今天是2020年5月的第二个星期日，母亲节。按照惯例，这本该是花农和鲜花商家们最喜欢的西方传统节日之一。
但由于疫情的影响，今年的母亲节有些特殊——许多人仍被强制呆在家里，不与母亲同住的人们无法携带花束去前去探望；而欧洲的许多国家业尚未开放的边境和全球空运业务收缩也让跨国鲜花交易频遇难题。
面对这样的情况，各国的鲜花产业都使出了“浑身解数”以克时艰。
Mother's Day, the second Sunday in May, is usually a good day for flower farmers and florists around the world because flowers sell best on this traditional Western holiday.
However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, people in many countries have been forced to stay in their homes this year, and many European countries are still on lockdown.
If they do not live with their mothers, they can hardly visit them with flowers under the current circumstances. Also, those who planned to use a flower delivery service might find the delicate beauties in short supply, as the sharp contraction in global air cargo services amid the pandemic has meant that many florists across the globe, those that are open, have been unable to get some of their usual supply.
据报道，欧洲鲜花市场的最大供应国荷兰，正努力应对今年的母亲节，而第二大鲜花供应国肯尼亚则期待着明年市场恢复正常。
与此同时在德国和英国，一些鲜花递送服务已经预见到母亲节的订单会激增，他们提醒客户在缺货之前先在线确认订单。
The Netherlands, Europe's largest supplier of flowers, is struggling to cope with Mother's Day this year, while Kenya, the second-largest supplier, is looking forward to returning to normal next year, DPA news agency reported.
Some flower-delivery services in Germany and Britain, having anticipated a surge in business on Mother's Day, reminded customers to confirm their orders online before they run out of stock.
Royal FloraHolland's flower auction. /VCG
相较于疫情期间吃香的线上订单，日本的一些鲜花批发商想出了新的销售手段——“得来速”服务，给希望亲手挑选花束的客人另一种选择。
据日本共同社报道，这是日本花农和花店发起的一项在线销售活动，买家可以驾驶自己的汽车穿过花店，在车厢里选择鲜花，花店则帮助他们将挑好的花包装起来并放进汽车后备箱中。
Many people prefer to order flowers online instead of going to flower shops to buy flowers. However, some Japanese flower wholesalers have launched a "drive-through" service to give people who want to pick their own flowers an alternative.
According to Kyodo News, it is an online sales campaign launched by Japanese flower farmers and florists, in which the buyers remain in their vehicles and drive through the flower shops. The buyers select their flowers from their vehicles, and the florists help them package and store them in the trunk of their car.
疫情并没有抑制母亲节对鲜花的需求，但物流运力不足大大阻碍了鲜花的供应。
由于为应对疫情而实施的旅行禁令，往返肯尼亚的客运航班已被取消。虽然一些货运路线仍在运营，但可用飞机上并没有足够的空间来存放货物，货运成本急剧上升。
While the outbreak has not dampened demand for flowers on Mother's Day, it has hampered its supply because of insufficient logistics.
Passenger flights to and from Kenya have been canceled due to a travel ban imposed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Some freight routes are still operating; however, there is not enough space for cargo storage on available aircraft, and freight costs have risen sharply.
"We can only supply 40 percent of what is needed," said Clement Tulezi, chief executive of the Kenya Flower Council. The East African country has about 170 flower growers, 135 of which are represented by the flower council.
世界各地的鲜花产业都希望在母亲节挽回一些因为疫情造成的经济损失。据新华社报道，几周前，世界上许多地方都处于*锁封**状态，不少鲜花在到达目的地之前就“夭折”了。
郁金香的花期从每年3月底开始持续到5月中旬，但是此次疫情严重打击了花卉销售，以至于花农不得不在今年早些时候“销毁花卉”。
The flower industry around the world is counting on Mother's Day to make money and reduce the financial impact of COVID-19. A few weeks ago, many places around the world were under lockdown, and many flowers died before they arrived at their destination, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The tulip season runs from the end of March to the middle of May, but the outbreak has hit flower sales so hard that farmers had to "destroy their flowers" earlier this year. "We decided to harvest it and destroy it," Tulezi said.
尽管如此，本月鲜花产业还是有所收获。目前疫情的发展已经放缓，一些国家开始逐步放宽预防和控制措施，许多花园中心和花店被允许重新开放。
5月4日，Royal FloraHolland的销售额达到3200万欧元，仅比去年同期下降3.6％。而在肯尼亚，过去三周里市场需求显著反弹。
Still, the flower industry has seen some light this month. At present, the pandemic has slowed down, and several countries have begun to gradually ease prevention and control measures. Many garden centers and flower shops have been allowed to reopen as a result.
The flower market in Amsterdam, Netherlands. /VCG
On May 4, sales at Royal FloraHolland reached 32 million euros, down only 3.6 percent from the same period last year. In Kenya, demand has bounced back markedly in the past three weeks. Orders are now back to 65 percent of their average level, Tulezi said. "We are looking for [normal sales] to resume in February or March 2021."
然而，现在还不到鲜花产业可以庆祝的时候。据新华社报道，每年母亲节的销售高峰过后都伴随着另一波低谷，而今年的节后下滑预计将更加严重。疫情将继续抑制对鲜花的需求，在接下来的几个月中，鲜花产业也很难迎来大型婚礼客户。
尽管如此，荷兰利塞的郁金香花农Henk van der Slot仍然保持乐观。他在接受当地报纸采访时表示，那些负担不起旅行费用的人将有更多的钱花在鲜花上。
“在危机时期，鲜花，巧克力，蜂蜜之类的东西尤为重要。它们可以使生活变得美好一些。” 他说。
However, it is not yet time for florists to celebrate. Every year, the Mother's Day sales peak is followed by a wave of lows, and this year's post-holiday slump is expected to be even more severe, according to Xinhua. The outbreak will continue to depress demand for flowers, and it will be difficult for large wedding customers to visit in the following months.
Henk van der Slot, a tulip farmer in Lisse Netherlands, remains optimistic. He told Dutch daily newspaper Dagblad that people who can't afford to travel will have more money to spend on flowers.
"Things like flowers, chocolate, honey are especially important in times of crisis," the tulip farmer said. "They make life better."