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.