The recent state dinner with French President Francois Hollande was full of the standard White House traditions that serve to highlight the very best of our country’s culture and culinary.

However, this state dinner was notably different.  Something special, subtle and important happened.

The Obama White House decided to ensure that the flowers presented at the center of the table would be as fresh, sustainable and as American as the food that would be served to their special guests.

The floral arrangements displayed at the dinner included:

Flowering quince branch – Mississippi; Weeping Willow – South New Jersey; Scotch Broom -Virginia; Iris (blue and purple) – California; Alocasia – Apopka, FL and Zellwood, FL; Equisetum, Nandina and Green Liriope – East coast FL, De Leon Springs.

As seen at americasflowers.org.

First Day of Spring is March 20, 2014.

Peony season is just around the corner!

B|Brooks member florist, Garden Style in Tyler, TX created this sweet roundy moundy arrangement of  O’hara garden roses, mini gerbera, antique hydrangea and ranunculus buds.  I want one!!

Is she a statue or is she real?

Eye-catching living vases created by floral designer Alison Franchi and make-up artist Jennifer Aspinall.

“For You It Should Rain Red Roses”  by Jenny Forsbach at IPM Essen 2014.

At IPM Essen, participating designers were required to create a heart, using 200 Porta Nova Red Naomi stems, as a Valentine wish for the attendees.

Lobiloo is a software program that creates beautiful, fast and accurate image-based price estimates for clients.  Offering a library of over 2,500 floral images provided by Florabundance with unique finder tools (by season, color, etc.), as well as the capability for florists to upload their own gallery of images of flowers and rental items.  Plus, it calculates the number of stems needed of each flower and creates an order form for your wholesaler.  Sweet!!!

Creator of thebridescafe.com and owner of JMFlora Design in Richmond, VA, Janie Medley fashions a summery circlet sure to turn heads.

As seen in  Summer 2013 Flower Magazine.

One of the most elegant flowering plants you can grow indoors, Medinilla Magnifica is every bit as magnificent as its name.

However, it’s not easy to please, unless you can provide the high humidity this tropical native craves. Use every means to increase the moisture in the air around it.

Pairs of thick, glossy green leaves cover the upright stems. The leaves get big — up to 1 ft (30 cm) long — and are deeply veined with wavy edges.

In spring, given enough light and humidity, you can expect long, pendulous flower stalks to grow from the tips of the branches. The flower heads are spectacular. Clusters of small, pink flowers are carried beneath 2 or 3 tiers of pink bracts.

There are approximately 400 species of Medinilla, of which until now only the magnifica is supplied as a houseplant. The family name of the Medinilla is Melastomataceae. Medinilla magnifica finds its origin in the mountains of the Philippines. It is an epiphyte, which is a plant that grows on other trees but does not withdraw its food from those trees as parasites do. This type magnifica is the only Medinilla with splendid pink flyleaves and such a large flower. Late king Boudewijn of Belgium was a big devotee of Medinilla. He grew them in the royal conservatories and they flaunted on the bank note of 10,000 Belgian francs. The growing of Medinilla’s in greenhouses was such a great success that now everyone can enjoy the beauty of Medinilla!

These little guys from Eco-Goats are cleaning up the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC!  Awesome cute!

Pamela Crawford’s Living Wall Planter holds nine front plants, six side plants and three top edging plants.  14″ tall x 14″ wide x 5″ deep Square.

Includes side planting replaceable coco-fiber liner and J-Hooks for hanging. J-Hooks hold single planters away from the wall, allowing for air circulation. Tuck a plastic bottle cap or cork under bottom corners to hold them out.