Rose Parade 2016: Behind the Scenes with the Miracle-Groers

While I’m usually content curling up on the couch to watch the Rose Parade on New Year’s morning, this year Miracle-Gro and their Miracle-Groers made the holiday an adventure! If you’re big on floats, flowers, farmers and gardeners, follow me to Pasadena, where the float Life Starts Here was unveiled. With a recipe calling for California grown flowers and foliage (plus 2 well-placed license plates), Miracle-Gro showcased California's awesome blossoms and "nature's pollinators" that keep the beauty of magnificent crops so abundant throughout the state. The float's sensational display of flowers represented all farming regions of California. I invite you not only to take another peek at this amazing float, but to glimpse behind the scenes as the Miracle-Groers prepared for their ride down Colorado Blvd.

Dubbed the "Miracle-Groers": school garden director, Mud Baron; flower farmer, Harry Van Wingerden; writer, Bonnie Jo Manion; blogger, Susan Phillips; TV host, Ty Pennington and our very own, Mel Resendiz arrived with flowers for the float.

A Welcoming Reception - Mel, Mud and Ty.

The Press Event: Float Decorating at Fiesta Float Barn. During this event, media was there to capture the Miracle-Groers arriving to the float barn with their flowers and then applying their own flowers to the Miracle-Gro parade float.

KTLA Live - Bring them on!

Not only a farmer – An artist as well!

Float Judging Day and CCFC Certification Ceremony

California Secretary of Food and Agriculture, Karen Ross, certifying the Miracle-Gro float "California Grown."

Ready for the ride of a Lifetime!

Miracle-Gro was awarded the prestigious "Governor's Trophy" for "Best Depiction of Life in California"

Click here to see the float being built.

That is how you build a parade float! With a full-on salute to California Grown flowers and nature's pollinators, the 2016 Miracle-Gro float was a real show-stopping stunner.

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!