Forest Flower Shop News
Better Than Roses - The Newtown Bee
Sunday, February 10, 2019The company is certified by the Rainforest Alliance, which ensures it promotes decent wages for its employees, practices sustainable farming methods, protects forests and wildlife, and invests in education, health, and infrastructure, according to the description. The Sunshine Bouquet Company began in New Jersey before branching out to Florida and Columbia, which allowed “Sunshine to provide efficient, rapid delivery to the United States.”Ms Brisch said Big Y also offers flower bouquets and potted plants from local farms, like Cavicchio Greenhouse in Sudbury, Mass. Since Big Y is headquartered in Springfield, Mass., its local farms are located in Massachusetts or Connecticut. Newtown Big Y Store Director Angelo Soto shared a list of all of its local farms, and those include Casertano’s Greenhouse in Cheshire, Connecticut Valley Flower in Hamden, Geremia Greenhouse in Wallingford, and Grower Direct in Somers.“There are so many local things to chose from,” said Ms Brisch.From choosing to support a conscientious company to finding ways to support local farms there is more to consider than just the color of a bouquet’s assorted flowers.Off-Season OptionsConnecticut-grown flowers can be hard to find in the winter.Natalie Collette of The Gardenist of Norwalk offers floral arrangements and designs, along with garden design support and maintenance, according to her Facebook page, The Gardenist. She mostly sells her flowers to local florists and people who contact her directly. A farmer florist, Ms Collette said she has private properties where she plants seasonal flowers, all organically. She harvests and creates bouquets along with maintaining a dahlia farm in New Haven. Growers in Connecticut, unless they have a greenhouse, do not grow flo... https://www.newtownbee.com/better-roses/02102019
Petal to the metal: Man steals Kittelberger Florist van while employee delivers flowers - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Tuesday, January 22, 2019Once the people left, the victim realized the keys were gone. Grand larceny: On Jan. 7, someone stole a check out of a mailbox on Black Forest Drive and cashed it. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/01/19/monroe-county-ny-crime-rochester-suburbs-brighton-chili-greece-ogden-irondequoit-victor/2599141002/
PHOTOS: Sunflowers at Nicoles Greenhouse and Florist - Concord Monitor
Tuesday, January 22, 2019Katherine Dodge waters sunflowers at Nicole’s Greenhouse and Florist on Route 106 in Pembroke on Wednesday. GEOFF FORESTER / Monitor staff Katherine Dodge waters the sunflowers at Nicoleâs Greenhouse and Florist on Route 106 in Pembroke on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. Dodge has worked summers at Nicoleâs for the past two years and heads back to college on Saturday. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff Katherine Dodge waters the sunflowers at Nicoleâs Greenhouse and Florist on Route 106 in Pembroke on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. Dodge has worked summers at Nicoleâs for the past two years and heads back to college on Saturday. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff Wednesday, August 15, 2018Katherine Dodge waters the sunflowers at Nicole’s Greenhouse and Florist on Route 106 in Pembroke on Wednesday. Dodge has worked summers at Nicole’s for the past two years and heads back to college on Saturday. https://www.concordmonitor.com/Sunflowers-season-19504149
Car crashes into florist shop in downtown Portland - Press Herald
Tuesday, January 22, 2019In addition to the store damage, the car destroyed a city-owned directional sign.Traffic was diverted onto Forest Avenue and High Street for about 30 minutes after the crash, which happened around 4:15 p.m.The driver of the vehicle was not hurt, said Cashman.filed under:Related StoriesLatest Articles... https://www.pressherald.com/2018/06/25/car-crashes-into-florist-shop-in-downtown-portland/
Effort to eliminate florist licenses in Louisiana becomes a thorny issue - Fox News
Tuesday, January 08, 2019Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards also supported the proposal, but it was struck down by the Louisiana State Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development. Mike Strain, the commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry also spoke out against Emerson’s bill. Brenda Goff, owner of Red Onion in Baton Rouge, said she can see both sides of the argument to require florist to obtain a license to sell flowers. (Fox News)Strain said the license helps ensure people are properly trained to cut flowers and help prevent the introduction and spread of diseases and pests.Some members of the Louisiana State Florist Association, or LSFA, advocated against the repeal of the licensing requirement.“House Bill 561 would have shifted the way in which florist are classified from professionals to those who hold an occupation,” said Samantha Bates, the president of LSFA, provided a statement several days after HB 561 failed to move forward.But not all florists in the state fully agree. Brenda Goff, the owner of Red Onion in Baton Rouge, said the licensing requirements make it cumbersome for fledgling florists trying to make it in the business.“I actually want to encourage young people to get into this,” Goff said, “and I don’t want anything that might deter them from it.”While Goff emphasized her respect for other florists that went through the licensing process, she also said it should be up to the consumer to decide what is and isn’t a quality product. Alison Franchi, founder of La Petite Gardenia in Los Angeles, has worked as a florist in several states for the past 20 years. Franchi says safety reasons touted by proponents don’t justify the license requirement. (La Petite Gardenia)Alison Franchi a floral industry expert and founder of La Petite Gardenia in Los Angeles, said the licensing requirement may legitimize florists in the state but she doesn’t believe the safety reasons described by proponents of the law are worth it.Proponents of the licensing requirement believe it will better prepare florist for how to deal with pests or other invasive plant species.“Generally, just for the flowers to come into the country, they have to go through a process with the [U.S.] Department of Agriculture,” Franchi said. “Maybe once in a while I’ll see a bug but it could have come in from outside. Nothing has ever been harmful, so I don’t think that justifies it.”... https://www.foxnews.com/politics/effort-to-eliminate-florist-licenses-in-louisiana-becomes-a-thorny-issue
Rising shipping costs spell the end of Norridgewock Christmas wreath company - Press Herald
Monday, December 17, 2018Newburgh, which also makes wreathes. Corliss said the struggles for wreath-makers in Maine and beyond just keep mounting.Piper Mountain charges $26 per wreath, with $13 for shipping east of the Mississippi and another $1 westward.“Absolutely, shipping has become a bear,” Corliss said, saying the mailing companies have jacked costs severely the last six years and added additional home delivery fees. “It’s got me a little unawares this year. We did not raise our price, and, of course, when you say shipping, you don’t just blame UPS and FedEx; it’s also the cost of the box, the cost of the labor to decorate that wreath and put it in the box.”There’s also a growing challenge getting so-called “fir tippers” who bring in the balsam harvest from the woods, Corliss said.“The tips that we used to make the wreaths for years was 25 cents a pound for people to go out into the woods. Last year we were paying 40 cents a pound. This year I was offering 40 cents and no one came until I discovered some people offering 50 cents in this area,” he said.In Norridgewock, Christmas Tree Acres was once one of the largest Christmas tree farms in the state, and its former owner and founder, Dwight Newman, was a past president of the Maine Christmas Tree Association.Bolduc did not respond to a message left on his home phone or an email sent to the business. A phone call to the number on a “For Sale” sign on the building at 69 Depot St. also was not returned.Newman, who died in 2012, was a florist and greenhouse owner in Winchester, Massachusetts, when he started the tree farm on Sandy River Road in 1965. He eventually moved to Maine and with his wife, Nancy, started a mail-order Christmas tree and wreath business out of the Depot Street building, according to Newman’s obituary and Morning Sentinel archives.Newman retired in 1995, at which point he sold the wreath company to its current owner, David Bolduc.In the message on the website, Bolduc talks about shipping expenses increasing more than 27 percent in a single year. It said the average cost for shipping a wreath is $18 to $20 each, but the company charged only $11.25 for shipping.Leman, the Ellsworth wreath maker, said that sounds about right. His company ships about 6,000 wreaths each year to places all around the country. Six years ago, he said the average shipping cost per wreath was about $8 to $12, with $12 for wreaths going to the West Coast.Now it costs $25 to $30 to send a wreath to the west coast via UPS and “close to $16 bucks to send it next door.”The U.S. Postal Service is also an option, but the rates are generally more expensive than UPS or FedEx to ship wreaths across the country, Leman said.Representatives for both companies said in emails that dimensional weight pricing is a common industry practice, and they have efforts in place to help customers improve their packaging practices.“It allows us to make the best use of space in our vehicles and encourages customers to make packaging adjustments,” said FedEx spokeswoman Rae Lyn. “Ultimately, more efficient packaging is good for our customers and ... https://www.pressherald.com/2018/12/08/closure-of-longtime-norridgewock-christmas-wreath-company-a-sign-of-higher-costs-industry-challenges/
Closure of longtime Norridgewock Christmas wreath company a sign of higher costs, industry challenges - Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel
Monday, December 17, 2018Newburgh, which also makes wreathes. Corliss said the struggles for wreath-makers in Maine and beyond just keep mounting.Piper Mountain charges $26 per wreath, with $13 for shipping east of the Mississippi and another $1 westward.“Absolutely, shipping has become a bear,” Corliss said, saying the mailing companies have jacked costs severely the last six years and added additional home delivery fees. “It’s got me a little unawares this year. We did not raise our price, and, of course, when you say shipping, you don’t just blame UPS and FedEx; it’s also the cost of the box, the cost of the labor to decorate that wreath and put it in the box.”There’s also a growing challenge getting so-called “fir tippers” who bring in the balsam harvest from the woods, Corliss said.“The tips that we used to make the wreaths for years was 25 cents a pound for people to go out into the woods. Last year we were paying 40 cents a pound. This year I was offering 40 cents and no one came until I discovered some people offering 50 cents in this area,” he said.In Norridgewock, Christmas Tree Acres was once one of the largest Christmas tree farms in the state, and its former owner and founder, Dwight Newman, was a past president of the Maine Christmas Tree Association.Bolduc did not respond to a message left on his home phone or an email sent to the business. A phone call to the number on a “For Sale” sign on the building at 69 Depot St. also was not returned.Newman, who died in 2012, was a florist and greenhouse owner in Winchester, Massachusetts, when he started the tree farm on Sandy River Road in 1965. He eventually moved to Maine and with his wife, Nancy, started a mail-order Christmas tree and wreath business out of the Depot Street building, according to Newman’s obituary and Morning Sentinel archives.Newman retired in 1995, at which point he sold the wreath company to its current owner, David Bolduc.In the message on the website, Bolduc talks about shipping expenses increasing more than 27 percent in a single year. It said the average cost for shipping a wreath is $18 to $20 each, but the company charged only $11.25 for shipping.Leman, the Ellsworth wreath maker, said that sounds about right. His company ships about 6,000 wreaths each year to places all around the country. Six years ago, he said the average shipping cost per wreath was about $8 to $12, with $12 for wreaths going to the West Coast.Now it costs $25 to $30 to send a wreath to the west coast via UPS and “close to $16 bucks to send it next door.”The U.S. Postal Service is also an option, but the rates are generally more expensive than UPS or FedEx to ship wreaths across the country, Leman said.Representatives for both companies said in emails that dimensional weight pricing is a common industry practice, and they have efforts in place to help customers improve their packaging practices.“It allows us to make the best use of space in our vehicles and encourages customers to make packaging adjustments,” said FedEx spokeswoman Rae Lyn. “Ultimately, more efficient packaging is good for our customers and ... https://www.centralmaine.com/2018/12/08/closure-of-longtime-norridgewock-christmas-wreath-company-a-sign-of-higher-costs-industry-challenges/
MSU Florist invites public to holiday open house - Mississippi State Newsroom
Monday, December 17, 2018Contact: Vanessa BeesonSTARKVILLE, Miss.—The public is invited to ring in the holiday cheer at the upcoming Mississippi State University Florist open house. The event, which includes coffee, cookies and a McCarty pottery door prize giveaway, takes place Friday [Nov. 16] from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the flower shop located at 100 Lee Blvd. in the center of campus.The holiday open house is a chance for Bulldog fans to shop local and check out all that the University Florist has to offer from made-in-Mississippi gift selections, including McCarty pottery and Wolfe Studio ceramic birds, to unique MSU gifts and much more. A complete array of MSU ornaments and holiday arrangements also will be on display and available to order or purchase.“This is our way of kicking off the holiday season and giving the community a chance to stop by and check out all we have to offer,” said Taylor Bowden, florist manager.The University Florist at Mississippi State is a retail shop operated by the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. It serves as a practi... https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2018/11/msu-florist-invites-public-holiday-open-house/
$60,000 in wild irises disappeared from Coast highway. Here’s why. - Sun Herald
Tuesday, December 04, 2018The flowers on Mississippi 603 apparently were mowed down in late September before Cruisin’ The Coast. Their disappearance left many to wonder what happened and why, and drew criticism on social media from Bay St. Louis and Waveland residents. The mostly dark-blue, purplish wildflowers, which grow to 4 or 5 feet tall and have spear-like leaves, were cut down by a county work crew, Mayor Mike Favre confirmed Friday. “They were cut down last year and they came back and looked good this year,” Favre said. “They will come back as good as ever. So that’s where we’re at.” ... https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/hancock-county/article221343810.html