June Bliss

We all love the laid-back days of June. The sounds, smells, textures and sights of the onset of summer fill the days and nights with feelings of delight and excitement.

If you are lucky enough to have a garden, potential flower arrangements to boost those 'blissful feelings' are just footsteps from your door. Otherwise, roadside stands and farmers' markets are brimming with seasonal flowers to take home and enjoy.

Selecting and gathering your own flowers not only allows you to express your creative style, but they also bring the freshness and beauty of nature into your home. When you decorate with fresh flowers and foliage that reflect your unique personality, it makes for unforgettable gatherings that your friends and family will reminisce about for weeks.

To show how I've expressed my floral creativity during these early summer days, I created several arrangemnts with seasonal flowers and foliage that will hopefully inspire you to create your own. Cheers to June… California Grown Flowers Month!

California Grown Flowers Month

Spread the word…. June is California Grown Flowers Month!

For the seventh year in a row, the California Legislature is honoring the state’s flower farmers and recognizing their contributions to the state’s economy and workforce by declaring June as California Grown Flowers Month. The resolution highlights California’s leading role in flower-farming and the economic impact it has on the floral industry.

The industry has blossomed since its inception back in the late 1870s. Statewide flowers are grown across 701 million square feet, spanning the distance from San Diego through the Inland Empire to Carpinteria and north all the way to the Oregon border. California farmers produce three-quarters of the cut flowers in the United States, provide over a 100,000 of jobs and account for a total of $12.2 billion in economic activity every year.

Share the LOVE....California Grown!

June Gatherings

Everyone loves the laid-back days of summer… especially when they’re on a holiday… like Independence Day! The sounds, smells, textures and sights of summer fill the days and nights with feelings of joy and excitement.

If you are lucky enough to have a garden, potential flower arrangements to boost the ‘ambiance’ are just footsteps from your door. Otherwise, shops, roadside stands and farmers' markets are brimming with seasonal flowers to take home and enjoy.

Selecting and gathering your own flowers not only allows you to express your creative style, but they also bring the freshness and beauty of nature into your home. When you decorate with fresh flowers and foliage that reflect your unique personality, it makes for an unforgettable rendezvous that your guests will reminisce about for weeks.

To show how I expressed my floral creativity using protea this month, I created five designs that will hopefully inspire you to create your own. Cheers to June… California Grown Flowers Month!

Event: CPA Member Appreciation Party

June is California Grown Flowers Month and the California Protea Association (CPA) kicked off the month-long celebration on June 1st by throwing a Member Appreciation party. The event was held at a beautiful estate in Hidden Meadows owned by the renowned local Visual Artist Pako Pablos. Pako’s artistic commentary on pop culture through the use of digital art, painting with acrylics and the creation of images in pastels has gained widespread exposure and popularity. Members had the opportunity to enjoy the estate’s panoramic views, tour the grounds and visit Pako's studio.

A delicious dinner was prepared by award winning chef Flor Franco. Garnering acclaim and a reputation for excellence, Flor has served as the Executive Chef for several award winning venues and restaurants, two Sundance Film Festivals, one Conde Nast dinner, hundreds of the world's best events, and has had the honor of designing and executing menus for Hollywood elite, dignitaries and national political figures.

It was a terrific event at a fabulous venue with scrumptious food and lots of great conversations with friends who love protea farming as much as we do!

Many thanks to Pako and Flor for their gracious hospitality!

June Is For California Grown Flowers!

Did you know that June is California Grown Flower Month?

Thanks to the leadership of some lawmakers in California, a resolution marking June as California Grown Flowers Month is something we're super excited about.

To help kick off this special month, the California Cut Flower Commission (CCFC) held a special design competition among California legislators on June 1st in Sacramento, with the winning designer receiving California Grown Flowers delivered to their office for a year!

This year's competitors: Assemblymembers (left to right) Kristin Olsen, Jim Cooper, Jacqui Irwin and Senator Bob Wieckowski.

It was a tough decision, but ultimately the crowd of attendees selected Assemblyman Jim Cooper as this year's Floral Design Champion. He took home the winner's vase that California's flower farmers are proud to fill as a reminder of the hard working family flower farmers that contribute to the $12.2B economic impact of California's floral industry.

This year's floral design champion.

The event was covered in the widely read Capitol Morning Report.

In addition, to help drive more awareness, a special "June is California Grown Flowers Month" graphic has been created and people are invited to use the graphic as their profile image during the month of June!

The California Grown Flowers Month graphic proudly displayed on our Facebook page.