When I hear the expression: ‘stop and smell the flowers’, I always think of Colombia. Not only because it reminds me of enjoying the little things of every day life, but because here, you can actually ‘smell the flowers’ at each corner of the country.
Colombia is the second most important flower exporter of the world, after Holland; responsible for the 17% of the world’s production. The reasons we can ‘brag’ about this are due to the fact that we have no weather seasons as such, therefore, flowers grow all year round; plus, we have almost perfect conditions all over the country for growing an unbelievable variety of beautiful flowers, both commercial and exotic. Our flowers are bought by many people all over the world, mainly the United States which is our top buyer due to its closeness, but we steadily export to more than 80 countries. A flower that you receive or buy, that surprises you on a special day or finds a place in your home or office, might just be a flower that came all the way from Colombia. A little bit of paradise (more than one thousand options) from our lands to your hands.
The country’s main flower-growing area is on the savannah around Bogota, some 100,000 years ago this area was actually a lake and even though it’s dry now, it still has dense, clay-rich soil and an immense set end of wetlands, river streams and waterfalls that are ideal for flower-growing. Antioquia and Valle del Cauca are well known growers too, and you’ll find other beautiful species growing happily in the coastal regions and in the Amazon.
But flowers in Colombia are not only about producing business, they are a huge part of our culture and social development as well. There are thousands of people working in the industry, you can take a trip through Bogotá’s savannah and stop at one of the beautiful greenhouses that produce mostly roses (more than 20 colors to choose from!). Selecting and cutting roses is in some way similar to picking coffee beans, a careful and delicate labor done by hand, stem by stem, a job mostly done by women, sometimes single mothers. Antioquia is a place where, for generations, many farmers have devoted their lives to their crops, and a very special tradition takes place in a nearby town called Santa Elena.
The ‘Feria de las Flores’ (Flowers’ Festival) is one of the most emblematic popular festivals in Colombia that takes place every year in August; it represents the “arriera” culture. Its parades and cultural activities honor the time gone by during which, on the back of a mule or on the back of a “silletero” (name that is given to the farmers), the goods arrived to populated centers. The silleteros represent the work of the “campesinos” (country people), today established as a symbol of the “Antioqueño” culture. Nowadays, the parade of silleteros of Santa Elena is one of the most awaited and loved activities by those attending this event, the farmers get ready for the contests all year long and we can visit their farms and listen to their stories while visiting Medellin.
But it’s not only in Santa Elena where you’ll find the most gorgeous flowers – you can always visit the very colorful flower markets, and the botanical gardens and parks all over the country, where you will be amazed by the variety of species found. Wake up early and hit the Paloquemao Market Plaza in Bogotá to be blown away by all the flower suppliers that are there since 1am with the freshest crops of the city, a real city and family tradition. There are approximately 21 flora investigation centers in Colombia, some of the most interesting botanical gardens of the country are: Alexandro von Humboldt in the university of Tolima in Ibagué; José Celestino Mutis in Bogotá, where they do some wonderful night tours; Jardín Botánico Guillermo de Piñeres in Turbaco, close to Cartagena, where a real native Caribbean forest is found; the Botanical garden in Pereira and its magical butterfly garden; Medellin’s botanical gardens are much-celebrated too, with 4,500 flowers and a huge Orchidarium and more! Parks in the cities, outskirts and in pristine areas are home to more than 130,000 plant species the country has, pink carnations, yellow roses, blue hydrangeas, white alstroemerias, two-tone gerberas, large anthuriums, freckled lilies, you name it, we probably have it.