Growers of Florida wildflowers have taken a major step toward increasing the supply of native Florida seed available for beautification projects and consumer use. Wildflower Seed And Plant Growers Association, Inc. has begun operation in the spring of 2003, with eight growers and growing.

The officers of the association are Mr. J. R. Newbold III, President and Hugh Kirby, Executive Vice President. Currently, wildflower production in Florida falls far short of demand. This results in seeds for large scale Florida highway beautification projects, totaling millions of pounds annually, being purchased from major seed producing states such as Texas.

A group a Florida wildflower producers, working in conjunction with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, is developing strategies to increase planted wildflower acreage and seed production to better meet the demand for native species.