Newbury Park, CA Florists

Newbury Park Flower Shop News

Perspective | This D.C. florist's secret to surviving 114 years and four generations - The Washington Post

The florist’s all-time customer list has featured Washington Post cartoonist Herblock, the late Mayor Marion Barry, the Washington Nationals, television/radio host Larry King, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, astrologer Jeanne Dixon, civil rights and women’s rights activist Dorothy Height and half the hotels in town.Florist shops in the United States average about $350,000 in revenue a year and pocket about $50,000 in profit, according to the Society of American Florists. With $2 million in revenue, Caruso must be raking in profit.Cheryl Diaz MeyerFor The Washington PostRob Mittemeyer of Caruso Florist loads flowers into the van for delivery within a 25-mile radius of downtown Washington.“The business supports a lot of people,” said Mike Caruso, 59, Phil’s son who runs the day-to-day operations at the florist. Four Carusos work there; three brothers and father Phil, who is the president. There are 23 full-time employees and five trucks delivering flowers seven days a week. The big expenses are labor and flowers. [Here’s how rich you have to be not to worry about getting dragged from a plane]The five trucks together typically make more than 100 deliveries a day, dropping off fruit baskets at hospitals, flowers at churches and a dozen roses at a Potomac home. Ninety-five percent of orders arrive by phone and Internet. The business has computer files on thousands of its regular customers. About 40 deliveries are standing weekly orders for drop-offs at the University Club, a dentist’s office, the hotels and a law office — anything within a 25-mile radius of downtown. Caruso Florist is known for higher-end pricing and service, with orders from $35 for a basic arrangement to $30,000 to decorate the Hay-Adams for an over-the-top wedding. Mike Caruso arrives before sunrise every Monday. He spends the morning organizing the day, which may mean unloading 1,000 roses flown in from Ecuador or checking on the Gerbera daisies that just arrived from Canada’s eastern provinces at 6:30 a.m. “We have five trucks out on the road today,” Mike said last Monday. “Probably close to 100 deliveries. August is the slowest month of the year. Once Congress goes out, things kind of calm down.”December, February and May make up half the business. There are three weeks of heavy traffic leading up to Christmas. Mother’s Day is bustling. And then, of course, Valentine’s Day.It’s do-or-die day. The truck fleet grows to 30 just for Valentine’s Day, and the staff doubles.[My conversation with War... https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/this-dc-florists-secret-to-surviving-114-years-and-four-generations/2017/08/18/ee1a0152-836e-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html

This is how the Easter lily became the holiday's flower - NOLA.com

By 1945, there were about 1,200 growers producing bulbs up and down the Pacific coast, from Vancouver, Canada to Long Beach, California. And, believe it or not, right here in southeast Louisiana.The following information is quoted from Louisiana – A Guide to the State compiled by Workers of the Writer’s Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Louisiana, first printed in 1941.“Between Junior and Venice, interspersed by orange groves, are small farms devoted to a new and interesting industry – the cultivation of the Creole lily."The Creole lily (Lilium longiflorum) is generally called the Easter lily; its local name merely exemplifies the tendency of this section to apply the term ‘Creole’ to both people and things. The flower of this special stock, which is well suited to home gardens, is said to be more vigorous, prolific and resistant to disease than other varieties. Each stalk bears from 3 to 18 white blossoms, which reputedly last 4 or 5 days longer than those of the Japanese stock. More emphasis is place on the production of the bulbs for shipping than the sale of the flowers. "In the spring the blooms are nipped, allowing the bulb to retain the full nourishment of the plant juices. In midsummer the plants are dug up and the bulbs placed in a hamper protected from the sun by palmetto leaves. … the lily roots are shipped by express to northern cities, where they are kept in cold storage – 32 to 40 degrees – through the winter. In early spring florists set them out to bloom for Easter and Mother’s Day.” 32 summer-flowering bulbs to add to your garden Most summer-flowering bulbs are native to tropical and subtropical climates and will reliably bloom here for many years. These were tall growing Easter lilies grown for cut flowers, not the shorter types used for growing in containers which is more common these days.But, producing quality, consistent lily bulbs proved to be an exact and demanding science with specific climatic requirements, and bulb production diminished in Louisiana. Over the years, the total number of Easter lily bulb producers dwindled down to just ten farms in a small, isolated coastal region straddling the Oregon-California border. This re... https://www.nola.com/homegarden/2019/04/this-is-how-the-easter-lily-became-the-holidays-flower.html

Never Mind Flowers, Marijuana Might Be 2019's Hot Mothers Day Gift - Forbes

Mothers Day weekend was triple its typical market share. Some of the current best sellers in the category according to LeafLink are Muscle Freeze CBD by Mary's Medicinals of California, Body Balm by Colorado company Nordic Goddess and Extra Strength Dragon's Balm created by Oregon’s Medicine Farm. Unsurprisingly, the top ten sellers all came from states where recreational use is allowed, along with medical use. The unofficial cannabis holiday April 20th saw sales jumps in different categories.  According to  Flowhub, during the weekend, nearly 150k pre-rolled joints were sold. Overall, flower sales dominated 420, accounting for 54.1% of total sales. The second best selling product category was concentrates at 30.8%, followed by edibles at 11.3%. Even mothers in more conservative states may be soon in possession of marijuana gifts. Marijuana Moment reported that the Texas House of Representatives just voted to approve a marijuana decriminalization bill. https://www.forbes.com/sites/julieweed/2019/04/30/never-mind-flowers-marijuana-might-be-2019s-hot-mothers-day-gift/

Falling for Flowers - Argonaut Online

Photos by Fanny ChuThe persistence paid off and has led to collaborations with brands such as TOMS shoes, Airbnb Experiences, street and surf wear company Banks Journal, and most recently Northern California cannabis company Humboldt Farms, which has partnered with The Unlikely Florist to bring bouquets in the zeitgeist of the California super bloom (and cannabis education) to dispensaries and public spots across L.A. this spring. On Saturday, (aka 4/20, that most sacred of pot holidays) they’ll set up along Abbot Kinney, so keep an eye out. The Unlikely Florist will be handing out penny bouquets, and Humboldt will be offering information and discount codes for the canna-curious.Marketing aside, Falls says the true mission of his bouquets is to spread appreciation and positivity.“Flowers to me are like the most positive thing there is in the world — they’re pure nature, they’re pure beauty, they’re just so pure,” he emphasizes. “That was probably the reason why I fell in love so much with flowers and being a florist — the sheer appreciation and the experience of making flower arrangements for people. You sit in the van and you put out a bunch of flowers and you hang out and people come up and they’re so happy. They’re looking to celebrate; they’re looking to thank someone; they’re looking to show love, show appreciation. There’s nothing negative about it.“I think unfortunately at this moment in time, we have many reasons in California and worldwide to feel real f**king gutted about what’s going on in the world — whether it be because there were fires that ripped through California and took many lives and f**ked up many homes, or the political state of the world, or the fact that like cathe... https://argonautnews.com/falling-for-flowers/