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Dreaming of a white (or pink) poinsettia? - Fayetteville Observer

Visitors get to see what the wildling looks like, a tall, leggy bush with bract clusters isolated at the end of long branches. This gives measure to how far the breeders and growers have come in producing the poinsettias in the 21st century.A dogwood poinsettia that McLaughlin grew from seed he received from Le Duc is central to the exhibit, though it looks pretty prosaic -- a lanky vase-shaped shrub with small white bract clusters. Ironically, it is the rarest plant in the room. There are far fewer specimens of this in botanic gardens than the much-hyped corpse flower, which always draws TV cameras and crowds.The exhibit also includes now-dated poinsettia varieties that represented advances through the years. One is called Annette Hegg, the first self-branching type. Another is Oak Leaf, one of the first to hold its leaves. But the ones getting the attention from visitors are the new hybrids. "People say, 'How do you get so many bracts?' and we say, 'That's how the plant grows,' " said Devin Dotson, the botanic garden's spokesman. This trait results from the plants' sterility, bestowed by the unnatural parentage. The true flowers fail to develop and fall off.The exhibit features four Princettia hybrids and three Luv U Pink ones.Le Duc, who now teaches at Texas State University, said a well-grown plant in the house could keep blooming until April. It is this stamina and the strong pink colors that prompted Dümmen Orange to pitch the hybrids in Europe as a plant for the Valentine's Day and Easter markets. This hasn't been successful to date. It seems breeders will have to work on more red varieties if the hybrids are to reach their Yuletide potential. The only red I saw at the show was Princettia Red, a darker shade of magenta. One asset these hybrids have is a rich dark-green leaf, a highly desirable trait in poinsettias and one bestowed here by the dogwood poinsettia parentage.Meanwhile, the conveyor belt of traditional poinsettia breeding continues to whir along.Gary Vollmer, product manager for Selecta Poinsettias, said his company is focusing on improving traditional red varieties. The problem with many of the trendy crimson and maroon varieties is that they fade gray, he said. "Our goal is to get that saturated red but not by bringing in blue," he said. Instead it is achieved by breeding to increase the red pigmentation in the layers of bract cells. (This is all done by traditional selective breeding, not with genetically modified organisms.) "If you put enough pigment in there and make it dense enough, it shifts toward the crimson," he said.An example, he said, is the company's Christmas Beauty Red, which came to market two years ago. "It's not a traditional dark red," he said. "It's just really, really red."Vollmer sees two encouraging trends in the marketplace. A decade ago, poinsettias were swept up in the retailers' drive to start the holiday sales season earlier in November. Poinsettia shipments suggest the season is shifting back to December.The other change is a move away from using the poinsettia as a loss leader. "If the consumer sees it as a 99-cent giveaway on Black Friday, or a beautiful $11.99 gift item in the floral department, that's a different value equation," he said. "And I think the retailers are tired of losing money on the giveaways."Gardening TipOnce fresh Christmas trees are brought indoors, they should have an uninterrupted column of water to prevent them from drying out and becoming a fire hazard. Before setting up and decorating, make a fresh cut at the base and check water levels daily. Trees take in a lot of water in their... http://www.fayobserver.com/news/20171216/dreaming-of-white-or-pink-poinsettia

NJ florist died trying to save stranger in Point Pleasant Beach surf - Asbury Park Press

And then every day you realize that he's gone."More: 2017 recorded most rip current-related fatalitiesMore: Why Eatontown man risked all to save drowning boxer in Long BranchJesse Carullo recounted some things that stuck out to him Sunday. Glen Carullo's truck was left in the beach parking lot, Jesse Carullo said. Someone had to go pick that up. Two beach chairs — Glen and Margaret's — were still opened on the sand, unmoved, as if hardly any time had passed at all. And as Margaret Carullo accompanied her husband on an emergency trip to the hospital, she had a red Elmo toy tucked into her purse. Earlier that Sunday, before heading down to the beach, the couple had eaten lunch at Martell's Tiki Bar on Jenkinson's Boardwalk before twiddling with the claw machines, Jesse Carullo said.Glen Carullo had aimed for one of the plush toys clustered at the bottom of the claw machine, a kaleidoscope of technicolor and fake fur.The claw dangled, dipped, seized a stuffed Elmo, and, in uncharacteristic claw machine fashion, hoisted the toy up and out of the machine in one move.Glen Carullo then held Elmo in one hand, pointed to the toy with an opposite finger, and smiled jubilantly for a picture. Glen Carullo, 60, of Waldwick, posing with an Elmo he had just won from a claw machine at Jenkinson's Boardwalk on Sept. 24, 2017. (Photo: Courtesy of Jesse Carullo)He and Margaret decided this Elmo would be the first toy they would give to their first grandchild, due in March, Jesse Carullo said. Margaret Carullo stowed Elmo in her bag for safekeeping.That picture of Glen Carullo with Elmo was the last photo he would ever take. Jesse Carullo uploaded the picture Tuesday to his own Facebook page as a dedication to his brother. As brothers, they were close, and not just in age, as they were only one year and 11 months apart, Jesse Carullo said. In childhood, growing up in Wood-Ridge, this was how it went: If Glen did something, Jesse did it... http://www.app.com/story/news/crime/jersey-mayhem/2017/09/27/glen-carullo-bergen-county-florist-ocean-county-hero/706078001/

Garden Tips: Do your research before planting groundcover - Tri-City Herald

The plant also produces clusters of white flowers.The problem is that bishop’s weed truly can become a weed in the yard and garden. It spreads by long branching rhizomes and also readily self seeds, making it difficult to contain within the area it was planted. Once established, it is aggressive and tenacious.Bishop’s weed is an alien plant. It was supposedly introduced to North America as an ornamental plant by early settlers and was well established in the U.S. by 1863. In some northeastern and mid-Atlantic states, it has escaped cultivation and has become an invasive weed that reduces native species diversity. Research indicates that the main dispersal agent has been gardeners.? Heartleaf (Houttuynia cordata): The red-yellow variegated form of this plant is known as the chameleon or rainbow plant. Like the previous plant, heartleaf is a vigorous groundcover with a creeping habit. The leaves, variegated or solid bluish green, make the plant quite attractive. In early summer it produces pretty single white flowers above the leaves. Heartleaf is not drought tolerant, preferring moist conditions and full sun to light shade. It spreads by rhizomes, making it both invasive and doggedly persistent in the garden.While this plant is quite attractive, it apparently has an odor when crushed or pulled. Fans say it has a delightful citrus or lemon-pepper aroma. Detractors say it is stinky and smells like a skunk or rotten fish.Comments like, “Worst plant in the world. Do not plant it,” or “This plant is impossible to kill. It’s totally invasive,” have been posted by gardeners on various online gardening blogs, which should make you think twice about planting it.Heartleaf is native to southeast Asia and Japan where it grows in moist, shady areas. It is grown in Asia as a vegetable and both the leaves and roots are harvested for eating. While I coul... http://www.tri-cityherald.com/living/home-garden/marianne-ophardt/article100922052.html

Daily remembrance: White roses honor birthdays of 9/11 victims - Asbury Park Press

On Sept. 11, 2001, he watched the first plane hit as he was driving to work. He pulled over, grabbed his medical bag and ran to help.RELATED: Long Branch emergency responders get 9/11 hats“I experienced all the people coming out of the buildings and jumping and all of that stuff,” Collarone said. “When the south tower had fallen, I was trapped” in the Winter Garden Atrium, “but I made it out.”He stayed for about two weeks to help with medical recovery, then started to feel the mental and emotional effects, he said. At a nearby firehouse, he sought out a counselor, who recommended that he go back to Ground Zero and “try to reinvent yourself as something else other than what you were doing and see what you can do,” as Collarone remembers it.He ended up maintaining the pop-up public memorials for the Port Authority. Eventually he started cooking for the workers, bringing ziti and roast beef into the pit, he said.“I wanted to help, always to help,” Collarone said.So when a volunteer suggested flowers be placed to note victims’ birthdays, the museum staff went to Mikey Flowers and asked how much it would cost to buy the roses from him. Collarone didn’t hesitate.“It was an opportunity for me just to give again,” he said. “I was being very selfish, because it made me feel good. … I don’t know how anybody can even accept money for a service for something like that.”ALSO: Sept. 11 lesson makes big impact at Southern RegionalTwice a week he goes to the flower market and picks the perfect roses. They need to have a big head but thin stem. When he finds them, he returns to the store, where he or his staff “conditions” them, cutting them short so the heads open up and making sure they are hydrated. He then brings them to the museum, where they wait in a refrigerator until a vol­unteer comes for them each morning.Recently, Collarone received an email of thanks from a victim’s wife who had asked museum staff about the birthday roses. This is his way, he said, to continue helping.“When I drive by, I can see from the road, the white roses on the names,” Collarone said. “I’m still connected there.”Kara Yorio: yoriok@northjersey.comRead or Share this story: http://on.app.com/2cui2ZS... http://www.app.com/story/life/announcements/milestone/2016/09/05/daily-remembrance-white-roses-honor-birthdays-911-victims/89890480/

Balancing the yin and yang through flower arrangement - The New Indian Express

We want to harness the principle of simplicity and space; we call it ‘yeoback’ denoting the yin-yang balance,” pointed out Lee Yoon Joo. He also explained the concept of having short and long branches that droop down in an arrangement. “One will balance the other. They follow their natural curve and encourage free blooms. This balance and unity is very important,” she said.(The floral exhibition at Inko center will be open till today. A two-month ggotggozi course will also begin on July 9. Registration ends on July 1. For details, call 24361224)... http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Balancing-the-yin-and-yang-through-flower-arrangement/2016/06/25/article3498453.ece

Better Than Roses - The Newtown Bee

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 flowers out of season, she observed. This makes it harder for local shops to maintain locally grown flowers in the winter months.When asked for ideas for alternative Valentine’s Day presents, Ms Collette recommended gifting a living flower arrangement or foraging for a bouquet of seasonal elements. Potted plants from a nursery also provide year-long enjoyment.“If it is a perennial, you can enjoy the plant from when you purchase it [until you] plant it in the spring,” said Ms Collette, who is currently selling hous... https://www.newtownbee.com/better-roses/02102019

Third-generation owner seeks to turn retail plant shop into lifestyle brand - Crains New York Business

My family owns the West 96th Street building and has considered selling it, but we want to keep a retail presence there. PlantShed needs more space for production, though. We might move offices to New Jersey—where we recently got a warehouse—Long Island City or further uptown. There are stresses on the business, but we're making it work. When I took over, I realized we could not just be a retail flower store. The numbers wouldn't support it. That's why we pursued the idea of putting cafés in our shops. Retail stores also need to be a lifestyle brand.Our goal is to spread our love of plants and flowers to people around the city and beyond. I've hired employees to facilitate partnerships and make our stores young and hip. Through the cafés, we have created a way for people to gather and be surrounded by nature. Those who come in every morning for a cup of coffee think of us when they need to buy a bouquet of flowers. We want to foster community and build a local attachment to our brand.I'm a partner in Haven, a boutique hotel in Montauk, which is a separate business from PlantShed. In the past few years, we have blown Haven out with plants, putting custom-made hanging baskets in the walkways and tropical houseplants in the hotel rooms. Guests love it. Now I am working on a hotel concept. I'm trying to find a location for a farmstead, greenhouse and inn in the Hudson Valley or the Catskills. PlantShed would own it, and it would be something really unique, bridging biophilia and hospitality.It's definitely something we could bring to New York City or another city down the line. We have found that incorporating plant life in an urban setting is appealing to people. We assume these travelers want a city vibe, rather than a country or tropical feel. So it would be a matter of incorporating plants and flowers in a way that accentuates the look and feel of a city. https://www.crainsnewyork.com/asked-answered/third-generation-owner-seeks-turn-retail-plant-shop-lifestyle-brand

Third-generation owner seeks to turn retail plant shop into lifestyle brand

My family owns the West 96th Street building and has considered selling it, but we want to keep a retail presence there. PlantShed needs more space for production, though. We might move offices to New Jersey—where we recently got a warehouse—Long Island City or further uptown. There are stresses on the business, but we're making it work. When I took over, I realized we could not just be a retail flower store. The numbers wouldn't support it. That's why we pursued the idea of putting cafés in our shops. Retail stores also need to be a lifestyle brand.Our goal is to spread our love of plants and flowers to people around the city and beyond. I've hired employees to facilitate partnerships and make our stores young and hip. Through the cafés, we have created a way for people to gather and be surrounded by nature. Those who come in every morning for a cup of coffee think of us when they need to buy a bouquet of flowers. We want to foster community and build a local attachment to our brand.I'm a partner in Haven, a boutique hotel in Montauk, which is a separate business from PlantShed. In the past few years, we have blown Haven out with plants, putting custom-made hanging baskets in the walkways and tropical houseplants in the hotel rooms. Guests love it. Now I am working on a hotel concept. I'm trying to find a location for a farmstead, greenhouse and inn in the Hudson Valley or the Catskills. PlantShed would own it, and it would be something really unique, bridging biophilia and hospitality.It's definitely something we could bring to New York City or another city down the line. We have found that incorporating plant life in an urban setting is appealing to people. We assume these travelers want a city vibe, rather than a country or tropical feel. So it would be a matter of incorporating plants and flowers in a way that accentuates the look and feel of a city. https://www.crainsnewyork.com/asked-answered/third-generation-owner-seeks-turn-retail-plant-shop-lifestyle-brand

N.Y. man who buried the man he murdered behind a N.J. florist shop found guilty - NJ.com

Vance said in a release. "He was murdered in cold blood in a crime of unconscionable violence, his body mutilated, thrown from a fourth-story window, and abandoned behind a florist's shop in New Jersey."Comunale was stabbed 15 times on Nov. 13 at Rackover's East 59th Street apartment following a party also attended by Lawrence Dilione, 28, of Jersey City and Max Gemma, 30, of Oceanport, authorities said.Both men are also facing charges related to the incident, including a second-degree murder charge for Dilione.At about 9:45 p.m. that night, Rackover and Dilione drove Comunale's body, which had been burned, to a field behind a florist on Monmouth Boulevard in Oceanport and buried it, investigators have said. A court motion filed on behalf of Gemma, who is the son of former Oceanport Mayor Gordon Gemma in January claimed Dilione, a former Oceanport resident, admitted to investigators that he knocked Comunale unconscious after an argument over cigarettes, the New York Post reported.Dilione told investigators that Rackover then viciously kicked and beat the defenseless Comunale. After realizing Comunale was severely injured and afraid of being arrested, the motion says, Rackover said: "We have to kill him," according to the report.Rackover is expected to be sentenced on Dec. 5, a release from the district attorney's office said.The charges against Dilione and Gemma were still pending Friday, Vance said.Dilione was charged with second-degree murder, hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence and three counts of concealment of a human corpse. Gemma was charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence.Dilione was scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 14 and Gemma's court da... https://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2018/11/ny_man_who_buried_the_man_he_murdered_behind_a_nj_florist_shop_found_guilty.html