The Gardens, UK, formally known as Yalding Organic Gardens, have been lovingly restored and reopened as a stunning, exclusive venue in April 2016.

HRM Queen Elizabeth looks very pleased with this beautiful and creative display “Behind Every Great Florist” by Veevers Carter, UK.
As seen at the Chelsea Flower Show this week.

Gerberas, chrysanthemums, carnations, orchid blossoms, hydrangeas, freesia, lisianthus, and roses were all donated by Tollwasblumenmachen.de, in an ongoing campaign spearheaded by the Flower Council of Holland. Decorating 1,550 square feet, the flowers hang via copper wire to create a vivid, picturesque display.

The epitome of style and grace – an elegant funeral statement from
Fig & Flower Co., TX.  Green antique hydrangea with green cymbidium blooms and minimal accents of greenery.

As winter melts into spring, we’re looking at some of the most floral-tastic versions of common fruits and vegetables. Did you know that onions, lemons, and soybeans are all flowering plants? In addition to the familiar cherry blossoms and plum blossoms of the world, here are some surprising foods that sprout beautiful blooms fit for any bouquet!  As seen at mymodernmet.com

FLOWERS won the Cine Latino Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival, was an official selection at San Sebastian Film Festival and is Spain’s submission to the Foreign Language Film category at the 88th Academy Awards.

“A meditation on romance and remembrance.”
- Jonathan Holland, The Hollywood Reporter

“Enthralling…a symphonic exploration of love and loss.”
- Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

“An elegantly lensed, heartwarming story.”
- Jay Weissberg, Variety

 HISTORIC SAN FRANCISCO SHOP FOR SALE

IXIA ~ SAN FRANCISCO, CA

After 32 years, founder and renowned floral designer Gary Weiss, of IXIA, is retiring and selling his historically significant Market Street boutique.

IXIA was one of the original fine florists profiled in B|Brooks Fine Flowers ® first guide to fine florists, Fine Flowers by Phone (Atlantic 1989).  IXIA has maintained its standard of excellence for decades, building a brand that is timeless.

This high traffic, high profile shop, with an international reputation for magical floral artistry, invites interested buyers to contact:

Peter Goss at Zephyr Real Estate, San Francisco, CA, for more information. 415.505.4677

FOR MORE DETAILS VIEW:

  IXIA Business Opportunity Statement

petergoss@zephyrsf.com

The Haleakala Silversword is found only within a 250 acre area on Mount Haleakala, on the island of Maui in Hawaii.  Its habitat is at an elevation of 7000 – 10,000 ft, in soil composed of volcanic cinders.

Silverswords live for about 10 to 50 years as a low, round bush like the one in the left edge of the photo above. At the end of their life, they send up a flowering stalk that can grow over 6 feet tall within a few weeks, and produce up to 600 flower heads.

 Silverswords have adapted to their dry environment by storing a large amount of water in their thick leaves. As the flowering stalk grows, it pulls water from the leaves and they begin to droop, like the one above.

The Haleakala Silversword is a member of the Silversword Alliance, a group of about 30 plant species throughout Hawaii, which are believed to have evolved millions of years ago from tarweed plants in California. These tarweed seeds floated over 2000 miles on the open ocean to colonize the Hawaiian islands. Both silverswords and tarweeds are members of the sunflower family.

The Haleakala Silversword is a threatened species. It used to be threatened by overzealous tourists and grazing cattle. Now that Haleakala is a National Park, the tourists and cattle are kept under control. What threatens the silverswords today is an invasive species of ant from Argentina, which is preying on the native insects that pollinate the silverswords. Since silverswords flower only once in their long life, this small window for pollination is critical to their survival.

After being pollinated, and spreading its seeds to the Hawaiian winds, the silversword dies. In the photo below, you can finally see why they call this plant “silver sword”. A new silversword is growing directly behind the old, shriveled leaves and sword.

The Hawaiian name for this plant is ‘āhinahina, which translates to “very gray”. Or maybe silver, it’s hard to say.

As seen at Kind of Curious

A man-made mountain blanketed in royal blue and purple flowers and set within former palace grounds, now the world’s largest museum, conjures up the type of grand flourish once commissioned by kings.

Its construction within the Cour Carrée, the exquisite quadrilateral courtyard at the Louvre’s east end, began as it always does ahead of Paris Fashion Week: first the fencing, then the frame demarcating the perimeter of the tent, followed by the support beams and white shell. But at some point last week, there were signs that this structure would be different; namely, an undulating wood grid protruding from one of its sides. Over the next few days, a team totaling 100 continued adding to the structure so that by Wednesday, museumgoers peering out from the royal apartments began marveling at – and photographing – half-planted hill.