2016 Farm-to-Float Campaign

With a full-on salute to California Grown (#CAGROWN) flowers and nature's pollinators, the 2016 Miracle-Gro® Tournament of Roses Parade float is already being called a show-stopping stunner.

Life Starts Here 

For about as long as there's been a Rose Parade providing California-style relief to the winter-weary, there's been Miracle-Gro®, helping gardeners everywhere grow beautiful backyard blooms. This year is no exception. 

Miracle-Gro, now in its fourth year as The Official Rose and Flower Care Company of the Rose Parade, anticipates that its 2016 Rose Parade float, Life Starts Here, will inspire people everywhere to dig in and discover their own piece of the earth - a goal befitting the 2016 Parade theme, Find Your Adventure. 

Certified CA GROWN

Life Starts HereAnd because almost nothing is more inspiring to gardeners and flower lovers everywhere than stunning, sustainable flowers, Miracle-Gro's 2016 Rose Parade float is an all-out salute to California's high-quality flowers and the Golden State farmers who grow them. Read the rest of this article at RoseParada.Miracle-Gro.

Floral News: Inspirational Stories of the Week

US: Rose Parade to promote Californian grown cut flowers

This year's Rose Parade will feature three CA Grown floats, which are being sponsored by Cal Poly, California Milk Advisory Board, FTD and Miracle Gro. The 127th Rose Parade presented by Honda and themed “Find Your Adventure,” will take place Friday, January 1, 2016, followed by the 102nd Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. Read the rest of this article at floral daily

Kick off to the Rose Parade

There really was no better way to celebrate Miracle-Gro’s kick off to this year’s Tournament of Roses Festivities than enjoying a beautiful field-to-vase luncheon, while giving back to the Pasadena community.

At John Muir Ranch High School, the day greeted guests with blue skies and warm temperatures, making for a perfect afternoon to help support the Pasadena School Garden Program. This is the second year Miracle-Gro has supported the program through their Tournament of Roses Partnership. Miracle-Gro representatives and Ty Pennington, Miracle-Gro’s spokesperson, were on-hand to help work with the volunteers in the garden and reinforce their commitment to the community. This event was also a volunteer opportunity for members of the community to install a new pollinator garden (that includes Proteaceae and Australian wildflowers) at Muir Ranch and help distribute 100 Thanksgiving dinners.

Miracle-Gro is also the Official Rose and Flower Care Company of the Tournament of Roses for the fourth year in a row and this year their float with be certified as “California Grown”. This means more than 85% of the flowers and plants on the float will be grown here in California. We’re honored to have been chosen to contribute Protea to this year’s float. Miracle-Gro is the very first brand to invite flower farmers and customers to supply flowers for their float. In addition along with Ty Pennington and four other “Miracle-Groers”, Mel has been chosen as one of the California farmers to ride the float on New Year’s Day.

Looking forward to celebrating all things California Grown on New Year’s Day!

Cal Poly Rose Parade Float: Aims to Inspire Learning

This year students from Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will celebrate the power of reading and imagination with their 2015 Rose Parade float design.  “Soaring Stories” portrays a fairy tale castle and a mythological griffin emerging from the pages of storybooks.  It reflects the 2015 parade theme, “Inspiring Stories.” 

Some float construction work has already begun on both campuses.  Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students are expected to move their half of the float to Cal Poly Pomona in mid-to-late October. Construction typically continues until right before Christmas. Students and volunteers then spend the week between Christmas and New Year decorating the float with California Grown Flowers. 

"This project is the epitome of Learn by Doing,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong in a recent university newsletter.  “It also demonstrates working across disciplines.  There are all types of majors working here, from both campuses. And it brings together the whole Cal Poly community — students, parents, alumni, people who have been involved for years.” 

This year Cal Poly is once again committed to source at least 85 percent of their float décor from California flower farms and be recognized as "California-Grown Certified".  During the last few years this project and the 'Learning by Doing' has expand beyond the campuses. Students and administrators are touring the farms that donate the fresh cut flowers and greens in order to meet the farmers and see where and how the flowers are grown. 

This weekend Resendiz Brothers had the pleasure to host some of the Cal Poly Float Team as well as Amanda Lee the Decoration Chair and their Advisor Greg Lehr.  It was fun getting to know these designers while sharing a little of our 'Flower World' with them.  First off, a stop in the cooler to see what's being harvested - Protea, Banksia, Grevillea, Leucadendron, Eucalyptus and more.

Time for a quick photo and then off to the hills!

Without a trip up into the hills of Rainbow it's difficult to understand how our flowers are grown, the terrain, the climate and the vast layout of the land.

Oh yes, Silver Tree - definitely the first time this group has seen this fabulous foliage outside of a bucket or glued to a float! 

Finally, a quick lesson on growing and propagating Proteaceae.

Our Thanks to Cal Poly Float team for their commitment to learning about and supporting California farms and their flowers!