She was the contact point for everyone who was looking for something special, especially local flowers.

In summer, for example, snapdragons, columbines, chamomile, sweet peas - the flower bar was known for this selection from regional cultivation.

Also for nice knick-knacks and funny decorations.

Colorful French fries distributed in the shop window, for example - they were such eye-catchers.

Petra Kirchhoff

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Nicola Dworok and Katja Klaiber opened the shop in 2004 on Eckenheimer Landstrasse, in the best part of the city, just a few meters from Eis Christina, the meeting point in the north end.

This is where the people of Frankfurt live, who like to spend a few euros more for a nice bouquet of flowers and can afford it.

The business, whose customers also included law firms, agencies and museums, was doing well.

"Sales have been steadily increasing," says Dworok.

For reasons of common sense, she closed the shop at the end of June, says the master florist.

Because she doesn't get any skilled workers and she didn't want to go through with the concept for another 20 years on her own - her former colleague Klaiber now runs another flower shop in the district, the Gartenlaube.

Little appreciation from customers

Getting up early for the flower market, the shop opening times – twelve to thirteen hours a day are normal in the floristry industry.

However, Dworok regrets that the work as such is often not valued by the customers.

This applies to many manual and social professions.

In any case, the offspring is missing.

Young people are no longer interested in trades or training, although most companies, including smaller ones, now take it for granted that they are paid above the standard pay scale, as well as Christmas and holiday bonuses.

However, only academic professions are in demand, Dworok notes, also referring to her previous customers, whose children usually do not learn a trade.

She herself had given up her studies at the time because she said working with her hands in the flower shop, where she worked during her studies, was so much more fun.

She accepted that the job was not one of the well-paid ones.

At that time, however, there was no Ukraine war and no energy crisis, and climate change with significantly hotter and drier summers was not as evident as in previous years.

They also cause problems for the local garden centers and were one of the reasons for Dworok's decision to leave the branch completely.

Tension between floristry and sustainability

“There are fewer and fewer locally grown cut flowers,” she notes.

The offer is no longer enough.

The florists would also feel shortages this summer because of the drought in Italy.

Because of the lack of water, the delivery of roses from the Riviera failed.

However, she is reluctant to buy roses from Colombia, Ecuador or Kenya.

And you have to ask yourself a critical question: “Does it make sense to fly these flowers here with an insanely large CO2 footprint so that you can enjoy them for a week and then throw them away?”

Floristry and sustainability: "It has never been a good match," states Goran Djukic.

He also closed the flower branch of his shop on Oeder Weg a few weeks ago - "for the sake of quality", as he says.

With his shop Liebesdienste Flowers, as the shop was called in reference to his furniture store Liebesdienste Home next door, Djukic was clearly in the premium segment and had many exotic, special flowers in the range.

But due to the more difficult trade routes - first due to Corona, now the Ukraine crisis - they are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.

The number of traders is decreasing, which is why trade at the flower exchanges is also declining.

However, according to Djukic, flowers from the region are “no substitute”, they do not have “the goodness and quality”.

In addition, customers are no longer willing to pay the increased prices for it.

A hydrangea blossom now costs twice to three times as much as before Corona.

“There is a lot of uncertainty in the industry”

There is no sign of relaxation at the flower market, on the contrary.

During the corona pandemic, flower shops in Hesse, unlike in many other federal states, were even lucky enough to be able to continue selling because they were classified as systemically important.

But what if the gas is scarce and an emergency is declared?

Will vegetables and flowers then compete against each other in the greenhouses, the necessities of life against the luxury item?

"There is a great deal of uncertainty in the industry," says the Horticultural Association of Baden-Württemberg Hessen.

Nicola Dworok doesn't have to worry about that anymore.

She is now studying sociology – a fresh start that she is very much looking forward to.

Goran Djukic recently arranged a bridal bouquet for an Asian wedding, “the last bouquet of love”.

In the future, he wants to pass on such inquiries to other colleagues in Frankfurt, such as Phoenix Flowers or Blumentraum, who understand the flower business in a similar way to him.

But he is also certain: "There will be no one in Frankfurt who will replace a shop like the Blumenbar."