January Articles of Interest

IN THE GARDEN
Tricks to grow proteas away from their home

Growing proteas, pincushions and leucodendrons is a challenge in our part of the country, as the care you render to your usual garden plants here is rejected by the protea family.

For instance, feeding proteas with fertiliser as you would any other plant may be likened to letting a child loose in a sweet store. Unlike other plants the protea plant cannot control its uptake of nutrients - gorging itself to the detriment of the plant growth and sometimes leading to its demise.

Read more here.
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5 flower trends expected to surge in popularity in 2021

'Receiving or giving flowers and making your home beautiful will continue to be important next year,' says Larry Walshe, celebrity London florist and founder of Bloom.

'Following two national lockdowns, we have all learned that flowers are not just a luxury, but rather a necessity that bring joy, pleasure and a boost to wellbeing. The use of plants and flowers in the home is beneficial for both our physical and mental health, thanks to the air-purifying qualities of blooms and their ability to help reduce stress and anxiety.'

Take a look at the flower trends set to surge in popularity...

Read more here.
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Valentine’s Day Traditions from Around the World

The 24 hours of affection known as Valentine’s Day originated in Europe more than 1,500 years ago as a Christian feast commemorating the martyrdom of Rome’s St. Valentinus. However, the earliest known mention of Feb. 14 as an actual celebration of love occurs in 1375 AD within medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parliament of Foules, a work that cites the 14th as the day both birds and humans are most likely to find mates.

American Valentine’s Day expressions of endearment include everything from greeting cards, love letters, and heart-shaped chocolates to a dozen roses, teddy bears, and balloons. It’s a day of marriage proposals, weddings, and nights dining out. But the United States isn’t the only country to celebrate romance. Nations around the world have spent centuries developing their own unique ways to mark love’s holiday. Here’s how some countries across the globe celebrate the day of love.

Read more here.

Protea Brenda

In the language of flowers, protea is said to symbolize diversity and courage… and if Brenda had her own special language, she would be the symbol of resilience too! When asked to describe this gorgeous bloom, the first words that come to mind are hot pink and faux. The dark pink bracts or petals which surround Brenda are shiny and durable not soft and velvety like many other protea. STUNNING. And, perfect if you’re into self-care and hoping to start 2021 off on the right foot.

As COVID continues to impact our daily lives, flowers are more vital than ever for our health and well-being (apparently, pink flowers, that often convey a message of romance, also stand for love for one’s self… which, by the way, is super important right now). While navigating through the challenges of this “new normal”, they’ll bring a much-needed dose of happiness to break anyone out of a stress-induced funk.

Photo by @kwiaciarniawtepedy

Photo by @constantiapera

Finally, as a reminder… no one needs a reason to ask if they deserve flowers today - the answer will always be YES!

The Nature Connection

For the last several months, it seems like the world has almost come to a complete halt. Businesses have closed, travel has been limited, and people are working from home to stop the spread of COVID-19. This virus has affected millions of individuals all over the world.

Amidst this pandemic we’ve all learned a few important lessons.

Perhaps the most important lesson learned is that certain things in life are unnecessary and then there are the essentials: family and friends, food, shelter, health, rest; and if you’re like most people, a connection to nature. When life is stripped back to the necessities, we realize we can do so much more with less and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle by reusing and making stuff from what we have right under our noses. Maybe this pandemic is nature’s way of telling us to slow down, to enjoy simple pleasures, to make space for things we really love, to put people and planet first before gain, and to connect with what is most important: ourselves and each other.

Beautiful blooms… with their color, smell, and symmetry provide the daily solace we seek to connect. They ease stress and lift our spirits. Flowers provide that connection to nature, allowing us to feel better, to think better, and to deepen our understanding of ourselves and others. If you’re not getting your daily dose of nature… you’re missing out on something that’s pretty spectacular: the real world!

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:

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.

The Gift of Flowers

Passion often leads to purpose, and this month, that purpose came in the form of giving the Gift of Flowers.

We love flower farming here in California, especially in the springtime when there are so many varieties to choose from and the colors are amazing. Our farm's shipping department was brought to a stand-still by the Coronavirus Pandemic and suddenly we had an excess of flowers in the cooler. Rather than simply tossing the flowers we decided to make the best of the situation.

Knowing that there are still other essential businesses open and operating in the community, we dropped flowers off at a nearby doctor’s office and retirement home. Extra flowers were added to the orders still going out so customers could spread some joy in their communities as well.

A truck load of flowers was delivered to the University of California’s payroll center in Riverside, CA for a team building bouquet-making exercise. Workstations were set up (at the required 6 feet distance apart) in the training room so 16 employees could learn about the flowers being grown in the community and create their own special protea bouquet. It was just what the doctor ordered. A perfect morale booster. And as it turned out during the exercise, California Governor Newsome announced his "stay at home order" to go into effect the next day. All 16 employees went back to their desks with big smiles on their faces and their bouquets... that would soon become their home workstation centerpieces.

Obviously, flowers won’t make the Coronavirus go away, nor will they make the uncertainty surrounding the situation disappear. But spreading positivity and plenty of cheer is essential during these challenging and unprecedented times.