June Articles of Interest

San Diego County farmers fight
for share of federal COVID-19 relief money

Farmers who grow San Diego County’s most valuable crops may miss out on federal cash for coronavirus-related losses because some of their agriculture products — primarily flowers, nursery plants and exotic fruits — are not included in the relief program.

Read more here.
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The coastal banksia has its roots in ancient Gondwana

If you fondly remember May Gibbs's Gumnut Baby stories about the adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, you may also remember the villainous Big Bad Banksia Men (perhaps you're still having nightmares about them).

But banksias are nothing to be afraid of. They're a marvelous group of Australian native trees and shrubs, with an ancient heritage and a vital role in Australian plant ecology, colonial history and bushfire regeneration.

Read more here.
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American-grown blooms for American Flowers Week

You’re invited to join the Social Media experience and share images of #redwhiteblueflowers for #americanflowersweek (June 28-July 4). Of course, we hope everyone features local and seasonal flowers — from your own garden, or sourced from a flower farm in your area.

We love what Kelly Shore of Petals by the Shore and The Floral Source has launched as part of her AMERICAN FLOWERS WEEK promotion and we want to share it here to inspire your own floral plans!

Read more here.

Flowers for Our Frontliners

Frontline workers like doctors, nurses and first responders are working extremely hard during this Covid-19 crisis, and we’re all looking for ways to show our appreciation. We’ve seen many examples of companies and even individuals who are discovering their passion is leading to a new purpose… the Gift of Giving. For those of us who are passionate about flowers, we can offer a gift of joy with a stress relieving benefit as well.

That’s exactly what our friends at Floral Fresh Inc. in Sacramento, CA have been doing… giving gifts of flowers to healthcare workers. The first delivery was to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton and the following was to Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento. Then last week, 350 Protea bouquets were delivered to the staff at UC Davis Medical Center. This is all being done through a special GoFundMe campaign set up by Flora Fresh called “Flowers for Our Frontliners”.

"The message is to show our appreciation and gratitude for their compassion to be nurses and physicians, people on the front line…not just dealing with the COVID-19 but every day they are out there," said Allan Nishita, owner of FloraFresh.

This GoFundMe fundraiser has currently raised $9,743 of its $50,000 goal. All donations are being used to purchase fresh flowers and greens from farms, like ours, and then Flora Fresh delivers them to a new hospital every week! They are extremely passionate about giving back to the amazing healthcare heroes that are fighting the Coronavirus and hope to continue doing so until there is finally a vaccine! They have seen firsthand the positive impact and joy that flowers bring to our healthcare professionals during this unprecedented time. Let's help spread the word about this wonderful campaign so Flora Fresh can continue to spread the beauty to our courageous healthcare workers!

GoFundMe website:

Flora Fresh Facebook:

Flora Fresh Instagram:

April Blogs & Articles of Interest

Certified American Grown Flower and Greens Farms

What are you doing to celebrate the wonderful moms in your life this year? With Mother’s Day just a couple of weeks away, why not give her fresh-cut blooms shipped directly from Certified American Grown flower and greens farms - it’s a great way to support local businesses especially during this difficult time.

Certified American Grown is a unified and diverse coalition of U.S. flower and greens farms representing small and large entities that grow everything from fragrant garden roses to bright field flowers to lush foliage. Yesterday, I received several boxes of beautifully grown blooms and greens - columbines, hellebores, roses, anemones, tulips, Ornithogalum, delphiniums, pittosporums, podocarps, lily grass, lace ferns and so many more - all the highest quality and freshness. I took them out right away and made some gorgeous arrangements for my home.

Read more here.
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Flower lovers cheer for the exotic ‘King Protea’

The annual Rose Parade winding down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day is a flower enthusiast’s dream.

Every float is covered with lush blooms and greenery from around the world, as well as natural materials such as coconut fibers, seeds and coffee grounds.

The oldest, and certainly one of the showiest, flower on display in the 2020 parade was the King Protea, Protea cynaroides, the national flower of South Africa.

Read more here.
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Protea blooming in popularity

Researchers, breeders in Hawaii exploring design trends
with exotic cut flowers

Quick, where does protea grow? If you answered the Western Cape of South Africa, you wouldn’t be wrong.

The King protea is the national flower of South Africa. Plants in the protea family also occur in the cool, dry areas of Australia, New Zealand and South America. If your fresh holiday arrangement includes exotic cut protea flowers purchased at a local florist shop, chances are they came from a family-run protea farm in Hawaii, where the flower has been introduced and many new varieties are being hybridized by breeders at the University of Hawaii.

Read more here.

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.