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The Gardeners Who Planted for US Presidents - Prescott eNews

Atholl, near Dunkeld. In 1856 McKerichar was hired as a foreman under John Watt, taking on the role of head gardener nine years later. Known for his hothouse grapes, he also raised off-season Caledonian cucumbers for President Grant. Like the gardeners before him, he resigned from the White House to open a garden center in Alexandria, Virginia.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 t... https://www.prescottenews.com/index.php/features/columnists/mountain-gardener/item/34856-the-gardeners-who-planted-for-u-s-presidents

Revealed: The First Flower, 140-million Years Old, Looked Like a Magnolia - Scientific American

Previous evidence pointed to different answers. On the one hand, one of the earliest diverging lineages of flowering plants, represented nowadays only by a rare shrub from the Pacific island of New Caledonia called Amborella, has flowers that are either male or female. On the other, most modern species combine both sexes in the same flower.The authors of the study settle the question and show that the ancestral flower was a hermaphrodite. This means that early flowering plants could reproduce both as a male and a female. Combined sexes can be advantageous when colonising new environments as a single individual can be its own mate, and indeed many plant species colonising remote oceanic islands tend to be hermaphrodite. Maybe the combination of sexes helped early flowering plants to outcompete their rivals.The devil’s in the detailDespite the apparent similarity with some modern flowers, their ultimate ancestor has a few surprises up its sleeve. For example, botanist have long thought that early flowers had floral parts arranged in a spiral around the centre of the flower as can be seen in modern species such as the star anise.The new reconstruction, though, strongly suggests that early flowers had their organs arranged not in a spiral, but in series of concentric circles or “whorls”, as in most modern plants. The early flower had more numerous whorls, however, suggesting flowers have become simpler over time. Paradoxically, this simpler architecture may have given modern plants a more stable base upon which to evolve and achieve more complex tasks such as sophisticated interaction with certain insects as in orchids, or the production of “flower heads” made of dozens or hundreds of simpler flowers as in the sunflower family.Although now we have a good idea of what one of the earliest flowers may have looked like, we still know little about how that flower came to be. The detailed steps leading to its evolution are unknown. Perhaps we will have to wait for the discovery of new fossil flowers spanning the gap around 250m-140m years ago, before we can understand the very origin of what is the most diverse sexual structure on the planet.This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Caledonia florist Mary Ann Schmitz is ready to retire after 65 years - La Crosse Tribune

CALEDONIA, Minn. – At age 87 and after more than six decades in business, Mary Ann Schmitz is finally ready to retire and sell Mary Ann’s Floral & Gift in downtown Caledonia to her great-niece.Schmitz is selling the business and building to Aimee Welscher as of Jan. 1. She will help Welscher until she retires April 2 – exactly 65 years after she and her late husband opened the shop.“Willie and I started the business on April 2, 1952,” said Schmitz, who was parade marshal for the local Founder’s Day Winter Wonderland parade earlier this month (on Dec. 2).Willie died in 1994.Mary Ann’s Floral was in two other Caledonia locations before the Schmitzes bought the house at 308 E. Main St. where the shop has been since 1955. It’s also the home where they raised their children, Ken, Steve, Bill and Debbie.Schmitz said she is retiring for health reasons, and expects to miss operating the floral and gift shop. She plans to continue enjoying playing cards.“I love it,” Schmitz said of being in... http://lacrossetribune.com/business/local/caledonia-florist-mary-ann-schmitz-is-ready-to-retire-after/article_8b06e1cf-2fa6-5dc1-832e-744d35eeb25c.html

Richmond Hill Players staging 'Flowers for Algernon' - Galva News

Mroz and Dana Skiles, all of Geneseo; Justin?Raver, of Kewanee; Tom Morrow and Chris Sanders-Ring, of Rock Island; Lindsay Achenbach, Don Faust and Jim?Strauss, of Davenport, Iowa; Spiro Bruskas, of Aledo; Vicki Deusinger, of Galesburg; Lona Friedman, of East Moline; Terri Nelson, of Lynn Center; and Nicholas Waldbusser, of Hampton.The staff includes stage manager and set builder Mike Skiles, of Geneseo; lighting designer Terry Wilkerson, of Davenport, Iowa; and crew members Taylor McKean, of?Geneseo; and Dee Raver, of Kewanee.Thursdays, Fridays and?Saturdays doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.Sundays are 3 p.m. matinees with doors opening at 2 p.m. An audio description performance will be Friday, Oct. 7.Reservations are recommended and may be made by contacting the Richmond Hill box office at 944-2244 or by visiting www.rhplayers.com. http://www.galvanews.com/news/20160929/richmond-hill-players-staging-flowers-for-algernon

Best Flower Shop: Julie's Personal Touch Flowers - Journal Times

First place: Julie's Personal Touch Flowers, 5445 Spring St., Mount Pleasant; and 4060 N. Main St., CaledoniaSecond place: Millers Flowers,  219 Sixth St, RacineThird place: Milaeger's, 4838 Douglas Ave., Racine; and 8717 Durand Ave., SturtevantSpring is in the air year-round at Julie's Personal Touch Flowers as flowers and vibrant colors fill the shop.Julie Mohrbacher opened the shop in her basement in 1971. Demand for her work grew quickly. She started doing funerals as well and opened a brick-and-mortar location in 1977.Years of experience and honest service is what Mohrbacher believes makes them the number one flower shop in Racine County.“Originally I only did weddings," Mohrbacher said. "Mothers started calling and thought of me as their florist so I expanded."Her two daughters, Melissa Mohrbacher and Jamie Doe, manage the stores with her — Jamie at the Spring Street location and Melissa at the Main Street location.The locations offer green plants, blooming plants, arrangements, and fresh flowers among its products."We get flowers from all over the world," Doe said. "We get flow... http://journaltimes.com/best-flower-shop-julie-s-personal-touch-flowers/article_f8a5c3ed-cf6b-5f20-8e82-36041e2806d0.html

Illinois Hospital Plants Flowers To Represent COVID-10 Patients - q985online.com

Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois is using a flower with a very special meaning to represents inpatients that were treated and released for COVID-19. Not only is it significant to show the recovery rates of this pandemic but it also looks great too.The frontline heroes at Edwards are planting daffodils outside of the hospital, each represents their COVID-19 patients. The daffodils are near signs that read, "a flower for every COVID-19 discharged and healing at home."Edward Hospital & Health Services (Facebook)Edward Hospital's Facebook post explains why this is an important message for its local community.The daffodils will provide an uplifting representation of those who are winning the fight against this deadly virus.This would look great outside each hospital of hospitals along the state line.TRENDING: Dixon Man Asks if Anyone Knows Whose House Door Landed On His CarJB Love is ½ of  Q98.5's Lil Zim & JB In The Morning, weekday mornings from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow h... https://q985online.com/illinois-hospital-plants-flowers-to-represent-covid-10-patients/

South Bay History: Torrance flower producer once supplied gardenias and orchids nationwide - The Daily Breeze

Florists’ Transworld Delivery, or FTD. FTD started in 1910 as Florists’ Telegraph Delivery in Detroit, later moving to Downers Grove, Illinois, and growing into a global enterprise.Wright already was a master flower grower, and frequent winner at the Southern California Horticultural Association’s annual garden show for his roses.But he had a vision that went beyond his flower shop’s walls. He decided to specialize in producing two types of flowers, gardenias and orchids. He wanted to grow them in bulk and set up a network to distribute them nationwide.Gardenias grow in a greenhouse at Wright’s Greenhouses orchid and gardenia farm in Torrance, on May 27, 1937. (Credit: Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection)Neither plant naturally thrives in the South Bay’s cool and dry climate, so Wright went looking to buy land where he could build greenhouses to replicate the humid climate in which they grow best.He found such a parcel at the corner of present-day 190th Street and Western Avenue but it wasn’t in Torrance. Yet.The city wasn’t on anyone’s radar in 1907, when Wright began his operations there. He started building greenhouses five years before the city’s founding date and 14 years prior to its incorporation.Wright’s parcel was 12 acres of unincorporated county land then, and it wouldn’t be annexed to Torrance until 1930. “Not a building was to be seen,” when he bought the land, Wright told the Torrance Herald in 1936.Flowers grow in a greenhouse at Wright’s Greenhouses orchid and gardenia farm in Torrance, on May 27, 1937. (Credit: Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection)Gardenias in bloom. 2007 file photo. (Credit: Orange County Register) SoundThe gallery will resume insecondsBy 1912, he had his operation... https://www.dailybreeze.com/south-bay-history-torrance-flower-producer-once-supplied-gardenias-and-orchids-nationwide

CBS11 Investigates Online ‘Florist’ With Hundreds Of Complaints - CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

That’s what Susan Hatch did when she wanted to send flowers to an out-of-state relative.“Went to Google. Googled local florists in Park Ridge, Illinois, and they came to the top of the search engine.” She’s talking about Troys Florist, a company whose website touts it as “the best Park Ridge florist you trust.”“They had a whole range of flower arrangements, probably 100 different selections,” said Hatch.She paid $100 for the “beauty in bloom” arrangement, but Hatch said the flowers that arrived were not nearly as nice. “Cheap! Really poor quality.” When she complained, Troys offered her a 10% refund. “That didn’t even cover the delivery fee,” said Hatch.Even so, Troys Florist is “the best” in a lot of places. We searched for local florists across DFW; every time Troys was one of the top results. The best in Fort Worth, Frisco, DeSoto and Melissa. So we ordered a bouquet of our own. We paid for the “thinking of you” bouquet. A Fort Worth florist delivered a smaller arrangement with different colors to our studios. She said she had never heard of Troys.CBS 11 News ordered the bouquet on the left. The one on the right is what was delivered to the newsroom. Not even close! (credit: CBS 11 News)That’s because Troys Florist isn’t in Texas. The company’s address i... https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/02/12/cbs11-investigates-online-florist-with-hundreds-of-complaints/

Demanding Answers: NJ Company Accused Of Posing As Local Florists Nationwide - CBS New York

Troys Florist customer Susan Hatch ordered online, pictured on the right is the arrangement that was received (Photos Provided)“Googled ‘local florists in Park Ridge, Illinois’ and they came to the top of the search engine,” Hatch said.Each time CBS2 searched for a “local florist” — from Plano, Texas, to West Milford, New Jersey — Troys Florist was one of the top results, boasting it’s a “family-run business” with a “huge loyal following within the community.”A former employee of Troys Florist says orders nationwide really go through a house on Route 18 in East Brunswick, New Jersey. (Credit: CBS2)A former employee who asked we hide her identity says orders nationwide really go through a house on Route 18 in East Brunswick, New Jersey.“How would you find the real local florist?” Rozner asked.“The same way like the people do. We go on Google,” the former employee said. “So once you put in your order for, let’s say, $100, we send it out to a local florist.”But they allegedly called in a much cheaper arrangement, she says, at the discretion of owner Perry Kessisiades, who would keep a cut of the money as his commission.“He would be on top of us in order to make that percentage everyday,” the former employee said. “Anywhere from 40% up was perfect.”She says she was fired after complaining about two weeks’ worth of pay she was owed. She says she earned $15. She also alleges that arrangements under $60, some for funerals, were never fulfilled.Legitimate flower shops told CBS2 confused customers ended up posting bad reviews about them.Mario Milewski, the owner of Christy’s Florist, located across the street from Troys, says he stopped doing business with them months ago.“That put my business, my name at risk, my reputation,” he said.CBS2 showed him some of the arrangements people have been getting.“Absolutely terrible. My kids can do a better job,” Milewski said.At least 350 customers nationwide have complained to the Better Business Bureau, mostly in the last year. It’s given the company an F rating.“We’re assuming our letters and our notices... https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/02/12/troys-florist-scam/