Aragon Flower Shop News
Ask the Gardener: Flower, bulb shows will put spring in your step - Boston.com
Tuesday, March 19, 2019Carolyn Weston. Trends in gardening reflected by the show include incorporating attractive edibles (like grape vines) into the landscape and creating outdoor entertaining spaces. Paragon Group Exhibitions & Services oversees the big display gardens on the main floor and the lectures and demonstrations, which give me a chance to sit down while I learn about selecting new peony hybrids, cold weather roses, and offbeat perennials. I also shop the commercial booths. Every year I buy a new flexible plastic garden tub trug to haul the hand tools, dahlia bulbs, and books I buy back home, where its also handy for dumping compost. Admission to the show is $20 for adults, $17 for seniors, and $15 after 5 p.m. on weekdays and Saturday. Children under 6 are free. For more information and e-tickets, visit bostonflowershow.com or call 800-258-8912.Another fantastic local resource is Arnold Arboretum. Visit my.arboretum.harvard.edu for a cornucopia of courses. My choice is “Cultivating Legacies: New England Women in Horticulture and Design,’’ a lecture on five 20th-century enthusiasts who created estate gardens. They are Mary “Polly’’ Wakefield of the Wakefield Estate in Milton, Eleanor Cabot Bradley of the Bradley Estate in Canton, Marian Roby Case of the Case Estates in Weston, Marjorie Russell Sedgwick of the gardens at Long Hill in Beverly, and Martha Brookes Hutcheson, who designed what became Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, the grounds of the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House in Cambridge, and her home in New Jersey, now called Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center. Advance registration is required for the March 9 presentation, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and costs $50. Call 617-384-5277 for more information.The Spring Bulb Show at Smith College in Northampton is in bloom now through March 17. Thousands of flowers have been coaxed into early flowering in the antique greenhouse, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Hours are extended to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday during the show. Call 413-585-2740 or visit garden.smith.edu/events. There is no admission charge, but a $5 donation is suggested.Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Fitzpatrick Greenhouse in Stockbr... https://realestate.boston.com/ask-the-expert/2019/02/28/flower-bulb-shows-will-put-spring-in-your-step/
Toilet paper over tulips: How the floral industry is being affected by COVID - UNF Spinnaker
Monday, April 27, 2020San Francisco on March 19. Scott Shepard, former wholesaler at Cut Flower Wholesale in Atlanta, Georgia and current creator of the Flower Podcast, expresses concern about the uncertainty this pandemic has caused. “I don’t see how we can continue business as usual,” Shepard says. “We’re just now wading into this pool. I don’t think we fully know the impact this is going to have.”But wholesalers represent just one part of the floral industry. After suppliers come the small businesses that are dependent upon their community’s need for cut flowers: retail flower shops and event floral designers. Of course, with many people suddenly left unemployed, the last thing on their minds is buying flowers from retail shops. “Discretionary spending is one of the first things that’s impacted, and that always hurts the floral industry,” Shepard says. “Right now people are more concerned with toilet paper than tulips.”Several shops have developed creative ways to continue business while remaining socially responsible and adhering to recommendations from the Center for Disease Control. St. John’s Flower Market in Jacksonville, Florida transitioned to an outdoor shop, where customers can pull up and decide what they’d like from the safety of their cars. They also implemented free non-contact delivery to drive sales. However, Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry ordered all non-essential businesses to close, which includes St. John’s Flower Market. General manager Katrina Thiesen is already thinking about the long-term impacts this closure could have. “I’m worried it will continue through Mother’s Day, which is what carries us through summer,” Thiesen says. Sign outside St. John’s Flower Market, Photographed by Markus ThiesenStill, other floral designers derive their income solely through events. As of March 15, the CDC recommended canceling or postponing events with more than 50 people to prevent the further spread of the virus. This dashed the hopes of many spring brides as well as the incomes of their chosen florists.Freelance florists have also experienced a blow to their income with event cancellations. To combat this, New York City florist Kathryn Hinish, known as Flowerwitch, organized a Go Fund Me. New York freelance florists can apply for funding that’s made possible by donations. “I will be focusing on the NYC area to start, as this is the area that has fostered my growth as a florist and I want to support this community as best I can,” Hinish says on the GoFundMe p... https://unfspinnaker.com/83395/latest-stories/toilet-paper-over-tulips-how-the-floral-industry-is-being-affected-by-covid/
Fresh Flowers: Colorado natives open Bloom Bar & Co. boutique in Rockrimmon - Colorado Springs Gazette
Thursday, March 12, 2020Oliver said.Before landing in Colorado Springs, Maraia and Oliver were traveling nurses who spent time in Denver as well as parts of Washington, California and Georgia.One of the key features that makes Bloom Bar & Co. unique is their drive to support local trade and industries, sourcing only the best and premium flowers, often from Colorado farms, which allows them to skip wholesalers, bringing more value to the customer and extending the longevity of the flowers and plants they sell. Customers of the craft floral boutique have the opportunity to take a seat at the “bloom bar,” where a team member can assist with designing and arranging from a wide variety of floral and foliage pieces, giving customers the opportunity to understand, learn, create and re-create wonderful centerpieces for all occasions.Bloom Bar & CO. also provides services for all special occasions, from weddings and funerals to special events. Same-day flower delivery is available “anywhere in Colorado Springs,” Maraia said.“We want to help you create the event of your dreams, and nothing makes an event like gorgeous flowers! With over a decade of floral design, our master florist is adept at accommodating a variety of budgets and themes. Our experience ranges from small, intimate backyard weddings to grand hotel events,” states the Bloom Bar website, bloombarandco.com.Instead of Happy Hour at a bar, customers of Bloom can enjoy “Flower Hour” daily from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. During that time, Bloom offers a 30% discount off the bloom bar stems.The boutique also offers wares from “local makers” including BonBon Bombardier, Blue Owl Preserves, Lockhart Honey, the Queens TEAAApothecary and Ladyfingers Letter Press.In February, the business will be restarting its popular floral design classes. The classes accommodate up to 12 people at the Rockrimmon location and include seasonal drinks and snacks for students to enjoy. Group classes can be arranged, as well as alternate class locations, for larger groups for all occasions.From 6-7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, Bloom Bar is hosting a floral design class at Building3Coffee in Colorado Springs for $30. The class includes all flowers and supplies for a unique flower arrangement and instruction by Walker. Register by calling the shop at 548-8646 or via the Facebook invite: facebook.com... https://gazette.com/woodmenedition/fresh-flowers-colorado-natives-open-bloom-bar-co-boutique-in/article_1946e186-3d78-11ea-a5c5-47394e19e645.html
The Gardeners Who Planted for US Presidents - Prescott eNews
Thursday, March 12, 2020Virginia.George Field (Served 1875–1877, under Ulysses Grant.) The first English gardener at the White House, Field's floral fame came after he left the White House. He opened a garden center on Georgia Avenue NW with his brother Thomas. Field was responsible for naming and promoting the 'American Beauty' rose, originally selected on historian George Bancroft's estate as 'La Madame Ferdinande Jamin.' Field supplied the cattleya orchids for Alice Roosevelt Longworth's bridal bouquet in 1906. The Washington Post described him as an orchid specialist. He was an active member of the Florist Club of Washington. In 1916, he sold his stock of orchid plants for $15,000.Henry Pfister (Served 1877–1902, under Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt.) A native of Zurich, Switzerland, Pfister trained in the conservatories of a Swiss banker and at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. He made his way to Cincinnati and then to Washington, where he was hired under Hayes. Pfister managed the greenhouses, designed and planted the ornamental beds around the White House lawns, and provided all indoor floral and plant decorations, including the wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom. He later opened his own florist and landscape design business on Connecticut Avenue.George Hay Brown (Served 1902–1909, under Theodore Roosevelt.) The son of a landscape gardener in Perthshire, Scotland, where he learned the family trade. In 1850, the family immigrated to the United States. In 1858, Brown took a job in Washington D.C. at the government experimental gardens. During the Civil War, he served with the Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans. By 1890 he was back in Washington D.C. as a public gardener with the War Department. Brown worked on the Capitol grounds, city parks, and the government propagating gardens and greenhouses near the Washington Monument, as well as the White House. He taught Theodore Roosevelt's children how to propagate plants in his greenhouses.Charles Henlock (Served 1909–1931, under William Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover.) A Yorkshireman, and proud of his horticultural training, having worked for Lord Mowbray in Yorkshire, Lord Denbigh in Warwickshire, and Lord Harrington in Derbyshire before spending five years with the Royal Horticultural Society. Henlock arrived in Washington D.C. just before President Cleveland's wedding in 1886 and was hired as a foreman gardener at the White House, and grew to the propagating gardens and city parks. Henlock was the White House head gardener in 1909, where he was responsible for the first shipment of cherry trees sent from Japan as well as the successful plantings around the Tidal Basin.William Saunders Reeves (Served 1931–1945, under Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt. William Saunders Reeves was the first American-born White House head gardener.) His grandfather, William Saunders, was the chief of experimental gardens for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and founder of the National Grange but is perhaps best remembered for introducing the navel orange. Reeves worked under both Roosevelt's, starting as a groundskeeper at the White House during the Theodore Roosevelt administration in 1903. Through World War I, he was gardener-shepherd to Wilson's flock of sheep. Reeves became the head gardener and chief floral designer while Hoover was in office.Robert M. Redmond (Served 1945–1962, under Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and John Kennedy.) Born in 1907, the tall, red-haired Redmond started mowing lawns at the White House as a teenager during the Coolidge administration. "Red" became superintendent of the White House Grounds under the Truman administration. Redmond was the last head gardener at the White House also to be responsible for indoor floral decorations. Jacqueline Kennedy appointed Rusty Young to the n... https://www.prescottenews.com/index.php/features/columnists/mountain-gardener/item/34856-the-gardeners-who-planted-for-u-s-presidents
From Wedding to Nursing Home: Flowers Bloom Again In The Hearts Of The Sick And Elderly - NBC 6 South Florida
Thursday, March 12, 2020Amanda chose what used to be her favorite number, 4, to be a part of the name of the organization. Her plan is to one day run Blooms4Smiles from an office building. Her family is moving to Georgia soon, and Amanda said she already has contacts there who can help her get the operation going.For now, though, she has her fingers crossed while waiting to hear back from the Silver Knight Awards, which are sponsored by The Miami Herald and recognize outstanding high school seniors. Amanda was nominated for the business category.She is graduating from St. Brendan in May, and said she was glad the school had allowed her to bring Blooms4Smiles to her classmates. "They're doing amazing!" she said with a smile in regards to her friends' bouquet-building abilities. "They're really just making the arrangements beautifully, and I think it's going to turn out beautifully when we deliver them." After nearly two hours of flower-arranging, mini-bouquets were lining every table on the patio, and Myrna had not even returned with the additional vases needed. The students, mostly girls, kept themselves busy by organizing the ready vases into boxes, cleaning up the trash and finishing inserting special Valentines' day messages into every arrangement. It read: "You are worthy, you are loved, you are enough, you are irreplaceable." ... https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/how-a-miami-teen-is-recycling-flowers-to-bring-smiles-to-nursing-home-residents/2189871/
