Member Geranium Lakes own Kim Foren, www.geraniumlake.com, was featured in a casual, informative editorial clip.

Kim coordinates with host David Musial from Fusion NW – “Backyard Bouquets” Channel 6 to demonstrate the use of flowers from your own garden to create one-of-a kind arrangements for your dinner table!

Many of our clients are avid gardeners or have extended knowledge of flowers and plant.

For those of you cultivating an interest in home gardening, here are some tips from Real Simple magazine online to help make your garden grow!

According to a report released last year by the Center of Small Business at California Star University-Sacramento, California’s cut-flower industry has an annual impact of nearly 10.3 billion on the state, returning 92 cents of every dollar earned back into the California economy!

According to the study, cut flower growers in CA employ about 7500 people.  Overall, the state’s floral industry employs almost 15,000 people while generating billions in economic activity.

The research indicates that the expenditures of growers, wholesalers retailer and others affiliated with the industry create a ripple economy effect generating the equivalent of 121,950 full time jobs in CA , with a total of 3.3 billion in gross wages.  The report states, that without these jobs, number of unemployed in CA could rise as much as 12.5 percent.

The report points out the California’s cut flower industry’s achievements are particularly impressive due to the aggressive pricing of imports from other countries and wholesaler/retailer consolidation.

The full economic impact report and related facts can be found at www.ccfc.org.

BBrooks member Geranium Lake in Portland, Oregon www.geraniumlake.com shares a lovely idea for boutonnieres with us from their May 2010 newsletter:  http://www.projectwedding.com/wedding-ideas/beyond-flowers.

Succulents are all the rage among eco-chic trendsetters. For your home, garden, or wedding, these hearty plants are beautifully shaped and come in a dazzling array of colors. Many succulent plants even grow flowers! Combined with stones, moss, and local blossoms, succulents make modern and elegant centerpieces.

Because they’re hearty and easy to care for, succulents make great wedding favors and souvenirs for you and your guests. Any succulent can be taken home and replanted, and will live for years with minimal care.

Grayson Handy is the creative director of New York’s Prudence Designs and Events, www.prudencedesigns.net.

He is the co-author of a gorgeous new designer book. Flowers for the Home,
Inspirations from the World Over by Prudence Designs.

Showcased are 100 simple and stylish floral arrangements for both everyday and special occasions that have been shaped by Handy’s worldwide travels. These floral designs are inspired by cultures and traditions from such far-flung places as China, the tropical rain forest, the English countryside, and the American South.

We here at BBrooks are mostly, obviously, concerned with yummy flowers in a vase. But, this is a great article from The Times about the path flowers take when they are being turned into artisan perfumes.

Arranging flowers is a creative, artistic process in which beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder. What some people find beautiful, others will find unappealing. An avant-garde’s cutting-edge design may be a traditionalist’s eyesore. But that is precisely how art stays fresh—by constantly experimenting, reinventing and transforming itself.

Should the government have the power to say who may or may not become a florist?

A Louisiana law threatens to shut down bbrooks member Mitch’s Flowers in New Orleans, because their sole licensed florist passed away in February. The owners have 90 days to hire another licensed florist…or close up shop.  Visit them on facebook to show your support!!

Watch the CBS News story, click here.

To arrange and sell flowers in Louisiana, aspiring florists must first obtain a government-issued license.  The licensing exam, which is offered four times a year, consists of two parts: A one-hour written test and a four-hour practical test. The practical exams are graded by 3 to 6 judges – who are working licensed florists. Louisiana thus empowers a small group of licensed florists to decide who may compete with them and who may not.

If Louisiana can license florists, there is no limit to what it can license or to the burdens it can impose on honest, productive livelihoods.

States That License Florists

On March 4, 2010, the Institute for Justice filed a civil rights lawsuit, Chauvin v. Strain, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against the Commissioners of the Louisiana Horticulture Commission seeking to have Louisiana’s anti-entrepreneur, anti-competitive and anti-consumer florist licensing scheme declared unconstitutional.

This case is about more than just florists in Louisiana.  The U.S. Constitution protects every American’s right to earn an honest living in the occupation of their choice and prohibits the government from erecting barriers to entrepreneurship that are arbitrary or do nothing more than keep entrepreneurs from competing with existing businesses. Thus, this case is about setting a national precedent that will stop the government from licensing harmless occupations.

What began in New Orleans must end in New Orleans. It is time for the courts to declare Louisiana’s anti-competitive florist regulations unconstitutional. The Institute for Justice aims to restore the 14^th Amendment’s Privileges or Immunities Clause to its proper role as the foremost constitutional protection for the right to earn an honest living.

photo courtesy of Compositions ME

The history of Mother’s Day is centuries old and can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians.

Early Christians initially used the day to honor their “Mother Church.” They also celebrated a “Mother’s Festival” during Lent to honor Mary, the mother of Christ.

In England, in the 1600′s, the celebration began to include real Mothers, earning the name Mothering Day. During this Lenten Sunday, servants and trade workers were allowed to travel back to their towns of origin to visit their families and came bearing cakes and flowers for Mother. Mothering Day also provided a one-day reprieve from the fasting and penance of Lent as families enjoyed a sumptuous family feast—Mother was the guest of honor.

English colonists settled in America discontinued the tradition of Mothering Sunday –perhaps due to lack of time. Another possibility, however, is that Mothering Day conflicted with their Puritan ideals.

In 1872, Julia Ward Howe, who penned The Battle Hymn of the Republic, established a landmark in the history of Mother’s Day.   Howe had become so distraught by the death and carnage of the Civil War that she called on Mother’s to come together and protest the futility of their Sons killing the Sons of other Mothers. She called for an international Mother’s Day celebrating peace and motherhood.

The holiday nearly failed once Howe stopped providing the funding for the majority of these celebrations.  Howe had nevertheless planted the seed that would blossom into what we know as Mother’s Day today

Anna M. Jarvis also campaigned for the creation of an official Mother’s Day in remembrance of her mother and in honor of peace.   Her request was honored, and on May 10, 1908, the first official Mother’s Day celebration took place at Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia and a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Andrew’s Methodist Church exists to this day, and was incorporated into the International Mother’s Day Shrine in 1962.

In 1908, U.S. Senator from Nebraska, Elmer Burkett, proposed making Mother’s Day a national holiday at the request of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). The proposal was defeated, but by 1909 forty-six states were holding Mother’s Day services as well as parts of Canada and Mexico.

Anna Jarvis quit working and devoted herself entirely to the creation of Mother’s Day, endlessly petitioning state governments, business leaders, women groups, churches and other institutions and organizations. She finally convinced the World’s Sunday School Association, a key influence over state legislators and congress, to back her. In 1912 West Virginia became the first state to officially recognize Mother’s Day, and in 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed it into national observance, declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

For many, the Easter Lily, the traditional time-honored flower of Easter, is highly regarded as a joyful symbol of beauty, hope and life. The large, trumpet-shaped, fragrant white flowers make a meaningful gift that embodies the very essence of the celebration of Easter.

Tradition has it that the beautiful white lilies sprung up where drops of Christ’s sweat fell to the ground in his final hours of sorrow and deep distress. Churches, to this day, continue the tradition at Easter time by banking their altars and surrounding their crosses with masses of Easter Lilies, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and hope of life everlasting.

Easter Lilies prefer moderately moist, well-drained soil and moderately cool temperatures.  Recommended daytime temperatures are 60o to 65o F. with slightly cooler night temperatures. The lily will thrive near a window in bright, indirect natural daylight, but avoid glaring, direct sunlight.

Water the plant thoroughly when the soil surface feels dry to a light touch, but avoid over-watering. For best results, remove the plant from container, and water thoroughly until water seeps out of the pot’s drain holes to completely saturate the soil. Allow the plant to air for a few minutes and discard the excess water before replacing it back into its container.

As the flowers mature, remove the yellow anthers before the pollen starts to shed. This gives longer flower life and prevents the pollen from staining the white flowers. When a mature flower starts to wither after its prime, cut it off to make the plant more attractive while you still enjoy the fresher, newly-opened blooms.

The Easter Lily bulbs are surprisingly hardy even in cold climates.   After the last bloom has withered and has been cut away, you can continue to grow your Easter Lilies, and even plant them outside in your garden to enjoy them for years to come.