Greg Campbell of The Garden Distrist in Memphis, TN, www.gardendistrictmemphis.com, demonstrates how to create a simple, elegant monobotanical topiary arrangement in the Winter Issue of Flower Magazine, www.flowermag.com.

Member Statue of Design in San Antonio, TX, www.statueofdesign.com, features a simple and elegant standing sympathy spray in the corporate photos section on their website.  Suspended in the center of a tripod made of 6 foot Bamboo Poles, the soothing combination of yellow Cymbidium, white Dendrobiums, white and green Calla Lilies and varied tropical leaves is a lovely variation on the usual Sympathy presentation.

With care, this living 12” wreath of mixed echeveria can last for a very long time.  Soak in an inch of water whenever the leaves start to pucker.  It can hang ornamentally for months or be taken apart for the plants to be replanted into pots.  To find this lovely creation see, vivaterra.com.  As seen in December 2010 issue of Real Simple magazine.

We discovered this  nifty innovator in  the  Sept/Oct Australian Vogue Living issue.  Joost Bakker of Urban Crop  provides Melburnians  with living, breathing flowers and herbs planted in a  nutrient-rich soil that is mostly organic waste.  His bagged-in-soil beauties come with their root systems intact – they still have their life source with them – providing the recipients with clean air and nutrient- packed leaves.  Bakker’s underlying message is to make cities worldwide work as crop sources.  Currently, his product can be found in  Melbourne’s bars, cafes, book and bike shops.  His ultimate goal – deliver the message to the world!

San Franciscco Radio station KALW’S Katie Jennings went to the San Francisco Flower Mart, the biggest of the five remaining flower markets in the country, to talk with growers about their changing business.

Ms. Jennings spoke with Nick Neve,who, like his father before him and his grandfather before him,  is a rose grower. He lives and works on his family’s land in Petaluma.

She also spoke with Roy Borodkin runs Brannan Street Wholesale Florists

Read the entire original article at: kalwnews.org

Two award winning designers from the UK,  Sarah Horne and Jo Jarvis, share a vision of floral art that begins with a love of nature and  moves quickly outside the box with their gorgeous new book, “ Botanical Art: For Your Eyes Only”.   An article in Flower& magazine, August 2010 showcases their  beautifully printed, oversize hardcover volume which  includes creations ranging from home décor and gifts to wearable flower art.  Visit  www.3-5-8productions.co.uk to learn more!

Whether you prefer abundance or simplicity – these two options in “bud vases” found in Real Simple magazine May & June issues are both unique and striking.

Magnetic Vase – can be found at: lichen-studio.com

Pols Potten porcelain vessel (of 47 mini bud vases) can be found at: lekkerhome.com

Three bbrooks members are “bringin’ it” to LogoTV’s  reality show The Arrangement airing Oct 4th.

Featured are Southern California floral designers Jenny Barker of Magical Blooms, magicalblooms.com, Tara Cottrell of Hidden Garden (WestlakeVillage), hiddengardenflowers.com and Eddie Zaratsian of Tic-Tock, tictock.com.  Should be catty good fun!!

According to behavioral research conducted at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, nature provides us with a simple way to improve emotional health – flowers. The presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed.

A team of researchers explored the link between flowers and life satisfaction in a 10-month study of participants’ behavioral and emotional responses to receiving flowers. The results show that flowers are a natural and healthful moderator of moods.

1. Flowers have an immediate impact on happiness. All study participants expressed “true” or “excited” smiles upon receiving flowers, demonstrating extraordinary delight and gratitude. This reaction was universal, occurring in all age groups.

2. Flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods. Specifically, study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.

3. Flowers make intimate connections. The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends.

“Flowers bring about positive emotional feelings in those who enter a room,” said Dr. Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Rutgers and lead researcher on the study. “They make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere.”

The full report and article can be found online at Society of American Florists.

Here’s a great story of a group of six women who have bonded through gardening.  One day a week, they set aside their own jobs to garden as a team at one of their homes, rotating every week so that each woman’s property gets the full benefit of their collective burst of labor and artistic vision. Each woman brings her individual skills to bear and the group is delighted to learn of other gardening co-ops, inspired by theirs, which have sprung up in their area – the idea taking hold like a felicitous invasive species.

The entire story written by by Susan Dominus can be found at www.realsimple.com.