Castalia, OH Florists

Castalia Flower Shop News

'Utter chaos': ICE arrests 114 workers in immigration raid at Ohio gardening company

About 200 federal officers blitzed two locations of Corso’s Flower and Garden Center — one in Sandusky, on the shoreline of Lake Erie, and another in nearby Castalia, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the Associated Press. Agents surrounded the perimeter of the Castalia location, blocking off nearby streets as helicopters flew overhead, AP and local television stations reported. They arrested 114 workers suspected of being in the country illegally and loaded many onto buses bound for ICE detention facilities. Dozens of the workers’ children were left stranded at day-care centers and with babysitters, local activists wrote on social media. Officials expect to charge the undocumented workers with identity theft and tax evasion. They reviewed 313 employee records and found that 123 were suspicious, agency officials told the AP. ICE is also investigating the role the employer played in hiring the undocumented immigrants but has not yet filed charges against the family business, said Khaalid Walls, an agency spokesman. Agents left the Sandusky location carrying boxes full of “a lot of documentary evidence,” Steve Francis, special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations, told the Sandusky Register. “We are attempting to identify what criminal network brought over 100 illegal aliens to Ohio to work.” The massive raid c... https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/06/06/utter-chaos-ice-arrests-114-workers-in-immigration-raid-at-ohio-gardening-company/

Expert shares tips for cultivating these trendy plants - Fremont Tribune

Latin names -- and shares the story of an East German plant-swapping friend. In the 1960s, Hendricks had sent him seeds from this succulent found in Castalia, Ohio. Hendricks was surprised to learn in his friend's return letter that he was familiar with the town from his World War II days as a German officer; turns out, he had been a prisoner of war at nearby Camp Perry.As Hendricks walks to the center of the greenhouse, he shares a story of the ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) that once climbed to the ceiling with its Hershey Kiss-shaped base and palmlike top. In 1966, he purchased the plant in a 4-inch pot for $1.25. Over the years, it outgrew its various pots and eventually Hendricks' greenhouse. Although he found a new home for the plant at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, the 1,000-pound plant was too difficult to move, so it had to be cut into pieces and removed from the greenhouse.GROWING TIPSHendricks, who is president of the Midwest Cactus and Succulent Society and a frequent lecturer on succulents, offers advice on growing succulents. He not only draws lessons from personal experience but also his library of some 2,000 succulent articles and books:Plant succulents in containers with drainage holes. If there are no holes, add some with a drill or use a liner pot with holes.Water succulents thoroughly. Try placing a succulent pot in the sink and drenching it until water runs out the bottom. Let the pot thoroughly drain, then return it to its saucer on a windowsill.Allow plants to dry out between waterings. Succulents prefer neglect, and one of the biggest mistakes made by beginners is overwatering them.Choose a well-draining potting mix. Look for a cactus potting mix or create your own mix with equal parts of potting soil, pea gravel and coarse sand.Give succulents as much sunlight as possible since most are sun lovers. A south- or eastern-facing window is ideal.Occasionally trim succulents to maintain a shape, clip away damaged leaves or clean up dried tips.In northern climates, keep succulents in a dry, indoor environment for the winter, then move outdoors for the summer. In southern climates, many succulents thrive outdoors year-round.Take a class at a garden center or public botanical garden. Many popular classes cover how to use succulents to create wreaths, vertical gardens, and terrariums or dish gardens.Join a local cactus or succulent society. For a listing, see the Cactus & Succulent Society of America's website (www.cssainc.org).SUCCULENT ADVENTURESYou'll find succulents at garden centers, botanical garden gift shops, big-box stores and succulent society plant sales. Also, many online sites specialize in succulents. For newbies, Bill Hendricks suggests the following:Aeonium: Enjoy these showy rosettes in green or dark burgundy.Aloe: Find variegated or textured varieties for something new.Crassula: Try jade plants or stacked varieties.Echeveria: Look for ones with fuzzy, ruffled and bordered leaves.Haworthia: Remember these aloelike miniatures for low-light conditions.Lobivia: Marvel at the vivid flowers of this easy-to-grow cactus.Mammillaria: Try one of the white-haired pincushion cacti.Notocactus: Never fail with one of these globular cacti.Rebutia: Count on these small, round cacti for their colorful blooms... http://fremonttribune.com/print_specific/centerpiece/expert-shares-tips-for-cultivating-these-trendy-plants/article_a7d612c4-406b-528b-96d7-dd5c9248b7af.html

Local florist brings joy to Clevelanders with massive floral installation at Edgewater Park - News 5 Cleveland

At the same time, Mayesh, who is the largest flower wholesaler in Northeast Ohio, had a significant amount of inventory on hand as they prepared to close through April. Bob Fenner Flower display at Edgewater Park. So Thomas loaded up as many flowers as he could, approximately 5,000 stems, onto the bed of his pick up truck.Working after dusk, plucking and arranging each flower with intent, Thomas created an 8-foot tall floral billboard at Edgewater Park.At the base of the installation reads, “Individually, we are one flower. Together we are a beautiful garden,” — a message Thomas hopes reaches as many people as possible during this difficult time. Cleveland Metroparks/Kyle Lanzer. Floral design at the Cleveland Metroparks. Cleveland Metroparks/Kyle Lanzer. “Having flowers is a luxury for most people who think twice about having them even when the economy is good. I had all these flowers and thought this would be a great way to bring joy into as many homes as possible,” he said.Every visitor is encouraged to take a flower or two home to remind them of better times ahead."I designed it so it's easy for visitors to grab flowers," Thomas said.The Cleveland Metroparks, who operates the area where the display is located at, encourages visitors practice social distancing.Spreading joy and hope through flowers is something that runs deep for Thomas, who, for as long as he can remember, has been surrounded by flowers and plants.For generations, his family has been in the flower business, o... https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/made-us-smile/local-florist-brings-joy-to-clevelanders-with-massive-floral-installation-at-edgewater-park

Looters Ransack Streeterville Florist Shop That Opened Just A Few Months Ago - CBS Chicago

It was difficult to see the shop like this,” Nima Manhas said.The refrigerators were shattered, the computers were broken, and the new small business at 209 E. Ohio St. was totally ransacked.“All of us are trying to get back to normal, and it’s just so difficult,” Nima Manhas said.They did deal with some theft.“Just garbage and trash everywhere,” said Gur Manhas.But for the most part, City Scents Flowers was destroyed for the sake of destruction – almost eerily so.You can see the flowers behind the broken refrigerators still arranged in place.“It seemed like the purpose was just to damage,” Gur Manhas said.Their purpose since taking over in April is supporting their community, even when it meant closing down during the protests in May after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.“We handed out daisies and white roses to protestors to show support for the protesters,” Nima Manhas said.“We do not believe that the violence that occurred this morning had anything to do with any kind of social justice theme,” Gur Manhas said.Now, as they process and finish picking up the pieces, things that can be replaced.“We don’t want people to move away from the city,” Gur Manhas said.Their focus is on a feeling throughout the city right now that’s not as easily replaceable.“I think it’s important for everyone to feel safe in our community,” Nima Manhas said.City Scents is hoping to open back up soon in Streeterville. And on Monday night, like other businesses in this area, big and small, all hit in the early morning, they’re asking for one thing – protection from the city. https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/08/10/looters-ransack-streeterville-florist-shop-that-opened-just-a-few-months-ago/

Ham Lake couple trust God as they grow family flower farm business - The Catholic Spirit

Jonah grew up on a farm. High school sweethearts, the 30-year-olds met at the parish they still attend, St. Paul in Ham Lake. They went to college together at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio and married in 2012.Six years ago, they rented a farmhouse near Ham Lake, on 20 acres with a field bordered by pines. After it sat fallow for a few seasons, they approached their landlord and arranged to begin farming it. This spring, they planted a plot with 50 different types of flowers. Kristen cuts, arranges and sells bouquets.Kristen and Jonah are convinced that God has led them to begin this venture, but they wear no rose-colored glasses about the challenge they’ve taken on. When asked July 30 what he sees when he looks over the field, Jonah chuckled and said, “a lot of labor.” In the spring, he and Kristen ordered mounds of compost to prepare the field’s otherwise “sandbox” soil, spreading it over layers of salvaged cardboard to help retain moisture and quality. He built a fence to keep out deer, like the five he observed grazing across the road that evening, as well as an irrigation system.Jonah holds a master’s degree in counseling, but decided the career wasn’t for him. He works as a house inspector, but is an entrepreneur at heart. The flower farm by far is the biggest risk he and Kristen have taken, he said. They hope that eventually it could become their full-time business.When they began researching farming, they planned to grow organic food. They were inspired by the writings of Joel Salatin, a Christian farmer in Virginia who has become the godfather of a movement favoring small-scale, sustainable, family-based farming. The Carlstroms were thinking produce and chickens when, in the winter of 2019, Kristen came across a book titled “The Cut Flower Garden” by Erin Benzakein, a florist farmer in Washington.“Basically, I just fell in love with it,” Kristen said. “It was kind of out of the blue for me.”She had always kept a small flower garden with sunflowers and zinnias, but nothing large-scale. But once she began to think about flowers, she became convinced that was the direction she wanted to move.“I knew we were going to take on something really big,” she said. “It was really important for me to be really passionate about it. And so, this was something that just really took a hold of me. And I had so much energy with thinking of doing really hard stuff to make it happen.”She and Jonah took Benzakein’s online course on flower farming, and dove into researching what would grow well in Minnesota’s climate. “Before we knew it, we’re like, we’re really doing it,” she said.Jonah gives Kristen all the credit for the flower focus. “I never thought I would be a flower farmer — I don’t think many men do think of that,” Jonah said, sitting near the field. He agreed to the online course, “and I was just sort of open with the Lord; ‘Wherever you lead us.’”“Ever since leaving school, I wanted to do something in nature. I love working outside. I’ve been praying along the way” for God’s guidance, he said. “Basically, I want to come home and I want to work from home.”The Carlstroms don’t know any other young farmers, but they’re not alone among Catholic millennials. Jim Ennis, executive director of St. Paul-based Catholic Rural Life, said there are like-minded young Catholics across... https://thecatholicspirit.com/news/local-news/ham-lake-couple-trust-god-as-they-grow-family-flower-farm-business/

Business owners tell state lawmakers they are ready to reopen - Dayton Daily News

A local florist was one of several business owners from across Ohio who told state lawmakers Monday that the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has brutalized their businesses and they are eager to reopen with safety precautions in place. “All my employees are furloughed and filed for unemployment and have yet to get unemployment,” Tom Hamilton, owner of Beavercreek Florist, told the Ohio House of Representatives’ 2020 Economic Recovery Task Force. “My business is struggling since there is no income,” Hamilton said. Coronavirus: Complete coverage from the Dayton Daily NewsClosed by government decree since March 24, he said they missed out on proms, secretaries week and Easter and look forward to reopening at the beginning of May in time for Mothers Day. “Who was it who first taught you how to wash your hands? Mom,” he said. But he and other people in his industry are concerned that if they are forced to stay closed they will lose employees to other companies that were allowed to stay open. And if... https://www.daytondailynews.com/business/business-owners-tell-state-lawmakers-they-are-ready-reopen/pl8zPjPLw8ZGBR5C7GwHRN/