There was something sad in watching customers outside a Trader Joe’s entrance sidestep fresh-cut sunflowers to pick up a potted orchid.

Locals had so little faith in the vase life of flowers that they halfheartedly decided to develop green thumbs instead, and Victoria Urquhart knew why.

The Carpinteria native grew up on a 15-acre farm where baby’s breath and daisies bloomed unabated, when the local flower industry wasn’t as threatened as it is today by the floral product imported — and sold more cheaply — from Columbia and other South American countries.

While they look great, she said, imported flowers don’t last as long, and nearly 80 percent of flowers sold in the United States are from outside the country, according to the California Cut Flower Commission.

It was only a matter of time before Urquhart, 31, joined the family business, this time as a third-generation farmer trying to save the livelihood of local flower growers.

She launched Bloom Floral & Foliage in late July, a subscription-based model that hand-selects seasonal floral offerings from Carpinteria growers and then delivers fresh cut flowers in a vase to the doorsteps of homes and businesses.

Each week, a new bouquet of snap dragons, phlox, dahlias and more arrive on your doorstep, switching out the vase during a one-, three-, six- or 12-month subscription.

“I really want to support the farmers,” said Urquhart, who left Carpinteria to study anthropology at San Diego State University but returned with her young family over a year ago.

“I really want people to see the variety. It’s a new idea.”

Her parents, Deborah and David Seehof, still live on the family farm where avocados are the main crop now, but some area farmers still grow flowers on the land off Foothill Road.

A handful of the 30 or so Carpinteria Valley nursery growers have already jumped on Urquhart’s business, along with a growing list of businesses and families.

Bloom Floral & Foliage arrangements generally appear at an office or business on Mondays, lasting through at least Friday, with home deliveries arriving Thursdays.

Locally grown flowers live longer and give farmers some much-needed exposure, Urquhart said, since many of them advertise just at farmers markets or must ship flowers out of the area to make a profit.

Half of all California-grown fresh cut flowers — the state accounts for 75 percent of all domestically grown cut flowers — are sold wholesale to retail customers outside the state, the cut flower commission reported.

Nationwide, consumers spend some $17 billion on floral items annually, a revenue source not lost on Carpinteria, often referred to as “California’s flower basket,” according to Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Joyce Donaldson.

“It’s a huge asset,” she said of the flower industry. “Victoria has tapped into a market traditionally reserved for the wine and fruit industry.

“To be able to enjoy fresh flowers on a regularly scheduled basis is a perfect and simple solution for those businesses that want to send a gift on a regularly scheduled basis to clients, colleagues, staff, or for family and friends.”

Carpinteria’s Johannes Flowers sells locally and wholesale elsewhere, but Bloom Floral & Foliage has helped introduce more people to flowers plucked just hours earlier.

Madalenne Leonard, whose parents started the business 40 years ago, said she stumbled upon her own flowers on display at the Food Liaison in Carpinteria.

“She’s doing a great job,” Leonard told Noozhawk. “She’s got a good thing going right now.”

Urquhart got an itch for business while managing operations at Santa Barbara’s DIANI Boutique for several years. After graduating from the Women’s Economic Ventures program last year, she got her idea from a similar concept marketing regular flower deliveries to florists.

She’s no florist but instead aims to corner a market with subscriptions — starting at $140 a month for four small arrangements, about $35 per week — with some exceptions arranging flowers for small events.

Urquhart would like to eventually provide more steady income for flower farmers, paying for crop ahead of time through a community-supported agriculture model.

“I know who my customers are from week to week,” Urquhart said. “Flowers make people happy. It just gives a different ambiance.”

Urquhart vows to source flowers from within a 30-mile radius, hoping to make a difference in a community — and industry — where she sees so much potential for growth.

— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.