Imagine you’re standing in a flower farm and the day is beautiful. Sunny with the perfect breeze and nature all around. You can hear songbirds and water nearby. You could be somewhere in Colombia, discovering a piece of its more than 18.000 ac of land devoted to flower cultivation. If you live in a country with seasons, imagine that this is going on during the winter time, only that Colombia doesn’t ever get freezing temperatures or snowy months; the weather is as desirable as the flowers that grow in this country. Know more about 3 places where grow the best flowers in Colombia
Colombia’s geographical location in the equatorial Tropic Zone and its topography offer an even climate, high altitude, rich soils, abundant water resources and year-round sunlight, the formula for perfect flowers. Get to know some of the regions devoted to floral cultivation.
The Bogota plateau: where roses, carnations and alstroemerias grow
“2.600 mts closer to the stars” is the line used by the locals to describe their home. To translate, it means they are 8.500 feet above sea level and enjoy an average temperature of 13°C. It’s the land where roses, carnations and alstroemerias grow but also where hundreds of men and women make a living by caring for them. Small towns like Tabio, one of 20 municipalities scattered around the plateau, thrive because of flower farming. The Muiscas, one of the oldest indigenous groups of South America, lived in this plateau centuries ago. The area where Tabio now sits, was famous amongst them for its thermal waters, used as a place of worship. Even today, these hot springs are considered to have healing powers and are definitely a touristic must.
Antioquia: one of the greatest destinations for flowers
The municipalities of the eastern highlands in the department of Antioquia offer ideal climatic conditions and sunlight for gerberas, daisies, chrysanthemums and pompons. Towns like La Ceja, Rionegro and Santa Elena get a healthy helping of rainwater and harness it to hydrate their crops.
The locals have a special relationship with flowers. Even strolling through the humblest villages, you’ll see the colorful gardens that they proudly display. It’s a show of their love of nature but also their expertise.
The town of Santa Elena takes this bond with flowers even further by organizing ‘Desfile de Silleteros’, an annual flower parade in the department capital of Medellin, where the farmers carry on their backs monumental arrangements as a celebration of their craft. On the eve of the event, they open the doors of their rural homes to tourists from all over the globe to share the making of their lovely ‘Silleta’ displays.
Coffee growing belt
Perhaps the only export more celebrated than Colombian flowers is coffee. In the central mountain range of the Andes, you’ll find Risaralda, Caldas and Quindio, the three main coffee farming departments in the country. They enjoy the perfect humidity and temperature for growing high-quality beans, but also beautiful tropical flowers and foliage.
Thanks to the rain and fog of this region, farmers grow highly exotic species of flowers with unusual shapes and colors, like Heliconias. Their presence in a floral arrangement cannot go unnoticed and they are in high demand all over the world: in regions without the proper climate to produce their own, they arrive as a symbol of Colombia’s paradise. The finest heliconias are selected with the same care that Colombians give to their world-renowned coffee.
Coffee cultivation has made this region prosper and defined its culture. It’s usual to find hotel-farms that offer a close look at the work behind your favorite brew. Traditional houses with balconies facing splendid landscapes, Andean mountains and valleys that display Colombia’s beauty and the resources that make the best flowers in the world come to life.
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