Atkinson Flower Shop News
Florists Rescue Their Spring Blooms For Public Installations During Pandemic - OPB News
Wednesday, October 28, 2020Fellow florist Cassidy Reinholdt, owner of Noble Floral Co., thought it would be a great way to help one of her favorite local restaurants on Portland's N. Mississippi Ave. She teamed up with Amy Atkinson-Barnes from Briar and Ivy, another floral shop.“She and I both designed an installation on a light pole and on a little concrete bench area right in front of the Mee-Sen Thai Eatery. I really wanted to help them gain some business with the foot traffic of people coming to see the in... https://www.opb.org/news/article/potland-flower-installations-sping-pandemic/
Katy Perry's pregnancy reveal involved a dress made entirely of real flowers - Yahoo Sports
Thursday, April 02, 2020We worked together to come up with the final design for the dress. The whole process was an absolute dream.” The botanical artist continued.Read more: Gemma Atkinson shares the realities of a post-baby bodyAlpaugh shared an update on her Instagram account thanking her team for the long hours they put in to create the masterpiece.She explained that the team “pre-assembled panels so Katy could get in and out during the shoot”.It makes sense. Frequent pregnancy peeing waits for no music video.In the clips Perry has shared of the video, the look appears to give Sam Smith’s recent Mardi Gras dress a run for its money.“The dress was an installation. At one point, we had to relocate the dress on the set during the shoot and it took over 14 people to lift and move across the space.” Alpaugh adds. View this post on Instagram a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Vuje3nc06/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" rel="nofol... https://news.yahoo.com/katy-perry-pregnancy-reveal-145930102.html
Portland Florists Rescue Their Spring Blooms For Public Installations During Pandemic - OPB News
Thursday, April 02, 2020Fellow florist Cassidy Reinholdt, owner of Noble Floral Co., thought it would be a great way to help one of her favorite local restaurants on Portland’s N. Mississippi Ave. She teamed up with Amy Atkinson-Barnes from Briar and Ivy, another floral shop.“She and I both designed an installation on a light pole and on a little concrete bench area right in front of the Mee-Sen Thai Eatery. I really wanted to help them gain some business with the foot traffic of people coming to see the installation,” Reinholdt said.“We did from the ground up and up a beautiful light pole with whites and purples and anywhere from roses to snapdragons to larkspur to leucadendron, everything.”New social distancing guidelines mean most people should be staying home. But for Alyssa, Jocelyn, Cassidy, and many other florists, what mattered was that people got to have just moments of happiness on otherwise dreary days.“Everyone in Portland has been greatly affected by this and it’s not going unnoticed and we care about people and people being happy and just taking a little time to just relax and enjoy the flowers,” Jocelyn said.Correction (April 1, 2020, 12:06 p.m. PT): This article has been updated to identify Alyssa Lytle as the event’s coordinator. https://www.opb.org/news/article/potland-flower-installations-sping-pandemic/
You Can Pick-Your-Own Strawberries At A Magical Flower Farm Near Houston This Spring - Narcity
Saturday, January 18, 2020Texas is home to many beautiful fields of flowers and here in Houston, there is a flower and strawberry farm with pick-your-own fruit and bouquets.Atkinson Farms is located just outside of Houston and is about to open back up on March 1. It is a "Pick-Your-Own" farm where you can go out to the strawberry and flower fields and pick your own pail of fresh berries or your own bouquet of colorful flowers... or both!While you're there, you can also pick up the freshest produce possible in their market so you don't have to worry about grabbing groceries later.The strawberry fields open back up on March 1 but we recommend keeping up with their Facebook for updates so you know when flowers will be ready for picking, which opened back up in May last year.Visiting their sprawling strawberry and flower fields is the best way to spend a sunny spring day.It would be such a cute date, picking fresh strawberries to take home and use to make a yummy strawberry cake, chocolate-covered strawberries, or just eating them whole as a fresh dessert.While it is a super cute date spot, it's also a really fun group outing. Spending the day at the farm with friends and taking cute pictures also sounds like the perfect day! If you still need to fill up your ... https://www.narcity.com/things-to-do/us/tx/houston/a-houston-flower-farm-has-pick-your-own-strawberries-this-spring
'Gardening with Jenny Rose Carey' set for April 7 at Kettle Creek - Pocono Record
Tuesday, March 27, 2018It is a pivotal learning venue.Northview GardensCarey’s magnificent Victorian home and 4.5-acre garden are known to thousands of visitors. It was originally part of Wilmer and Anna Atkinson’s 1888 100-acre farm. Here, Carey has created a work of stunning originality with 31 distinct garden spaces: from the Blast from the Past Garden, Italian Garden, Dry Garden, Herb Garden and Victorian Stumpery, to the Fountain Garden — to name just a few.My favorite spot is Rose Cottage, Carey’s potting shed. As a fellow Brit, I know the importance of the garden shed, and this one is magnificent. It is functional — containing plant records, collected seeds, garden tools and catalogues, and the like — while acting as a cozy retreat. Carey is a hands-on gardener, believing that gardening feeds your soul and body. The goal of her work at Northview is to educate visitors about plants, planting techniques and garden design features. She succeeds in her vision magnificently. Her gardens have been featured on the TV series, "The Victory Garden," in the Wall Street Journal, and in numerous newspapers and magazines.'Glorious Shade'Carey’s latest book is called "Glorious Shade: Dazzling Plants, Design Ideas, and Proven Techniques for Your Shady Garden." The book is divided into sections, the first one stressing the importance of learning the shade patterns in your garden. Carey describes the various types of shade and the plants that benefit from each kind.There is a section about soil and roots. I so agree with Carey on the importance of adding organic matter to encourage root growth and promote healthy plants. Every year, I scatter compost on the surface around my plants — a great way to improve soil structure. Carey gives clear directions for making "fabulous, friable, or crumbly leaf mold." She explains the purpose of roots, reinforcing the importance of avoiding the application of high rates of fertilizer around trees in order to maintain a healthy relationship between microscopic fungi and roots.Carey gives very inspirational descriptions of several design styles in her section called "Designing in the Shadows: Bright Ideas for Shady Spaces." My personal favorite describes areas for children; I love the whimsical teapot water feature she added to her own garden. There is a gardener's calendar in one chapter and numerous techniques and maintenance tips in another.The final chapter tells you how to choose plants that thrive in the shade. Carey describes 200 genera of plants with photographs for each genus. She told me she took 35,000 photographs to get the 400 shown in the book. They are stunning. In every chapter, the author's voice comes through as passionate, enthusiastic and inspiring. It is as if Carey is speaking to the reader one-on-one.Sharing knowledgeIn her desire to share knowledge and the joy of gardening with others, Carey gives about 40 lectures a year on many topics from Jazz Age gardens to women in landscape architecture. She has spoken nationally and internationally for many years.An invitationI am excited that Carey is coming to the Poconos to give a two-part program called "Gardening with Jenny Rose Carey." She will cover both gardening in the shade and in sunny areas, so there will be something for everyone. The Monroe County Master Gardeners and the Monroe County Conservation District will sponsor this presentation from 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. April 7 at the Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, 8050 Running Valley Road, Bartonsville. The cost is $25. Seating is limited; no walk-ins will be accepted. Register by calling 1-877-345-0691 or online at https://bit.ly/2Giyw3c.Carey’s ideas will make you excited for the new gardening season; she will inspire you to start digging.Pamela T. Hu... http://www.poconorecord.com/entertainmentlife/20180323/gardening-with-jenny-rose-carey-set-for-april-7-at-kettle-creek
New Hampshire florists see demand bloom despite event cancellations - New Hampshire Business Review
Wednesday, December 02, 2020More people are also seeking blossoms native to the area, said researcher Kaitlyn Orde at the University of New Hampshire’s Sideman Lab.The number of farms producing field-grown cut flowers in New Hampshire climbed from 64 to 101 farms, an increase of about 60%, in the decade from 2007 to 2017, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).“Cut flowers are an increasingly important specialty crop in the state,” said Orde, “and [the spike] illustrates that consumer demand is strong for regionally-grown flowers.”Despite the lack of special events, Bob Cote of wholesaler Baystate Farm Direct Flowers in Bedford says business has been brisk. However, the continued postponement of large gatherings for funerals and nuptials is not hardy news for florists powering through less than ideal conditions. “Weddings are our bread and butter for the summer,” Cote said.Floral shops, like other retailers, are adjusting their operations to address customers’ hesitancy to browse in their aisles. In addition to offering delivery and curbside pickup, Hewson encourages people to visit her open-air greenhouse where she transferred many of her ancillary gift items. She also posted that same inventory on a revamped website.“We’re still using that [the greenhouse and the website] for people who don’t feel comfortable coming into the store,” she said. “Being inventive is what got us through.”Catalysts for compassion‘We have been crazy, crazy, crazy’ busy, says Shirley Wrenn of Shirley’s Flowers and Sweets in Nashua, who recently added a third vehicle to keep up with demand for flowers. (Photo by Sheryl Rich-Kern)Community well-wishers also helped merchants withstand the pandemic’s aftermath. One customer started what Hewson calls a “flower chain.”In April, Maryanne Jackson of North Conway purchased 20 table-sized bouquets of friezes, roses and greenery from Hewson with a note wishing people “joy and color,” asking them to support small businesses and consider paying forward the gift. Many of the recipients heeded the suggestion and called Hewson’s shop for more orders.“It was a real Easter bunny, Christmas elf, tooth fairy kind of opportunity for us,” said Jackson.That investment of kindness restored the dreariness of March, generating enough revenues to maintain Hewson’s cash flow.With the Mother’s Day rush behind them, florists are mixed on what the future will hold.Pandemics don’t have silver linings, but they’re catalysts for compassion. Aimee Godbout of the family-owned Jacques Flowers in Manchester, said she expects sales to drop off during summer, but she’s seen an uptick in customers placing orders outside of special occasions.“There’s the everyday ‘I miss you,’” as people choose flowers for parents they’re unable to visit, a neighbor who can’t get out of the house or the local nursing staff, she said.“Right now there’s a lot of ugliness happening in the world,” said Godbout. Working a... https://www.nhbr.com/new-hampshire-florists-see-demand-bloom-despite-event-cancelations/
Research aims to support growing cut flower industry - New Haven Register
Thursday, April 02, 2020EDT, Saturday, March 21, 2020 DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — Flowers are a growing industry in New Hampshire, and there's new research planned to help farmers and florists hoping to get in on the trend. The University of New Hampshire is starting the first study to evaluate three types of cold-hardy hydrangea species for cut flower and landscape use. Officials say the number of farms producing field-grown cut flowers in the state increased by 60 percent from 2007 to 2017, indicating growing consumer demand for regionally-grown flowers. The university-based New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station will spend the next three years evaluating hydrangea species to better inform farmers on key characteristics and performance, including the vase life of cut stems. https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Research-aims-to-support-growing-cut-flower-15147801.php
Upper Dauphin’s Macklin Ayers, Steel-High’s Mehki Flowers selected to Pa. Football Writers’ Class 2A All-Stat - PennLive
Saturday, January 18, 2020Ohio State last week, is one of eight Tigers to be selected, including a trio of linebackers in Michigan State-bound Cal Haladay, Preston Zachman (Wisconsin) and Max Tillett (New Hampshire).Southern Columbia won its third straight PIAA championship earlier this month, defeating Avonworth 74-7 at Hersheypark Stadium.Fleming caught 72 passes for 1,538 yards and 23 touchdowns in his final season to become the state’s all-time leader in yards and receiving touchdowns.Since 2009, sports writers who cover high school football around the Commonwealth have overseen the all-state process. Players are nominated in all six classifications, and then a statewide ballot is issued to afford all writers the opportunity to cast their votes.Upper Dauphin’s record-setting athlete, Macklin Ayers, joined Steel-High’s Mehki Flowers on the team’s defensive side. A tremendous two-way talent, Ayers accounted for 3,230 yards (1,960 rush) and 48 touchdowns at quarterback.The Tri-Valley League player of the year also contributed 107 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions as a linebacker, guiding the Trojans to a District 3 title and state quarterfinal berth against Southern Columbia.Ayers set single-season and career marks for rushing yards and combined yards.Flowers, who starred as a wide receiver and defensive back, produced 18 touchdowns and six interceptions... https://www.pennlive.com/highschoolsports/football/2019/12/upper-dauphins-macklin-ayers-steel-highs-mehki-flowers-selected-to-pa-football-writers-class-2a-all-state-team.html
At Christmas time, poinsettias for everyone who mattered - The Boston Globe
Wednesday, December 11, 2019It just seems like people forget,” Fred says. “I made up my mind that as long as I live, I won’t forget.”Which is why every November, sometimes before, he drives to New Hampshire (“No taxes. I’m Scottish, you know”) to the Dollar Tree where he buys 100 poinsettias (120 this year) for one dollar each. “See? They have five flowers on each stem.” Then he adds a bow (“I make them myself. I had my own florist business, Carousel Flowers in Chelsea. I did it out of my house with just three regular refrigerators.”) And then he drives to the 20 cemeteries where his relatives and friends are buried. He parks his car, grabs his cane, walks to the headstone he wants, places his poinsettias on the grave, then stands for a moment, remembering.AdvertisementHe travels as far north as Wells, Maine, (“That’s where the owners of the Valerie’s Restaurant in Ogunquit are buried. They used to make Caesar salad right at the table.”); and as far south as the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne where Dennis LeFort, one of his best friends, is buried (“He was a Frenchman”). It takes him a week to make the flower arrangements, (“I make each bow myself”) and a week to deliver them. He says he doesn’t mind. “It’s nice to remember all the good people I’ve known.”The day we drive to Everett, his poinsettias are already on all of the graves. He finished early this year, Dec. 1. “Which cemetery do you want to go to so I can see your work?” I ask him, thinking he’ll choose someplace close to where he lives in Quincy. But he chooses Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett because that’s where most of his family is buried and where he will be buried. His stone is already engraved, he tells me.Fred was diagnosed with cancer this year. But he insists he’s in great shape for the shape he’s in. The cancer is gone (“That’s what they say”), and after some hard months, he has his strength back. Most of it, at least. This day he says, with a shrug and a smile, “If this is my last Christmas, I’m gonna enjoy it.” Then he eases himself into my car, propping his cane between his knees.AdvertisementHe tells me stories as I drive. At the cemetery, he tells me more stories. He points to his brothers’ graves. One is a World War II veteran. The other a veteran of Korea. “There were six of us,” he says. “Boy, girl, boy, girl. Boy, girl. I’m the only one left.”There’s snow on the ground and the snow has buried his... https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/globelocal/2019/12/11/christmas-time-poinsettias-for-everyone-who-mattered/rMrpN2ISnDXX7pdSDe0fXN/story.html