Altadena Flower Shop News
Let a hundred flowers bloom in honor of Zeke the Sheik - The Pasadena Star-News
Tuesday, September 10, 2019Mostly newspaper reporters.And some judges, on down the line.That’s ‘cause Zeke, aka Tim Dundon of Altadena, was the proprietor of a famous heap of organic matter hard by Mountain View Cemetery that was 30 feet high and covered almost all of a 50-foot by 217-foot lot near his garden.Cemeteries throw off a lot of grass clippings, and Zeke’s chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese deposited what he liked to call a lot of doo-doo. Still, even for a prolific gardener like Zeke — tomatoes and whatnot, boring squash, but also plenty of weed, back when that was under Prohibition — there was more compost than a person knew what to do with. I mean, you can only fertilize so many zucchini. If the pile weren’t there, or were smaller, he could have grown a bushel and a peck more veg.But, as our Janette Williams noted in these pages nine years ago, Zeke saw the compost itself as his life’s work. When after much legal wrangling it was bulldozed on April 20, 2005 when the property was put on the market by the cemetery — the owner of the lot on which Zeke squatted — it was a traumatic experience Dundon told Janette he never gotten ... https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2019/08/14/let-a-hundred-flowers-bloom-in-honor-of-zeke-the-sheik/
A guide to our favorite spring garden tours in SoCal - Los Angeles Times
Tuesday, March 14, 2017Brentwood. Noon to 4 p.m. $30. (424) 268-8780. westlakevillagegardenclub.orgApril 23: The Creative Arts Group's 23rd "Art of the Garden" tour will highlight five private gardens in Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre. 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. $30 in advance; $35 day of tour at 108 N. Baldwin Ave. in Sierra Madre. (626) 355-8360: www.creativeartsgroup.orgApril 29-30: Tour homes and gardens in a variety of architectural styles at the Floral Park Home and Garden Tour north of Santa Ana. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Advance tickets, $30; same day, $35. Classic cars and antiques vendors will be located on North Park Drive. (714) 648-0904. floralparkhometour.comApril 30: South Pasadena Beautiful hosts a self-guided tour of six sustainable gardens in South Pasadena. 1 to 4 p.m. A plant swap will be held at 565 Camino Verde. Free. No tickets or registration required. southpasbeautiful.orgApril 30: Explore six private gardens in Pasadena, open to the public for self-guided tours to benefit the Garden Conservancy. Maps and discounted tickets will be available at the La Casita del Arroyo Garden, 177 South Arroyo Boulevard, Pasadena from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; gardens are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $7 per garden (children under 12 free), no reservations required, rain or shine. (888) 842-2442; gardenconservancy.org/open-daysMay 5: The Laguna Beach Garden Club hosts a self-guided walking tour of private gardens on and around Brooks Street in the city’s Village neighborhood. The tour includes free refreshments, exhibits, a keepsake brochure, shuttle bus service, a plant sale and a raffle of prizes donated by local artists and businesses. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. $45 to $50. lagunabeachgardenclub.orgMay 6: The self-guided Leimert Park Garden Tour will feature eleven private gardens. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $15, and children under 13 free. Tickets can be purchased the day of the event at the Garden Tour Hub, located at Community Build’s courtyard in Leimert Park Village, 4305 Degnan Blvd. A map will be provided at the Hub, which will also offer food, live music, and a variety of vendors and exhibitors. a href="http://www.leimertparkgardento... http://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-spring-garden-tours-2017-story.html
Dear Abby: Boyfriend kindly ordered flowers, but they arrived looking tattered - Chicago Sun-Times
Saturday, January 18, 2020I don’t know what to do. I don’t have many other friends. I live out of state from my family, and I still love her dearly. How should I proceed? — SELF-HELPER IN CALIFORNIADEAR SELF-HELPER: Proceed by continuing to move forward. If you seek out new activities, you will meet more people with common interests. Do not drop her. Call her periodically to check in, and make a point of inviting her to join you in some of your new interests. However, if she refuses, do not let it deter you from doing what you must to aid in your healing. I congratulate you for finding the strength to get the help you needed.Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)... https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/1/18/21071522/dear-abby-boyfriend-kindly-ordered-flowers-but-they-arrived-looking-tattered
Redding woman will use 23,000 flowers to bring Rose Bowl float to life - Chico Enterprise-Record
Saturday, January 18, 2020The final leg — decorating week — starts the day after Christmas, complete with a judging at the end.Like stories about the Golden State? Click here to get our In California newsletter in your inbox.“It’s kind of two different ways you can take it: more of a realistic, elegant way or more of a fun and cartoon-y way,” Toney said.A conceptual design of the 2020 Cal Poly Rose Parade float, “Aquatic Aspirations.” (Cal Poly — Contributed)This year’s theme is “The Power of Hope,” and Toney and her team are creating an undersea landscape with a submarine floating above. How does their “Aquatic Aspirations” design tie into that? The idea is that seafarers are out hoping to spot some treasure, but end up finding the wonders of the natural world even more rewarding.To make that concept believable, Toney said her team has been in constant contact with farmers throughout California as they choose the right flowers for the job — color, shape and seasonality all factor in.And that’s just the logistical piece.Students work on the submarine portion of the Aquatic Aspirations float in Pomona. (Tom Zasadzinski — Cal Poly)Once they pick out flowers, the team has to figure out how to arrange them in a way that quickly and clearly conveys the float’s message.“You only have a few seconds for people to see your float, so it’s really critical to use things that allow people to understand what it is,” Toney said.While Toney initially signed up for float club as a creative and social outlet, she’s also a business administration major who’s learning lessons that would play out in her future career — from working to secure the right flowers to ironing out any disputes that might come up.It all takes a lot of ingenuity — and, at least this year, a lot of cleanup. Toney’s team is using tiny plastic vials to fill the float with green flowers, and each one will need cleaning. They’re also using upside-down floral arrangements to mimic the look of jellyfish, and — since natural materials are a must — coffee grounds to color a sunken ship.Maddie Toney holds a patch commemorating the 2020 Rose Parade float. (Tom Zasadzinski — Cal Poly)At the end of it all, there’s nothing like seeing the final product with everyone else as it makes its way down Pasadena’s Colorado B... https://www.chicoer.com/redding-woman-will-use-23000-flowers-to-bring-rose-bowl-float-to-life
Victoria's Mobile Flower Shop is always in bloom with a new brick-and-mortar store - Tribune-Review
Saturday, January 18, 2020Brookline basement, where she lives with her husband Josh and their dog Harris.Victoria’s Mobile Flower Shop now has a brick-and-mortar store in Avalon.It’s a bright and sunny space located at 643 California Ave. Years ago, the building housed a barber. When he retired from the hairstyling business, his wife transformed it into a flower shop.The shelves are relatively bare — lined with a few locally made products, including soaps, T-shirts and candles — but that will change after the holiday season when Smith has time to make the place blossom.Since opening in early December, she’s hosted classes on everything from block-printing and hand-lettering to wreath-making and cocktail mixology. The studio also is available to rent for private parties. There’s a large white table in the center of the store where people can work and mingle. Harris, a friendly pup who looks like a Muppet come to life, greets customers at the door.“More than anything, I want this to be a community space,” Smith says. “I even had a sign out front last week that said, ‘Don’t come in here for flowers. Come for conversation and a cup of coffee.’ ”Giving back to the community is important to Smith, which is why she launched an online Pay It Forward campaign. People can donate money through PayPal and, once the pot reaches $25, Victoria’s Mobile Flower Shop will deliver a bouquet to someone who could use a morale boost. Smith has already compiled a list of nursing homes and hospitals in the area.Aside from making deliveries, the truck will be parked for the winter. Smith is taking requests from individuals and businesses who want to book it for events when the warm weather rolls in.She hopes the Daihatsu – which boasts the license plate FLOWERS – is a welcome sight in every Pittsburgh neighborhood and inspires people to pick a bouquet.“A lot of times people think flowers are a luxury they can’t get for themselves,” Smith says. “But, when you make them accessible and it’s something you can grab one or 40 of, it makes your day.”TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.More Allegheny Stories... https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/victorias-mobile-flower-shop-is-always-in-bloom-with-a-new-brick-and-mortar-store/
No time to stop and smell the roses: Dream leads local florist to Rose Parade - Steamboat Pilot & Today
Saturday, January 18, 2020Longtime Steamboat Springs resident Susanne Bostrom is in California helping to build the floats for the Rose Parade.John F. RussellSTEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Longtime Steamboat Springs resident Susanne Bostrom can’t stop smiling these days as she talks about realizing her dream of being one of 900 volunteers who will be creating the floats for this year’s Rose Parade.“It was always a dream of mine,” Bostrom said of working on the floats that will roll just over five miles down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. “Fifteen years ago, I went to the Rose Parade because I was on board of directors of FTD for our district. They took the district representatives, and we were carted around in limousines. We got to go behind the scenes and meet all the main designers and went to the parade.”But even before that, Bostrom, who owned Alpine Floral & Atrium until she closed the business in 2012, dreamed of being a part of the New Year’s celebration. Last April, she learned she had been selected to work with Fiesta Parade Floats, one of th... https://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/no-time-to-stop-and-smell-the-roses-dream-leads-local-florist-to-rose-parade/
