Bloomington, WI Florists

Bloomington Flower Shop News

Orange Flower Healing blossoms into new location

Becky Holtzman discovered Reiki in 2013 when someone recommended she take a class on it. After taking this class, Holtzman said she found something she loved.She moved back to Bloomington from Portland, Oregon in 2015 and opened her own local Reiki practice, Orange Flower Healing, out of her home.  In spring 2016, she started looking for places for the practice outside of her home.Orange Flower Healing moved to a new location Sept. 4 in the Landmark Offices off West Third Street. The practice had an open house Sept. 22.  Reiki is a Japanese form of alternative medicine. According to the Orange Flower website, the benefits, which include stress reduction and body system balance, are given through light touches.At Orange Flower, a Reiki treatment is 90 minutes. Sixty minutes is the Reiki process itself, which involves the practitioner placing his or her hands on spots on the client's head, stomach and back for three to five minutes each. The remaining 30 minutes are for conversation before and after the session. A sign that says “Keep Calm and Practice Reiki” sits in Becky Holtzman’s healing studio Sept. 26 in Orange Flower Healing. Reiki, an alternative therapy focused on restoring mind and body balance, usually translates as “universal life energy.” Matt Begala Buy Photos Holtzman said she is not the only person in Bloomington to offer Reiki. In fact, there is an active Reiki community and there are many different types. The type Holtzman practices is Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki. Holtzman said she feels she was trained in the very traditional way, which is a slow process, and is still apprenticing with a Reiki master. She hopes to finish next year. “... https://www.idsnews.com/article/2018/09/caorangeflower092418

Local designer shaping Governor's Mansion renovations

Pastry says its an honor to design flower arraignments for the Governors Mansion which reopens on Saturday.(Photo Courtesy: Illinois Governor’s Mansion Association/Facebook)By Blake HaasBLOOMINGTON – Stop and smell the Roses has always been an old saying, but for one Bloomington native that has turned into a life long dream.With the seed being planted in 4-H, one local florist didn’t know what she would be doing then would blossom into the face of the Governors Mansion in Springfield.“I was a kid in 4-H and I took flower design and horticulture as a project and then enjoyed it and kept doing it over the years and [then] I majored in horticulture in college,” added Candice Hart, owner of Pollen and Pastry located at 2121 Morrissey Dive in Bloomington. “I started my business during Grad School [at University of Illinois in Champaign] and kept going with it.”When Gov. Bruce Rauner first moved to the mansion in 2014, he found peeling paint, over grown trees and shrubs, buckling walls and other problems including problems with the roof, but after a $15 million renovation was announced on July 18, 2016, by Illinois First Lady Diana Rauner, that paved the way or ... http://www.wjbc.com/2018/07/13/local-designer-shaping-governors-mansion-renovations/

Museum of History dedicates garden to Illinois bicentennial

The red, white, and blue flowers outside the McLean County Museum of History symbolize the county’s contribution to Illinois’ history. (Patrick Baron/WJBC)By Patrick BaronBLOOMINGTON – Red, white, and blue flowers on the four corners of the McLean County Museum of History have been dedicated to Illinois’ bicentennial celebration.Museum Executive Director Adam Lovell said the museum wanted to do something special to commemorate Illinois’ 200th birthday.“We’re dedicating this as the Illinois bicentennial garden,” Lovell explained. “We always do some sort of garden landscaping every year. We wanted to up the game a little bit this year so we have the red, white, and blue theme to symbolize McLean County’s contribution to Illinois’ and America’s history.”Lovell noted the flowers will be on display all summer. He took a moment to recognize a few people who played an important role in getting the flowers put in the ground.“One of our board members, Russel Francois, he was really instrumental,” said Lovell. “We had our master gardener, Bob Bradley, and he organized a group of a... http://www.wjbc.com/2018/05/25/museum-of-history-dedicates-garden-to-illinois-bicentennial/

New florist opens in Bloomington with 'loose, natural' designs - Bloomington Pantagraph

BLOOMINGTON — A new florist has taken root in downtown Bloomington and the owner plans to bring unique arrangements with local blooms to the community.Vera & Buck Floral Studio & Farm opened for service last week at 320 N. Main St. under ownership of Meg McCormick of Bloomington.McCormick, who previously managed wedding arrangements at a downtown Chicago florist for two years, describes her floral style as “loose and natural.”“I love to let the flowers speak through their natural movements,” said McCormick. “It’s my goal not only to produce beautiful things, but to introduce the community to different flower types and arrangements.”She plans to incorporate fragrant greens, such as eucalyptus, mint, basil and rosemary, into her summer creations.Through a “farm-to-vase” approach, McCormick will cultivate flowers from a plot of land at her parents’ home in Carlock for the business.She said the farm is in the experimental stage, but in the meantime Vera & Buck will supplem... http://www.pantagraph.com/business/new-florist-opens-in-bloomington-with-loose-natural-designs/article_bd9abb7d-c417-5ef1-b519-9f9d4a38a22a.html

Flowers by Jeannie announces new business name: North in Bloom - Herald Review

Cook. “I’m very excited to start off the new year with a new business identity that truly reflects who we are and what we deliver.”Growing up, Cook’s grandmother owned a flower shop in Bloomington, Minn., called Always in Bloom. Following in her grandmother’s footsteps with her own shop is something Cook is very proud to have accomplished. North in Bloom is a nod to Cook’s history with a northern twist.“Honoring my grandmother means so much to me,” continued Cook. “This name is a special way to stay connected with my roots while making this business truly my own.”Cook worked with Minuteman Press of Grand Rapids to develop the new business name and logo.“We wanted something that captured the northern lifestyle that makes living and working in northern Minnesota so unique. Minuteman Press delivered above and beyond my expectations. I’m really proud of how the rebrand turned out.”With the first year in the books, Cook is developing a reputation for excellence in Grand Rapids and the surrounding community. She’s a sought-after floral designer for weddings and takes special care to incorporate the personality of each couple into her work. Cook also provides tasteful and beautiful funeral arrangements as well as arrangements for everyday occasions and more.North in Bloom is located at 204 NW 1st Ave., in Grand Rapids. Cook specializes in wedding and funeral arrangements, and her work will be featured in an upcoming issue of Lake + Time Magazine. http://www.grandrapidsmn.com/business/flowers-by-jeannie-announces-new-business-name-north-in-bloom/article_876b5508-f251-11e7-ae3d-73dd75618d80.html

Susan In The Sky with Spring Flowers - Ricochet.com

Madison Wisconsin, Spring 1975She was house sitting, that week, as memory serves. The teacher’s home had an adobe-style wall fencing in a plethora of dogwoods and cherry, plum and almond with an occasional Japanese maple thrown in. There were hydrangeas and rhubarb, the stalks of irises, and some jonquils so newly yellow peeking out from behind some type of vegetation.“I love it here, don’t you?” she asked. We, two young women, sat swinging on the porch couch, sipping our coffee and enjoying our lives. The sky above us yawned so that the silvery grey clouds revealed a slumbering sun. From the way things felt around us, it was hard to know if it would be sunny or rainy, chilly or warm. Being Wisconsin, it could be all of those things, in just ten or twelve hours!“We could bike over to the lumber yard, if you want.” She could tell I was battling simmering emotions. Friends always know these things.“Are you sure Dar hasn’t forgotten?” I asked, feeling nervous. The deal was, today was crib day. W... https://ricochet.com/623926/susan-in-the-sky-with-spring-flowers/

Make sure your Mothers Day flowers are what you paid for - WSAU News

CDU) party congress in Hamburg, Germany, December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch MADISON, WI (Wisconsin Radio Network-WSAU) Mother's Day is Sunday. If you're looking to find a flower arrangement for Mom, make sure you're getting what you're paying for.State consumer protection director Michelle Reinen says one option you might have, if your mom lives here in the state, is to get a local florist to put together something with a Wisconsin touch. "If you are asking these questions and really looking, you may be able to get something special that's unique to our state, and give that as your gift as well."Reinen says ask about pricing and if a vase is included, and when possible work with a florist directly in your mom's area, rather than a floral service.Reinen said, "Other questions are what flowers are fresh and season in that specific area. In Wisconsin we're going to have different seasonal flowers right now than somebody in Hawai'i or Florida."= ... https://wsau.com/news/articles/2019/may/06/make-sure-your-mothers-day-flowers-are-what-you-paid-for/

Capital - Why are flowers so expensive? - BBC News

Jeanie McKewan, who has been growing flowers for 13 years in the US states of Illinois and Wisconsin, points to insect damage as a big challenge, saying there’s a “zero tolerance” policy: “It is through constant vigilance and the use of integrated pest management that we keep the little buggers from getting the best of our crops,” she says.Then the flowers have to bloom on schedule. In the case of Mother’s Day tulips planted in January or February, they have to bloom by early May in time to be picked and shipped.Labour costs are already high – according to the 2012 US Agricultural Census, contract and hired labour accounted for 10% of total agricultural operating expenses in the US, but that number soared to 40% for greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production because of a tighter farm labour market and rising wages. Then you add extra costs for peaks.McKewan hires extra hands during peak periods but says cutting flowers “requires experience and cannot be done by just any part-time employee”. Chris Drummond, a Philadelphia-based florist, says wages average around $13.25 (£10.16) per hour in the US. “In order to ramp up production to meet holiday demand, growers are required to pay far above that average,” he says.In developed countries like the Netherlands or Germany, Stewart says that there are greenhouses with automated technology like sophisticated watering machines or robot transplanters and harvesters, where fewer workers are needed. But in poorer nations with cheaper labour, there’s less use of technology.  Then it’s time for shipping. While flowers are waiting on the runway or in the back of a lorry, temperatures can’t be too cold (for Valentine’s Day) or too hot (for Mother’s Day). When they arrive at the wholesaler, they must look perfect. That means no bug bites, no missing petals, no dead buds. Otherwise, they get thrown away. “It has to be flawless,” Stewart says.Complicated logisticsChris Drummond, the florist, estimates that the holiday volume “is usually nearly 20 times the everyday volume”. He says many farmers nurture flowers all year long to ensure enough blooms for the handful of holidays. During the other months on the farm, he says, flowers are sold at cost, below cost or discarded and turned into mulch.“So, of course farm price increases as demand increases,” he says. “Consumers are paying a premium to make sure that grower is compensated for their expense and effort to maintain the plants year-round, thus ensuring the wide variety of flowers is available at each holiday.”He highlights costs across the supply chain, saying industry participants must “rent temporary space, pay fuel surcharges, find space on airlines, hire independent drivers, find more refrigerated trucks, pay overtime to staff” and more. Roses flown from Bogota to Miami are hit with a 15-cent (£0.12) importer’s fee to clear customs and inspection. Domestic refrigerated shipping can vary, but that’s another eight cents (£0.06) per rose.It also depends on what kind of flower you’re shipping – Drummond says 300 carnations can fit into the same box as 150 roses, so the transport price per stem is halved. Transit time from field to florist can be up to a week (though it can wildly vary depending on where the flowers are coming from), and the blooms must be carefully handled every step of the way.Hans Larsen is a cut flower grower in the US state of Wisconsin and has ... http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20190507-why-are-flowers-so-expensive

Appletons Memorial Florists to diversify by growing hemp - Appleton Post Crescent

There's literally no way you can get high off hemp," said Rob Richard, senior director of governmental relations at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation in Madison. Nevertheless, hemp was outlawed as a crop in Wisconsin in 1970, squashing Wisconsin's hemp growing industry.  "Wisconsin has a long history of growing hemp and was the top producer in the country from the 30s to the 50s," said Richard.  The state Legislature passed a law in November 2017 to allow farmers to grow industrial hemp once again.  While legal to grow, Richard said farmers are keeping an eye on a federal 2018 farm bill, yet to be signed, that gives them more incentive. "It clears up any misinterpretation or legal interpretation of what hemp is. It will be a crop. It removes it from the controlled substances act," Richard said. "It makes it eligible for crop insurance, so it takes away some of the risk."  Richard sees hemp as a good option for Wisconsin farmers. "Our farmers are going through a rough time because commodity prices and milk prices are taking a beating. This is one avenue for farmers to hopefully make some profit on a crop."  Besides Front Range, a number of other companies offering seeds and "clones" or tissue cuttings for propagating plants are starting in the state. "They're looking at Wisconsin because we're No. 2 in available organic acreage. Organics are where a lot of the profitability is," he said.    Front Range leased one of Memorial's 15,400-square-foot greenhouses to grow tiny hemp plants — in much the same way greenhouses grow bedding or pack plants for home gardeners — that it will sell to Wisconsin farmers for planting in the fields. The operation will add eight full-time jobs.  Memorial Florists' traditional floral and greenhouse operations will continue in the remainder of its 40,000-square-foot facility.  That means home gardeners, decorators, brides, funerals and those looking for the business' better quality plants will ... https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2018/12/04/appletons-memorial-florists-greenhouses-signs-deal-grow-hemp/2201857002/