Only the Most Beautiful Orchids and Tulips

Limp flowers at the supermarket may become a thing of the past now that companies are developing ways to RFID tag boxes of flowers and other perishable goods. By combining RFID with sensors, some firms have even devised ways to track temperatures and amounts of light and moisture to which the tender buds are exposed.

In Thailand, a government agency has created a prototype system that will allow users to track individual batches of flowers if stems are bad or petals are wilted. Users will be able to trace which farm grew the flowers and which companies handled them, in case of a problem.

The same Thai agency also has plans for a "smart farm" which will use RFID to monitor growing conditions.

In Europe, a Dutch flower distributor has long used RFID to track the movements of batches of flowers around its facility, one of the largest warehouses on the continent. By tracking the blossoms, the company can assure that flowers are stored only for limited periods and arrive fresh at your local florist.