Flowers& AUGUST 2016 $6.50
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Fall Fanfare Fresh, faux & dried botanicals blend beautifully for autumn Pg 30
A sampling of fierce floral artists from around the world Pg 44
The latest on lilies & hydrangeas Pgs 24, 58
contents august 2016
features 17
32nd Annual Flowers& Design Contest Announcing the finalists.
24
Lilies on Parade
What’s new with lilies? A report from Dutch Lily Days. Text and photography by Bruce Wright
30
Fall Colors
Designs to bring in the harvest seaason, in fresh, faux and dried.
Floral design by Kevin Ylvisaker AIFD, PFCI, CAFA Photography by Ron Derhacopian
44
Pushing the Envelope
Selections from Formidable Florists, an international survey of daring floral artists.
54
A Day at the Fair
Flowers and fun at this year’s International Floriculture Expo. Text and photography by Bruce Wright
2 AUGUST 2016
pg 43
on the cover Tulips in the fall? Absolutely, combined with the warm gold of ilex branches, the crunchy blond texture of dried wheat, and the rough bark of the Timber Vase. The tulips are ‘World Legend’, perfect for the season. For more designs by Kevin Ylvisaker AIFD, PFCI, CAFA that celebrate fall with a mix of fresh, faux and dried materials, turn to Fall Colors, pages 30-43.
contents
departments 8
F ocus on Design
10
Leaf Art
Blending Fresh and Longer-Lasting By Rich Salvaggio AIFD, AAF, PFCI
Braided Lily Grass By Helen Miller AIFD
13
Inspired By...
Ginkgo Leaves By Tom Bowling AIFD, PFCI
58
Fresh Focus
Hydrangea By Bruce Wright
64
I ndustry Events
What’s 65
pg 12
pg 61
in Store
66
Where to Buy
67
Advertiser Links
68
Wholesale Connection
Flowers& Volume 37, Number 8 (ISSN 0199-4751). Published monthly by Teleflora, 11444 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064, 800-321-2665, fax 310-966-3610. Subscription rates: U.S., 1 year, $78.00. Canada, 1 year, $102.00 (US currency only); Canadian GST registration number R127851293. Other foreign countries, 1 year, $149.88 (US currency only). Single issues, $6.50 each prepaid. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, Calif., and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Flowers&, PO Box 16029, North Hollywood, CA 91615-9871. Copyright © 2016 by Teleflora. Printed in U.S.A.
4 AUGUST 2016
pg 9
pg 10
Flowers& Publisher Editor Art Director
Rich Salvaggio AIFD, AAF, PFCI rsalvaggio@teleflora.com Bruce Wright Tony Fox
National Advertising Director
Peter Lymbertos
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800-321-2665
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On the Internet
www.MyTeleflora.com www.flowersandmagazine.com
Advisory Board Teleflora Education Specialists Susan Ayala AIFD, PFCI, Riverside, Calif., Tom Bowling AIFD, PFCI, Syndicate Sales, Fairfield, Ohio, Tim Farrell
AIFD, AAF, PFCI,
Farrell’s Florist, Drexel Hill, Penn., Jim Ganger
AIFD,
Kansas City, Mo., Hitomi Gilliam AIFD, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Bob Hampton AIFD, AAF, PFCI,
Dallas, Texas, John Hosek AIFD, PFCI, CF, CAFA, Surroundings Events and Floral, Verona,
Wisc., Alex Jackson AIFD, AAF, PFCI, Veldkamp’s Flowers, Lakewood, Colo., Vonda LaFever AIFD, PFCI,
Niceville, Fla., Joyce Mason-Monheim AIFD, AAF, PFCI, AzMF, Designer Destination,
Tucson, Ariz., Helen Miller AIFD, CF, CAFA, Flowers and Such, Adrian, Mich., Darla Pawlak AIFD, PFCI,
Essexville, Mich., Julie Poeltler
AIFD, PFCI, IMF, CAFA,
Julie’s Fountain of Flowers,
Lone Tree, Iowa, Jerome Raska AIFD, AAF, PFCI, CF, Blumz by JR Designs, Ferndale, Mich.,
Tom Simmons AIFD, CCF, Three Bunch Palms Productions, Palm Springs, Calif., Gerard Toh AIFD, CCF,
Garden Trade Services, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Cindy Tole, Botanica Flowers &
Gifts, Greensboro, N.C., Kevin Ylvisaker AIFD, PFCI, CAFA, Mukwonago, Wisc.
E d i t o r i al C o u n c i l Marie Ackerman AIFD, AAF, PFCI, Teleflora, Oklahoma City, Okla., Carol J. Caggiano AIFD, PFCI, A.
Caggiano, Inc., Jeffersonton, Va., Bert Ford AIFD, PFCI, Ford Flower Co., Salem, N.H.,
Wilton Hardy
AIFD, AAF, PFCI, FSMD,
JWH Design and Consultant, West Palm Beach, Fla.,
Elizabeth Seiji AIFD, Edelweiss Flower Boutique, Santa Monica, Calif.
Customer service: For service on your magazine subscription, including change of address, please write to Flowers&, P.O. Box 16029, No. Hollywood, CA 91615-9871, enclosing a recent address label. For faster service, call 818-286-3128; Teleflora members call 800-421-2815.
6 www.flowersandmagazine.com
focus on design
•j
Floral design by Rich Salvaggio AIFD, AAF, PFCI
•
Photography by Ron Derhacopian
1
Using plants and permanent botanicals adds to the longevity of this fall design.
2
When the fresh roses and callas fade, they can be replaced or simply removed and the design still looks beautiful. 1. Prepare croton leaves by trimming the bottom of the leaf so you have a nice stem for insertion. 2. Secure foam in the teak bowl in a liner, strapped into the bowl with anchor tape. Take a kalanchoe plant and wash the soil off the roots. Scoop a hole in the foam with your knife and insert the plant. Bundle wheat with aluminum wire and insert the ends of the wire into the foam. Begin inserting croton leaves.
3
3. Add gold ilex, red hypericum, and orange roses. 4. Add permanent botanicals including hydrangea and faux tillandsia, plus clusters of fresh craspedia. 5. Callas and additional roses complete the design.
8 www.flowersandmagazine.com
4
s
•
For product information, see Where to Buy, page 66.
See this
how-to on at Flowers&or go to flowersandmagazine.com.
5
AUGUST 2016 9
leaf art
•j
Floral design by Helen Miller AIFD
•
Photography by Ron Derhacopian
• b
Bands of braided lily grass bring in gleaming, handcrafted texture. Braiding can be done with almost any kind of wire. Decorative aluminum wire and Bind Wire make an efficient combo; together, they give the braid a flexible formability. The gold aluminum wire also harmonizes beautifully with loops of gilded lily grass. Working with the gilded lily grass, Helen inserted the cut ends of the blades individually, not as a bundle, so that she could stagger them from back to front. Once they were inserted, she looped them and pinned the bundle to the foam in one spot with a wired pick, letting the tips cascade below the rim of the vase.
Foliage courtesy of Wm. F. Puckett
lily grass. Next, cut a length of Bind Wire twice as long as your aluminum wire. Bind the lily grass and aluminum wire together with the Bind Wire, wrapping it three or four times around both. Then, wrap the aluminum wire around the end of the stem bundle as well for extra security.
1
2 1. Begin by binding blades of lily grass together at the bottom—six, eight, or as many as you need to attain the desired width. Layer the blades so they all face the same way, with the topside up. A braid like the one featured here uses two loops of Bind Wire for every one loop of aluminum wire. The Bind Wire (less expensive and easier to braid) does the real functional job of holding the braid together, while the aluminum wire has more decorative value. To make a braid like this one, cut a piece of aluminum wire that is longer than the blades of lily grass by at least a third—about an arm’s length—and lay it alongside the
2. Spread the blades of lily grass out and start braiding: weave two rows of Bind Wire through the grass, then one row of aluminum wire. Continue with that pattern, bending the wire back and forth. 3. Bind the grass together with the wire at the top. At both ends, you want to have a short length of aluminum wire that extends beyond the binding, to help with inserting the braid into floral foam. b
3
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inspired by...
Ginkgo leaves Sometimes the simplest things exert a kind of fascination—and the more you know about them, the more fascinating they become. The fan-shaped foliage of the ginkgo tree has a primitive quality—which is not surprising, since Ginkgo biloba is one of the world’s oldest trees, a species that has endured nearly unchanged for more than 200 million years. Native to China, it was later introduced to Japan. In both countries it is regarded as a symbol of resilience, endurance, vitality and hope. As a witness to that symbolism, ginkgos are among the small number of trees still standing today that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Another meaning has been suggested to many observers by the rounded
12 www.flowersandmagazine.com
•j
Floral design by Tom Bowling AIFD, PFCI
•
Photography by Ron Derhacopian
silhouette of the leaf, usually cleft into two halves (giving rise to the species name biloba, or “twolobed”). In the East, the ginkgo leaf offers an apt symbol of the duality of life: yin and yang, female and male. It happens that the ginkgo tree is dioecious, meaning that individual trees are either male or female—not both at once, as is far more common in the plant world. Admired and cultivated in Asia for centuries, the ginkgo appears widely as a motif in Asian art. No wonder that ginkgo leaves became a favorite subject and pattern for the Art Nouveau movement in the West, which was strongly influenced by Japanese art and design. Look closely at the ornamentation of Art Nouveau buildings and objets d’art and you will find the shapely curves of ginkgo leaves in abundance. Bright green in summer, ginkgo leaves turn golden yellow in the fall. In creating this month’s design Tom was inspired not only by the outline of the leaves, but by the texture and pattern of their veining, which fans out from the stem. His fall-themed, fan-shaped design relies on dogwood branches and cattails along with the stripped stems of sunflowers and ‘Cherry Brandy’ roses to suggest the veining, accented with callas, craspedia, and purple stock, along with rosemary, millet, and green hydrangea at the base. In another tribute to the round, flat shape of the ginkgo leaf, he covered a trumpet vase, first with UGlu, then with silver-dollar eucalyptus—a beautiful complement to the design’s flaring outline. b
s
•
14 www.flowersandmagazine.com
For product information, see Where to Buy, page 66.
Flowers&
Design Contest
finalists!
Help pick three winners from among our talented top 10 [
]
to see them turn the page
Cast your
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from our secure website:
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pictured] All top three winners will receive handsome trophies [asabove In addition, the first-place winner receives a cash prize of $1,000 and a General Registration for AIFD National Symposium 2017 in Seattle!
The finalists’ designs that appear on the following pages were selected by our panel of expert judges from among scores of high-caliber entries, based on overall quality of design and photography and on how well each entry addresses the theme of this year’s Flowers& Design Contest, HUES IN HARMONY. Now it’s your turn! We invite you to review the finalist entries—published here without identifying the designers who submitted them—and to for your three favorites by visiting our website: www.flowersandmagazine.com. Follow the links and instructions on the site.
vote
Se et finalists he co the nte 5p n ag ext on st es
Voting will remain available from the time when the August issue is released online (July 20) to when the September issue replaces it on our home page (August 20). Your votes will determine the top three winners. The winners, and the identities of all 10 finalists, will be revealed in the November 2016 issue of Flowers&.
17
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Soft pastels prevail in a horizontal bouquet featuring
yellow stock, pink roses and spray roses, cymbidium orchids, rice flower, hydrangea, tulips, dusty miller and eucalyptus foliage in a simple white cylinder.
2
Red, hot pink and magenta sizzle together in a
composition based on looped wire, with rows of boronia florets glued onto it here and there. A couple of hydrangea florets are likewise used as diminutive accents. Pale pink roses with hot pink margins stretch the range of color values; the phalaenopsis orchids with their deeper, bluer tones anchor the design. 2012 18 january www.flowersandmagazine.com
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3
Round flowers including roses
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and anemones, in a color
range from pale lavender and deep purple to blush and hot pink, cover the surface of a sphere, sharing space with green berzelia and starry blades of variegated lily grass.
4
Daffodils and forsythia harmonize brightly here,
pulling out pale yellow tones in the throats of white callas, their stems bound into graceful arches. A composite ceramic vase is glazed in a shade of medium green that nicely supports the brown and yellow tones and nearly matches the thick, smooth calla stems.
DESIGN CONTEST:
4
vote for your three favorites by visiting our website: www.flowersandmagazine.com.
AUGUST 2016 19
5
DESIGN CONTEST:
vote for your three favorites by visiting our website: www.flowersandmagazine.com.
5
“I love the bright oranges, yellows and neon greens
together,” writes this contestant of her analogous color scheme. “And every time I walked through the greenhouse that croton plant was calling out to me!” Uluhe fern curls harmonize with the variegation of the croton leaves and the centers of gerbera daisies; they also establish a motif that is echoed with curled wire and looped, loosely knotted lily grass.
6
Anemones in a rich shade of purple are paired with
orange roses and ranunculus and persimmon-colored tulips. A medium leafy green is introduced with ‘Green Trick’ dianthus, sword fern that cuts a curving diagonal line, a band of braided bear grass, and a triple arch of bent equisetum. 20 www.flowersandmagazine.com
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A section of thick bamboo in a
warm, natural shade of
yellowish tan provides a beautiful base for a palette of greens and light yellows. Within this narrow range, texture naturally comes to the fore, a tendency fully exploited with the use of such materials as kniphofia, foxtail fern, grasses, muehlenbeckia, succulents including string-ofpearls, a variegated hala leaf, and pittosporum. Crossing arches of smooth stems link the different points of radial origin along the horizontal base.
8
Orange tulips rise from a bed of hot pink sweet william,
interspersed with orange freesia. Curly willow frames the tulips, tied with Bind Wire. The composition rests in a weathered box.
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AUGUST 2016 21
vote for your three favorites by visiting our website: www.flowersandmagazine.com.
10
Purple anemones and yellow beehive ginger add the accents that make a red palette pop. Anthuriums, tulips, and two kinds of ti leaves burst up and down from the center of this design, backed with a grid of red midollino. A plucked sunflower hovers like a dark circle near the center of the design, which is based in a shiny black pot.
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A narrow band of color can be quite dynamic, making full use of tints, tones and shades from light pastels to bright saturated hues, as seen here in a collection that ranges from creamy ranunculus to flecks of bright orange in the throats of oncidium orchids. Gray pussy willow complements the rich yellows from lemon to saffron. A white tray and a border of dark green moss frame the composition, which also includes small accents of natural, neutral light green.
2012 22 january www.flowersandmagazine.com
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For more information, please contact Cory Sanchez at csanchez@florigene.com Monica Useche at museche@florigene.com Or, you can ask your local wholesaler for details and availabilty. Please visit our website www.florignen.com
POT PLEASURES If you gave up on selling potted lilies when supermarkets starting selling longiflorum lilies for Easter, it’s time to take another look. Pot lilies are an active area of hybridization, with new varieties amenable to designer upgrades. They include the double-flowering, and therefore pollen-free, Easy Life Collection of Asiatic pot lilies from GAV Lilies, like peach-colored ‘Splendid Joy’ and soft yellow ‘Mountain Joy’.
W
hat makes lilies special, with a unique niche among important cut flowers? You could have heard a number of enthusiastic answers to that question from lily breeders and
bulb producers at Dutch Lily Days, the annual trade event that brings lily growers and traders from all over the world to the Netherlands to learn about the latest developments in the world of lilies. This being the Netherlands, however, some of those experts would have started by comparing lilies with tulips.
Lilies on Parade
Both are bulb flowers, after all—the top two bulb flowers in worldwide production and sales. For both, while they are grown as cut flowers around the
world, very often those flowers were grown from bulbs produced in Holland. Lily
bulbs are also produced in New Zealand and Chile, in part to meet the demand for fresher bulbs that can be started out of season in the Northern Hemisphere. 24 www.flowersandmagazine.com
What’s new with lilies?
A report from Dutch Lily Days.
LA ASCENDING Just as OTs are said to be taking over from Orientals (see below), most lily growers will tell you that pure Asiatic lilies are gradually disappearing from the market, bested by LA lilies—hybrids of longiflorum lilies and Asiatics. A good example is orange ‘Burlington’ (at near left), an LA variety with exceptionally large flowers, seen here in the testing greenhouse of bulb supplier C. Steenvoorden BV. Steenvoorden is also the major bulb supplier for ‘Litouwen’ (not pictured), a white LA variety that has all but replaced what was formerly the reigning white Asiatic, ‘Navona’; not only larger, ‘Litouwen’ consistently produces a minimum of three buds per stem. LA lilies have taken market share in part because they are faster growing and therefore more profitable for growers.
But the Dutch have retained dominance in this market with passion and expertise. Both are required, since bulb production, and therefore the development of new varieties, is laborious and time-consuming. For tulips, the cycle from the moment a crossing is made to when a new variety becomes commercially successful can take as long as 25 years. For lilies, it’s a little faster—perhaps 15 to 17 years. An even more significant difference, though, lies in the way tulips and lilies are perceived by consumers. Tulips are rela-
THE ALLURE OF ORIENTALS Have you noticed changes in the selection of “Oriental” lilies— referring broadly to the group that includes the largest lilies, usually highly fragrant, like ‘Stargazer’ and ‘Casablanca’? In fact, the newest varieties are often not pure Orientals but OTs—a cross between Oriental and trumpet lilies. Most experts will tell you that pure Orientals are gradually disappearing from the lily world, with OTs taking their place. OT lilies generally offer larger blooms and a wider range of colors—not just white and light or dark pink, but also yellow or even orange. Growers like the OTs because their faster rate of reproduction makes them more profitable. Pure Oriental
varieties, however, also have their defenders. At GAV Lilies, technical adviser Andrew Bly argues that the newest Orientals can compete with OTs in terms of production efficiency and typically offer an inflorescence with more buds and more pleasing proportions. Among the Oriental varieties supplied by GAV are ‘Lampone’ (seen on the opposite page), a rival to ‘Stargazer’ (which remains the leading variety in the United States) and ‘Dignity’, with stunning dark-pink speckles and stripes. By contrast, a popular lily of the OT type is ‘Pink Palace’, seen directly above, as produced by Dutch grower Klaver Lilies. Text and photography by Bruce Wright AUGUST 2016 25
tively easy to market: less expensive than lilies, easy to arrange, they nearly always arrive in the shop open. Lilies have a high perceived value, with long stems, showy flowers, and a longer vase life than tulips, especially when the successive opening of buds is taken into account. However, their branching structure makes them a bit more challenging to arrange or display. Some flower lovers are wary of lilies’ staining pollen and potentially overwhelming fragrance. These are precisely the disadvantages that lily breeders today are working to correct—with considerable success. You may notice that new lily varieties, whether of the Asiatic type (including LA hybrids) or Orientals and OTs, tend to produce more compact clusters of flowers at the top of the stem than in the past. Now, some might argue that a more widely branching structure, with longer laterals, makes for a better display of the individual flowers. But long laterals are more likely to break in shipping. Moreover, a compact cluster, with as many upward-facing flowers as possible, works better as part of a bouquet. Fragrance is a little more controversial. The strong perfume of most Oriental lilies is valued by some customers and in some cultures, obnoxious to others. All the more reason for growers and retailers to have a range of choices, from heavy fragrance to light to none, according to the preference of their markets.
Lilies on Parade
KNOWN AND TRUSTED As noted in an earlier Flowers& article (see August 2014, pages 46-52), lilies arrived fairly late as commercial cut flowers, starting with the Asiatic group after World War II. What’s perhaps even more surprising is that many of today’s top lily varieties, especially among Orientals and OTs, have dominated the market for 20 years or more—varieties like ‘Siberia’, ‘Helvetia’, ‘Sorbonne’, and ‘Starfighter’. For all the excitement of novelties, some lily varieties seem to endure. This is also true of tulips, more than of most other cut-flower crops. Why is that? It may have something to do with the mystery of growing a flower, not from a seed or from a young plant supplied by a propagator, but from a bulb, which con26 www.flowersandmagazine.com
OPEN WIDE Since lilies are typically harvested before the buds open, it’s rare to enter a lily greenhouse and find it filled with colorful, fragrant blooms. The exception would be a test greenhouse, like this one at C. Steenvoorden BV in the Netherlands, and others prepared especially for Dutch Lily Days, the annual trade event that brings together lily breeders, bulb producers, traders and growers from around the world.
BEHIND THE SCENES Lilies are a specialty crop that demands a lot of breeders and growers. Bulbs and stems must be sorted and graded by hand, as seen above at Dutch grower Klaver Lilies. And in the development of new varieties, as with many other flowers, tissue-culture technology is essential, both for breeding and for multiplying the bulbs. With conventional scaling of the bulbs, it would take 10 years to go from 10 bulbs to 100,000. With tissue culture, the same multiplication of bulbs takes only two years. At left, a room in the Iribov research laboratory, where plant tissues are propagated in sterile media as part of the ongoing, high-tech effort to create new varieties that will meet the needs of the market. BUDDING COLOR Lily buds are among the flower’s underappreciated assets, especially after they begin to show color. Look closely and you may notice that in the newest lily varieties, the buds color up sooner. It’s something breeders have been working on, to enhance the appeal of lilies to customers. It also increases their versatility for designers, as seen in this display at Dutch bulb supplier C. Steenvoorden BV.
Thanks to these companies & organizations who contributed to this story: C. Steenvoorden BV GAV Lilies iBulb Iribov SBW Klaver Lily Zabo Plant BV
www.steenvoorden.nl www.gavlilies.com us.ibulb.org www.iribov.com www.klaverlily.nl www.zaboplant.com
july 2010 30
tains within it so much that determines the cut flower’s strength and character. The top varieties are “old reliables,” trusted by growers who work in a wide range of environmental conditions and with a variable range of resources and talents. It’s no wonder if growers tend to stick with the producers they trust and the bulbs they regard as bulletproof, considering the large investment they make annually in their bulbs. That trust was tested about five years ago, when lily growers suffered a setback with the spread of a virus called Plantago asiatica mosaic virus, or PlAMV, which causes streaking and spotting of leaves. The virus spread easily and was generally without symptoms until the crop began to mature. The impact varied, depending on growing conditions: some growers suffered no significant crop losses, others up to 80 percent. For bulb producers and for affected growers alike, the only solution was to destroy infected plant material and start over with clean stock—at enormous cost. Today new protocols are in place at the Dutch bulb production companies, with constant testing to insure that new stock is virus-free (or as close to virus-free as possible, less than one percent, since total eradication is not a realistic goal). What the crisis lays bare is the global nature of bulb-flower production and the essential role of confidence in the relationships between bulb producers and flower growers, who visit and re-establish ties during Dutch Lily Days. Bulb producers like C. Steenvoorden BV maintain greenhouses where they grow the same crops as their customers, for the sole purpose of comparison, so that if customers have a complaint or problem with the bulbs they have purchased, the bulb producers can advise based on their own experience. It’s a dramatic example, but typical of the extended floral supply chain, where quality depends on successive players each doing their part to achieve results that none of them will see: the transforming beauty of flowers that breathe beauty into the atmosphere, perhaps, like lilies, opening one after another on a single stem. b
Lilies on Parade
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july 2010 2
THE NEXT BIG THING Nothing in the lily world is creating more buzz than Roselilies—the double Oriental lilies that are just now becoming available in a new generation of much-improved varieties. Roselilies got off to a rough start: growers found that bulbs from the first generation produced plants with leaves that turned yellow and buds that sometimes dropped before they had a chance to open, leaving only one or two flowers on a stem. Normally such an inauspicious beginning would mean that breeders, backers and bulb producers would simply abandon the project. But with Roselilies, the enormous potential was simply too tempting. Aside from their visual appeal—at once familiar and exotic, frilly and feminine yet bold and dramatic—Roselilies offer a solution to the two greatest challenges for marketing lilies: being sterile, they lack pollen (no risk of pollen stains) and waft a light but not overpowering fragrance. The latest Roselilies on the market can boast all of these advantages, along with strong stems, healthy leaves and a vase life of 10 to 14 days, with one bud opening after another. Flower size and stem length are variable, but still somewhat smaller and shorter than the standard for single Oriental lilies—which seems to suit buyers just fine, considering that in every generation, demand for Roselilies regularly exceeds supply. A higher price for the bulbs and the cut flowers also does not present any obstacle; as supply increases, the price is beginning to come down. The brand name Roselily is owned and controlled by a consortium of Dutch breeders, traders, and producers who make the bulbs available to growers worldwide. By now there is competition, but “they are at least five and maybe 10 years behind us,” says Jacob Langelaan (at center left) of Zabo Plant, a bulb exporter that is a member of the consortium. Seen at near left is ‘Nathalia’, one of about half a dozen varieties in the current generation of Roselilies. The rest of the varieties at left are in development and will likely be available in the next few years, including (from the top down) ‘Anouska’, ‘Tatsiana’, and ‘Aïsha’. For more about Roselilies, visit www.roselily.com.
STAINLESS The pesky pollen that can stain fabrics is one feature that gives lilies a bad rep. Lacking pollen altogether, double Roselilies (as seen on the opposite page) offer one solution. What Roselilies also lack is stamens with pollen-bearing anthers—a visual feature that is part of the classic lily profile. True, most florists remove the anthers, precisely to remove the pollen. But wouldn’t it be nice to have anthers with dry pollen that doesn’t rub off and doesn’t stain? That’s precisely what Dutch hybridizer and bulb producer and exporter GAV Lilies has come up with in ‘Best Regards’, a large pink Oriental lily similar to the very popular ‘Sorbonne’. A white Oriental with dry-pollen anthers has also been developed. AUGUST 2016 29
Fall Colors Designs to bring in the harvest season, in fresh, faux, and dried. Floral design by Kevin Ylvisaker AIFD, PFCI, CAFA
For product information,
30 151 www.flowersandmagazine.com january 2012
t
Photography by Ron Derhacopian
see Where to Buy, page 66.
LEMON SUNRISE Yellow isn’t just for Easter! Six terra-cotta pots bring orange tones and autumn warmth to a series of monofloral bouquets. In two of these (the callas and craspedia), orange-dyed, preserved reindeer moss fills in the base and punches up the terracotta undertone. The design principles of repetition and variation are realized with callas, sunflowers, ‘Golda’ roses, ‘Yellow Diamond’ lilies, craspedia and solidago.
152 january 2012
AUGUST 2016 31
Fall Colors AUTUMN WINE A simple terra-cotta pot lends further realism to a collection of wine-colored faux flowers, succulents, and red dogwood branches, along with twiggy brown coral sprays. The delphinium comes as a bush; as often can be done, Kevin got more mileage from it by cutting the bush apart and using the flowers like single stems. All the components are secured with pan glue in dry foam. BERRY ISLAND Cranberries add a lovely touch of seasonal color to autumn designs. One of the challenges of working with them is that if you try to submerge them in water, they float. Kevin created this design by filling a six-inch Lomey Designer Dish with foam and placing it in the center of the low glass cylinder bowl, then surrounding the foam with cranberries before adding rows of flowers: from the inside out, double-petaled ‘Orange Princess’ tulips, cherryred Matsumoto asters, carnations in antique pink, and ‘Babe’ orange spray roses. Bright sprays of rosehips were inserted last, hovering over the composition and calling out to the cranberries. 153 january 2012 32 www.flowersandmagazine.com 38 30
AUGUST 2016 33
Fall Colors
TINTS AND TONES Above, color is key to a disarmingly simple centerpiece, perfect for a long table. A Raquettes Holder in a long tray provides the functional basis for the design. To this foundation Kevin added carnations in a range of tints from palest peach to pink and salmon, along with burgundy carnations that harmonize yet contrast in value with bright red ‘Freedom’ roses. Clusters of green or red hypericum berries alternate with the round flower heads. BRIGHT AND SHINY In a skillful showcase for red, round rosehips nodding on their stems, Kevin has placed them in an airy arrangement of one dozen ‘Freedom’ roses, all sprouting from a base of burgundy carnations and red hypericum, with red amaranthus spilling from one side. The footed bowl in antique rose gold nicely underscores the rich red palette. ALL CLEAR Proving that it’s definitely possible to arrange permanent botanicals in clear glass—and to translate trendy looks with fresh flowers into silk— Kevin has arranged faux callas in a bubble bowl. The curve of their stems is echoed with permanent vine and their spicy color with the margins of faux succulents along with, at the bottom of the bowl, just a little orange-dyed preserved reindeer moss.
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Fall Colors TWISTED An armature quickly and easily fashioned out of various types of decorative wire makes the most of just a few stems of orange tulips, ‘Mango’ callas, and fresh bittersweet. Conversely, the best way to take advantage of the armature is with vines or flowers with flexible stems like these. To make the armature, Kevin simply wound the wires around a one-inch PVC tube to create even spirals, then pulled at the coiled wire to loosen the curls. He then placed them into the tall vase and twisted them together.
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Fall Colors TAKEOFF Roses and pencil cattails shoot upward like a jet from a base of billowing round shapes and crossed diagonal lines. The cattails are bundled with Diamond Wire, which adds a subtle sparkle from certain angles, peeking through the mélange of flowers and fruit. Then Kevin used the wire itself as a pick to insert the bundles securely into foam. Transparent Oak Leaves add some extra autumnal color and warmth. WINDOWBOX To celebrate a spectacular mum plant, bright yellow with cherry-colored margins, Kevin paired it with two others in a “windowbox” planter: a rose plant and a kalanchoe, with permanent succulents filling in the base. The box comes with its own aluminum liner. To accommodate the plants, however, Kevin filled the bottom of the box with foam and created his own liner on top of the foam out of polyfoil. Midollino cuts an arc across the surface of the box and on one side of the bloomingplant design; an artificial mum flower brings the color down to the base. 159 www.flowersandmagazine.com january 2012 38
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Fall Colors FACE TO FACE The key to working with permanent botanicals, says Kevin, is simply to remember that they need a little manipulation to appear as lifelike as possible—even to the extent of letting a sunflower head bend and droop so that it communicates with an upwardfacing counterpart below. Give them plenty of air, he suggests— especially when they offer detailed construction like these. The terraced sunflowers at the base of this design are separated with faux hydrangea petals. Hanging beaded willow bush and a plucked sunflower add interest to the blank wall of the ceramic rectangle. A POT OF GOLD At near left, birch branches supply a contrast in texture that brings out the tender quality in the petals of orange roses; the branches may actually help to support the rose stems as well. Branches and stems rise from a base of orange carnations, well matched to the roses, and florets of artificial hydrangea in a spicy, orange-inflected ochre. To complete the color picture, Kevin sprayed both the rim of the green ECOssential pot and the tips of the branches with Colour Regen Rose Gold. PINK SURPRISE Carnations in burgundy and a sophisticated shade of antique pink introduce a charming surprise element into a palette of yellow and orange. Kevin carved the foam in the container so it rises toward the center, creating a gentle downward slope to display the corn and gourds. He removed the husks from the corncobs and secured them to the foam in a pinwheel shape with hairpins made of 18-gauge wire, pinning each cob down at the top and leaving space at the center of the foam. He picked the gourds into the foam with wooden picks, then added the sunflowers and curly willow, and finally the carnations.
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Fall Colors HARVEST GOLD Gold ilex berries pick up the warm gold at the edges of ‘World Legend’ tulip petals, while dried wheat complements the natural tone and texture of the Timber Vase. Kevin began with the ilex, inserting it first into the foam in the bark-textured cylinder, adding the tulips next, and finishing with the collar of wheat. A FRESH PATINA Copper and fresh light, bright green make an unexpected yet appealing combination—especially when they are united with touches of copper added to artichokes and Indian corn. Kevin added the copper by spraying Colour Regen paint into a paper towel and using the towel like a brush to apply the pigment. The corn defines a strongly contrasting diagonal line through the center of the composition. Within an analogous green color scheme, the other fresh materials—carnations, limes, and ‘Green Ball’ dianthus—offer contrasts in texture. b 163 www.flowersandmagazine.com january 2012 42
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Every floral designer is at least potentially an artist, working in a medium capable of endless innovation. But some have the opportunity and vision to expand the boundaries
of the art form. The book Formidable Florists, from Isabel Gilbert Palmer, looks at 27 such artists, working all over the world in a wide range of styles. Excerpted here a r e just a few examples. For more information about this book or to purchase it, visit www.amazon.com or www.lannoo.com.
Pushing the Envelope
Selections from Formidable Florists, an international survey of daring floral artists.
JINNY YOUNG PARK is one of several designers featured in Formidable Florists who report having a career-changing epiphany when they were first exposed to the work of Gregor Lersch. Today Jinny is a leading exponent of South Korea’s vibrant floral design culture, in which traditional Korean design absorbs influences both from European styles and from
the dynamic, contemporary Korean pop scene. In addition to her two flower shops, she maintains a separate working studio for welding, carpentry, and the creation of structures for display, installations and competitions. Here, folded paper offers a display surface that is both sturdy and delicate, like the flowers themselves, for spreading vines and blossoms.
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Pushing the Envelope
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LEOPOLDO GOMEZ, a featured international designer at this summer’s National AIFD Symposium, stumbled into floral design by accident. The family catering business in Mexico City needed someone who could create table decorations; Leopoldo was the family member who just happened to have free time matching the times of available floral design classes. “My teacher told me I was born to be a floral designer,” he recalls. His works shows a special interest in geometric lines and the enclosure of flowers within a small, intimate space—tendencies expressed in this collection of glass bottles filled with flowers in bright colors, seen through a prism of horizontal lines constructed with bent bear grass.
Trained in laboratory technique, graphic design, sculpture, ceramics and painting as well as in floristry, MONIEK VANDEN BERGHE is both a florist and a product designer. Her work often makes use of distinctive containers, like the tray of singed paper at left, or the slanting trapezoidal prism at right, which supports a cantilevered structure filled with flowers, including distinctive white cleome. Cleome is the name of her wide-ranging floral business, based in Belgium, and the springboard from which she gives demonstrations and workshops worldwide. “Conscious choices make for strong compositions,” she notes. “I am reminded of this every day.”
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may 2010 14
Pushing the Envelope
JULIA YOUNG-JU KIM enchanted participants at this summer’s AIFD Symposium with her serene, complex, and powerful compositions. In Formidable Florists she tells that she began to study floral design when she was pregnant with her first baby: “I chose to study flower arranging as a form of prenatal care.” Today, as the owner of two successful flower shops in South Korea and an internationally acclaimed teacher and published artist, she continues to explore the ways in which flowers can bring “happiness and healing.” At left, her “Tree Series, Number 2” makes characteristic use of both natural and architectural forms, fusing them into a dreamlike narrative. “Flowers are fantasy and fun” is one way of interpreting the message of JOAN XAPELLI, an avant-garde florist in Barcelona, Spain. Much of Joan’s work is big, bright, bold and humorous; he uses spray paint with abandon. Joan knows plants and flowers well—he worked for 13 years buying them and selling them to florists. But he cites as cultural inspiration his childhood passion for comics, games, and films. Looking at the hand-tied bouquets seen at right, it becomes evident that whimsy and a pop-culture sensibility do not preclude beauty and even elegance. AUGUST may 2016 2010 49 15
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may 2010 16
Pushing the Envelope
Having studied architecture and landscape design in college, TANUS SAAB acknowledges that both nature and architecture influence all his work as a florist. At the start of his career he quickly became known as a talented, charismatic event decorator (and who knows better how to throw a party than a Brazilian?). Today he has studied, taught, and competed in Europe and the US as well as in Latin America. Craftsmanship, along with artistry, is a point of pride for Tanus—as evident at left in a sturdy construction of bamboo, supporting a garden that includes, among other materials, cattails and pink Musa ornata, ornamental banana. Ikebana, Victorian design and Art Nouveau are all traceable influences on the work of Australian florist BART HASSAM, who proudly proclaims, “What I do is artistic, but not purely art, and I don’t want it to be. Floral design must have a purpose— a use—and I craft each piece with my ever-evolving skills.” At right, Bart’s linear, structured style finds expression in an off-center sculpture, beautifully balanced, with phalaenopsis orchids and muehlenbeckia sprouting from the top of a column of floral materials ingeniously reversed and flaring at the base like a trailing skirt. may 2016 2010 51 17 AUGUST
Pushing the Envelope
KEIKO OKADA is one of the leading tutors at Mami Flower Design School in Tokyo. Founded in the 1960s by Mami Kawasaki, the design school is today already a venerable institution, but also one that fosters a continually forward-looking, innovative perspective on floral design. “My world is teaching,” says Keiko, “simply because I feel that teaching is learning. Thankfully this is an endless process.” Keiko’s work reflects the philosophy of the school and its tradition of experimentation within the guidelines of “unshakeable respect for nature.” Her compositions allow us to see the beauty of her materials with fresh eyes: the simple lines of stems and blades of grass turned sideways, as though streaming in the wind; chrysanthemums seen through the sheltering veil of a partially stripped lotus leaf, surmounted by a square arch like the handle of a basket holding precious things.
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Trade shows: a great place not just to buy, but to learn, network, and expand your understanding of the flower world. Billed as the largest business-to-business floral event in North America, the International Floriculture Expo (IFE) offers all that and more. The show—formerly known as the Super Floral Show—underwent a transformation more than ten years ago when it was purchased by Diversified Communications, which produces over 100 other trade shows and conferences.
Flowers & fun at this year’s International Floriculture Expo.
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Text and photography by Bruce Wright
Today IFE benefits from a partnership with two major food shows and, for the first time this year, the Global Cold Chain Expo. The co-location of all four shows at Chicago’s McCormick Place attracts a wide range of buyers and exhibitors, from the mass market to wholesale and independent retail florists. Here are just a few highlights from this year’s show, June 20-22. For more about IFE, or about the exhibitors featured here, visit www.floriexpo.com.
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UP YOUR GAME In a design demonstration to round out the expo’s Education Day—a full day of workshops and demos—Laurel Hollopeter AIFD and Derek Woodruff AIFD shared tips on how they work with flowers, market and merchandise in their two very different retail environments, a full-service supermarket and a wedding and event studio. Derek capped the presentation with a perfect spiral hand-tied bouquet made with lime-green roses and hydrangea.
LOVELY LIZZIES If you needed a reminder that lisianthus is now available year-round, in double-flowering varieties that look like a country rose (but cost far less and hold up better), these photos from RosaFlora (which also grows snapdragons and gerberas) could serve as a pleasing remembrance.
SOMETHING OLD Well, not really old—but lace continues on-trend for weddings, according to Jeremy Chen at Harvest Imports, and mainly in ribbons and runners with an antique, homespun feel, like crochet lace, embroidery lace, and lace with scalloped edges. In a similar vein, countrified yet refined, Harvest Imports showed bicolor raffia, streaked and mottled in a way that looks handcrafted. BLUSHING WHITE “Most people refer to this whole family of flowers as ‘Blushing Bride,’ ” says Steve Dionne of Latitude 33, a company that represents flower growers in Australia, Japan, Kenya, and South Africa. He’s referring to Serruria florida, a member of the protea family that’s coming on strong these days. “Properly, though, ‘Blushing Bride’ is the name for just the white variety, with a little bit of blush [at far left]. The pinker one [at near right] is called ‘Rosa Pink’ ”—and Latitude 33 can supply three more pink varieties, ranging from hot to medium to light pink, all available from Australia, peaking seasonally in July and August. Another Latitude 33 specialty—from the same farm as ‘Blushing Bride’—is Banksia coccinea, with orange stamens set off by furry gray flowers. Imagine a massive tree covered with these blooms! SEXY SUCCULENTS Here’s a trend that’s here to stay—which is a reason to be on the lookout for types of succulents and ways of using them that are just a little different, like these curly and tubular varieties of Crassula ovata, nestled next to flapjack succulents from Plainview Growers in New Jersey. Novel succulents were on display from several other exhibitors at IFE as well, presented with highly marketable design concepts.
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VERY COOL This year visitors to IFE could take advantage of the Global Cold Chain Expo, down an escalator on the next floor, to explore options for expanding or upgrading their cooling capacity. The guys at Store It Cold—from left to right, Ryan Berk and Michael Dworkis—have one innovative solution to offer: the CoolBot, a compact, inexpensive device that works with a conventional air conditioning unit (as seen above) to turn an insulated room into an affordable walk-in. “We save our customers thousands of dollars on the upfront equipment costs and then up to hundreds monthly on operating expenses,” Michael claims. It might sound crazy, but the Store It Cold website is loaded with stories from florists who have used the CoolBot to build primary, supplemental, or mobile coolers. And a chat with the Store It Cold guys reveals awareness of florists’ special needs, like humidity control. 56 www.flowersandmagazine.com
HYDRANGEA HEAVEN If you were looking for intriguing and high-quality hydrangea at IFE you might have stopped in at the Valley Springs booth, where Mike Henriquez and Carlos Echeverri would have been happy to show you green and white ‘Shamrock’, bicolor popcorn hydrangea (below, at center), or any number of novelty items from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in Colombia. At Bay City Flower Co., a pot plant grower from Half Moon Bay, you could have learned about ‘Shooting Star’, a lacecap hydrangea with long-lasting, starlike flowers on long stems, doubleflowered ‘Angel’s Parasol’, or ‘Revolution’—a potted hydrangea with firm flower heads that last for months, starting out blue or pink and taking on “classic” or antique color over time.
IRON DESIGNER Ten designers competed in the ninth annual Iron Designer Competition, a lively and popular feature of IFE, with cheering crowds, entertaining commentary, and all the drama of a race against the clock. Competitors had just 20 minutes to complete a design guided by the theme, “Still Life: Fusion of Produce and Floral” (a nod to IFE’s sister show, United Fresh) using flowers contributed by Ball Seed, vases from Syndicate Sales, and foam and accessories from SmithersOasis. The winner? Adam Havrilla of Artistic Blooms, an upscale Chicago-area floral and event design studio, seen here flanked by MCs Pieter Landman and Jacob McCall AIFD.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING How often have you heard the mantra, “Re-cut the stems”? What if you had a flower-food solution that would allow you to process flowers without re-cutting the stems, saving labor time and preserving stem length? At one of IFE’s well-attended education sessions, Steve Daum of Floralife, the postharvest care company, slipped this bombshell into his clear, complete, and practical presentation on how to make flowers last longer: Floralife’s latest new product, Floralife Express, accomplishes just that. Steve (above) actually demonstrated how well the product works on the spot with a dry-pack rose. “It solves a host of problems,” he says, including the risks associated with cutting tools that aren’t kept scrupulously clean and the situation where a designer or customer pulls a flower out of a bucket without replacing it all the way. The Express technology has been tested in the marketplace in Europe for nine months and is just now rolling out in North America in liquid form, soon to be available in a powder as well. AUGUST 2016 57
fresh focus
•
By Bruce Wright
Everybody loves hydrangeas! And demand drives new options in a changing market.
A
s with so many flower trends, it started with weddings—but today the booming popularity of hydrangeas extends well beyond the wedding market. And as demand
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has risen, so has supply. Cut hydrangeas now reach the US not only in season (roughly May through November) from temperate-zone growers in California and Oregon or Holland, but year-round from growers in Colombia, Ecuador and even Peru. “The production and popularity of hydrangeas have been increasing dramatically,” confirms Bill Fernandez at Continental Flowers, a grower, importer and distributor. “Last year, hydrangeas arriving to the USA increased by 11%. It seems that hydrangeas, which in the past were mostly for weddings, are now used for many occasions.” “Wholesalers tell me that hydrangea
is the second most important item in their inventory after roses,” says Jaime Ruiz of Groflowers, a Colombian grower specializing in hydrangea. “There is also a huge market in China, Korea and Japan.” A recent report from the Dutch agency CBI reports on the European market for hydrangeas in Europe over the past decade—with results that ring true for North America as well. According to the report, hydrangea sales have experienced healthy growth. Consumers are becoming more familiar with this flower, embracing novel colors and varieties beyond the traditional white, blue and pink. The increased demand
MADE IN THE SHADE Cool nights and just the right mix of sunlight and shade during the daytime are essential to hydrangea color and quality. That’s why these finicky flowers grow so well in places like northern California, Holland, and the uplands of Colombia and Ecuador. At far left, an open hoop house at Sun Valley Floral Farms is covered with shade cloth, which gives hydrangea plants just enough sunlight to grow and develop while it allows the cool air of northern coastal California to circulate freely around them. The open, shaded environment encourages long stem length and vibrant coloring of the florets. Likewise, above, hydrangea plants thrive under shade cloth at a Royal Flowers farm near Quito, Ecuador. Another factor in color and quality is how the plants are fed and watered. At a new Royal Flowers farm in Santo Domingo, Ecuador (photo at near left), hydrangea plants are being grown hydroponically—in troughs filled with a growing medium, which allows for finely tuned control over nutrients and pH. At Sun Valley, hydrangeas grown in soil are fed with a computer-controlled supply of fertilizers and acids that is mixed in while irrigation takes place, a process known as “fertigation.” seems to be concentrated in more affluent, sophisticated markets. By the same token, sales of hydrangea are building through professional, specialized channels—good news for florists. IT TAKES ALL KINDS With increased demand and supply, the range of colors and varieties has also been on the rise. Traditional solid colors are still the market mainstay. “During wedding season, white is the most popular,” says Bill at Continental Farms. “Blue is always in high demand”—and fetches a high price, though not high enough for some growers, since it takes longer to grow than,
say, pink or green hydrangea and can be a tricky crop in other ways, according to Jaime at Groflowers. Newer on the market are the mini green and “neon” colors. Both of these types were originally derived by harvesting the flowers before they are fully mature. The “neon” colors—pink, blue, purple and lavender— pop because they are set off with accents of white and green that remain in the flower heads. Today, however, breeders have also been at work selecting varieties that produce light or bright green flowers (like the mini greens) and a variety of bicolors, even as the flower heads mature.
In a similar fashion, “antique” hydrangeas are strictly speaking not varieties, but flower heads that have been allowed, under the right conditions, to mature on the bush (see “Aging Well,” page 62). Still, certain varieties work better than others—among them, ‘Hamburg’, ‘Emerald’, ‘Opal’, ‘Diamond’, and ‘Revolution’, according to the Flower Talk blog, rich with information on hydrangeas and other flowers, published by California grower Sun Valley Floral Farms. Most hydrangea grown commercially for cut flowers is of the species Hydrangea macrophylla, also called bigleaf or mophead hydrangea. The inflorescence comprises
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many florets, with “petals” that are actually modified leaf structures; the true flowers are the tiny round buttons at the center of each floret. But occasionally you see “lace-cap” hydrangeas on the cut-flower market, which have plentiful true flowers, giving a frilly appearance, topped with a sprinkling of four- or five-petaled florets. A good example is Groflowers’ award-winning ‘Blue Lace’. WHAT GROWERS DO It’s well known that growers can manipulate the color of hydrangeas, producing pink or blue depending
on the pH of the soil, which in turn affects how well the plants absorb aluminum. But feeding of the soil, irrigation, shade control and other factors of course affect not just color but quality. They are even trickier in the case of hydrangeas than with many other cut flowers, because hydrangeas grow on woody stems—and not in greenhouses, where temperature and humidity can be controlled, but always out of doors, though typically protected by shade cover. Outdoor growing is also what limits the season for growers in the Northern Hemi-
SOMETHING NEW While familiar solid whites, blues, pinks and greens still dominate the market, there are plenty of eyecatching novelties available as well. Among them are a bevy of exotic beauties from Dutch supplier Holex that include striking bicolors and hydrangeas with longer, thinner petals that give the florets a starry look. Seen here, from left to right, are ‘Expression Classic’,‘Silverstone’, ‘Quasimoda’, ‘Magical Amethyst Purple’, and ‘Magical Cleopatra’.
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sphere, creating opportunity for growers from South America. The rapid growth of supply, however, means that buyers have to be especially careful about purchasing from reliable sources. In Colombia, for example, some hydrangeas are grown and harvested by small farmers on hillside plots of less than an acre—then collected by exporters and brought to packing rooms without coolers or proper processing, according to Jaime at Groflowers. In fact, this type of low-level production has exploded in response to de-
mand. It exists, however, alongside a newer wave of ambitious, professional growers who produce cut hydrangea of the highest quality. “Most florists want premium hydrangeas,” says Jaime. Environmental and labor regulations in Colombia make it difficult to jump-start new hydrangea production, but they also put pressure on growers who can’t meet these standards. This situation is exacerbated, says Jaime, by the drought that has affected Colombia since the onset of El Niño weather conditions in the spring of 2015. “The
drought has a stronger effect on the small growers with low infrastructure,” says Jaime. “When there was plenty of rain, it wasn’t as critical; you could get by without water rights and a system for irrigation and for storing and recycling water. Not today. El Niño has been a bubble burster, separating the formal farms with infrastructure and a permit from those that don’t have it.” At Groflowers, says Jaime, “about 60 or 70% of what we use is recycled rainwater. We collect water on every roof… We also fertilize carefully and control the cold chain.
And we constantly import new plants, so we have a great selection of varieties.” RIGHT AT HOME It’s important, Jaime notes, to select varieties that do well in the climate of the Antioquia valley, near Medellin, where Groflowers and other Colombian hydrangea growers are located. In Ecuador, where Royal Flowers has expanded hydrangea production starting last year, the varieties grown have been hybridized with local Ecuadorian strains already adapted to the local environment, says Royal’s Tom Biondo: “We
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expect to grow a total of 13 new varieties,” from whites and pastels to antiques and popular bicolors like ‘Pink Lemonade’ and ‘Spring Green’. Meanwhile, breeders are hard at work proliferating more variations on the hydrangea theme (see photos on the previous two pages). It’s one of the best possible signs that the hydrangea trend is here to stay, with both growers and breeders betting on the prospects for this distinctive cut flower. b
BRED FOR PERFORMANCE In the past, hydrangea varieties grown for cut flowers were selected from the best-performing garden varieties. With the popularity of hydrangeas as cuts, breeding is now moving in the other direction. The Everlasting™ series was bred by Kolster BV in Holland to produce cut flowers with tough stems, strong foliage and long-lasting blooms. It has been well received, not only by cut-flower growers and buyers, but also by gardeners and growers of pot plants. Among the flashier varieties are ‘Everlasting Amethyst’ and ‘Everlasting Coral’ (above), both grown by Sun Valley Floral Farms. The series also includes, however, popular solid colors like pink and white.
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AGING WELL As September approaches, hydrangea aficionados anticipate the season for “antique” hydrangea blooms, also known as heirloom or classic hydrangeas. These are simply hydrangeas that have been allowed to mature on the plant, transitioning from clear, bright summer colors into a layered palette of marbled, blended hues, often with the shimmering look of old bronze. Along with the change in color, the petals of antique hydrangeas typically thicken and set—which means that under the right conditions they will dry beautifully. Growers in Holland and California will tell you that the seasonal change to cooler nights and shorter days gives a special quality to antique hydrangeas from the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Antiques are, however, also available year-round from Colombia and Ecuador, where the temperature stays about the same year-round, but the nights are sufficiently cool, at the high elevations where most flowers are grown, that hydrangeas will undergo an antiquing process if they are simply left long enough on the plant. Antiques are available from both California and South America in a range of varieties and colors. Seen here are an antique pink (the variety is ‘Hamburg’), a green with purple highlights, and a remarkably iridescent blue, all from Sun Valley Floral Farms, along with ‘Jumbo Antique Blue’, from Royal Flowers.
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5 STEPS TO NO-WILT HYDRANGEAS If you’ve been a florist for a while, it’s probably happened to you: your beautiful, billowy hydrangea suddenly collapses and shrivels to half the original size. Take heart. With today’s varieties and the right processing techniques, hydrangeas can be among the most reliably high-performing flowers in your cooler. (Photo above courtesy of Sun Valley Floral Farms.) 1. BUY RIGHT. Hydrangea performance begins with the grower, including how the flowers are processed at harvest. They should be well hydrated at the farm, typically overnight, using a low-sugar hydration solution, before they are packed and shipped. The best growers pack hydrangeas as single stems, not in bunches, with a gel pack or water pouch on the stem ends. 2. RECUT. After shipping and before use in design, hydrangea stems should always be recut and rehydrated. If any stem end appears to be old wood, be sure to cut enough of the stem to reach the young, white tissue that, although still woody, will take up water and nutrients far more efficiently. 3. KEEP IT DRY. Some growers, wholesalers, and florists like to plunge hydrangea blooms into a pail of water for as long as half an hour so the petals can absorb moisture
directly—especially in the case of hydrangea that seems to be wilting. If you choose to do this, remember that afterwards you will need to turn the stems over, recut the ends and re-hydrate them in the traditional way—leaving them out of the cooler until the blooms are completely dry. Hydrangea blooms—and this is really true for any flower—should never be placed in the cooler wet, which could put them at risk for the growth of botrytis mold. 4. ALUM ALTERNATIVE. Many florists swear by the practice of dipping a freshly cut hydrangea stem in alum powder (available in the spice section of some grocery stores). As you might guess, alum powder contains aluminum, in the form of aluminum sulfate, a chemical that is readily absorbed by hydrangeas and is known to affect their biochemistry. If you use it, take care to keep the alum powder and the work surface clean. As an alternative, “Chrysal Clear Professional 1 solution is aluminum sulfate based, so it works great for hydrangeas as well as other flowers,” notes Gay Smith, technical consulting manager for Chrysal Americas. 5. FINISH WELL. An anti-transpirant finishing spray also helps to prevent premature wilting of hydrangeas.
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Thanks to these suppliers who contributed to this story: Continental Flowers www.continentalflowers.com Groflowers www.groflowers.net Holex www.holland-hydrangea.com Royal Flowers www.royalflowersecuador.com Sun Valley Floral Farms www.thesunvalleygroup.com
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industry events For the most recent additions to Teleflora Unit Programs, go to www.MyTeleflora.com and click on Design Education to access the Floral Event Calendar in the Unit Program section.
National and International August 2-4, Valley Forge, PA EIGC, Eastern Trade Show and Conference for Independent Garden Centers, Casino Resort. Visit www.igceast.com.
Central Region August 7, Plymouth, MN Minndakota Unit, Special Events with Cindy Tole, Len Busch Roses. Contact Pat Gustaf at 605-334-2000 or pgustaf991@aol.com.
September 13, Warren, MI Michigan Unit, Holiday Designs with Vonda LaFever, Nordlie Wholesale. Contact Debbie Custer at 734-262-9625 or wandcc2004@sbcglobal.net.
September 14, Gaylord, MI
IGC (Independent Garden Centers) Show, Navy Pier. Visit www.igcshow.com.
Michigan Unit, Holiday Designs with Vonda LaFever, Eagles Club. Contact Debbie Custer at 734-262-9625 or wandcc2004@sbcglobal.net.
September 21-24, Maui, HI
September 21, Cleveland, OH
SAF Annual Convention, Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. Call the Society of American Florists at 800-336-4743 or visit www.safnow.org.
Ohio Buckeye Unit, Everyday & Holiday Designs, Nordlie Cleveland. Contact Liz Stocker at 330-987-5610 or Lstocker144@gmail.com.
August 16-18, Chicago, IL
October 5-8, Quito, Ecuador Agriflor 2016, Centro de Exposiciones. Visit www.agriflor.com.
Northeast Region August 16, Holyoke, MA
September 11, Albuquerque, NM New Mexico State Florists Association, program includes Wedding Designs with Tom Simmons, Nativo Lodge. Contact Esther Davis at 575-430-4554 or emddesigns@aol.com.
September 13, Jackson, MS Central Mississippi Wholesale Florist, Holiday Designs with Darla Pawlak. Contact Ken Strickland at 601-923-8536 or ken@mwflorist.com.
Southeast Region August 7, Harrisonburg, VA Blue Ridge Unit, Weddings & Special Events with Vonda LaFever, Cross Keys Barn. Call Abby Long at 540-434-4461.
August 12-14, Franklin, TN Tennessee State Florists’ Association Convention and Expo, Marriott Hotel Cool Springs. Visit www.tnsfa.com.
August 14, Cary, NC
New England Unit, Wedding Designs with John Hosek, The Delaney House. Contact Heather Sullivan at 413-785-5148 or heather@durocherflorist.com.
North Carolina Florist Association Convention, program includes Party Designs with Tom Simmons, Embassy Suites. Visit www.ncflorist. org or contact Bill McPhail at 910-867-2900 or mcphail.bill@yahoo.com.
September 21, Lansdale, PA
September 18, Montgomery, AL
FloraHolland Trade Fair Aalsmeer, FloraHolland. Visit www.floraholland.com/tradefair.
Penn Jersey Unit, Holiday Designs, Younger & Son Wholesale. Contact Linda Bogarde at 215-547-4550 or flowersbyjennielynne@gmail.com.
Alabama Unit, Holiday Designs with Vonda LaFever, Horton Wholesale. Contact Anita Motykiewicz at 251-666-0509 or allabloom@micro-comm.com.
November 2-4, Vijfhuizen, The Netherlands
September 28, Amherst, NY
September 18, Myrtle Beach, SC
Upstate New York Unit, Holiday Designs with Tom Bowling, Classics V Banquet and Conference Center. Contact Josette Vest at 585-657-8063 or jvest2@yahoo.com.
South Carolina State Florist Association Convention, program includes Everyday Designs with Kevin Ylvisaker, Clarion Hotel. Contact Linda Mattison at 864-375-0024 or lindasflowershop2300@gmail.com.
October 19-21, Miami, FL Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association Floral Distribution Conference, Miami Airport Convention Center. Call WF&FSA at 888-289-3372 or visit www.wffsa.org.
November 2-4, Aalsmeer, The Netherlands
International Floriculture & Horticulture Trade Fair (IFTF), Expo Haarlemmermeer. Visit www.hpp.nl.
December 5-16, Atlanta, GA FloraMart® (Pete Garcia Company) market dates for fall/Christmas 2017 merchandise, FloraMart. Visit www.floramart.com.
January 9-11, 2017, Santa Barbara, CA Florabundance Inspirational Design Days. Visit www.florabundance.com.
January 10-12, 2017, Long Beach, CA The Special Event, Long Beach Convention Center. Visit www.thespecialeventshow.com.
January 27-31, 2017, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Christmasworld, including the new Floradecora. Visit www.floradecora.de.
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South Central Region August 23, San Antonio, TX Central Texas Unit, Wedding Designs, Bill Doran Wholesale. Contact David Espinoza at 210-229-1231 or david@ springgardenflowershop.com.
September 25, Florence, SC South Carolina Unit, Sympathy Designs with John Hosek, Tommy’s Wholesale. Contact Buddy Poole at 864-316-2688 or dadflst@yahoo.com.
Western Region
September 10-12, Quapaw, OK
October 14-16, Helena, MT
Ozark Florists Association Convention, program includes a design demonstration by Gerard Toh, Downstream Convention Center. Visit www. aboutozark.com or contact Fran Davis at 417-883-8581 or myree97@aol.com.
Montana Florist Association Convention, program includes Celebrations with Alex Jackson, Radisson Colonial Hotel. Visit www.mtfloristassc.com or contact Debbie Snyder at 406-752-1313 or danddebs@montanasky.net.
what’s in store
MADE TO MEASURE A measuring cup in handglazed stoneware (marked on the inside to measure up to three cups of liquid) joins other best-selling kitchen stoneware from Teleflora: beautiful for holding flowers, practical for afteruse. It’s home to Teleflora’s Autumn Sunrise Bouquet, nationally advertised this fall. Call 800-333-0205 or visit themarket.myteleflora.com.
THE LEAF LOOK For covering foam inside a clear glass vase, wrapping water tubes, or covering any surface with a natural pattern that blends beautifully with flowers and foliage, waterproof “aspidistra ti leaf” ribbons from Harvest Import come in colors to resemble either type of leaf and in widths of two or four inches. Call 949-833-7738 or visit www.harvestimport.com.
TAKE A CELFIE With streamlined style and a playful reference to the lady head vases popular in the 1950s, the new Celfie vases from Accent Décor celebrate simplicity and diversity with vases in three colors (chocolate, caramel and white), each available in three sizes, from 3.5 to 6.75 inches tall. Call 800-385-5114 or visit www.accentdecor.com.
PERFECT EVERY TIME Why make your own bows when you can save time and money by purchasing perfect bows that are premade? Bow Genie offers a wide selection, using every kind of ribbon from burlap to polyvelvet, along with custom hand-tied bows, made to order. Call 858-549-2010 or visit www.bowgenie.com.
AUGUST 2016 65
where to buy For more information on
PINK SURPRISE, page 41
merchandise featured in Flowers&,
Sunflowers, Sun Valley. ReCreations recycled-paper bowl, Western Pulp.
contact the supplier directly. Direct links to most suppliers can be
HARVEST GOLD,
found on the Flowers& website,
page 42
www.flowersandmagazine.com.
Ilex and tulips, Sun Valley. Dried wheat, Knud Nielsen. Timber Vase, Accent Décor.
Use the links under “Advertisers in This Issue” or the link to our
A FRESH PATINA,
searchable, online Buyers’ Guide at
page 43
Essentials plastic tray and Colour Regen Copper spray, Smithers-Oasis. Copper-colored Patrician brand pillar candles, Candle Artisans via the Pete Garcia Company.
the top of the Flowers& home page.
F OCU S O N DE S IG N , pages 8-9
Permanent botanicals (hydrangea and tillandsias), Pioneer Imports. Gold ilex and red hypericum, Sun Valley. 17-inch teak bowl, Jamali.
F e at u r e d Suppliers
LE A F A RT , page 10
Urban Earth square vase, Syndicate Sales.
I N S PIRED BY … , page 14
Trumpet vase, Syndicate Sales. Silver-dollar eucalyptus, Ocean View.
F A LL COLOR S , pages 30-43
LEMON SUNRISE, pages 30-31
Callas, sunflowers, and ‘Yellow Diamond’ lilies, Sun Valley. Orange-dyed, preserved reindeer moss, Accent Décor.
AUTUMN WINE,
ALL CLEAR,
TAKEOFF,
Permanent callas, succulents and vine, Pioneer Imports. Preserved reindeer moss, Accent Décor.
Wheat, cattails, and oak leaves, Knud Nielsen. Urban Earth Square in Weathered Brown, Syndicate Sales.
page 38
page 35
WINDOWBOX,
page 32
page 39
Delphinium bush in merlot color, callas, mini daisies in cranberry, succulent picks in burgundy, and coral spray, Pioneer Imports.
Rectangular Kiri Wood Vase, Jamali. Succulent permanent botanicals, Pioneer Imports.
FACE TO FACE,
BERRY ISLAND,
page 40
page 33
‘Orange Princess’ tulips, Matsumoto asters, and rosehips, Sun Valley.
TINTS AND TONES, pages 34-35
Raquettes Holder, Smithers-Oasis.
BRIGHT AND SHINY, page 34
Rosehips and hypericum, Sun Valley. Antique Rose Gold Footed Bowl, Syndicate Sales.
66 www.flowersandmagazine.com
pg 41
TWISTED,
pages 36-37
pg 35
Gold and copper Mega Wire and gold Diamond Wire, Smithers-Oasis. Orange tulips, Sun Valley. G3 vase, Garcia Group Glass.
Permanent sunflowers, hydrangeas, and hanging beaded willow bush, Pioneer Imports. Birch branches, Knud Nielsen. Black ceramic square container, Vasesource.
A POT OF GOLD, page 40
ECOssentials Cylinder and Colour Regen Rose Gold, Smithers-Oasis. Birch branches, Knud Nielsen.
Accent Décor, Inc. Call 800-385-5114 or visit www.accentdecor.com. Garcia Group Glass. Call 800-241-3733 or visit www.floramart.com. Jamali Garden and Floral Supply. Call 212-979-0108 or visit www.jamaligarden.com. Knud Nielsen. Call 800-633-1682 or visit www.knudnielsen.com. Ocean View Flowers. Call 800-736-5608 or visit www.oceanviewflowers.com. Pioneer Imports & Wholesale. Call 888-234-5400 or visit www.pioneerwholesaleco.com. Pete Garcia Company. Call 800-241-3733 or visit www.floramart.com. Smithers-Oasis. Call 800-321-8286 or visit www.oasisfloral.com. The Sun Valley Group. Call 800-747-0396 or visit www.thesunvalleygroup.com. Syndicate Sales. Call 800-428-0515 or visit www.syndicatesales.com. Vasesource. Call 718-752-0424 or visit www.vasesource.com. Western Pulp Products. Call 800-547-3407 or visit www.westernpulp.com.
advertiser links
emporium b u s i ne s s f o r s a le
Advertisers’ websites are hyperlinked on the Flowers& website. Go to www.flowersandmagazine.com and click on “Advertisers in This Issue.”
s c h ool s
WASHINGTON DC FLOWER SHOP High end flower and gift shop for sale.
Located in affluent shopping area. Great opportunity for someone interested in aprofitable, reputable business. Prefer the owner be the hands-on operator with great customer service experience. Internet experienced owner can develop a new website that could generate additional annual revenue. Current sales (June 2015-May 2016) $714,268.00. Owner takes six figure salary plus bonus & insurance. 4 full time employees (including owner). 5-part time employees. Exact location will remain confidential until deemed appropriate to reveal. Owner is retiring and the business is listed by the owner. No broker or broker fees.
Florasearch, Inc.
In our third decade of performing confidential key employee searches for the floriculture industry and allied trades worldwide. Retained basis only. Candidate contact welcome, confidential, and always free. 1740 Lake Markham Rd., Sanford, FL 32771 Phone: (407) 320-8177 / Fax: (407) 320-8083 E-mail: search@florasearch.com Website: http://www.florasearch.com
e q u i pment Refrigerators For Flowers
Combo walkins, storage, reach-ins 800-729-5964 www.flotaire.com
Flowers& Subscribers!
Did you know you can read past and current issues online? Find out how! Go to the digital library link at www.flowersandmagazine.com
11
Chrysal Americas 800-247-9725 www.chrysalusa.com
5
Danziger Flower Farm +972-3-960-2525 www.danziger.co.il
27
Dollar Tree Direct inside back cover 877-530-TREE (8733) www.dollartree.com/floral/559/index.cat
Portland, Oregon
Send email to dcflowershopowner@gmail.com
EMPLOYMENT
Accent Décor, Inc. 800-385-5114 www.accentdecor.com
weddings John Toomey Co
7
Florigene Flowers 954-438-9892 www.florigene.com
23
FlowerBuyer.com 53 877-625-3243 www.flowerbuyer.com
(800) 421-0052
Wedding Aisle Runners Rentals & Sales
UPS Shipments
FloraCraft Corporation 800-253-0409 www.floracraft.com
White Cotton Runners
Advertise in
emporium For rates and info, call
Peter Lymbertos at 800-421-4921
Groflowers 63 786-472-5900 www.groflowers.net Knud Nielsen 800-633-1682 www.knudnielsen.com
15
Pioneer Imports & Wholesale 888-234-5400 www.pioneerwholesaleco.com
13
Plus One Imports/A Division of the Garcia Group back cover 800-241-3733 www.floramart.com Royal Flowers 800-977-4483 www.royalflowersecuador.com
1
Sandtastik Products 800-845-3845 www.floralsand.com
6
Seminole 63 800-638-3378 www.seminoleds.com Smithers-Oasis 3 800-321-8286 www.oasisfloral.com Syndicate Sales inside front cover 800-428-0515 www.syndicatesales.com Teleflora 800-333-0205 www.myteleflora.com
16
AUGUST 2016 67
wholesaler connection Flowers& magazine distributors
Attention
Arizona Phoenix The Roy Houff Company
Kansas wichita Valley Floral Company
OREGON PORTLAND Floral Design Institute
California Fresno Designer Flower Center Inglewood American Magazines & Books Oakland Piazza International Floral Sacramento Flora Fresh San Diego San Diego Florist Supplies Santa Rosa Sequoia Floral International
Kentucky Louisville The Roy Houff Company
PENNSYLVANIA Pittsburgh Keystone Ribbon & Floral Pittsburgh Cut Flower Company
Florida PENSACOLA American Floral Wholesale of Pensacola Carlstedt’s, LLC
Louisiana Lafayette Louisiana Wholesale Florists Massachusetts Boston Jacobson Floral Supply Michigan Warren Nordlie, Inc.
SOUTH DAKOTA SIOUX FALLS North American Wholesale Florist, Inc.
Floral Wholesalers
Reward without the Risk we promise!
Tennessee Nashville The Roy Houff Company
Minnesota Minneapolis Koehler and Dramm
Virginia Norfolk The Roy Houff Company Richmond The Roy Houff Company
Georgia omega Hornbuckle Wholesale Florist
missouri st louis LaSalle Wholesale Florist
Washington Tacoma Washington Floral Service
hawaii honolulu Flora-Dec Sales
New York Campbell Hall Alders Wholesale Florist
canada burnaby, bc United Floral Inc.
Illinois Chicago The Roy Houff Company Milan Bonnett Wholesale Florist Normal The Roy Houff Company Wheeling The Roy Houff Company
Ohio dayton Nordlie, Inc. North Canton Canton Wholesale Floral
malaysia selangor Worldwide Floral Services
Sell Flowers& in your store! for extra profits Select any quantity— no minimum Whatever you don’t sell we buy back! Yes, it really is that simple.
Call 800-321-2665
singapore Worldwide Floral Services
Visit us online for a taste of Flowers& quality. flowersandmagazine.com
68 www.flowersandmagazine.com