Mistletoe, or Phoradendrum Seritonum, has been a symbol of love and fertility for thousands of years, having once been used in Druid ceremonies and then evolving into “kissing balls” in 18th century England - under the mistletoe kissing ball, it was bad luck for a lady to refuse a gentleman’s kiss.* While we don’t advocate forcing your object of affection to kiss you under the threat of a years’ worth of bad luck, hanging mistletoe in doorways is a long-standing tradition. Tack sprigs of it outside your front door on New Years’ Eve to welcome the new year and guard against evil spirits like the Celts, or hang it above a newborn baby’s crib to prevent fairies from snatching him and putting a changeling in his place – new holiday mamas take note!
Thank you to member Ovando for this delightful Thanksgiving greeting!
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Me oh my, Thanksgiving is but a week away. We certainly appreciate longstanding traditions just as much as the next designer, but who’s to say that you can’t dress up your décor with a more modern spin?
Less really can be more: Warm colors will never go out of style for the fall season. You can easily offer more modernist appeal by working with fashioned, multi-stem arrangements. Succulent Beauty Mark, featuring swooping callas and our signature succulents, is the quintessential contemporary design for Thanksgiving. Delicately bold, endlessly elegant, and sure to be admired by all of your dinner guests.
It is with deep sadness that we announce that Jane Packer has passed away.
Noted International florist and author, Jane championed the vision that flowers are as exciting as fashion and interior design, but entirely more accessible. Her passion for flowers and inspiration taken directly from nature has contributed greatly to the florticulture industry.
Jane’s legacy is an international business – London – Tokyo – New York -Seoul – Hong Kong, and despite the worst recession in living memory, the business has gone from strength to strength. In the UK alone, the recent launch of the acclaimed JANE PACKER fragrance range, the expansion of the JANE PACKER on-line flower shop, and the opening of our latest store in association with John Lewis on London’s Oxford Street, are all testimony to the potency of the JANE PACKER philosophy and brand.
Jane has been busy building a strong creativeteamwho succeed her, led by her husband, Co-Founder and CEO Gary Wallis
To learn more Jane and her contribution to the floral design industry please see
A 1,400-hundred pound squash on display at the MarketBar in the Ferry Building was vandalized sometime in the wee hours on Sunday, Oct 30th. The most daring aspect of the theft is the location- alongside a very busy thoroughfare with plenty of lighting both day and night.
The owner of the restaurant states, “Somebody rather carefully carved a small hole, pulled out the plug, and reached in and scooped out the innards.” The pumpkin was grown by Napa farmer Leonardo Urena, recent winner of Half Moon Bay World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, who says it contained 500 or 600 seeds.
According to recent reports, a single seed from the world’s heaviest pumpkin — an 1,810-pounder grown by Wisconsin general contractor Chris Stevens — sold for $1,600!!
Trick or Treat!! As Halloween approaches, beware the goblins lurking … in some of the more unique flowering plants out there!
The Titan Arum, which grows in the rainforests of Sumatra, is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world.
Due to its odor, which is reminiscent of the smell of a decomposing mammal, the titan arum is characterized as a carrion flower, and is also known as the “corpse flower”, or “corpse plant”.
A native to Northern California and Oregon, the Cobra Lily was discovered in 1841 by the botanist William D. Brackenridge at Mount Shasta.
This plant is designated as uncommon due to its rarity in the field. A carnivorous plant, it is also called the California Pitcher plant, or Cobra Plant, and it is the sole member of the genus Darlingtonia in the family Sarraceniaceae.
The name Cobra Lily stems from the resemblance of its tubular leaves to a rearing cobra, complete with a forked leaf—ranging from yellow to purplish-green—that resemble fangs or a serpent’s tongue.
The genus Tacca, which includes Bat flowers and Arrowroot, consists of ten species of flowering plants in the order Dioscoreales, native to tropical regions of Africa, Australia, and south-eastern Asia.
Several species are cultivated as ornamental plants for their bold foliage and large flowers. The well-known T. chantrieri goes by the names of Black Bat Flower, Bat-head Lily, Devil Flower or Cat’s Whiskers. Tacca integrifolia is known as the Purple or White Bat Flower.
References include Wikipedia and the Daily Mail Reporter-UK
We are deeply saddened by the loss of a great man, Steve Jobs… someone whom many of us claimed as a mentor – A visionary who had the courage and discipline to strip away all the clutter and give us just what we wanted, only what we needed.
