Events: Farm Tours

Farm tours are a wonderful way to celebrate the spring!

This month, we had the pleasure to host two farm tours. These fun events provided us a welcome break from our normal day to day activities and give us the opportunity to make new friends.

We picked the perfect April mornings for both tours, blue skies and about 75 degrees. The tours started off by providing guests with a little ‘insider information’ on our farm and what we’re up to this time of the year. Then off to the greenhouse and nursery they went to see where everything begins, sprouts and develops its roots here on the farm. Next stop, the packing area for a quick peek inside the cooler and to watch our crew create bouquets and wreaths.

UCCE Master Gardeners of Riverside County - April 2nd

Public Farm Tour - April 13th

From sharing protea inspiration to shopping for plants for the garden, the tours served up the very best of the season, and here are a few of the highlights.

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

Power Up Your Protea

With alluring colors, exotic shapes and rugged woody stems, proteas are the new ‘it’ bloom. The family tree originates in South Africa and these blooms are vibrant and hardy. Vase life is always a concern for flower farmers, wholesalers, florists and consumers. Proteas have a reputation for having a long vase life, and they do, but even most resilient cut flowers will not last if they do not receive proper care.

Farmers see proteas when they are at their best - in the field on the bush! Once harvested, proteas slowly start deteriorating. It's slowing down that waning process that makes all the difference!

Read more here.
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Australian native flower industry looking for growers
to stock booming local, international markets

As demand for native flowers booms across Australia, the flower industry is lobbying for new players to enter so they can reclaim sales into their lucrative export markets.

With wedding and event trends favouring natives and florists pushing the product, demand is at levels not seen since before the global financial crisis. According to Flowers Australia, sales have increased five-fold since 2010 and the industry is now worth about $350 million.

It has brought smiles back to growers who have stayed in the industry through tough times.

But there are challenges ahead.

Renewed demand is now being driven by domestic consumers and as export markets like Japan look to source from Australia, growers are concerned about lack of supply.

Read more here.

See more here.

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Petal It Forward Generates 90 Million
Consumer Impressions

The hits keep coming for the Society of American Florists’ 2018 Petal It Forward. This year’s initiative didn’t just create goodwill and good feelings around the country — it’s also generated 90 million consumer impressions and counting, including high-profile placement in national publications and on highly trafficked websites and social media pages.

Among the biggest hits? An upbeat one-minute video compilation of the day, created by the team at USA Today’s Humankind Facebook channel from video footage provided to SAF by local member participants. The video, titled “Unexpected gifts bring strangers joy” had more than 400,000 views at press time.

Read more here.

Improving Protea Life

1. Look for fresh and healthy foliage; and flowers that are evenly colored.

2. Beware of blooms that are too tight or too open. For maximum vase life, a protea is often picked when they’re just starting to open.

3. Speed and care are of the essence. It’s possible to extend a protea’s life by several days if they are processed quickly and placed into water as soon as they arrive.

4. Re-cutting protea stems is a very important part of their care since the stem tip may become blocked and incapable of transporting water up to bloom. Cutting ¼” off the base of stems can increase the vase life of protea by up to 45%.

5. “Clean and fresh” takes on new meaning with protea. Your buckets, containers, vases, knives, clippers, and other equipment used in processing must be sanitized.

6. Carefully remove all the leaves from the bottom half to two-thirds of each stem. As a rule, remove any foliage that will be below the water level to prevent it rotting in the water.

7. Water quality has a direct effect on the longevity of protea. Clean water is essential.

8. Protea are thirsty flowers and can take up 75% to 80% of the water in the first hour. Cold or warm water can help to rehydrate stems faster than water at room temperature.

9. Make sure the protea and foliage above the water stay dry.

10. Leave the stems in a cool place for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight. This ensures that the protea are fully hydrated before they are brought back into a warmer environment, displayed and Enjoy!