Florists in Chicago, IL (page 3)

Lake Michigan pushes cold air across the city well into April, so tulips and ranunculus stay crisp on a doorstep long after they would collapse farther south. Winter is the real test: wrapped stems can freeze in the time it takes to walk from a car to a lobby desk in Lincoln Park or the Loop, which is why carnations, alstroemeria and hardy greens tend to travel better than open garden roses in January.

Summer flips the problem. July humidity off the lake wilts hydrangea fast, while lilies, sunflowers and gladiolus hold their shape through a hot August afternoon on a Pilsen stoop.