate a grazing table for a wedding, you might choose a company with great prices on large bulk orders, however if you wanted to add some beautiful exotic flowers to a charcuterie board for a baby shower, you may go with a company that allows smaller or individual flower orders.
Here are three floral wholesale suppliers that I recommend for your next project or event (not an affiliate for any of them).
1. Flower Moxie
Flowermoxie.com
Flower Moxie has an amazing website. It is digital eye candy.
While you can shop by color or flower specifically, they also offer a feature that I have not seen on any other floral website. They have gorgeous floral collections based on specific color pallets (just like the paint color pallets that are created from photos). They put together a collage of beautiful lifestyle pictures using the flowers and color scheme. They have hundreds of collections to browse from. I love them, just for the inspiration ideas alone.
If you are looking for a color pallet for a grazing table, food display or charcuterie board, Flower Moxie’s floral collections section is gold!!!
Here is how it works.
Go to Flowermoxie.com and click on Shop by Collection at the top. Then choose the color collection that you want to explore. (I chose the Neutral Collection to walk you through.)
You will then be sent to a collection page with different color pallets within the collection description. (The following is a screenshot of some of their packages within their Neutral Collection.)
Choose the color package that you want to see in detail.
It directs you to the landing page for that specific collection package. I included screen shots of the four landing pages from the Neutral Collection above. Each one is stunning with amazing photo, pairings and color swatches. As if that wasn’t enough…at the bottom of the page, they show you multiple other flowers and greenery that fit into your color scheme.
When you scroll down each page toward the bottom, there are 3 additional rows of suggested flowers and greens that fit within that color scheme. Talk about solving half your design problems. This resource is a game changer for food decorators and caterers.
2. Blooms By The Box
Blooms by the Box has a very well built and easy to navigate website. You can easily see what flowers are in season. There are numerous article and reference guides to help you navigate the floral world.
They do not sell individual items, but some products can be bought in a single bunch. For example, silver dollar eucalyptus is sold in single bunches (8-10 stems). But to get the best prices, you have to purchase large quantities. Garden roses are sold in bunches of 2 (12 roses per bunch). The larger the bulk order you place, the cheaper price per unit you will get. They only ship to the continental United States, so keep that in mind if you live in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Canada.
They have a very large selection to choose from. Here are some examples from their website www.bloomsbythebox.com.
3. Potomac Florals
flowerwholesale.com
Potomac Florals is a wholesale floral supplier based out of Maryland. Unlike other online suppliers, they offer local delivery service through out the Mid–Atlantic region including Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. They also allow customers to walk into their warehouse to purchase florals in personal. However, they only deliver to the continental United States and Canada.
The thing that I love about Potomac Florals is that they don’t just sell flowers and greenery. They have a massive collection of floral supplies as well, like containers, ribbons, baskets, candles, lights and more at really great prices. They have 75 pages of containers alone. Some of my favorite supplies that would look great on a food table are the Single Pain White Lantern the Aqua Ceramic Bumpy Cubes, and this darling Cement Round Cactus 4″ Pot.
While some flowers and greenery can be ordered in small bunches, other types require large orders of 200 or more, so keep that in mind. They source their flowers from all over the world. You can see some of their beautiful products on their instagram page Potomacfloralwholesale.
You can see what greenery and florals they offer by clicking on the two links below the following pictures.
4. BIG BOX STORES
Did you know you can order wholesale bulk flowers and greens from Costco.com, SamsClub.com and BJs.com?
Just go to their website and click on their floral section. From there, you will see a bulk flower icon. Click and you will see what options they have. Their selection is minimal at best. Its pretty standard for an online warehouse store.
I’ve put together a comparison chart for you to compare a few of the most commonly used flowers and greens on charcuterie boards, food tables and grazing tables.
*This chart is intended for comparison purposes only. Individual websites are not bound by these prices and may change their prices at any time. Check individual sites for their current pricing. Prices are accurate as of 06/30/2020.*
Bulk pricing per wholesaler – A comparison chart
| Wholesale Supplier | Eucalyptus | Eucalyptus cost per unit | Israeli Ruscus | Israeli Ruscus cost per unit | Garden Rose | Garden Rose cost per unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flower Moxie | $16/ 5-8 branches | $2.00-$3.2/ea | $12.50/10 stems | $1.25/ea | $55/25 stems | $2.20/ea |
| Blooms by the Box | $24.16-$22.65/ 8-10 branches | $2.27-$3.02/ea | $63.19-$67.45 /50 stems | $1.26-$1.35/ea | $42-45/ 25 stems | $1.68-$1.80/ea |
| Potomac Floral | $12/5-8 branches | $1.5-$2.4/ea | $5.99/10 stems | $0.60/ea | $40.56/24 stems | $1.69/ea |
| Costco | Don’t sell stems | —– | Don’t sell stems | —– | $39.99/50 stems | $0.80/ea |
| Sams Club | $47.88/60 branches | $0.80/ea | $84.98/ 200 stems | $0.42/ea | $49.98/50 stems | $1.00/ea |
| BJ’s | $99.99/40 stems | $2.50/ea | Don’t sell stems | —– | $119.99/125 stems | $0.96/ea |
*NOTE: If you have a commercial resale license, check with the wholesaler before you purchase to see if they honor your license and will cut out the sales tax.
Why go to a local florist when you can buy in bulk online
Local Florists still have their place in the floral world.
Local florists will cost more than bulk wholesaler but they offer services that wholesalers usually don’t. Here are some great reasons to have a local florist.
If you are new to the industry, have a difficult time putting together color schemes, or aren’t sure which flowers work best for the application you are needing them for, a local florist is a great resource. Their artistic creativity, experience in the industry and eye for beauty makes them a great place to help you put together flowers and greens to finish off your project. You can’t beat the one-on-one consultation you will only get at your local flower shop.
Sometimes, you need last minute supplies and don’t have time to order them online. Its nice to have a back up right around the corner for those last minute items. Also, you may find some beautiful vases and decor to display your florals in.
If you need a small quantity of a certain flower or plant, your local florist is perfect for that. Wholesalers don’t offer single items.
And lastly, small businesses rely on the community using their services to survive. It is difficult for them to compete with their larger online competitors and many go under for that reason. So remember your neighborhood florist and be good to them.
***All prices and website information for the websites mentioned in this article are current as of 06/30/2020. Always check the website directly to get most accurate prices and policy information.