Bergenfield, NJ Florists

Bergenfield Flower Shop News

Unexpected season's greetings as mild North Jersey weather tricks plants into blooming - NorthJersey.com

Bob Ziff of North Jersey Weather Observers, on Sunday, the thermometer in Hawthorne rose to 68 degrees, breaking the record for that town, set in 1928, while in Bergenfield, it was 67 degrees, which broke the record set in 1984 — and more milder-than usual days are forecasted for at least the next week. Ziff says the warm weather appeared to be a continuation of an unusually warm November — the sixth warmest in records dating back to 1893, records show.Are these plants essentially being tricked into flowering at the wrong time? Or do they know what they are doing?“They will stop blooming,” says Bruce Crawford, Rutgers Gardens director, who also predicts a self-correction.“Worst-case scenario is that the newest growth will undoubtedly die back to more mature wood.”Walter Perry, owner of Perry’s Florist and Gardens in Glen Rock, believes that this out-of-season blooming might actually help down the line.“Winter damage should be minimal and spring growth should start early,” says Perry. “If the weather pattern holds as it did the last time we had a big El Niño, spring blooms were about three weeks earlier than “normal” years. This gave us a longer growing season.”In the short term, many green-thumbers fear what will happen — especially to roses — when there’s an inevitable cold snap.Pyle of Edmunds’ Roses is mostly reassuring.“It can be somewhat stressful to plants to experience a cold snap during a mild fall, but most plants will not suffer long-term injury from this type of stress,” he says. “Once truly cold temperatures set in, leaves will die and drop from plants due to cold damage. … This damage can be pruned out in early spring once growth resumes.”Pyle adds that in a typical fall season, perennials drop their leaves early enough to give the plant more time to keep nutrients in its roots, which will be much-needed fuel for new growth in spring.“Losing leaves from a cold snap in a mild fall can reduce this nutrient ‘recycling.’ [But] any negative impact from this nutrient loss can generally be offset in spring by fertilizing plants early in the season when growth begins, however.”One thing that’s clear is that gardeners will need to adjust their pruning schedules.Perry says that he now recommends “a light prune of roses from around Thanksgiving till Jan. 1 or when the ground freezes some and the plant is dormant. By light pruning, I mean reducing a plant by about half, removing anything that is likely to act as a sail in the winter winds. Then prune again in the spring when the forsythia blooms, shaping the plant and removing dead, damaged and diseased canes.”And what if this warmer trend continues for a while? Will this affect the roses and other plants come spring?“Typically not,” Crawford said. “If January continued to be warm and then February was indecently cold, I would suspect to see a lot more dead wood come spring. Hopefully, January will gradually become colder and the plants will remain dormant till March.”Flagler takes a wait-and-see position on this.“This is something of a new phenom and we cannot always predict with certainty how plants will react to new conditions and new ‘norms,... http://www.northjersey.com/news/unexpected-season-s-greetings-as-mild-north-jersey-weather-tricks-plants-into-blooming-1.1473708?page%3Dall

New Hampshire florists see demand bloom despite event cancellations - New Hampshire Business Review

Flowers are natural mood elevators, a fact that behavioral research from Rutgers University in New Jersey confirms. The study measured participants’ reactions to gifts of flowers against gifts of candles or fruit baskets, and only flowers elicited authentic smiles. This is all the more notable in time of coronavirus because these types of grins show up in the crow’s feet or laugh lines area of the face and are discernible behind a mask.More 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 recipient... https://www.nhbr.com/new-hampshire-florists-see-demand-bloom-despite-event-cancelations/

Audrey Cleary Bailey, 76, advocated for military families - Port City Daily

These last few years she had loving support from family, friends, companions and neighbors who made it possible for her to stay in her home.Mrs. Bailey was born Aug. 31, 1944, in Paterson, New Jersey, daughter of the late Edward Aubrey Cleary and Evelyn Grande Cleary.Mrs. Bailey was a proud U.S. Navy spouse, reporter for WDSU T.V. in New Orleans, worked for Admiral Rickover in his last days and she was an advocate on Capitol Hill, sometimes political, but always with the aim of improving the lives of military families. Mrs. Bailey had been active in support for military families as a young wife and mother, as only a Navy wife can be, while the ship was away at sea for six or more months at a time. As her husband rose in rank, her responsibilities to the military family grew until she was able to affect change at the national level.She was an early advocate for the Vietnam era Prisoners of War (POW) and those missing in action, wearing a bracelet with a POW’s name on it for years until his return to the United States. She was a working mother in the days when it was a rarity. She was active in the Rotary Club in Winston-Salem as well as a volunteer in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit.Her overriding passion in her life was her husband. He was her hero. After Capt. Bailey had finally retired, he was afflicted with Alzheimer... https://portcitydaily.com/obits/2020/11/30/audrey-cleary-bailey-76-advocated-for-military-families/

Sales aren't blooming: Florists adjust during pandemic - Delaware State News - Delaware State News

I just wanted to get open and salvage the flowers we do have.”Ms. Bobola said she had to shut down the florist because wholesalers where Bobola Farms receives flowers from in New Jersey and Pennsylvania were closed. Bobola Farms will begin selling some produce in the upcoming weeks; first up are strawberries, which have started to bloom.Bobola Farms has been open since the late 1990s and Ms. Bobola said she never experienced anything like this. She hopes Mother’s Day can help bring back some normalcy but reminded that everything is limited.“It’s the longest we’ve ever been closed,” Ms. Bobola said. “You’ve got to get started somewhere, so we’re just going to do the best we can. I hope people will be patient. We’ll do everything we can to be as close to normal but there will be substitutions. I hope people understand this isn’t easy but we’ll work with them.”Florists are following all protocols recommend by the Centers for Disease Control to help limit the spread of COVID-19. This includes wiping down all vases, wearing gloves while handling flowers and disinfecting the store every night.It also includes contact-free delivery, where the driver will call the customer when the flowers are on the steps of their home.Mrs. Fries said Jen-Mor had to lay off part of its staff when the pandemic first began. She added it has been able to slowly bring back some of the staff.The loss of workers has made the busy weeks even more stressful.“It’s been exhausting,” Mrs. Fries said. “The few of us that are here are doing the work of more people. There’s only so much we can do with this staff so our inventory is smaller than usual.”... https://delawarestatenews.net/coronavirus/sales-arent-blooming-florists-adjust-during-pandemic/

Philly florists bring beauty back to voting with public installations across the region - The Philadelphia Inquirer

So to highlight the beauty of voting and nip the negativity in the bud, they’ve teamed up with 15 other florists across the Philadelphia region, New York, and New Jersey for United by Blooms, a nonpartisan outdoor floral installation event from Oct. 14-16 aimed at promoting voting. “By incorporating it with flowers, we bring back a positive connotation to the actual process of voting,” Lam said. #right-rail .newsletter-card,.newsletter-card.hidden-desktop{display:none} Inquirer Morning Newsletter Get the news you need to start your day United by Blooms is the brainchild of farmer-florist Kate Carpenter, co-owner of EMA (East Mount Airy) Blooms. Participating florists and growers, who donated their time and flowers to the project, were asked to provide a positive public experience while raising awareness about voting. Designers were encouraged to put their installations near mailboxes or ballot drop boxes (but not on them), to highlight voting by mail and the necessity of the U.S. Postal Service, which has faced its share of heavy criticism this year, too. “It’s an opportunity to thank the postal workers, who are essential workers, and to get the community engaged about participating in our democracy,” said Carpenter, 35. “Plus, it gives growers and designers the chance to take their talents to the streets of Philadelphia and give people something to enjoy right now.” Carpenter’s design, which she created with her business partner, Courtney Jewell, was inspired, in part, by the rainbows that people placed in their windows for children’s scavenger hunts during the height of quarantine. Several rainbow-colored chalk paths lead to the installation at Green Street and Carpenter Lane in Mount Airy, where flowers crawl up a stop sign and flow out from underneath the mailbox nearby. A QR code at the site takes visitors to a map with the locations of the other installations. “Noth... https://www.inquirer.com/news/united-by-blooms-art-flowers-philadelphia-voting-20201015.html