Altadena, CA Florists

Altadena Flower Shop News

Let a hundred flowers bloom in honor of Zeke the Sheik - The Pasadena Star-News

Mostly 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

Brentwood. 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

Small but mighty, a Washington florist battles back in the pandemic - Reuters

I really think they did a good job by not reopening too soon, because look at all the places that are having to close back down, like California, Texas,” Banks said. As the White House and Congress debate the next coronavirus relief bill, Banks said she would like more business funding and clarity on Paycheck Protection Program loans. The shop received a $75,000 loan under the program, allowing it to rehire furloughed staff. “They say it’s forgivable, but they haven’t come out with any clear-cut rules on how to make it forgivable,” Banks said. “I am on pins and needles.” Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Dan Burns and Richard ChangOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-smallbusiness/small-but-mighty-a-washington-florist-battles-back-in-the-pandemic-idUSKCN2511D6

Flower power: Business continues to bloom at Skyway Creations in Colorado Springs - Colorado Springs Gazette

The business has seen many changes, Don says, though there’s also a lot that hasn’t changed. “You’re still dealing with the trucks and the delivery and the product.”That product comes largely from California, with flowers bred in that state, and from Florida, a conduit for flowers from South America.“We’ve always bought from California and Florida,” Don says. But he’s also had to look to producers closer to home to fulfill a growing desire for more unusual flowers.“We need so many varieties of flowers now. We used to be able to order a big case of this and that. Now we need this special flower.”A desire for more variety isn’t the only change he has seen in consumer tastes. “They say the rose will never die, it will always be a contender,” he says, But, “the rose has finally faded a little bit in the public eye.” One increasingly popular flower, particularly with “the younger crowd,” is the Gerbera daisy.Those younger buyers have also spurred plant sales.“The millennials,” he says, “have caught on to plants again. In some ways, green plant sales died for a while, but millennials really like what we do here. The succulents are quite popular.”At the same time, though, the corporate world is embracing artificial greenery as a way to cut down on maintenance costs, Don says.“We’re doing more artificial than we’ve ever done, and that’s definitely the wave of the future.” He admires how far the artificial greenery has come — “some of the artificial these days will totally fool you” — but cautions that even artificial plants need care, specifically dusting. Colorado Springs workshop teaches ancient craft of blacksmithingWeddings continue to provide steady business. “We do as many as 100 weddings a year, so two a weekend.”Corporate customers, such as local hotels, also remain key to the business.“The hotels are still strong,” Don says. “We’re not doing the centerpiece work, the party work, that we used to get with the hotels.”He calls the 2008 economic crisis “the 25% recession.”“We lost about 25% of our customers, and the rest were asking for a 25% discount. If you can’t do it, somebody else will, so what do you do? You sharpen your pencil and go for it.”That was just one of many economic downturns the business has survived over a half-century.“We’ve always been lucky, we’ve never laid anybody off,” Don says. There have been times where he has gone to his staff and warned them that either someone would have to go or everyone would need to trim their hours, “and everyone has always been willing to do that. That says a lot for my crew.”Other flower shops have not fared as well; Don has seen several vanish over the years. He looks at Skyway and Platte Floral, which has been around for nearly 100 years, as “the two big guns on the block as far as full service.”“We’re so lucky to both still be here in the town,” Lori says.Big-box stores and grocery stores emerged as competition 20 or 30 years ago, and Don thinks that is finally taking its toll a bit. “You see an awful lot of people lined up at the supermarkets at holiday time.”But, he said, “we still get them with the quality,” and the customer service.“We spend the time with people,” he says. He u... https://gazette.com/business/flower-power-business-continues-to-bloom-at-skyway-creations-in-colorado-springs/article_d5c342b4-5821-11ea-b62d-7be600878467.html

Flower Power: Farm-to-Vase Movement Takes Root on Chicago's South and West Sides - WTTW News

U.S., is more often than not Colombia or possibly Ecuador. The small slice of the market not dominated by imports is, in turn, almost entirely monopolized by California growers. Before they reach Chicago, the blooms, most of which are cultivated in greenhouses, will have traveled thousands of miles via energy-guzzling refrigerated planes, cargo ships and trucks, passing from farmer to exporter to wholesaler to retailer. Plenty won’t survive. What you wind up holding in your hand is less a natural wonder than a marvel of logistics and the modern global supply chain. All of which serves as a prologue to the story of Eco House. Eco House founder Quilen Blackwell. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Rain barrels are the sole source of water for the farm's irrigation system. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Beehives at the farm. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Lilies, biding their time before blooming. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Southside Blooms' floral studio, in the basement of the Blackwells' home. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) What a Midwestern flower farm looks like, when spring bloomers are spent, and summer's are freshly planted. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Southside Blooms seasonal spring bouquet. (Southside Blooms) Eco House upends pretty much everything we just told you about the flower industry. Here’s a farm with land located not in South America but the South and West sides of Chicago. Flowers are grown outdoors in the dirt on formerly vacant lots in E... https://news.wttw.com/2020/07/08/slow-flower-movement-chicago-eco-house

Around East County: Don’t forget area small businesses still open - East Bay Times

The business had even closed up shop for a few days before receiving a notice from the California Association of Flower Growers and Shippers, which sent out news that as agriculture-based businesses, florists could indeed keep operating hours with a few safety restrictions.“This was good news, as we wanted to find a way to help bring brightness to everyone’s day,” said Denise Grace, an employee for the small business. “Everyone has been supportive of us remaining open.”Part of the process of staying open means keeping up social distancing practices. While not allowing customers into the shop to see their assortment of flowers is a little difficult, much of Good Scents’ business can be done online or over the phone. They have an extensive website with pictures of available flower arrangements.“People usually order flowers through our website or phone in orders for deliveries to relatives and friends during regular circumstances,” Grace said. “When making deliveries we can call people in advance and see how they want the flowers delivered. Most of the time we can just leave them on the porch without seeing anyone.”Grace explained that they are even waiving local delivery fees to help. Good Scents Florist has reduced their current hours to Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon; call 925-625-5550 for details. Similar florists in Brentwood, Antioch and Pittsburg have also remained open. Information can be found on their websites for hours and services offered.Roni Gehlke can be reached at oakleynow@comcast.net. ... https://www.eastbaytimes.com/around-east-county-dont-forget-area-small-businesses-still-open