SAF’s Sylvia Cup Competition…Top Designers… A Mystery Assignment

The Sylvia Cup Design Competition is the longest running, live, national annual floral design competition. It's sponsored by Certified American Grown and Smither-Oasis and coordinated by Professional Floral Communicators-International. The 2018 competition, the contest’s 50th anniversary, paid homage to “The Wizard of Oz.”

This year the Sylvia Cup Competition tested the skills of 19 designers. Among them were 12 members of the American Institute of Floral Designers, eight past Sylvia Cup contestants and three contestants sponsored by state floral associations.

Rey Rodriguez, AAF, AIFD, TMFA, of The Gypsy Florist in Austin, Texas, won the grand prize on Sept. 15th during SAF 2018 in Rancho Mirage, California. Congratulations to Rey and all the contestants!

It was exciting to see all the wonderful Conical Designs, Imaginative Wands and Monochromatic Container Designs that were created using the same product assortment of beautiful American Grown flowers and foliage, including Protea Pink Ice and Leucadendron Safari Sunset! Here's a glimpse of some of these creative designs - Enjoy!

Resendiz Brothers Wins SAF’s 2018 Marketer of Year Award

We’re beyond thrilled to share the news that Resendiz Brothers won the 2018 Marketer of the Year Award from the Society of American Florists’ (SAF) Floral Management magazine.

This prestigious award highlights forward-thinking SAF members who are creating new pathways to get ahead of the competition, to give them deserved kudos but also to offer everyone else some timely inspiration. “It recognizes business that see an opportunity, craft a solution and then work their tails off to succeed. Taken as a group, Marketer of the Year award winners show an industry brimming with entrepreneurs, risk-takers, out-of-the-box thinkers, and perhaps most important of all, people who are willing to share the “secrets” of their success for the benefit of others”, said Mary Westbrook, SAF’s Editor in Chief.

What made for Resendiz Brothers’ winning entry? We’ve since learned that Marketer of the Year judges were impressed with our ability to propel Proteas into the national spotlight and raise their profile among consumers, the media and industry professionals with dazzling results.

As the Marketer of the Year Award winner, Resendiz Brothers is the cover story on the October 2018 issue of Floral Management. [See the full story here.]

This recognition is truly an honor. And the attention it brings to the Protea Family – is absolutely Incredible!

2018 SAF Outstanding Varieties Competition

The Society of American Florists (SAF) held their 134th Annual Convention in Rancho Mirage, California. It was three action packed days of educational sessions and workshops, thought-provoking breakfast sessions, the Sylvia Cup Design Competition and the Outstanding Varieties Competition featuring the best flowers, foliage and plants from farms around the world.

The Outstanding Varieties Competition has always been a great way for us to help educate wholesalers, florists, designers and other farmers about the amazing Proteas we grow, especially some of the lesser known varieties. It puts our flowers and foliage in front of the attendees so they can see them up close as well as touch and feel them. This year we had nine entries competing in three categories: Out Cut Flowers, Decorative Foliage and Flowering Potted Plant. And they were all Blue and Red Ribbon Winners… Here's how we fared:

People’s Choice & Blue Ribbon:

Protea Madiba – Other Cut Flower

Blue Ribbon:

Protea Arctic Ice – Other Cut Flower

Red Ribbon:

Leucospermum Ayoba Sun – Other Cut Flower

Protea Ivy – Other Cut Flower

Leucadendron Senorita – Decorative Foliage

Leucadendron African Tulip – Decorative Foliage

Leucadendron Phylica – Decorative Foliage

Eucalyptus Macrocarpa – Decorative Foliage

Protea King – Flowering Potted Plant

Protea King Arctic Ice

A luxurious Protea King is the crowning glory of a design or bouquet - these chic beauties offer an enchanting world filled with color, texture, and sizes to try. But not all Kings are created equal. In fact, some varieties are so special, they take nearly a decade to create. Such is the case for the voguish Arctic Ice, a magnificent White King Protea which has proven to be one of the most popular cultivars of this coloring of the king protea. The large flower heads are almost dinner plate in size with serrated edges much like a king’s crown. A mature plant can reach up to 5 feet in height and produce up to 50 blooms a year.

The King Protea is the national flower of South Africa — but they have been grown commercially here in California for 50 years. If you’re as crazy about these majestic flowers as we are, we suggest spending a little time in this Cynaroides’ realm.

Flower News: August’s Articles and Blogs of Interest from Around the World

DVCrush Celebrates #AmericanFlowersMonth

Our DVCrush Program has come a long way since we started back in March 2018. The excitement and creativity that has spawned from it in just these few short months is a reminder of the beauty our industry provides. We have seen countless images of stunning designs, florists working outside of their “comfort zone,” and even hosted a “Crush for a Cause” contest.

So when we started planning a theme for July, we quickly realized that it would be fun (and challenging) to celebrate American Flowers Month and include certified American Grown Flowers in the surprise boxes. Read more here.
_____________________________________________________________

The World's 10 Best 'Table to Farm' Dining Experiences

“Farm to table” has become so ubiquitous that it’s boring. (Also, the term never really made sense to me—doesn’t all food start out on a farm and end up on a table, even if that farm is some massive corporate entity and the food is processed along the way?) Now any chef worth his or her salt is making the most of seasonal ingredients from local farmers, with minimal intervention to them. Read more here.
_____________________________________________________________

Science just uncovered one very good reason to buy yourself a bouquet of flowers today

No matter what your circumstances are (and how much you love your life) stress is something we all have to deal with. This is true for women especially: research has shown that about one in four women report feeling stressed multiple times per day. But what if there were an easy and inexpensive way to bring those stress levels down? Well, according to a new study, having flowers in your house can help keep your stress under control. Who knew it was that simple? Read more here.
_____________________________________________________________

Florists in 36 States Plan to ‘Petal It Forward’ on Oct. 24

As of late August, florists in 36 states and the District of Columbia had notified the Society of American Florists of plans to hold Petal It Forward events in their communities on Oct. 24. That leaves 14 states to go — Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming — for industry participation in all 50 states.

Support in every state, and as many cities as possible within each state, is critical to the success of Petal It Forward from a public relations standpoint, said the Society of American Florists Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sparks. Read more here.

Reeves Pink Bottlebrush

When it comes to summer accent flowers, we have happily entered into an era of the Callistemon - it seems like every other month or so there’s a new batch of Reeves Pink blooms opening up that we just have to harvest. This abundance of delicate, petite flowers got us thinking how fun would it be to mix them with some of our favorite protea - so we can show our friends how wonderful they are when mixed in bouquets.

Callistemon are the true Bottlebrushes, though the name is often confused with Banksia, Melaleuca, Calothamnus and even Grevillea. This Australian genus of about 38 species is a member of the myrtle family. The soft flower spikes are made up of a large number of individual flowers and the foliage when crushed has a citrus scent. Bottlebrush is also easily recognized by the textural seed clusters that are produced after each flowering period.

What to look for:

• Buy when at least half the flowers in a spike are open and brightly colored. 
• Avoid bunches with drooping tips, yellow leaves or where all flowers are in a tight bud stage.

Flower Care:

1. Keep in a cool location. 
2. Strip leaves from the bottom half of each stem and wash stems thoroughly. 
3. Re-cut at least 1/2" off each stem and place in cold water. 
4. Always use a preservative as this will help keep open flowers looking fresh. 
5. Replace vase water every day.

Protea Madiba

Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do. - Nelson Mandela

The true hero of South Africa. The man who fought for equal rights for all and a country that stands ‘United as One’. Nelson Mandela is one of the most influential, respected and loved men in South Africa. And, did you know he has made such an impact on South Africa and has such a legacy that he has a Protea named after him? South Africa’s national flower is the King Protea and there is a special vibrant red variety that is absolutely striking, and known to many by Mandela’s tribe name, Madiba.