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Syracuse flower business destroyed by Internet order-gatherers, florists say - Syracuse.com

Paul Daniels, owner of St. Agnes Floral Shop in Syracuse.Dennis Nett dnett@syracuse.comSYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Thanks to Mother's Day, high school proms and Syracuse University's Commencement, it's a big weekend for the flower business in Central New York.Local flower shops are slammed with orders, and about half of those orders will go through order-gathering websites, siphoning money from Syracuse's economy and further squeezing a struggling industry.Order-gathering websites, such as Teleflora or Gift Services, are out-of-town companies which collect online orders and farm them out to local flower shops (whom they charge to be part of their network). They never touch a flower, but rather act as a middle man on the Web, charging $15-25 in "service fees" for each sale.They get the business because they tend to top the search results on Google.Paul Daniels, owner of St. Agnes Floral Shop Inc. in Syracuse, says normally 20 percent of his business comes through these online "order-gatherers," but before holidays like Mother's Day, they take up half h... https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/05/syracuse_flower_business_destroyed_by_internet_order-gatherers_florists_say.html

Deep field set for Bridge of Flowers 40th anniversary

Ben Groleau, another Western Mass. Distance Project runner, is the UMass record-holder in the mile with a time of 4:01. Groleau was fourth at the New England 5-mile championships in 25:27. Dennis Roche, of Springfield, another WMDP runner, finished fifth last year at the Bridge of Flowers.The women’s field will be just as deep. Last year’s champion, Holly Rees, of Cambridge, is returning. Rees ran an average of just under 6 minutes a mile in winning the women’s crown in 37:05.Rees will be challenged by Semehar Tesfaye, of West Roxbury. Tesfaye won the Bridge of Flowers in 2016 in 39:03.Another major challenger is newcomer Aisling Cuffee, who graduated from Stanford but now lives in North Grafton and runs for Saucony under coach Ray Treacy. Cuffee has a 15:11 personal record in a 5K.The third, fourth and fifth-place finishers from a year ago also return in the women’s field. Apryl Sabadosa, of Westfield, took third. Karen Bertasso, of Albany, New York, is a two-time Bridge of Flowers winner. She was fourth last year. The fifth-place finisher from a year ago was Jenna Giglioti, of Northampton, who joins Sabadosa as two of the top female runners in the Western Mass. Distance Project.Another person to keep an eye on is newcomer Kim Nedeau, of Leverett, who is a top hill runner in New England and placed second at the Mount Washington Road Race in 2016.Ashley Krauss, of Easthampton, recently placed eighth at the James Joyce 10K in Dedham, which served as the U.S. championship for the Master’s (ages 40-49) Division. Sidney Letendre, of Florence, returns after running an 8:11 pace on the course last season at the age of 62. https://www.gazettenet.com/Bridge-of-Flowers-19387803

Sex and deception: Why the corpse flower smells like death

It emits ... the very foulest odour known to the upper world, and the strongest."Since then, the species has continued to fascinate, drawing crowds and appearing in pop culture from 1993's Dennis the Menace to the Simpsons.And science has been hard at work pinning down the exact ingredients in the smell, identifying more than two-dozen volatile compounds, including sulpherous compounds often associated with rotten eggs.Using an "electronic nose," researchers at the University of Tokyo even published what they call an objective description of the smell, which begins as "decayed cabbage, garlic and pungent sour," before hitting fish and urine near the end.In a 2003 episode of The Simpsons, the town of Springfield waited for the horribly smelling 'Sumatran Century Flower' to bloom. (Fox)Smelling like death has its perksEven in the 1880s, "so far has Darwinism spread among the masses," the Times noted, crowds who came to smell the corpse flower wanted an evolutionary explanation.Indeed, smelling like death can be useful, says Ernesto Sandoval, the manager and curator of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory, which has four adult corpse flowers in its gardens.It attracts carrion flies, dung beetles and other pollinators that are looking for rotting meat — a good move for a rare plant spread over long distances."Since individuals of this species are pretty far apart from each other, flies make really good pollinators, along with beetles, because they're going out pretty long distances looking for dead things to eat."Dung beetles, along with carrion flies and other insects, are reported to be among the main pollinators of corpse flowers in the wild, attracted by the plant's putrid smell. ((AP Photo/Scanpix Sweden/Drago Prvulovic))Insects 'totally duped'The total display may only last 48 hours, and it can be years between blooms for any one corpse flower, so the plant goes all out for its brief chance at sex.It's a fascinating display of mimicry, because the plant not only smells like rotten flesh but tries to feel like it too.During the first, most pungent night of flowering — known as the female flowering phase — the plant heats itself up to between 36-38 C, to emulate the heat generated by a decomposing carcass.As a result, insects are tricked into pollination."The flies and the beetles don't get anything out of visiting the flowers," said Sandoval, unlike, say bees gathering pollen and nectar for honey."They're totally duped into being so convinced it's a dead animal that sometimes they even lay their ... eggs inside the flower."Bruce McDonald, superintendent at Bloedel Conservatory, tending to the growing bloom of 'Uncle Fester,' the corpse flower. (Paul Czene/Vancouver Park Board)'Beauty and stink'For Sandoval, whose facility has hosted the spectacle of eight corpse flower blooms since 2003, t... https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/corpse-flower-smell-death-1.4748741

How to Kill LGBT Marriage Equality, One Wedding Cake and Bouquet of Flowers at a Time

Supreme Court. It may be legal process. It is also part of an assault on marriage equality.Tim Teeman06.25.18 7:57 PM ETPhoto Illustration by The Daily BeastIs it a hot potato, a tennis ball? Maybe both.The “it” is LGBT rights and equality, and the two sides eyeing its mysterious, contested trajectory high in the air are LGBT rights campaigners and those who believe that their “religious freedom” is threatened by baking a wedding cake for a same-sex couple or providing them with flowers.On Monday, SCOTUS sent back for further consideration a Washington Supreme Court ruling that went against a flower shop, Arlene’s Flowers Inc., which declined to make an arrangement for Curt Freed and Robert Ingersoll’s marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court returned the case back to the Washington state court, asking it to reconsider it in light of the SCOTUS ruling on Masterpiece Cakeshop earlier this month.Back then, SCOTUS determined that the baker concerned, Jack Phillips, had not had his religious beliefs treated neutrally by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission when the commission had ruled that he’d violated state law by refusing to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple, David Mullins and Charlie Craig.“The neutral and respectful consideration to which Phillips was entitled was compromised here,”... https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-to-kill-lgbt-marriage-equality-one-wedding-cake-and-bouquet-of-flowers-at-a-time

WKU to close down the WKU Floral Shop next week - College Heights Herald

Courses that use the shop's space include Introduction to Floral Design, Advanced Floral Design and Wedding Floral Design, according to their website. The Herald reached out to Roger Dennis, director of the Floral Design and Training Center, but he declined to comment at this time. According to his WKU bio, Dennis is the instructor for the three courses that use the training center.In a statement provided to the Daily News, Paul Woosley, director of the Agriculture & Research Education Center, said the floral design center has been applauded as a student-centric program with applied learning opportunities. "It has supplied numerous students with hands-on learning experiences that relate to managing a small business. It has been the showcase of the program and a source of outreach for the university," Woosley said in his statement. "Its closing would be a detriment to WKU students."Other florist shop owners also publicly commented on McKinney's Facebook post. David Houk, the president and director of The Cedar Flowers & Gifts Inc. according to business registration information filed with the secretary of state's office and confirmed by his Facebook profile, said he was one of the nine regional florists who has also been working to shut down the Floral Shop."You can blame anyone you want, truth is we all nine of us worked for the same goal. I have supported WKU since I went to school there in the early 70's, I will still support WKU, but a state fun[d]ed flower shop is just not right, however you cut it," Houk said in his comment. Roainn Ridley, the owner of Mackenzie's Flowers in Bowling Green according to her Facebook profile, also confirmed she was one of the nine local florists who has been working to close the Floral Shop.  "Those in leadership at WKU who are responsible for the difficult task of making budget cuts have the information needed to accomplish their goals," Ridley said in her comment. Because of WKU's current budget deficit, "the University determined that it is in the institution’s best interest not to engage in a dispute with community business owners," and the WKU Floral Shop will close on May 6, the statement said.Skipper said in an email that there will not be a Request for Proposal released regarding entering into a "public-private partnership that would allow us to maintain the operation of the WKU Floral Shop."The WKU Floral Shop will complete any orders and services that have already been arranged with the shop, according to the statement. The full statement is available below:WKU statement on WKU Floral ShopIn September 2017, the University was approached by a group of floral business owners operating in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and Simpson County, Kentucky, and subsequently by their attorney, claiming that the WKU Floral Shop represented unfair market competition because it is partially subsidized by a public university.  WKU officials made a good faith effort to address the group’s questions and concerns, and in the interest of maintaining an important student learning laboratory, sought to find a mutually agreeable solution that would have allowed the shop to continue operating under a public-private partnership.  Unfortunately, this was not acceptable to the group, and the University was unable to resolve their concerns.     Given the totality of the $30 million budget shortfall that WKU is currently managing, the University determine... http://wkuherald.com/news/wku-to-close-down-the-wku-floral-shop-next-week/article_bdd2cfe2-4cb3-11e8-aff6-9f549d85f2c2.html

Alexandria Florist Invents Free Online Puzzle Game - The Zebra

District of Columbia. Originally designed as a game to be played in Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC, SillyPuzzles has now branched out as far as Florida and Texas with new puzzles being designed daily.To play the free game, players create an account and login to see nearby puzzles listed in order by distance from their phone. When they get near the designated puzzle location, a clue or question appears. Some are easy and require only that the player observe the point of interest and answer a question. Others require the use of logic to solve a math problem or a riddle.SillyPuzzles is free to play. There are no ads to view and players will not be subjected to any advertising unless they choose a puzzle that takes them to a retail merchant location that is indicated in the puzzle description. Premium Memberships may be available in the future.For more information. visit sillypuzzles.com. https://thezebra.org/2018/07/10/alexandria-florist-invents-free-online-puzzle-game/

Horticulture expert brings floral design class to ASU - The State Press

Anderson received a master's degree in horticulture, the science and art of growing plants, at Kansas State University and her doctorate in horticulture from Texas A&M University. She also taught classes in floral design at both universities.Anderson will teach a topic course called Wellness in Floral Art for the 2019 spring semester at ASU. The class will focus on how flowers relieve stress and affect the senses. “It’s biophilia, so we’re being connected back to nature, which is where we come from," Anderson said. "Working with plants is a therapy, so not only is it a therapy for me to educate others on floral design as an art form and a stress reliever, (but) it’s also awesome to see other people benefit from it.”  While 90 universities in the U.S. offer bachelor's degrees in horticulture, only two universities offer degrees in floral design according to The Bachelor's Portal. As a result, aspiring floral designers often select horticulture as a major.However, Anderson said an arts background is more valuable for entering the floral design field and modified her horticulture research accordingly. “When I was managing studios in San Diego and Los Angeles, the owners of the studios kept asking me to find florists that had an art background, not a plant science or horticulture background,” Anderson said. “That’s when I got the idea that we need (to) advocate floral design as an art form in order to have a more educated work force.” Anderson also has her own business, The Flori.Culture, in which she teaches floral art classes and creates arrangements for clients. She said she has created arrangements for events hosted by large companies including Cisco and Walgreens.On the website, Anderson runs a blog called The Chlorophyll Chronicle where she discusses "flowers. food. fashion." She also has a YouTube channel, The Flori.Culture, where she shows off arrangements and gives tutorials on how to make them. “If you are interested in floral design, in the aesthetics, then you are probably also interested in food and fashion and even interior design, so I think it all goes hand-in-hand," Anderson said. [embedded content]Katherine Merveille, the owner of Merveille Floral and Design Atelier and a colleague of Anderson, said that Anderson’s extensive... http://www.statepress.com/article/2018/10/spartcult-floral-art-advocate-brings-new-classes-to-asu

5 Free Apps to Order Valentine's Flowers - The Mac Observer

From You Flowers offers beautiful flower arrangements for same day delivery by a local florist. Whether you need to send flowers to New York, Texas, or California, FromYouFlowers.com offers USA flower delivery from coast to coast. Want to make it a one-of-a-kind gift? Add a teddy bear, chocolates or a balloon bouquet to your online flower order.Be the first to know about promotion and discount announcements about flower arrangements! Also, you can quickly place a flower order with your mobile device and send flowers to your loved ones with the same day delivery option using the special day reminders and deals. [4 Valentine Apps to Shop for That Special Someone]Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash... https://www.macobserver.com/tips/quick-tip/5-apps-valentines-flowers/

Baacks to the future: New owners adding wine, beer option with delivery of flowers, gifts - ReporterNews.com

Dan Harwell purchased the company in 1972, and later his son, Luke, joined the business full-time in 2002 after graduating from Texas Tech University. The younger Harwell eventually took over operations of the family business. Under the new owners, some things remain the same. One fixture is the employees, including a designer who has been at Baack’s for 31 years, Petre said. There also are efforts to revive some former Baack’s traditions, such as a Christmas open house and growing some plants in-house, Petre said. Her brother, Marc Petre, is sprucing up the shuttered greenhouses on the property, she said. At one time, Baack’s was known for cultivating poinsettias, geraniums, Easter lilies, hydrangeas and annual bedding plants, according to the Reporter-News archives. In addition to floral arrangements for all occasions, Baack’s also offers the crafting and delivery of gift boxes around many themes, such as golf, fishing, hunting and tailgating. Packages also can be created for children’s events, baby showers, Father’s Day and other special moments, Petre said. Her goal is to use products from local wineries and chocolatiers to include with her gift options.   Late bloomer Managing a flower and gift shop is a dream come true for Petre, who previously worked as a bartender for 10 years. That experience in the alcohol industry will be a plus with the addition of the wine and beer delivery with Baack's flowers and gift boxes, she said. “I’ve always been artistic and real artsy, and I love making things look pretty,” Petre said. “I always thought that it would be so cool to be able to own a flower shop and to do that every day.” Her previous creative interests include making stylish belt buckles and jewelry out of bones and antlers. She first learned about wine and beer delivery while attending a floral design workshop in Austin several months ago. “I’m 43 years old and I needed a change. I quit my job and this just kind of fell in our laps. I like to call it divine intervention,” Petre said. https://www.reporternews.com/story/money/business/local/2019/01/17/new-abilene-florist-baacks-owners-adding-wine-beer-option-flower-gift-box-delivery/2548924002/