Flowers Keep Us Connected

In times like these, it’s more important than ever to stay connected to the people, places and things we love. Right now, staying home and avoiding travel is in everyone’s best interest. In the meantime, we have been and will continue to share and celebrate the things about flower farming here in Rainbow that bring us joy and inspiration. We can’t wait to get back into our workshop & farm tour mode and extend a warm welcome when the time is right.

Embrace the things that bring you joy – Stay connected with Flowers!

March Articles of Interest

Finding Relief in a World of Panic

I confess to a strange sensation amid a world in the panic of epidemiological meltdown: I feel relief, a curious lightness of spirit borne not of sangfroid, but of surrender. To be sure I am gravely concerned for all of us in this COVID-19 nightmare. We are all in it together, and we are all responsible. But as I sat yesterday erasing line after line in my calendar (paper and pencil, quaint, I know), of speaking appearances, book signings, a TV shoot, a working trip to Europe, a vacation, and a considerable amount of money, I couldn’t help feel the kind of conflicted joy that might accompany a string of stay-at-home snow days: a pain in the neck but also an opportunity (a painortunity?) A sort-of vacation, but minus the anxiety of what you left undone… because you haven’t actually left, and probably won’t anytime soon.

Read more here.
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'Out of the greenhouse and into a dumpster':
Flower farmers impacted during COVID-19 pandemic

WATSONVILLE, Calif. —

"If you can't sell, to be honest, there is really no point in harvesting the flowers. So we are taking the flowers out the greenhouse and into a dumpster. It's very bleak. It's not nice at all," said Farai Madziva, vice president of sales and chief of staff with Kitayama Brothers Farms.
Kitayama Brothers is only operating with 25% of its staff, and the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing flower farmers to run a skeleton staff.

Madziva said: "Can our employees get back to an entity that still exists? They can say we are back home and continue growing. Most of our employees have been with us for more than 20 years. When you look at that, we are family. Just letting people go and saying goodbye, and when they come back, the family is not there anymore. Those are the concerns, those are the worries, that is what we are trying to preserve."

Read more here.
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31 Colorful Wedding Bouquets

These bright, bold, and beautiful bouquets use colors that are seriously out of this world. From rich oranges, bright pinks, and sunny yellows to cool blues, earthy greens, and deep purples, a colorful wedding bouquet will pop against any bride's white wedding dress. Opt for an arrangement that is filled with vibrant tones for a showstopping bundle or use pops of color to upgrade an otherwise simple bouquet. Click through to get inspired by some of our favorite bright bridal bouquets from real weddings.

Read more here.

The Gift of Flowers

Passion often leads to purpose, and this month, that purpose came in the form of giving the Gift of Flowers.

We love flower farming here in California, especially in the springtime when there are so many varieties to choose from and the colors are amazing. Our farm's shipping department was brought to a stand-still by the Coronavirus Pandemic and suddenly we had an excess of flowers in the cooler. Rather than simply tossing the flowers we decided to make the best of the situation.

Knowing that there are still other essential businesses open and operating in the community, we dropped flowers off at a nearby doctor’s office and retirement home. Extra flowers were added to the orders still going out so customers could spread some joy in their communities as well.

A truck load of flowers was delivered to the University of California’s payroll center in Riverside, CA for a team building bouquet-making exercise. Workstations were set up (at the required 6 feet distance apart) in the training room so 16 employees could learn about the flowers being grown in the community and create their own special protea bouquet. It was just what the doctor ordered. A perfect morale booster. And as it turned out during the exercise, California Governor Newsome announced his "stay at home order" to go into effect the next day. All 16 employees went back to their desks with big smiles on their faces and their bouquets... that would soon become their home workstation centerpieces.

Obviously, flowers won’t make the Coronavirus go away, nor will they make the uncertainty surrounding the situation disappear. But spreading positivity and plenty of cheer is essential during these challenging and unprecedented times.

Flowers are More Than Beautiful - They’re Good for Your Health

World events can certainly wreak havoc when it comes to our mood… and the speed and intensity of the Covid 19 virus, not to mention the global blow, feels like nothing we’ve dealt with before.

Times are hard and unparalleled, and it’s difficult to see the light at the end of this crisis. To feel better, we need to be taking positive and proactive action to keep our minds, bodies and businesses healthy. Having a positive mental attitude is number one, but the objects that surround us are critical too.

Flowers not only have the power of cheering us up when we are feeling sad, but they also have many other assets such as helping us get a good night of sleep, boosting our creativity, increasing our productivity, making our tolerance to pain higher, boosting our health and even improving our attention span.

Studies have also confirmed that patients with flowers and plants in their rooms needed less pain medication, had lower blood pressure and pulse rates, were less anxious and generally were in a more positive state-of-mind than patients in rooms without flowers.

Another study conducted at Texas A&M University found that nature can also hold the secret to business success. The research demonstrates that workers’ idea generation, creative performance and problem-solving skills improve considerably in workplace environments that include flowers and plants. Even schoolrooms with flowers and plants in it have a bigger attendance span, and students show more creativity, free-thinking skills, and overall satisfaction.

None of us know what the next few weeks or months will bring, one thing I am sure of, is that positivity and creativity will go a long way. I hope you’ll make a conscious effort to stay calm and enjoy the many natural benefits of having flowers in your environment. Remain safe and well!

Protea Lady Di

Lady Di, a wonderful, ‘newbie’ here on the farm. This stunning hybrid queen is a blend of Protea magnifica ‘queen’ and compacta. With a medium-to-large size bloom, Lady Di plays off more of the soft, velvety appearance of compacta and lacks the woolly beard of the magnifica. Its long floral bracts are pink, plush and tipped in delicate white fur, then shading to cream at the base while surrounding a silvery-pink central dome. Lady Di is a bloom with plenty of charisma that will keep you enchanted for weeks.

Lady Di typically blooms winter through early spring, helping us beat the cold weather blues with its gorgeous color and fabulous texture. In the field it's sensational, but from there the designing ideas started flowing through my mind and mixed in a bouquet, there’s no doubt this protea ranks among the royal.

February Articles of Interest

The Flower Fields Brim With Blossom-Adjacent Events

YOU CAN TALK TO FLOWERS, and plenty of gardeners do, but you really can't make demands. You can politely request that the petal-rocking specimens start to grow, or grow faster, or grow bigger, but flowers? They have a rather predictable if wonderful way of keeping to their own schedule. Which is all to say this: There is a schedule at the famous Flower Fields in Carlsbad Ranch and... there really isn't. The schedule part of that somewhat contradictory statement? The iconic attraction, which is known for sporting thousands of Giant Tecolote ranunculus blooms each spring, blooms that boast the most astounding colors, opens Sunday, March 1. And there's already a closing date on the 2020 calendar: It's Mother's Day, which is Sunday, May 10. There's your firm, set-in-soil schedule, but here's the truth: The flowers will open at their own pace.

Read more here.
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Protea Wedding Bouquets

Protea plants, also known as sugarbushes, have become a favorite in the wedding world. The blooms—which are native to South Africa—come in a number of different varieties, and each is beloved for its unique shape or color. These include the big king protea, the unusual pincushion protea, and the aptly-named blushing bride protea. Whichever you like, we recommend incorporating it into your wedding bouquet for a bold and beautiful arrangement. For inspiration, look no further than these unique protea wedding bouquet ideas.

Read more here
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Pincushion Protea Wedding Feast at Cheerio Gardens

At one stage when I was creating South Bound Bride I considered giving it a name with ‘protea’ in the title. Not that I ever came up with a good one, but it would have been pretty darn appropriate since as you know, we loooove proteas around these here parts. Today we’re talking pincushions, with a wedding that uses these beautifully unusual blooms against lush greenery and soft charcoal for their bright pops of orange colour, and boy does it ever work! Add in elegant rustic style elements – slate boards, wooden tables, chalkboard signage – and you have yourself a real pretty party! And then with Charl Van Der Merwe‘s lovely pics… well, see Derek and Jana’s big day for yourself – and enjoy!

Read more here.

Women's Day 2020

Did you know the first Women’s Day was celebrated in 1908 when a group of women marched on the streets of New York, demanding their rights? Since then every year on the 8th of March the world unites to support, raise, inspire and motivate women. The purpose of this day is to focus on various themes such as inspiring change, recognition of women in the arts, or the importance of education and career opportunities. This year’s theme: I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights. It’s a call-to-action for each one of us can help create a gender equal world. Let's all be #EachforEqual.

If you’re feeling inspired and wondering how you can celebrate Women's Day… we have a few ideas:

• With Flowers, of course! It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman to join in on the celebration - it is perfectly acceptable for a man to give flowers to the women in his life, as well as, women to share flowers with their friends, family and co-workers.

• Learn why the day is important. As women's accomplishments, particularly those that have to do with the home (raising children, cleaning, cooking, etc.) are often ignored and overlooked. This day helps to remind people of the important things that women do every day.

• Help raise awareness. Mention that it's Women's Day to people you know, your family, your coworkers, your friends. Discuss with them why it's an important day and why it's important to treat women with respect and to acknowledge their contributions to society.