Saturday will offer visitors a chance to stop and smell the roses — and many other flowers — in Carpinteria, as several cut-flower growers will lead public tours of their greenhouses.

The Santa Barbara County Flower & Nursery Growers’ Association will host the fourth annual Carpinteria Greenhouse and Nursery Tours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

Visitors will have a chance to meet the farmers behind their flowers, California Cut Flower Commission Executive Director Kasey Cronquist said.

“We hope to connect people with flower farmers, and show them what kind of beauty grows inside these greenhouses that are typically closed to the public,” he said. “One day a year, the goal here is to put a face on the flower and give people a chance to meet their farmer.”

Local farmers such as Erik and Winfred Van Wingerden are a part of the flower industry that contributes to a $770 million economic impact in Santa Barbara County and $10.3 billion statewide, Cronquist said.

While flower sales have slowed recently, more people are buying locally and looking for the “CA GROWN” sticker, he added.

“We’re hearing that local matters from our farms, we’re a part of a growing trend of sourcing locally,” Cronquist said. “These open houses help create relationships with farmers and consumers.”

The farmers grow roses, pompom chrysanthemums, dahlias, ranunculus, solidago, sunflowers, gladiolas and irises through natural gas-powered greenhouses. The Southern California Gas Co. will sponsor the event.

“We have worked with California flower farmers to provide rebates and incentives for greenhouse energy curtains, pipe and tank insulation and high-efficiency boilers, helping them save nearly four million therms of natural gas which is the equivalent of $2 million dollars in energy costs,” said Gwen Marelli, director of commercial and industrial services at SoCalGas.

Click here to download the map of the Carpinteria Greenhouse and Nursery Tours.

“This is the flower basket of the United States, and it can’t afford to lose an iconic industry,” Cronquist said. “People can see the generational interest in cultivating farms and its importance.”

— Noozhawk business writer Alex Kacik can be reached at akacik@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.