tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76971426570813331622024-03-14T00:12:10.384-04:00David's DiaryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-73732867722679303082011-03-04T14:58:00.000-05:002011-03-04T14:58:04.864-05:00AN OCTOPUS'S GARDEN IN THE SHADE<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qRm49bgqPB0/TXFCQ9J5hMI/AAAAAAAAA4A/0R51I2XALiU/s1600/jatropablog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qRm49bgqPB0/TXFCQ9J5hMI/AAAAAAAAA4A/0R51I2XALiU/s320/jatropablog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yRNpiRJZgn0/TXFCOFcZW8I/AAAAAAAAA38/IODSV2vPFLg/s1600/jatropablog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yRNpiRJZgn0/TXFCOFcZW8I/AAAAAAAAA38/IODSV2vPFLg/s320/jatropablog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aN0p6ZxxwQA/TXFCMIR_pzI/AAAAAAAAA34/15EJHD9uSrw/s1600/jatropablog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aN0p6ZxxwQA/TXFCMIR_pzI/AAAAAAAAA34/15EJHD9uSrw/s320/jatropablog1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it possible that we are all so over roses that we look around at what else is available? Thinking about it, it would seem logical. I will get back to roses in due course, but for today I present a rather new item that arrived from Holland this week. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems that every summer, at least one customer but usually several come in and ask for flowers and foliages to recreate an underwater panorama. I imagine this is played out over and over for themed parties across the USA. Well here is a flower that fits the bill perfectly, resembling a bright orangey-red coral frond, with flowers, bracts and stems that resemble the skeletal structure of some coral growths. Along with the readily available supply of succulents, the creation of an undersea arrangement has never been easier, especially when you add in some <em>leptospermum, lycopodium</em> fern and <em>lepidium.</em></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The flower in question is a cultivar of <em>Jatropha podagrica</em>, a rather ancient plant in terms of cultivation by humans, but very new as a cut flower. It has several rather colorful names including "Guatemalan Rhubarb"; "Buddha Belly" and "Gout Plant", each of which refers to an attribute of this tropical plant.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This type of Jatropha is originally from Colombia, where it was used extensively by the indigenous peoples for its medicinal properties. It was collected by the Portuguese who then proceeded to disseminate it throughout India and Indonesia, and today it is found from Malaya and Fiji to Colombia and throughout Central America. It was used by the Europeans to relieve fevers as well as for its purported ability to cure gout. The plant itself has massive palmate leaves vaguely resembling those of rhubarb, which I suppose gave rise to the name <em>Guatemala Rhubarb;</em> and the trunk has a pronounced bulge at the base, technically known as a <em>caudex</em>, leading to the name <em>Buddha Belly! </em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The flower has a fairly good vase life, and at present is only available in 50cms, although the stem length may get longer in due course. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the next time you have to do a Bar Mitzvah with a "Yellow Submarine" theme or a sophisticated marine-based arrangement, you will have another asset to use. "And the Band begins to play..."</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-7880676141171982122011-02-22T16:51:00.000-05:002011-02-22T16:51:42.332-05:00RASPBERRY BERET<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxGoMF0SwXg/TWQty73yXCI/AAAAAAAAA3o/YHyl4UbepFg/s1600/vatuEREblog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" j6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxGoMF0SwXg/TWQty73yXCI/AAAAAAAAA3o/YHyl4UbepFg/s320/vatuEREblog4.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0cO0YwBtH1k/TWQtwgI_vwI/AAAAAAAAA3k/8-ayT-0bpe0/s1600/vatuEREblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" j6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0cO0YwBtH1k/TWQtwgI_vwI/AAAAAAAAA3k/8-ayT-0bpe0/s320/vatuEREblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQF2c0CFDCE/TWQtqdxGrxI/AAAAAAAAA3c/qIHyFKuQT5k/s1600/vatuEREblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" j6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQF2c0CFDCE/TWQtqdxGrxI/AAAAAAAAA3c/qIHyFKuQT5k/s320/vatuEREblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4cvnBiEDQBk/TWQt8G6AgYI/AAAAAAAAA30/p--yQEPPV-I/s1600/vatuEREblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" j6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4cvnBiEDQBk/TWQt8G6AgYI/AAAAAAAAA30/p--yQEPPV-I/s320/vatuEREblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Att5Hz4q0R4/TWQt4VDDeYI/AAAAAAAAA3w/opNDQ51XtOo/s1600/vatuEREblog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" j6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Att5Hz4q0R4/TWQt4VDDeYI/AAAAAAAAA3w/opNDQ51XtOo/s320/vatuEREblog6.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iIQNGck5i28/TWQt1c8uVYI/AAAAAAAAA3s/Etilzqskmhg/s1600/vatuEREblog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" j6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iIQNGck5i28/TWQt1c8uVYI/AAAAAAAAA3s/Etilzqskmhg/s320/vatuEREblog5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not really raspberry, and not a beret; just a stream of consciousness provoked by the sight of these superb flowers that are available at the moment. They remind me of the motifs found in paisley shawls. with their strange curling teardrop designs. And of course paisley was so much part of the mid-eighties music, spearheaded by Prince and his "Paisley Park" recording studios. Paisley is name given to an ancient pattern that originated in former empires located in what is now Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The actual origin of the pattern is lost in the mists of time, although many have speculated that it may be derived from cypress and palm fronds. Personally, I find the patterns far too intricate and beautiful to be drawn from such basic forms, and find the structure and petal displacement of the Eremurus as a much more inspiring and plausible candidate. The original species of Eremurii originate in the foothills of the Himalayas, and to anyone who saw them rising out of the harsh, rocky terrain in late spring, soaring to five, six and even seven feet in height, the effect must have been impressive and worthy of recording in design. Occasionally in Los Angeles the rather unwieldy <em>Eremurus Himalaicus</em> will make an appearance, but other hybrids have generally replaced these awesome specimens, being a rather more manageable 3'-4' in height.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eremurus was referred to as "Foxtail Lily" for many years but the name too seems to have lapsed in usage, but a stem of fully open flowers with the curling twist at the end of the stem displays all the bushiness of a fox's tail. The thing is; has any one seen a fox lately?</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These flowers are currently being imported from Chile, though they seem to out of season, even for that country. Nonetheless they are a harbinger of the crop that will be available in California in about another six or seven weeks, And they really are delightful flowers: Dynamic line flowers with tremendous vase life in pastel shades of peach, pink, white, peach and yellow. They add height to any situation and should be considered for event work due to their massive scale.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So how did a kasmiri motif end up being called Paisley? It seems that British soldiers returning from tours of duty during the Indian Wars of the 1800's would bring home souvenirs for their wives and family. many of these ended up in the Scottish borders, renowned for their weaving prowess. The village of Paisley was one such center, and the arrival of the kashmiri shawls coincided with the arrival of the Jacquard looms, which were in effect the world's first "computer" applications. In the mid 1800s Paisley weavers were able to produce fabulous fabrics with these intricate Kashmir designs, and which became popular throughout Britain and the world. Ironically, while they produced things of beauty on machines, featuring as many as 15 colors; they still paled in comparison <span style="background-color: white;">to</span> the handwoven textiles from the Himalayan foothills with as many as sixty colors!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The design had waves of popularity, enjoying a massive revival in the sixties, and this was picked up again by fashionistas in the eighties. And I still see some now and again today.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;">Tip: In installations and weeklies, remove open or spent flowers at the base of the inflorescence. That will encourage the rest of the florets to open and extend the usefulness of the flowers significantly.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-53152830766386316352011-02-18T16:51:00.000-05:002011-02-18T16:51:16.290-05:00REVIEW, REVIVE, REJOICE<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow, time has simply flown, even has I desperately try to gather as many rosebuds as I can! The climax of my Valentine's Day labors was followed by some downtime, some recovery time, some family time. Time to grieve loved ones who have left this earth, and cherish others who struggle to find their way. Especially, time with my partner, whom I love deeply. Her laughter, her quick, glossy eyes, her wit and grace. Most precious in our lives, in fact, turns out to be time: The gift of it for other people in your life, and the good use of it for one's own pursuits. Time to reflect.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally after some two weeks I am able to gird the tools of my new trade about me and prepare for our next endeavor; a petite flower farm in Southern Florida, dedicated to the production of specialty cut flowers and organic items for floral design that exhibit good sculptural values. My girlfriend and I are very excited and have been running hither and thither since closing on the farm last week. Yesterday I spent all day looking at tractors. We are starting completely from scratch. This weekend will be our first up on the farm and we are quite silly about the event. Pictures and story to follow soon. Watch this space.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do hope that everyone had a productive Valentines, <em>business-wise</em>; and an intimate evening, <em>amorous-wise.</em></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reports are that it was generally a good holiday around the country, mostly with some gains. I do hope this was the case for you, or better.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can only speak for our household, but love was in the air! And still is....</span></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blog will now return to normal publishing schedule.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-27024482009735868422011-02-07T17:46:00.000-05:002011-02-07T17:46:26.277-05:00THE HEART OF THE MATTER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TVBx_dNepMI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/cpJ2ZEv24oQ/s1600/hearstcampoblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TVBx_dNepMI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/cpJ2ZEv24oQ/s640/hearstcampoblog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you get right down to it flowers are the most appropriate metaphor for love as well as being an incredibly wonderful gift from one human being to an other. For thousands of years, and long before homo sapiens had evolved, flowers were an integral part in the sex life of trees, shrubs and plants. So old are the magnolia trees of North America, for instance, that they pre-date winged insects, and thus the wondeful white flowers evolved with stiff waxy petals that would support the heavy prehistoric beetles that would trundle across the flowers attracted by their sweet nectar. Thus the blooms would be pollinated, leading to sexual reproduction in the form of seed bearing fruit and the continuing survival of the species. It seems that it was not so much the fact that Darwin proposed the evolution of the species as a viable theory that the prudish Victorians could not abide, but that it was that the very survival of the species he articulated, revolved around sex in form or another! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Not surprisingly then, that the Victorians would come up with greeting cards for the holiday of the beatified St. Valentine. But that did not last too long, as even they succumbed to the charms of almost all flowers, and within their puritanical society a floral semiology was created that allowed them to send secret expressions of ardor and love to intimate friends.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These days we give flowers to loved ones, to friends, to bereaved family members, indeed for a wide variety of reasons, yet we ought, as well, to buy them just because they are. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flowers. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beautiful. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Divine creations.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The supply of roses is till tight in Ecuador, especially reds, as shipments to Europe are being sent to the airport today through Wednesday.The Portugal-Corfu Rose Indicator shows less roses available today, although they did have two buckets of some rather sad mystery red. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My work In Ecuador is almost done for this year's Valentine's season and now the baton of these labors of love passes on to the wholesalers and florists in North America. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do hope that I have demystified many aspects of the rose harvest in Ecuador, and that you have enjoyed the posts from Quito.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then finally, next Monday, February 14th, many lovers will buy their partners flowers as a tribute to love and, of course, the survival of the species. I do hope everyone enjoys them, but I also hope that we continue to purchase flowers throughout the year, not only for friends but just as importantly, for ourselves. Because really, in order to love other people we must first love ourselves, and as John Lennon said; "Love is all there is".</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-41700661679143801842011-02-05T21:00:00.000-05:002011-02-05T21:00:55.550-05:00THE PORTUGAL-CORFU ROSE AVAILABILITY INDICATOR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TU3_EXnmvjI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/oKCrcftBsow/s1600/portcorfublog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TU3_EXnmvjI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/oKCrcftBsow/s320/portcorfublog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TU3_Lict9FI/AAAAAAAAA3U/ANbsNazQdCI/s1600/portcorfublog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TU3_Lict9FI/AAAAAAAAA3U/ANbsNazQdCI/s320/portcorfublog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I had anticipated that rose supply might loosen up a little but it still remains constricted. Boxes are arriving tonight from the farms and we are inching our way towards completing the pre-books. Some colors are completely unavailable, especially some pinks, but Mayesh has secured an impressive selection of Red roses; the current most popular red "Freedom" dominates the orders, with a close second in popularity "Forever Young". Mayesh has also secured the superb "Sexy Red", the classic deep velvet "Black Magic" (my personal favorite) as well as the new "Red Paris" which is very nice, "Tinto", "Luna Rossa" as well as a modicum of old school reds such as "Red Unique", "Classy", "Rouge Baiser" and "Charlotte".</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notwithstanding the high demand for reds, we are seeing strong requests for colored roses as well, perhaps in response to the female sense and sensibilities.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a gauge of the availability, or lack thereof, of roses in Ecuador, I have created my own "Indicator" by regularly observing the supply, complexion and quality of flowers at the little flower stand in front of the "Corfu Cafe" at the intersection of Portugal and Shyris in central Quito. The Corfu Cafe is a very well-known, popular coffee and ice-cream shop for the "toute-Quito" and is located in the heart of a business distruict intermingled with rather ritzy condos. The clientele are well-to-do folks, and they also buy their flowers at the flower stand opposite.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today the stand had very few roses, perhaps 8 or 9 buckets of pretty awful flowers, perhaps suitable for rose-petals, but even then some of the blooms were so mushy they might not even be viable as petals. Note the sign that states 25 roses for a $1, and most of them might not be worth that. Normally this stand has 20 to 25 buckets of pretty decent roses, so the PCRA indicator projects a continuing tight rose supply. They have no red roses for sale.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-2005954502074577002011-02-05T09:38:00.000-05:002011-02-05T09:38:29.179-05:00IL PANAMERICANO<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have been following the blog recently during Valentine's Day you will know that I have been driving to the north and south of Quito, capital of Ecuador, where the rose plantations are located. The road that goes north and south from Quito; south as far as Tierra del Fuego and north to the Colombia/Panama border, and thence, after some impenetrable jungle, from Panama heading north to the US border; is known as the Pan-American highway.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I certainly feel like "Mr. Pan-American" at the moment. Indispensable is the radio, and, in a strange V-Day coincidental sort of way, currently blasting on all the stations ad nauseum is a song called "Pa Panamericano" which is kind of catchy in the "Macarena" vein. Thankfully they also play "Zombie" almost every day to compensate.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are just a few more days for my task here, and then the madness starts for all of you in the USA and indeed wherever you are on our beautiful planet, if you are in the floral industry. Good luck to everyone...and enjoy some silly music!</span><br />
<div align="justify"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-81990310518269404732011-02-04T21:43:00.000-05:002011-02-04T21:43:57.095-05:00FEEL THE PINCH<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUy1lU9dbbI/AAAAAAAAA28/72t_wxjSJYA/s1600/Rock%2527n%2527Roseblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUy1lU9dbbI/AAAAAAAAA28/72t_wxjSJYA/s320/Rock%2527n%2527Roseblog.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUy1w1XNJcI/AAAAAAAAA3M/qyb5LMlV9bI/s1600/pinchblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUy1w1XNJcI/AAAAAAAAA3M/qyb5LMlV9bI/s320/pinchblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUy1uo9kngI/AAAAAAAAA3I/mZ6tFWI0a7s/s1600/pinchblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUy1uo9kngI/AAAAAAAAA3I/mZ6tFWI0a7s/s320/pinchblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUy1rz1xwjI/AAAAAAAAA3E/dr9eT3qVc6A/s1600/pinchblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUy1rz1xwjI/AAAAAAAAA3E/dr9eT3qVc6A/s320/pinchblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUy1pxx8cpI/AAAAAAAAA3A/qeClcyVCdy0/s1600/pinchblog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUy1pxx8cpI/AAAAAAAAA3A/qeClcyVCdy0/s320/pinchblog4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have referred to roses being pinched many times in this blog, and pinching for Valentines specifically, and Cathy from Sprout suggested I explain exactly what that means. I think it is a great idea, and is definitely germane to the current conversation on Valentine's roses. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will keep this as brief as possible, but as a quick background sketch it is important to distinguish the different types of flowers that we use in the floral industry in order to highlight the importance and the risks involved in "pinching" roses. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crops derived from seeds, which are generally annuals (need to be resown every year) and in some cases perennials (after plant is established it will flourish for several years) can be be planned and timed as to exactly when they will produce flowers. So if you want red zinnias for Christmas the grower knows when he will get the harvest, and plants the seeds accordingly. Similarly with bulb crops, the cycle from planting the bulb to harvesting the flowers is pretty much predetermined. The economics are fairly straightforward.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, shrubs and bushes such as roses produce flowers on mature plants, but these plants need to be established permanently in order to have year round production. Some shrubs like peonies and lilac will only yield one crop per year, while others such as hydrangeas will flower freely for most of the year until it becomes too cold for the plant. Rose shrubs originally only yielded one flush per year but through human intervention and breeding the modern rose now blooms repeatedly throughout the year, as long as they do not endure a prolonged freeze.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Commercial roses plants will produce roughly one flower per plant per month. Some roses, such as "Vendela" have almost double that output while a rose such as David Austin's "Patience" is about a third of the average. As a <em>general rule of thumb</em> the more expensive that a rose is, then the less productive the variety; and vice versa.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, if an increase in productivity is desired such as for the Valentine's holiday then the grower needs to make an economic decision: Should the production of three months worth of flowers be sacrificed in order to have peak harvest during a one to two week period. On the face of it, you might say that the answer is obvious given the high returns on roses during Valentine's, but it is really a huge gamble with upsides and downsides. But in order to get a surge in prodcution, a "peak" as it were, at a given time, the rose bushes need to be "pinched."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The term originally comes from usage in control of plants with softer vascular structures such as chrysanthemums andd tomatoes. New shoots that are not desirable were literally "pinched" between thumb and forefinger , and thus removed from the plant. Through continued use in agriculture and especially horticulture, it has come to mean removal of plant material to acheive a desired effect. In this case it is cutting the rose canes at lower part of the plant to produce a defined flush at desired time. Each rose variety is managed slightly differently so the location of the cut is carefully assessed on a by-variety basis, as well as the decision to pinch the entire plant or just one or two canes. "Freedom" plants may be entirley levelled for Valentine's while yellow varieties may not be pinched at all.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pinch is made at the desired height just above a leaf axil, where the leaf joins the stem. After some days a tiny tumescent pink bulge will appear in the axil, which will then form a budding eye, and thereafter develop into a red stem. In some 65 to 90 days depending on the variety and the altitude of the farm, a flower will develop ready for harvesting. That's the theory.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As with many aspects of our lives, economics plays a big part in the decison to pinch.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And lately, growers have found that they can get good prices on a year round, which provides less incentive to pinch for Valentine's. And remember, when a grower harvests everything in a short time, it is like another pinch, meaning less yields for another few months, and maybe another peak when there is little demand, eroding the gains made at Valentine's Day. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also consider that if the weather is not consistent with historical data then the pinched roses will arrive too early if it is hotter than normal, and too late if it is cooler and darker than normal. Either of these scenarios is undesirable and results in an almost wothless harvest, as there is little demand for roses in January, or after the 10th of February (at farm level).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the lower availability of roses this year is a combination of much less pinching than in years past and really bad weather. And I mean dreadful!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking ahead, I foresee a couple of outcomes: Either there will be even less pinching, with prices for roses being much, much higher at Valentine's as a result of the market forces of supply and demand; or florists/wholesalers/importers will need to place orders in September with the growers, secured by some kind of financial instrument for a specific quantity of roses that will be needed for Valentine's Day. I do not think that it is tenable that floriculture sector can continue as it has for the last twenty years. Surely, we all need to make a profit, including the growers. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Especially the growers!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Today was a long, drawn out day spent visiting farms in the south, encouraging, coaxing and pleading with growers to fulfill the orders. It has been exhausting as there are few flowers available as tonight is the peak shippindg day into the USA. Peter the buyer has somehow managed to complete our air cargo allocation from Quito to Miami to the maximum, even as some farms are reporting shortfalls. This holiday in Ecuador has been one of the craziest in the lasy eight years, and with a threatened strike by the Indians on Monday it has the earmarks of an old school Valentine's Day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Notwithstanding the above, through today all our roses have moved out of Ecuador with no delays at all, and our numbers are matching the Mayesh projections. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-83040226294119433062011-02-03T22:29:00.000-05:002011-02-03T22:29:11.467-05:00THE TITANIC AND THE ICEBERG<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am not referring to the rose varieties, but I do want to talk about roses. Specifically about two really great rose farms, whose names I will not include here out of respect for their vulnerability in a very difficult set of circumstances, and because we have been partners for many years, who have actually had no production of roses for Valentine's Day. I am not suggesting that they are low in production, I mean that after the best laid plans were drawn up and implemented, just as in years past, the net result is actually a productivity that is lower than that of a normal week!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I had not been in Ecuador to witness the plantations first hand, I would have been incredulous and would not be willing to believe that the farms in question have no flowers to fill their pre-orders for this year's holiday. I would have suspected that they were diverted for more money or given to other customers. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually, to be in Ecuador in this case is an advantage because not only can I see the fields filled with blooms that are nowhere near ready for harvest, but I can see that the crew in the post-harvest is just the normal complement of people for a day in August, say, and the coolers have just a few measly buckets barely filled with roses.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But more than that, I get to see the pain in the eyes of the owners and their managers, because more than anything for these particular farms their word is theri bond, and desire above all to fill the orders, and with the quality we expect year round. And of course, this being Valentine's Day, the financial losses are considerable and also debilitating.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The farms are year round suppliers for Mayesh, and have really fabulous products, flowers that are aesthetically pleasing as well as being grown to the highest quality standards, and who focus on new and unusual varieties. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At first we were incredulous - "This is a joke, right?" were the words of our rose buyer; then angry, then dumbfounded and now we are partners in their loss. But if I had not been here to actually see this disaster I could not have digested the idea of no roses at Valentine's Day. It simply would not be credible.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But just as the Titanic was deemed unsinkable, andwhen it did sink the first people notified did not believe it; the fact that this could happen to a farm is beyond the pale; but it has happened. Believing is seeing!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUtxmK9IwBI/AAAAAAAAA24/8MqqdSNIV_o/s1600/Wild+rose+Ecuador.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUtxmK9IwBI/AAAAAAAAA24/8MqqdSNIV_o/s640/Wild+rose+Ecuador.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Fortunately, Mayesh's rose buyer has had to be very flexible, as the situation is very unusual and flowers are tight, and has adjsut to the problems that continue to spring up. However, he was able to replace most of these roses from other farms, and we are sending out a full shipment of 500 full boxes tonight. Of course, we will miss the familiarity and quality of our partners' roses, but the event is yet another reminder that we deal with wonderful manifestations of creation which are persihable and subject to the vagaries of nature.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Image - Wild roses growing on a bank near Latacunga, province of Cotopaxi, Ecuador.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-49414194249221889132011-02-02T22:57:00.001-05:002011-02-02T23:01:49.068-05:00EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT VALENTINE'S 2011 BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUokqNHl6dI/AAAAAAAAA2s/C5jyE3hJyOk/s1600/Redroseblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUokqNHl6dI/AAAAAAAAA2s/C5jyE3hJyOk/s320/Redroseblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUoksEymLhI/AAAAAAAAA2w/IzVoZrGbuvU/s1600/Redroseblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUoksEymLhI/AAAAAAAAA2w/IzVoZrGbuvU/s320/Redroseblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUokoFukAvI/AAAAAAAAA2o/MJQRj4lW7y8/s1600/Redroseblog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUokoFukAvI/AAAAAAAAA2o/MJQRj4lW7y8/s320/Redroseblog4.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUokwtZ7x8I/AAAAAAAAA20/pR_I5BM7KWo/s1600/Redroseblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUokwtZ7x8I/AAAAAAAAA20/pR_I5BM7KWo/s320/Redroseblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow is the first principal shipping day for Mayesh's Valentine's roses. They will fly out tomorrow morning on UPS and will arrive in Miami Thursday afternoon. By the time they have cleared customs and been inspected by USDA, the flowers will be picked up by Mayesh personnel in the wee hours of Friday morning. Thence they will be dispatched to various Mayesh locations around the country with the main load going by truck to Los Angeles. Thanks to prudent planning, judicious selection of transportation partners and associates in key locations in the supply chain, including myself being in Ecuador, Mayesh expects to have a good supply of qulaity Ecuadorian roses for its customers. But overall it seems there will be a dramatic shortage.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What has happened in Quito over the last three days or so is tantamount to a perfect storm that has, in fact, been about three months in the making.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What we would normally expect for Valentine's in Ecuador and Colombia simply has not come to pass, and unless our industry practices change radically, will not occur again for some years. Most of problems can be directly ascribed to economic factors. Underpinning the shortage of flowers for Valentine's Day 2011 is a resolution by many growers not too pinch their rose plants as they have a steady business all year long. They are trading risky plant manipulation and recurring peaks with corresponding low prices for weekly stability and a healthier, more predictable crop. Less stress on the planst and less stress on the personnel. From a long term perspective it is better for everyone.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The weather has been dreadful overall, and not conducive for the production of premium cut roses on plants that have been pinched, and even open production has been compromised. The first 20 days was generally sunny in the south, so the farms in that zone were helped somewhat. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another factor is that the new red roses such as Freedom and Forever Young do not perform when they are pinched in the way that Classy and Charlotte used to. These two old school reds would flush in a dramatic peak over ten days. The new reds that are now so popular produce yields that are more like a wave with no significant peak and in this cold weather the buds will not mature, lengthening the wave even more and dissipating the intentions of the pinch.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is further exacerbating the situation is the lack of aircraft to move the flowers that have arrived at the airport. Today Lan Chile has almost 10,000 full boxes in their coolers. Jammed to the ceiling! So saturated has their operation become that they are not accepting freight for tomorrow. They should resume normal operations by Friday. So in a week when flowers are in high demand and their is not enough supply, this situation is like the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, airline companies like Lanchile are just as susceptible to the vagaries of the economy, and events such as bad weather in other parts of the world that affects their ability to position airplanes where they are needed, as the growers of the flowers.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">It is worth noting that Colombia, too, has significant transportation issues, amongst other things.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, yes there are roses available but I suspect that demand in the USA will outstrip supply for the first time in about 25 years. In fact you may want to think about ordering some because as far as I can tell we are looking at a sell-out, something that last occurred when I was a twenty-something.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Yes, we have no red roses, we have no red roses today!"</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which is another way of saying that there are roses available but did you place an order with your supplier?</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-56580954795432480912011-02-01T21:33:00.000-05:002011-02-01T21:33:08.728-05:00ALSO SPRACH ZARUTHSTRA<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi8IQEJuAI/AAAAAAAAA2k/_LIvGInsr4A/s1600/alsosprachblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi8IQEJuAI/AAAAAAAAA2k/_LIvGInsr4A/s320/alsosprachblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi8DUaaSBI/AAAAAAAAA2g/zypOFsmxf44/s1600/alsosprachblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi8DUaaSBI/AAAAAAAAA2g/zypOFsmxf44/s320/alsosprachblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi7-NQcXdI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/DqoD7zB0piw/s1600/alsosprachblog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi7-NQcXdI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/DqoD7zB0piw/s320/alsosprachblog4.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi716qiOJI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/4UgA5XdqkYE/s1600/alsosprachblog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi716qiOJI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/4UgA5XdqkYE/s320/alsosprachblog6.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi8BNoUs1I/AAAAAAAAA2c/K0gUKgPWKQ4/s1600/alsosprachblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi8BNoUs1I/AAAAAAAAA2c/K0gUKgPWKQ4/s320/alsosprachblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi77plTpXI/AAAAAAAAA2U/p30cEkMB5Ao/s1600/alsosprachblog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUi77plTpXI/AAAAAAAAA2U/p30cEkMB5Ao/s320/alsosprachblog5.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I drove up to the area north of Quito where roses are grown to review the farms that are supplying Mayesh for the Valentine holiday. The zone is generally termed Cayambe/Tabacundo but also includes the pueblos of Tupigachi and Guachalla. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Driving through Tabacundo, I passed the T-junction known as the "Y de Tabacundo" where it seems the monolith featured in "2001: A Space Odyssey" was resonating ominously under a dark, cloudy sky. I could hear the opening staccato beats of the tympani from the opening sequence of "Also Sprach Zaruthstra" playing in my mind. It is almost as if this year's visit to Ecuador has undercurrents of classical semiology. but unlike the golden Caryatids that I saw yesterday, this neo-fascist slab of concrete was foreboding in its blank, gray, useless presence.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This rose-growing area, in contrast with the southern rose-growing region, it turns out has had almost no sun for two months. Continuous cloud cover such has this severely impacts the productivity of the rose plants, and all the farms that I visited have been impacted to a greater or lesser extent. For Mayesh customers it will be a relief to know that the rose buyer, whether by luck, detailed planning, coincidence or probably a bit of all three, had elected to make most of the bookings with farms in the south. Nonetheless we have some important suppliers in the north and it seems that there will be no extras over and above the pre-books this year.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I walked through greenhouse after greenhouse with thousands of plants burgeoning with buds but unfortunately many of them will not bloom in time for the Valentine's harvest. It is almost a cruel heartless joke that nature is playing with these growers, as the productivity of the plants seems to be lower than normal, even though they have taken every measure to increase production.</span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BOOM, boom, BOOM, boom, BOOM, boom...BOOM....boom...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Clearly, as you can see in these photographs taken at Florecal, one of the top farms in Ecuador, there is production, but just not the overabundance that we have become accustomed to. Part of the reason, in my opinion, is that growers are not pinching back the plants like they used to do so any hiccup in the weather erases any gains that may have been reaped from marginal cleaning of the plants. The main reason there is less incentive to pinch for Valentine's is that many growers now have a sustainable year round business that is profitable, and manipulating the plants for higher yields at holidays is deleterious to this stability. I believe that this is better for our business in the long run as the roses maintain a higher quality due to less stress on the plants. However looking myopically at the short term, as we are wont to do, and with Valentine's Day looming large, it is rather annoying.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Another significant problem casting a pall over an already tight market is the service of Lan-Chile airlines, who had a backlog of some 3,000 full boxes sequestered at the airport with no aircraft to move them, which has swelled to some 4,000 today, and the forecast is that it will take at lest until Thursday to work through the backlog. This is also choking the coolers at the airport and bringing one of the companies licensed and bonded to make the pallets that go into the cargo aircraft to a complete halt by saturating that companies coolers. While Mayesh only uses UPS, it is important to highlight the circumstances that exist in the industry at present. This is certainly a scandal, especially given the tight market conditions that exist here, and I imagine a review of the incident must occur after Valentines, especially as the trade organisation of Ecuadorian floriculture, "Expoflores" has already demanded a review of the problem from the Minister of Transportation.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Some notes on the photographs.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Images 2 - 6 courtesy Florecal. Their post harvest is incredibly well organised, and most of what they do is neither new nor original, but it is the consistent application of many disciplines with a view to facilitating the labor that allows for focus on the final product; a premium rose.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Image # 2 - view of the post-harvest hall with grading racks</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Image # 3 - roses being prepared fro grading</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Image # 4 - Close-up of the grading rack. This system allows easy visual selection of homogeneous cutting points. First instituted at Flores de Napoli c. 2005</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Image # 5 - Preparing the bunch</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Image # 6 - Another bunch being prepared,; note the mirror that allows the packer to see the disposition of the flower heads, without having to peer at the bunch.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-19142816273846669702011-01-31T21:19:00.000-05:002011-01-31T21:19:55.384-05:00FROM NERO TO HERO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUdqp-8RwfI/AAAAAAAAA10/qNR9zrZSeSY/s1600/gold+caryatidsblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUdqp-8RwfI/AAAAAAAAA10/qNR9zrZSeSY/s640/gold+caryatidsblog1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUdqw98GioI/AAAAAAAAA2A/pT0IiqXj0tU/s1600/goldcayatidsblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUdqw98GioI/AAAAAAAAA2A/pT0IiqXj0tU/s320/goldcayatidsblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUdqsYtMW-I/AAAAAAAAA14/PsMMN4_5t7U/s1600/goldblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUdqsYtMW-I/AAAAAAAAA14/PsMMN4_5t7U/s320/goldblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUdq5K15F1I/AAAAAAAAA2I/8tYNC9qWRUU/s1600/goldblog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUdq5K15F1I/AAAAAAAAA2I/8tYNC9qWRUU/s320/goldblog4.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUdqu-iSSTI/AAAAAAAAA18/zUpGNarDhuM/s1600/goldblog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUdqu-iSSTI/AAAAAAAAA18/zUpGNarDhuM/s320/goldblog5.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today is day one of my ten day sojourn in Ecuador checking roses for the 2011 Valentine's holiday. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst driving to visit one of the farms I espied this stunning monument to conspicuous consumption at its most visceral. These two golden caryatids sparkled in the sun of a late January afternoon, perhaps a reminder that the rose growers may need to sacrifice their first born in order for the Sun-Gods to be satisfied. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They also reminded me of Rome, and the legend of St. Valentine, who defied a decree from Caesar that prohibited matrimonial services for Christian youth, and joined many young lovers in secret nuptial ceremonies. Beatified by the Roman Catholic church, it was the Victorians who re-invented the St. Valentine concept into the idea of sending amorous cards anonymously to loved ones. This was soon transformed into a flower holiday, which is far more romantic, and the reason why I am in Ecuador.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of Ecuador's roses are grown to the north of the capital city of Quito in an area dominated by the towns of Cayambe and Tabacundo; and in the south in an area that is known as Cotopaxi, but which stretches over almost 80 kms from Pastocalle to Ambato. My first day was spent visiting the farms in the south that will be supplying Mayesh Wholesale for this holiday and while I have heard many reports of a harvest coming late, for the most part what I saw in the fields and in the post-harvest was substantially good news for wholesalers and retail florists who buy later than the supermarkets. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can see in the pictures there are roses, red roses, in this case "Hearts", waiting to be harvested but this may not be the case everywhere.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a good chance that this year's rose harvest appears to be on target to hit a tiny window shipping out of Ecuador almost perfectly. However, I need to reserve judgement until tomorrow when I will get the overview of the farms in the north. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-73007931071430081522011-01-26T13:54:00.000-05:002011-01-26T13:54:43.911-05:00COUNTDOWN TO VALENTINE'S DAY 2011<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUBq1V6VDFI/AAAAAAAAA1w/SBr_RuFdtNY/s1600/Freedom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUBq1V6VDFI/AAAAAAAAA1w/SBr_RuFdtNY/s320/Freedom1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUBqmQiob6I/AAAAAAAAA1s/KhawHodpVGs/s1600/VD2011previewblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUBqmQiob6I/AAAAAAAAA1s/KhawHodpVGs/s320/VD2011previewblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUBqkOY4OZI/AAAAAAAAA1o/eP7f3Aqn8s0/s1600/VD2011previewblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUBqkOY4OZI/AAAAAAAAA1o/eP7f3Aqn8s0/s320/VD2011previewblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUBqh7ffZxI/AAAAAAAAA1k/5_50SwylYhU/s1600/Blackmagicblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TUBqh7ffZxI/AAAAAAAAA1k/5_50SwylYhU/s320/Blackmagicblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we approach one of our largest flower holidays, and certainly the most significant as far as roses are concerned, there has been quite a bit of speculation on the quantity and quality of the rose harvest for Valentine's Day 2011. At this point it is still a point of conjecture as only the very first blooms have been harvested for Valentine's Day, and they have not made there way to our shores quite yet. Incredible, even sad, but true! Many of the mass-markets' roses need to get into the logistical pipeline by the 28th of January in order to make their way through their distribution chains to their outlets. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mayesh Wholesale, in a concerted effort to assure delivery of appropriate quantities of roses and a commensurate high level of quality in accordance with the rose buyer's orders, has put a body on the ground in Ecuador for the past 15 years. You guessed it, yours truly is that person, responsible for oversight of rose quality, timely delivery by the farms and programmed daily dispatch by the airline from Quito, Ecuador, to Miami.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I wrote in December on this blog, it would appear that there will be very large variance in quality from farm to farm, with a lot of product being compromised by disease due to a combination of bad weather and fungal attacks on the plants. As I have said many times before, it will be prudent to obtain assurances from your supplier(s) on the provenance of the roses they will be procuring for you.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All speculation aside, I shall start visiting the farms that will be supplying Mayesh this year for Valentine's Day on Monday 31st of January, reviewing the quality of the respective rose harvests, and ascertaining that the suppliers will be able to fulfill the orders. After a couple of days I will be able to ascertain the quality of roses Mayesh has ordered, as well as the overall situation in Ecuador, and will continue to monitor every aspect of the rose supply as the shipments reach their peak volumes around the first weekend in February, and continuing through until 9th of February.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Starting on February 1st, watch this space for daily updates, weather information, airline issues and just about anything related to the rose harvest in Ecuador for Valentine's Day 2011.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here we go...</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-28010197164063711022011-01-25T15:32:00.000-05:002011-01-25T15:32:35.661-05:00TROPICAL HYDRANGEAS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TT8xyht-BaI/AAAAAAAAA1c/Xbn7WfgKakQ/s1600/trophydblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TT8xyht-BaI/AAAAAAAAA1c/Xbn7WfgKakQ/s320/trophydblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TT8x0yIzoTI/AAAAAAAAA1g/bcoVSZcwMjk/s1600/trophydblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TT8x0yIzoTI/AAAAAAAAA1g/bcoVSZcwMjk/s320/trophydblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TT8xwvtUFDI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/IP2PpojngmQ/s1600/trophydblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TT8xwvtUFDI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/IP2PpojngmQ/s320/trophydblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TT8xu6GbnSI/AAAAAAAAA1U/O9ljDsjA70c/s1600/trophydblog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TT8xu6GbnSI/AAAAAAAAA1U/O9ljDsjA70c/s320/trophydblog4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In February, after Valentine's Day my fiancee and I shall be commencing work on a small flower farm. Out intention is to grow novelty products for the cut flower industry. We are selecting plants based on their suitability to the climate in South Florida which tends to be hot and humid, and is classified by USDA as Zones 9-11. The group of ornamental flowers and berries that we have chosen is a mixture of South Florida natives and plants from around the world that thrive in hot weather. Most are tried and true, but others are completely unfamiliar but are entirely fascinating. As such, one that turned out to be a rather miserable failure as a cut flower but which is entirely enchanting is the so-called "Tropical Hydrangea". The name alone drew me to the flower as a moth to a lamp, and this year we finally got some flowers on the trial shrubs. They really are spectacular, but are quite short-lived as flower. They have a rather sickeningly sweet aroma, like cake icing, and produce copious amounts of nectar to which bees are attracted to in great numbers. Certainly, if pollination is required, this plant is a must for any farm, and we intend to plant several around our farm for this reason as well as for the aesthetic appeal of the shrub. In December and January masses of bright pink balls hang from the branches, and so profuse is the flower-set that the boughs bend down. From a distance the flowers look like hydrangeas hanging upside down from the bushes, although closer inspection reveals the florets are like those of a rhododendron although configured like a hydrangea.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Dombeya wallichi</em> is the scientific name for this attractive plant and is named after a certain Josephe Dombey, a noted French botanist and plant collector, but who seemed cursed with bad fortune.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His outstanding exploration, cataloguing and collecting of new species all form important parts of botanical collections in the British Museum, The Royal Garden Collection in Madrid and the Museum of Natural History in Paris. In 1778 the French government sent him to Peru, where he amassed a significant herbarium. In 1780 he sent the collection back to France, but the ship carrying his cargo was captured by the British, who kept the collection, despite overtures from the French government that continue to this day. Josephe Dombey was able to assemble another collection containing some 300 specimens but when it was prepared for shipping the Spanish authorities confiscated it on grounds that indigenous specimens were not permitted export to foreign countries. This collection was subsequently sent to Spain where it formed the basis for a florilegium of "La Flora Peruana" produced for the Spanish Crown by noted Spanish botanists Pavon and Ruiz. As if that was not bad enough, he proceeded to Chile in 1782 where he assembled an outstanding collection of Chilean flora, but on his return to Europe he landed in Cadiz, Spain in 1785 whereupon his collection was confiscated and he himself was imprisoned. Dombey was only able to secure his release after assuring authorities he would not compete with Pavon and Ruiz' work, and even then was only about half of his Chilean herbarium was returned to him.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such was his reputation for thorough work that he was able to secure a stipend from the French government, and retired to practise medicine in Lyon. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This turned out to be also not fortuitous as Lyon was a hotbed of the revolutionary resistance, and Dombey found many of his patients being removed from his practice and dispatched to the guillotine during the French Revolution. With the assistance of friends within the "Committee for Public Safety" Dombey, was given an important diplomatic mission to introduce the new Metric system to the US congress, with the sponsorship of many luminaries including Thomas Jefferson. He set sail for North America in 1794, yet the same bad fortune that plagued his entire professional life struck again, and even as the prospect of Philadelphia was on the horizon, a sudden violent storm swept the brig he was on down to the Caribbean where Dombey made landfall on the island of Guadeloupe. The governor of the island was still loyal to the French crown and immediately imprisoned the poor doctor. However, many of the townsfolk who were supporters of the Revolution, upon learning a representative of the new French government had been imprisoned rose up and stormed the garrison, freeing Dombey. However, in the ensuing violence Dombey caught a fever and rapidly perished.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">It is quite amazing that the USA came so close to adopting the metric system early in its history, especially when one considers the disaffection for all thing British was quite prevailing in the New World. Yet literally, the winds of history blew that opportunity away, and to this day we continue to use a ponderous sytem of measurement based on an English monarch's shoe size that has even been abandoned by Britain. </span></div><img height="63" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TT8xyht-BaI/AAAAAAAAA1c/Xbn7WfgKakQ/s320/trophydblog2.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 561px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 277px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" /> <div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-73941204320915955822011-01-21T13:31:00.001-05:002011-01-21T13:39:17.966-05:00BLUE FAILS<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTnNvAPhFFI/AAAAAAAAA1A/kCHmt2q_Bgk/s1600/Blue+phalblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTnNvAPhFFI/AAAAAAAAA1A/kCHmt2q_Bgk/s320/Blue+phalblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTnNxRNCSoI/AAAAAAAAA1E/g4i2uh3IIOc/s1600/blue+phalblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTnNxRNCSoI/AAAAAAAAA1E/g4i2uh3IIOc/s320/blue+phalblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTnN1X3q8wI/AAAAAAAAA1M/U9Ox7LY-CH4/s1600/succblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTnN1X3q8wI/AAAAAAAAA1M/U9Ox7LY-CH4/s320/succblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTnNzm5SglI/AAAAAAAAA1I/ZWeQ3ra-vW0/s1600/succblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTnNzm5SglI/AAAAAAAAA1I/ZWeQ3ra-vW0/s320/succblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTnN3v2KRDI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/O_LroeBMVCI/s1600/bornayblue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTnN3v2KRDI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/O_LroeBMVCI/s320/bornayblue.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week the TPIE show was in full swing at the Broward Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale. In case you were wondering what T-Pie is, it turns out to be an acronym for Florida Tropical Industry Exhibition. I think. Something tropical anyway. It is actually an event that focuses on foliage plants for interior spaces, bedding plants, nursery centers, landscape plants and the fern industry. A couple of things were strikingly evident, namely that A.) succulents are becoming incredibly popular, which is a good thing, and that B.) the color blue continues to take hostages in the world of good taste, and this is a bad thing. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As featured in the Diary last year, the rather awful stem-dyed blue cymbidiums from Holland are enjoying a flurry of appreciation in some parts of the USA. But, as if that was not enough, a process to dye phaleonopsis plants with a rich blue color has been developed by some botanical miscreant in Holland. At the show a company called "The Silver Vase" was touting a new technology to which they had acquired exclusive rights that enabled them to dye actual rooted phaleonopsis plants. Unfortunately the result looked like something from my son's elementary school science fair, and would look right at home next to the bubbling volcano. And definitely a candidate for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Flowers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do think that when the so-called arbiters of trends and taste advocate a certain color as being the flavor of the year, restraint should be practiced by the fashion faithful and extreme prejudice and judicious application of color should be considered when using natural materials. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the other hand, another very popular color that is in vogue is gray, and this was well represented in various hues and tones from a glaucous green-gray through neutral, unsaturated gray to a purplish slate blue-gray in a segment that is enjoying quite a lot of momentum of late; which is that of the succulents. This rather loose, general term encompasses several genuses, notably Echeverria; Aeonium; Sempervivum; and Kalanchoe. They are extremely hardy and incredibly versatile and can be employed outdoors in landscaping, where they are particularly suitable for xeriscapes, and can also be used for interior decoration, in planters and pots. In the cut-flower industry succulents are gaining extensive exposure and are being used more and more by floral professionals for their unique color and decorative rosettes. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if you don't like the color you can give them the </span><a href="http://flowersbybornay.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bornay</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> treatment, of which I am also sceptical. But better than blue phals. Or is that Blue Fails?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image #1 & #2 - Blue Phaleonopsis plants from The Silver Vase; TPIE</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Image # 3 & #4 from TPIE show</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Image #5 From Bornay Blog; entry January 11th 2011</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-21102323552941607792011-01-14T15:18:00.000-05:002011-01-14T15:18:57.960-05:00RED (NOT) CHILE HYDRANGEAS <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTCt0eFTTGI/AAAAAAAAA04/Nn4NARLg6d0/s1600/Hyd+Masjablog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTCt0eFTTGI/AAAAAAAAA04/Nn4NARLg6d0/s320/Hyd+Masjablog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTCt2Jd2KyI/AAAAAAAAA08/5XNMU5fb5aY/s1600/Hyd+Masjablog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTCt2Jd2KyI/AAAAAAAAA08/5XNMU5fb5aY/s320/Hyd+Masjablog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTCtxi9KfMI/AAAAAAAAA00/o70R51RS3j8/s1600/Hyd+Masjablog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTCtxi9KfMI/AAAAAAAAA00/o70R51RS3j8/s320/Hyd+Masjablog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the dark days of the post-Christmas blues, but still a day or two before the credit card statement arrives, there is little to get excited about in the world of commercial cut flowers. Certainly wonderful ranunculas and anemones are available in California and the Empire State, as well as rather expensive imports from San Remo. We can enjoy Cymbidiums from the Northern hemisphere, but by and large we are between seasons and low on dough in January. And it seems to be a global malaise. In fact I can remember when Global was only attached to Village and either you meant that all was groovy around the world, or were referring to a nightclub under the Charing Cross arches in London. These days, however, it is linked to "meltdown"; "cooling" or "warming" depending on the temperature and if we are not sure we call it "Global Climate Change". When it is placed in front of "pandemic", "financial meltdown", "aggression" or "fall-out" you know that the topic under discussion is probably Nostradamus and the end of days.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another topic that is enthusiastically discussed of late is the impending Valentine's Day event, which in itself is going global. Certainly it is too early to tell how it will out, but as I outlined recently in the Diary, I am fairly sure that the overall quality of much of the rose harvest will be compromised. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One bright light in the inventory of late are the rather wonderful "Masja" hydrangeas now arriving from Chile. This is a fairly old dwarf variety that has a capacity to produce many large bold blooms. For a grower this is ideal as these bushes take up half the room of a regular hydrangea shrub but the output is commensurate to a full-sized bush. "Masja" is frequently advertised as red but it is only red in the same sense that some lavender roses are sometimes called blue! In other words it is not red at all. Nonetheless it is a rather fabulous fuchsia/magenta/hot pink, that is fully saturated in rich color, comes in large mopheads, and are just the thing to brighten a dark and dreary vernal afternoon. They are almost completely sterile with just a few fertile florets, resulting in a very intensely colored and uniform bloom.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Available now at Mayesh branches and also for shipping nationwide. For more information <a href="http://www.mayesh.com/Contact.aspx">click</a> here.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><img height="63" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TTCt2Jd2KyI/AAAAAAAAA08/5XNMU5fb5aY/s320/Hyd+Masjablog1.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 572px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 143px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-13699607412072787512011-01-12T13:49:00.000-05:002011-01-12T13:49:27.994-05:00FREAKY FLORANOMICS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nAwiOGWI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/ukhfPq_L8ic/s1600/oasis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nAwiOGWI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/ukhfPq_L8ic/s320/oasis2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nCikFFcI/AAAAAAAAA0U/_eLD59cTT8g/s1600/oasis3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nCikFFcI/AAAAAAAAA0U/_eLD59cTT8g/s320/oasis3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3m9SxHsMI/AAAAAAAAA0I/fIY28hZsrGY/s1600/8.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 320px;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3m9SxHsMI/AAAAAAAAA0I/fIY28hZsrGY/s320/8.gif" width="278" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nEM3h1dI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/AhyIH7xoH3s/s1600/oasis4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nEM3h1dI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/AhyIH7xoH3s/s320/oasis4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the first two of the accompanying images on the right we see some fairly unusual materials, namely <em>arundo donax</em> accompanying the artichoke flowers in the first, and <em>francoa racemosa</em> arranged with some bronze spider mums in the second. The designs and the containers are embarrassingly dated but the materials are striking. I found them in a publication by leading American floral designer J. Gregory Conway from the 1953 called “Conway’s Treasury of Flower Arrangements” and I was absolutely stunned by the diverse floral materials he used, many more of which was clearly visible in the pictures and expanded upon in the text. Going back even further in time, in Constance Spry’s “Garden Notebook” from 1940 there is a disarmingly modern arrangement of giant Fennel in plain white vase. (Compare with Christian Tortu’s arrangement of giant Fennel from the late 1990’s shown towards the end of this article.) However, it was upon reviewing the appendices of their respective books that I can say I was shocked to see just how comprehensive the use, awareness and understanding of these flowers was in the 1920’s, ‘30’s, 40’s and early ‘50’s. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lot of these floral items are hard to procure even today, and in truth, I was dumbfounded. When I first started in the flower business in 1980, virtually none of these items were available at the Los Angeles Wholesale Flower Market, or at florists’ shops. My recollection of the early eighties was that each month there would be a maximum of 15 products available, comprised of roses, carnations, mini-carnations, chrysanthemum disbuds aka “Mums”, chrysanthemum sprays aka “Pompoms”, baby’s breath, statice, glads, anthuriums, which were staples of almost every month, and augmented by seasonal items, that would come and go as the seasons changed.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Starting in the nineteen-eighties, imports started reaching the markets from South America, Holland, and Australia It was also a time when a lot of progressive floral designers demanded new and novel products, and we were prompted to source all kinds of unusual products from local Californian growers. Through the end of the eighties and into the nineties a Renaissance in flowers was under way that continues to this day.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was intrigued as to why there had been such an embarrassment of floral riches in the first half of the 20th century, and why there was such a dearth of these flowers in the latter half, until reappearing towards the end of the century. This was not an experience exclusive to the United States, but also occurred in Europe and Australia. It is just that the amplitude was greater in the USA. My intrigue became an investigation, and my conclusions show that this massive change (one could say a virtual extinction) in the product mix derives, like many things that have shaped America, from a confluence of socio-economic events occurring in a short period of time. And like most significant deviations in our culture, there was a crucial turning point, a trigger as it were, that precipitated this severe reduction in the variety of floral material that was used.</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 1950’s were an era when the seeds of change were being sown in every walk of life in America. The Sixties clearly bore the fruit of transformation but the changes were well under way in the Fifties. The generation of men and women who had survived WWII, set about rebuilding their lives. Putting that behind them, they were now busy constructing a new, bright and shiny America. Sleek, chrome-trimmed automobiles rolled off assembly lines, providing the mobility to drive from newly constructed suburbs to thronging city centers. In the new homes, sparkling electric appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators were installed to give the modern woman more “freedom”. The new machines “liberated” their owners from tedious manual chores. This generation, with it’s newfound wealth, was ready to embrace each and every new development. </span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nFqalukI/AAAAAAAAA0c/5oi0PhlIAYM/s1600/oasis5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nFqalukI/AAAAAAAAA0c/5oi0PhlIAYM/s400/oasis5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nI0gRxnI/AAAAAAAAA0g/wnM74i20PAs/s1600/oasis6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nI0gRxnI/AAAAAAAAA0g/wnM74i20PAs/s320/oasis6.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Richard Hamilton’s collage “Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?” created in 1956 perfectly illustrates the era. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each new development begat another, the spread of automobiles led to drive-in movies, and drive-in restaurants. In 1957 the McDonald brothers started their first drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, and one of their suppliers, Ray Kroc, wanting to know how they were selling so many milkshakes. He flew out to see them and the rest, as they say, is history! </span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nKC5-dpI/AAAAAAAAA0k/gV6qXJfGavg/s1600/oasis7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nKC5-dpI/AAAAAAAAA0k/gV6qXJfGavg/s320/oasis7.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact virtually every innovation in the fifties was aimed at time saving for the consumer, without regard as to the quality of life. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a few years earlier, in 1954, Swanson’s introduced its first TV Dinner. That year, Swanson’s had a massive surplus of turkey after the Thanksgiving holiday, 625 tons extra, and in an effort to find a way to move the inventory came up with the idea of a prepackaged meal that just needed to be reheated. It was a smash hit, selling 10 million in 1955, and was popular for many years. Eventually the “TV Dinner” name was discontinued, but it set in motion the evolution of the “instant” meals that we now have today. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By sheer coincidence, the first block of floral foam composed of phenolic foam (phenol and formaldehyde) was also developed that same year by Mr. Smithers. He had been looking at the arrangement he had sent his wife, and noting her frustration with the way the flowers had shifted after delivery, set about conceiving a medium that would support the flowers. </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From these early trials, he developed the ubiquitous Oasis brick. This event is the trigger that precipitated a profound change in the floral industry. It offered solutions to many problems encountered by florists of the day, and it was quick, it was easy and it was fast. However, as much as it solved problems caused by movement and poor construction, it was forgiving to florists who perhaps lacked solid technique and adequate training. As such it quickly enabled “formula” designs to be executed by persons with little formal training. Alas the formulas tended to descend towards the lowest common denominator, and eventually resulted in the “roundy-moundy” arrangements of the seventies; chrysanthemum, carnation, and rose compositions, all trimmed with leatherleaf and dotted with gyp. Or worse, the “poodles” made of mums and carnations!! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The floral foam was none too receptive to the thinner, weaker stems of some flowers, and did not provide enough water to the stems of certain other flowers, as well as fruiting and flowering branches. As such, an unintended consequence of the introduction of foam was that the flowers that did not conform to the new medium were branded as being short-lived, impractical, unnecessary and were condemned to obsolescence.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The parallel direction of the cut-flower business to that of the food industry since the fifties is remarkable, both disciplines regressing, in terms of integrity of products, and both sacrificing their intrinsic values to convenience, speed and ease of production. Flowers lost diversity of products, diminished colors as well as severely compromised aesthetic values. Food similarly lost the diversity of ingredients, flavors were diluted, and overall taste and quality were confused. Towards the end of the eighties, food enjoyed a renaissance which was quickly followed by a revival in flowers. In fact many people in America were starting to examine the state of their cultural, aesthetic and spiritual values and evaluating the quality of their lives. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nLokXGQI/AAAAAAAAA0o/tmHkRPhXTMM/s1600/oasis8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nLokXGQI/AAAAAAAAA0o/tmHkRPhXTMM/s320/oasis8.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nOsbOcqI/AAAAAAAAA0s/p7CEplqDoXY/s1600/oasis9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nOsbOcqI/AAAAAAAAA0s/p7CEplqDoXY/s320/oasis9.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nReT4qEI/AAAAAAAAA0w/LS3z6v3i6SI/s1600/oasis10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nReT4qEI/AAAAAAAAA0w/LS3z6v3i6SI/s320/oasis10.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3m-9t1F6I/AAAAAAAAA0M/vlXZBuxZLgo/s1600/miss+p+bk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 323px;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3m-9t1F6I/AAAAAAAAA0M/vlXZBuxZLgo/s320/miss+p+bk.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The changes in the food industry, initiated by people such as Alice Waters, were founded on a philosophy of providing customers with meals composed entirely of premium, healthy ingredients. Organically grown and locally produced old and forgotten varieties of vegetables; dairy products, meats and poultry that were free range, and not fed with hormones; local seafood and so forth, all simply cooked, and beautifully presented. Gone were the sauces, the pretentious constructs, the frozen produce, and instead there was a quality product presented to the customer that appealed to all the senses. </span></div></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, the USA has one of the most vibrant food cultures in the world, and which has trickled down to the kitchens of many consumers. Programs about food preparation are to be found all over the cable networks, and even has two channels dedicated solely to food. Even McDonalds has gone so far as to introduce salads into their menus!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Similarly, the flower business has a new-found appreciation of forgotten and long ignored varieties, and arrangements tend to be far less contrived and much more intimate. Modern, professional designers have better knowledge of care and handling, and the designs they are creating rely on freshness, and consequently, strong color intensity, unusual shapes and forms, and simplicity. More and more arrangements are being done in vases with water, and particularly in clear vases. And the fact is flowers last longer in water. There have been many studies done on this, but when it comes to using only water, as opposed to using correctly saturated floral foam, flowers last significantly longer in the water, all other things being equal.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I refer you to George Staby’s excellent organization <a href="http://www.chainoflifenetwork.org/">“The Chain of Life”,</a> for the statistical analysis, but commonsense tells us that if we are supposed to keep the water free from detritus, bacteria and so forth, in order to extend flower life, it makes no sense to place stems into a dense medium, laden with various chemicals and surfactants. The optimum scenario, at this point in time, is to display flowers in water treated with the correct dosage of flower food. (Please note the italics.)</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Floral foam can be a very useful tool, but should only be deployed when there is no other alternative. Of course it is fast. And yes, it is quick; and yes, it makes life easy; but this is the precise purview of the mass-markets, because they cannot afford the skilled labor to create properly constructed and aesthetically pleasing designs, let alone delver them. Their window of opportunity lies in the mass production of rapidly assembled homogeneous products that will function within the parameters of the quality standards and conform to specific price-points designated by the supermarkets, or big box outlets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reason that I bring this up does not arise from some lofty idealism or because I do not care for foam. It is because as Floral Professionals, the existence of our business is predicated on the success of our customers. I do not believe that most florists can go head to head with the mass marketers, nor, in most cases would they want to. The large majority of our clients work in high quality niches with a focus on aesthetic design. By developing a methodology that employs the optimum environment for the flowers, the florist will be well-placed to outwit and outlast any onslaught the supermarkets may launch. I propose that the contemporary designer, who is striving to differentiate him or her self in the marketplace, must look to the absolute best methods of presentation and construction for his/her designs and arrangements. New remedies and supports must be created, and if necessary, referring back to how things were done before the advent of foam. And in the act of solving these problems, the very act of creation can, who knows, lead to giant steps in one’s personal advancement of design. </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Acknowledgements: </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">J. Gregory Conway, images #1 and #2 from “Conway’s Treasury of Flower Arrangements”,1953, Knopf</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Constance Spry, image # 3, from her seminal book "Garden Notebook" Dent,1940</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Christian Tortu, image #4(strawberries) and #10(fennel), from his book “Sensational Bouquets”, 2001, Harry M. Abrams, Inc., NY</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Thanks to Pinnacle Food Corporation for their image of the Swanson’s TV Dinner. Image # 6</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Oasis is a registered Trademark of the Smithers-Oasis Corp</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Image # 11 from the Divine "Miss PIckering"; a bouquet appearing in the UK's "Wedding Bouquets" 2011</span></div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><img height="91" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3ilyRgLBI/AAAAAAAAAzo/PxzaQUsr5ck/s320/oasis3.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 602px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 237px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" /></div><img height="91" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nFqalukI/AAAAAAAAA0c/5oi0PhlIAYM/s320/oasis5.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 359px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 1546px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" /> <div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><img height="91" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TS3nLokXGQI/AAAAAAAAA0o/tmHkRPhXTMM/s320/oasis8.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 607px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 4487px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" /><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="goog_qs-tidbit goog_qs-tidbit-0">Richard Hamilton<em> "Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?"</em></span><span class="goog_qs-tidbit goog_qs-tidbit-0"> , 1956 - Image # 5</span></span></div><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-23532650655186866682011-01-07T14:54:00.001-05:002011-01-07T17:08:28.089-05:00THE TREND IS MY FRIEND: FASHION OUTLOOK FOR 2011<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can clearly remember when I was a teenager a conversation between my mother and a friend of hers who was in the clothing trade, wherein the friend bluntly declared that denim was soon to run its course in terms of popularity. That was in 1975, and it seems that jeans just keep on going ,and denim may be more fashionable than ever. Clearly the humble fabric used to make tents during the Gold Rush (serge <em>de Nimes</em> and serge de <em>Genes)</em> is part of a long term trend.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TSYm9Nxz-lI/AAAAAAAAAzc/p4Sj6K17IAE/s1600/cym+yellow+riverblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TSYm9Nxz-lI/AAAAAAAAAzc/p4Sj6K17IAE/s640/cym+yellow+riverblog1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the floral trade the long term trend that shows no sign of abating is the continued strength of flowers that are green, and foliages that are variegated. In New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco the demand for green flowers started in earnest about twenty years ago, and over the last five years has spread into the heartland, as well as around the world. The most compelling argument for the trend to continue for many years to come is that green flowers continue to be strongly demanded in the Left and Right coasts' fashion centers. If the fashion for green flowers was coming to an end one would expect the cycle to be already in decline in the major cities.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example, green roses, and especially <em>Rosa</em> "Supergreen", which is the premium product in the category, continue to be in very high demand. Yet this is merely at the apex of the flowers that are available in green, and many more cultivars are introduced each year: Rather ravishing are the green ranunculas that will be available this summer, as well as new varieties of chrysanthemums, carnations, zinnias. Stalwarts of the florists' varieties of green flowers such as hydrangeas and hanging amaranthus continue to enjoy very strong demand. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another color trend that I have seen growing over the last few years is one that features palettes of desaturated colors. I suppose there may be a temptation to dismiss this as an ongoing variation on the pastel colors that have always been popular for weddings and romantic arrangements, but what I have observed is much more subtle than that and very hard to execute to high level of aesthetic satisfaction. And even the pastel colors themselves are used in very light hues and delicate tones. Colors can be described as sandy, beige, light tan, olive dun, lavender-gray, gray-pink, gray, antique ivory, Wedgwood blue, gray-blue, shell pink and flesh. Definitely not your mother-in-laws pastels!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pantone presents their "color" of 20012 as "Honeysuckle Pink". The color as presented on their web site is certainly pink, a sort dusty pink with blue undertones. I often think these colors are selected as much for their name as for the actual color, like the swatches that the paint companies fabricate. Our native Honeysuckle <em>Lonicera sempervirens</em> is a fabulous blend of pinks, it is true, but also displays apricot, some golden hues and red. Notwithstanding Pantone's rather lacklustre selection, pinks in various hues do seem to be popular, and when the color is realized in fabulous flowers such as "Sarah Bernhardt" peonies, "O'Hara" roses, in Dahlias, Ranunculas and Hydrangeas to name a very few, the effect can be the epitome of romance.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One current trend that I find incredibly tasteless, but which seems to have legs at least through the end of this year is the insertion of "bling' and feathers into bridal bouquets. Shakespeare got it right when he proclaimed that to "gild the lily" was redundant, yet there seems to be a growing segment of society who insist on putting 'bling" into everything. One of the most disturbing things I have seen recently are large live beetles encrusted with gaudy bling to which a short chain is affixed. This chain is attached to the clothing above the chest and the living "brooch" wanders about your person. Pah-leez!! The parallel trend in flowers seems to have started with the very simple way stephanotis blooms were attached to a wedding bouquet with boutonniere pins, a technique that has been in use for several decades, but has now evolved into a garish and cheap metaphor for the deeply spiritual and romantic nuptial ceremony. Surely selling yourself does not mean mortgaging one's soul?</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A tendency that is diametrically opposed to the bling-thing is that of composing arrangements and bouquets in a way that looks very relaxed and casual, as if thrown together in a vase. However, as anyone who has ever worked with flowers knows, this is an incredibly difficult thing to do and requires unerring skill that usually comes from many years of experience and an innate sense of aesthetic judgement. Many of the materials employed in this trend have an appearance of being gathered from a cutting garden, or collected on a country walk, featuring flowers of various colors, shapes and sizes as well as being of different scales. Fruits, berries and pods are often incorporated, as well as herbs and even vegetables. A knowledge of appropriate hydration and conditioning techniques are essential, and a mastery of the materials a prerequisite.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The actual arrangements need to be done quickly as unnecessary manipulation of the products can diminish their quality. In many ways this trend is much like modern cuisine found in many restaurants, that depends on superb, fresh ingredients, an understanding of the cooking methods, execution that embodies artistry and skill but all prepared with a minimum of fuss and manipulation. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One issue raised several times in the floral blogosphere last year; the question of an often restricted floral supply (usually of the items you proposed to a bride several months before) will continue. This is due in large part to the weak dollar that causes all imports to be more expensive, as well as a considerable number of farm closures in Colombia and Holland that continue to contribute to the diminished supply. While in percentage terms that contraction is fairly small, the fact that floral professionals worldwide are chasing many of the same products means that the shortages can become rapidly exacerbated and seem quite pronounced. This year I also believe that the cost of transportation will become an important component of the price, and a factor that will limit the scope and scale of imports by wholesalers. Clearly planning and good organisational skills will be more important than ever, and pre-ordering flowers, a <em>modus operandi</em> that was last actively practiced about 25 years ago will become a factor once again for serious floral professionals. It will be a good business strategy to forge strong relationships with your vendors and actively communicate with them as to supply forecasts, price structures and so forth. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are murmurings that carnations will make a come back this year, but I am of the opinion that it will be a few more years until a real resurgence occurs. Certainly several high-end designers are using them now, but for very specific purposes, where they are are generally employed in paint-by-number situations on decorative balls from small to extremely large, as well as to cover walls and flat planes. I do rather like the way <em>Bornay</em> uses them to make petite field-scapes. However, I do not see them being used in arrangements or wedding bouquets for a year or two yet. One exciting development in the <em>Dianthus caryophyllus</em> world is the breeding of a new series of "Antique" carnations that will do much to finally lift the stigma of this ubiquitous flower.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last but not least, fragrance in flowers, in every type of flower will continue to be an important driving force in the fashion of flowers, for many years to come. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PS - The image is of <em>Cymbidium</em> "Yellow River", which has nothing to do with what I wrote, but just goes to prove that there are no rules in floral design. Cymbidiums will continue to be hot, but you knew that!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-2608467084588518482010-12-31T14:32:00.006-05:002011-01-03T10:18:33.720-05:00NOTES ON IMMORTALITY<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR6Fyd7rnVI/AAAAAAAAAzY/a3LnP8a6mtA/s1600/Sarah+Bernhardt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 400px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 321px;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR6Fyd7rnVI/AAAAAAAAAzY/a3LnP8a6mtA/s400/Sarah+Bernhardt.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tAVS0VuI/AAAAAAAAAzA/tuiWRraSAzU/s1600/SBblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tAVS0VuI/AAAAAAAAAzA/tuiWRraSAzU/s320/SBblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tMz0gheI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/YoWOiEaj6MY/s1600/SBblogpaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tMz0gheI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/YoWOiEaj6MY/s320/SBblogpaint.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tCSr2O6I/AAAAAAAAAzE/g8Rq48W9lYc/s1600/SBblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tCSr2O6I/AAAAAAAAAzE/g8Rq48W9lYc/s320/SBblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tAVS0VuI/AAAAAAAAAzA/tuiWRraSAzU/s1600/SBblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tAVS0VuI/AAAAAAAAAzA/tuiWRraSAzU/s320/SBblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tIo9ge8I/AAAAAAAAAzM/GdjF1PHQAPo/s1600/SBblogcoffin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 400px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 320px;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tIo9ge8I/AAAAAAAAAzM/GdjF1PHQAPo/s400/SBblogcoffin2.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tFwezwcI/AAAAAAAAAzI/KarSmBCvm9w/s1600/SBblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TR4tFwezwcI/AAAAAAAAAzI/KarSmBCvm9w/s320/SBblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such is the nature of our society today that we hear an awful lot about female entertainers (more than I need to know), a few of whom aspire to be divas and quite a few more who are dubbed as such by the popular gossip rags and the paparazzi. While almost all qualify for the mantle due to their outrageous and demanding behavior, almost all fail as a legitimate diva because they simply do not have the talent, guts and wit. A few who can be considered to be true divas come to mind; <strong>Streisand; Madonna</strong> perhaps; <strong>Elizabeth Taylor</strong> certainly. I imagine that everyone has a candidate or two who I am sure deserves to be on a short-list of genuine "Divas". But I doubt that any can measure up to the fin-de-siècle French actress <strong>"Sarah Bernhardt</strong>" who combined a flair for the flamboyant and outrageous with arguably one of the greatest theatrical talents of all time. Her wit was widely appreciated, and when no less a person than <strong>Oscar Wilde</strong> politely asked at her salon; "Do you mind if I smoke?" she adroitly replied "I don't care if you burn". </span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sarah Bernhardt was reputed to have many lovers in her circle, especially noted artists and painters, as well as being rumored to have had an affair with noted impressionist <strong>"Louise Abbema".</strong> Miss Bernhardt, who came to be known as "The Divine Sarah", was rumored to have slept in a coffin in order to immerse herself in the tragic nature of the characters she would play on stage. Certainly, she used still photographs of herself at repose in the coffin to great effect. However, what really stands her apart, and garnered the epithet - "The greatest actress of all time" - was her overarching command of her stage craft. Consider that, even after she had a leg amputated due to gangrene that infected her after a tragic fall in Rio de Janeiro, she was still able to fill theatres to capacity even though she refused to wear a prosthetic limb. Sarah Bernhardt's total absorption into characters she played captivated audiences around the world, and her mellifluous voice, described by <strong>Victor Hugo</strong> as 'golden' and by many contemporary critics as 'silver', <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">simply was unparalleled in the world of entertainment. The noted American author</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Mark Twain</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> stated: “There are five kinds of actresses: bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses, and Sarah Bernhardt.”</span> </span>Almost until her death, a Sarah Bernhardt performance was a much sought after ticket wherever she played. She was renowned in Paris, London New York and Rio and this was before the advent of cinemas and the widespread introduction of movies. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yet, a mere hundred years after her golden years, she is almost unknown, an artist and celebrity who has become enveloped in the shrouds of time, and almost completely forgotten. In fact, apart from the world of theatrical archives and historians she would have vanished completely were it not for one seemingly minor event that occurred during her lifetime. Such were the accolades that were thrust upon this scintillating talent, from her peers and politicians alike, that the fact that a flower breeder in her native France would choose to name a peony after her as a tribute to her brilliance would probably be considered as a minor footnote in her career. How ironic that it is this occurrence that has kept the name "Sarah Bernhardt" alive and vibrant around the world for people who love flowers and plants, and in particular peonies. Yet little is now known about Sarah Bernhardt today, although some insightful biographies have been published recently - and even less is known about the genius who created the "Sarah Bernhardt" peony; <strong>Victor Lemoine</strong>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The intersection of these two giants in their fields created a seminal occurrence; namely one of the most beloved plants in the world, with their stunning fully double, sweetly fragrant flowers featuring rich rouched chiffonades of glorious pink petals and which endure whether on the plant or in a vase. <em>Paeonia</em> "Sarah Bernhardt" truly is a masterpiece. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the time Victor Lemoine created <em>paeonia</em> "Sarah Bernhardt" and introduced the dazzling bloom in 1907 he was already famous for the prodigious cultivars that he had introduced to the world. His work was not only prodigious in quality, but in the volume of output. I will chronicle his work at later date as he is truly worthy of review, but suffice it to say that this man created cultivars of peonies, lilac and hydrangeas, to name just a few species that he worked on, that are still in use and much sought after today!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I find most remarkable is that, while we are incessantly and continuously inundated with new varieties of many flowers, especially roses, but also chrysanthemums, carnations, etc., (hell it seems like there is a new variety of gyp each year these days!!) the peonies we use in the cut flower trade are generally over a hundred years old. Now there are some notable exceptions such as the classic <em>P.<strong> </strong></em><strong>"Red Charm" 1947</strong> and <em>P.</em><strong> "Coral Sunset"</strong>, but in general the really striking varieties such as <em>P.</em><strong> "Duchesse de Nemours", </strong><em>P.</em><strong> "Festiva Maxima"</strong> and of course the aforementioned Sarah B are vintages of at least a century.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given that we are in a fashion-based business, one realises that, now more than ever, the breeders have an incentive to churn out new "models" each year in order to harness royalties for the products. After an initial flurry of demand for this season's introductions, more often than not, the revenues taper off so the breeders must keep bringing out new items to stimulate cash flow. Once in a while a rose breeder will find a rose that endures thanks to a combination of market demand and desirable productivity. One notable example of this is <strong>"Vendela", </strong>which due to its performance for the florist, its color and shape, as well as very high productivity, and good shipping endurance, has made this one of the greatest commecial cut roses of our era. In fact such has been the popularity of this rose that the royalties are set to expire, which for a breeder means that this is now a non-performing asset. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All this makes me wonder how many really great roses ( or other commercial species for that matter) may be on the trash heap of fashion or in the garbage pail of non-performing assets. More than a few, I suspect, and certainly there will be some that will become interesting from a growers' perspective as the marketplace orients toward demanding fragrant varieties. I have a book in my collection called "McFarland's Modern Roses", published in 1965 which has over 10,000 roses listed...<em>then</em>! I like to peruse this now and then to look up names as well as check out old varieties, and it can be quite entertaining. I imagine there are are items in there worthy of a second look. How about this: <strong>"Grey Pearl"</strong> (aka "the Mouse") bred by McGredy and introduced by Jackson & Perkins in 1945. Double flower with large ovoid bud, 40-45 petals (which is excellent), high-centered tea (not-so-cool, but manageable) <em>fragrant</em> and the color is <em>lavender gray shaded olive and tan!!! </em>Sounds awesome.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mmm...I think I have digressed from my original topic. I am struck by the fact that no matter how famous one may be during one's lifetime, eventually the sands of time will erode the most magnificent personages, and what endures seems to be only that which is beautiful and true, such as great music, great paintings and great flowers. Especially great flowers; even the Peony is named for the pupil of the great Greek doctor <strong>Asclepias</strong>, a humble shepherd called <strong>Paeon</strong>. While today we recognise the Asclepia as a so-so flower, it is the Peony that today far outshines the teacher. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Incidentally, Vendela was a well known model from Sweden who had a short modelling career in the 1970's, but whose name endures, her beauty personified to this day in the classic cream rose.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">It is also comforting to realise that a somewhat mediocre rose, appropriately called <strong>"Trump",</strong> appears to have a very short life expectancy.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A happy, safe and prosperous New Year to all. </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-48140593171068269682010-12-15T10:53:00.001-05:002010-12-17T11:04:01.689-05:00BLACK FINESS: FAIL<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQjj2wqd8DI/AAAAAAAAAyo/W_YkUMmvRdA/s1600/Black+Finessblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQjj2wqd8DI/AAAAAAAAAyo/W_YkUMmvRdA/s320/Black+Finessblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQjjyD1KabI/AAAAAAAAAyg/Er_Xj-zEWIs/s1600/BlackFinessblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQjjyD1KabI/AAAAAAAAAyg/Er_Xj-zEWIs/s320/BlackFinessblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQjj02OzC_I/AAAAAAAAAyk/2yeB48ggke0/s1600/Black+Finessblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQjj02OzC_I/AAAAAAAAAyk/2yeB48ggke0/s320/Black+Finessblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week I tested a fairly new variety "Black Finess", which for all intents and purposes resulted in a two thumbs down for the product. Normally when a product fails, I would not mention it, but rather would recommend that we do not sell it as it is flawed. In this case I would like to use the "Fail" to comment on a couple of issues raised by this rose. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, it is pertinent to point out that there is no such rose as "Black Finess", at least not one that has been registered by a breeder. De Ruiters, the company that bred the original "Finess" and holds the rights to the Finess series does not acknowledge any such rose. This serves to highlight a tactic used not uncommonly by growers, and sometimes breeders, when they run into problems marketing a rose: Change the name. The rose that I tested has some beautiful characteristics, including a rich velvet sheen on the petals, a very attractive, fruity red color and a superb structure. However the rose is deeply flawed, with excessive "bronzing" on the guard petals and on the edges of some interior petals. This is not <em>Botrytis cinerea</em>, the fungus that is often seen in roses and which cause petals to turn brown and mushy, but a genetic flaw often exacerbated in cold weather. However, it is not attractive and presents an appearance of disease, which is almost as bad. If it could be limited to the guard petals it would be alright (as in the case of Black Magic), but this 'bronzing' is prevalent on interior petals. My suspicion is that this is a variety that surfaced 4 or 5 years ago called "Black Lava", which failed for the same reasons. Given that the rose showed so much promise, it could be that the growers who have it in the ground with, or without the collusion of the breeder, attempted to resurrect it, with a new 'hot' name.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the most famous name changes of late, is that of "Bloody Mary". This rose was going nowhere fast, as it was (and still is, in my opinion) rather pedestrian, with an old fashioned high-centered spiral shape. It appears the breeder, latching on to a massive wave of patriotism in the USA, adroitly switched the name to "Freedom". I don't think I need to say more.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I do not recommend either "Black Finess" and/or "Black Lava", I would like to underline the fact that, as we go forwards to Valentine's Day, if you receive a rose with brown on the guard petals, do not automatically assume the worst. The easy test to see if it <em>botrytis</em> or bronzing is to <em>gently</em> rub the petal: If it feels dry (and occasionally some brown dust is released on to the fingers like rust) then it is the bronzing; if it feels moist and perhaps mushy it is probably fungus. In either case, remove the guard petals and review the rose further - if the damage persists it may be cause to alert your provider of a problem. Remember the guard petals are there to protect the flower from these very issues, so no judgement should be made until they are removed.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-84733320945230546402010-12-14T12:09:00.000-05:002010-12-14T12:09:13.389-05:00THE ELECTRIC CANDY-COLORED COCA COLA CHRISTMAS<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehZvKQUdI/AAAAAAAAAyc/meuZcdk8-5E/s1600/xmAS+BLOG1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehZvKQUdI/AAAAAAAAAyc/meuZcdk8-5E/s320/xmAS+BLOG1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehSRUBdSI/AAAAAAAAAyU/XFndmL8r1Eo/s1600/xmasblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehSRUBdSI/AAAAAAAAAyU/XFndmL8r1Eo/s320/xmasblog3.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehFGn7rHI/AAAAAAAAAyE/Zzvd3UU1pyU/s1600/xmasblog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehFGn7rHI/AAAAAAAAAyE/Zzvd3UU1pyU/s320/xmasblog7.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="213" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehIh1pEDI/AAAAAAAAAyI/Gur_AzsIGoE/s1600/xmasblog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 149px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 239px;"><img border="0" height="133" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehIh1pEDI/AAAAAAAAAyI/Gur_AzsIGoE/s200/xmasblog6.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehPxu2G8I/AAAAAAAAAyQ/S6L6bXiRz7U/s1600/xmasblog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehPxu2G8I/AAAAAAAAAyQ/S6L6bXiRz7U/s320/xmasblog4.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehMdWZTGI/AAAAAAAAAyM/T0mwaeORLS0/s1600/xmasblog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehMdWZTGI/AAAAAAAAAyM/T0mwaeORLS0/s640/xmasblog5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OMG...mmmm, well rather OMSOG seeing as its Christmas. "Oh my son of God" in other words! Where have we gone so wrong in our approach to flowers at Christmas? I have been expressing my concern, as well as a disdainful eye on the work of many florists for not employing their considerable talents to simply put a stop to the madness.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flowers, and if you are religiously inclined, and any religion will do, flowers, are one of God's most spectacular creations. All of them, not just the red ones, or the white ones, or the coniferous foliage's. So at Christmas-time surely there is a way to celebrate this, to create arrangements in diverse colors other than red and white, and yet make something Christmassy. Or Xmassy if you prefer. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why are we still slaves to a corporate creation of the Coca Cola company sometime way back when, which somehow instilled the idea that Red & White are traditional Christmas colors? If there is a traditional color it is that of gold, as a reference to one of the gifts presented by the Magi to the infant Jesus, and which traditionally denoted royalty and therefore befitting the "King of Kings". The idea of Christmas, in my opinion is one of spirituality, and yet most of the time these days we settle for a gross and vulgar denial of spirituality, and love, and compassion and tolerance of others. I am fairly certain that a gift of flowers given to a loved one, to an associate at work, or to someone as a way of saying "Thank You for being there" would be welcome in any color combination.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Yes, but its traditional", one can hear the Christmas Chorus a-crying, while overlooking the 40lb, 6 ft. actual tree in their living rooms, covered in ornaments in every hue of the rainbow, and some that are not even in the rainbow as well. A lot of gold, silver, iridescent blue, viridian green, yellow, turquoise, purple, and in almost every texture from matte to mirrored. A few red ornaments too, but you get the idea. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been pointing this out for years, and mostly falling on deaf ears it would seem, so it is rather refreshing to see a couple of voices in the industry (that I am aware of, there are probably many more - I would like to hear from you) pointing out a desire for change. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I noticed on the blog of "Miss Pickering", a designer based in Stamford, England, recently expressed the desire, namely "I Want to Break Free" <em>...from the red!</em> And yesterday she posted an item titled "Fairy Lights" with wreaths featuring jewel-like or 'fairy light' type berries and balls. No red in sight, and yet retaining a Christmas feel.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even more in keeping with a traditional "packaged American Xmas" were delightful compositions at "Sprout" whose shop is in Worcester, Mass. Almost all the visual elements of a consumer-oriented Christmas are there, from ornate packaging and high production values, and yet most items, other than flowers, are recycled. Again no red to be found!! And the author created a delightful slogan for Christmas, which although quite secular, is endowed with far more spirituality than most tributes I have seen in many a year.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Re-Use; Recycle; Rejoice".</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Image 3 and Image 4 from <a href="http://misspickering.blogspot.com/">Miss Pickering's</a> Blog,</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">the use of whose images I am grateful. Great blog too.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Image 5 and Image 6 from <a href="http://www.sprout-flowers.com/">Sprout</a>, great site also. I am grateful for the use of her images. </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The stockings were made from recycled sweaters from a </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thrift store.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love it.</span></div><br />
<img height="96" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehFGn7rHI/AAAAAAAAAyE/Zzvd3UU1pyU/s320/xmasblog7.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 529px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 110px; visibility: hidden;" width="64" /><img height="63" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TQehSRUBdSI/AAAAAAAAAyU/XFndmL8r1Eo/s320/xmasblog3.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 523px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 235px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-5727732066065408722010-12-08T14:04:00.005-05:002010-12-08T14:14:30.753-05:00STAR POWER<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TP_UQJQBvLI/AAAAAAAAAxw/Bkj8JXOd_7E/s1600/ORN+DUB+WHIblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TP_UQJQBvLI/AAAAAAAAAxw/Bkj8JXOd_7E/s320/ORN+DUB+WHIblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TP_UcCYFcJI/AAAAAAAAAx4/5_kHC9s20Nk/s1600/ORN+DUB+WHIblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TP_UcCYFcJI/AAAAAAAAAx4/5_kHC9s20Nk/s320/ORN+DUB+WHIblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TP_UY3RweYI/AAAAAAAAAx0/A6Xf0GoLHqI/s1600/ORN+DUB+WHIblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TP_UY3RweYI/AAAAAAAAAx0/A6Xf0GoLHqI/s320/ORN+DUB+WHIblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A fairly useful item for the florist are the various members of the Ornithogalum family. For years the variety that we have come to accept as "Star-of-Bethlehem" is what is actually classified as <em>O. Thyrsoiides</em>, and in fact this unwieldy name is becoming more prevalent in everyday usage. This is due to the fact that there are several other varieties that are being grown commercially and which are now available as a cut flower, and some of the terms were becoming ridiculous , especially "Arabic Star-of-Bethlehem". </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On top of that the flower that is called "Star-of-Bethlehem" by the rest of the horticulture world (as distinct from the cut-flower industry), is a species known as <em>O. umbellatum</em>, a rather lank flower with small, thin petalled flowers and which is not particularly attractive. Furthermore, before the flower received a rather modern makeover of it's nomenclature, it was referred to as Dove's Dung: </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">"And there was a great famine in Samaria: and behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 KINGS 6:25</span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The name apparently arose from the spectacle of the white flowers glistening upon the open fields of Palestine which apparently and, rather unpoetical, was said to resemble bird droppings. A lot of them! Certainly the Greek word Ornithogalum is more genteel, and is translated as "Bird's Milk". In biblical times the bulbs of these flowers were used as a foodstuff, either roasted or dried and conserved. They were frequently used by Muslims on their pilgrimages to Mecca.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The varieties most common today are the pure white <em>O. Thyrsoiides</em> with the flowers clustered in a terminal raceme or spike; the tall <em>O. Arabicum</em> with creamy flowers and almost black ovaries clustered in a corymb; <em>O. Saundersiae</em> which is very similar to the Arabicum; and the brightly colored <em>O. dubium</em> which until recently was available in Orange and Yellow. A new cultivar <em>O. dubium</em> "White" has been introduced to the commercial cut flower markets, which is a welcome addition to the family. The flowers are distinctly larger than other Ornithogalums with some dark markings at the base of the petals, creating an 'eye' when the flowers open. In the middle image the new cultivar is juxtaposed with the <em>O. Thyrsoiides </em>to give a sense of the relative size of the petals and the flowers. The flowers themselves are loaded on terminal racemes, and when fully open create a generous display. In the vase test the comported themselves very well and proved to be long-lasting and very hardy.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-86932435756765527812010-12-07T10:19:00.000-05:002010-12-07T10:19:16.489-05:00"TIS THE SEASON<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TP5PmKb_IkI/AAAAAAAAAxo/qR1WVaduUDE/s1600/Red+Parisblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TP5PmKb_IkI/AAAAAAAAAxo/qR1WVaduUDE/s320/Red+Parisblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TP5Po0BlRzI/AAAAAAAAAxs/I04rk4K3rfg/s1600/redparisblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TP5Po0BlRzI/AAAAAAAAAxs/I04rk4K3rfg/s320/redparisblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems the Christmas season is in full swing, and even down here in Miami, Florida, a cold front has brought very chilly but seasonally appropriate weather. When one is bundled up with sweaters, jackets scarves and hats one can't but help feel in the mood. Christmas lights adorn many of the houses, along with a trend I could do without, which is that of the inflatable lawn decorations. In Miami there are clearly rivalries developing as to who can have the most inflatables in front of their house. I suppose the owners mean well but they are hideous. And large. But hey, its Christmastime.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the floral industry many people are busily engaged in selling hard goods and Christmas greens, trees, wreaths and garlands. Cut flower sales are somewhat limited at present, but over the next couple of weeks sales will increase. Unfortunately, the focus is entirely on red and white flowers, which is somewhat perverse, because flowers come in all colors and hues, and consequently there is a dire shortage of some flowers in these two colors with correspondingly high prices, and an almost criminal oversupply of pastels tones and bright primary colors. But hey, its Christmastime.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing that always becomes scarce at this time is the supply of red roses, and this year is certainly no exception. This is because demand is very high during this time, and it also coincides with the "pinch" of the red rose plants by growers for the Valentine's Day holiday. (For an explanation of the "pinch" see article below). Combine the high demand, with the Valentine's pinch and sprinkle in the rather inclement weather in Colombia and Ecuador, and we may see red rose prices rival, and even surpass, those of Valentine;s before the season is out. Varieties such as the currently popular "Freedom" and the august "Forever Young" are extremely scarce so you may want to look at some other, lesser known varieties. This is also a good opportunity to familiarize one self with new red varieties prior to V-Day as well.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week I did a vase test on "Red Paris", a recent introduction from Dutch breeder OlijRozen. First impressions were that it is a very robust product, with excellent stems and strong, but graceless, peduncles. The thorns are quite prominent, especially lower down, and do need to be cleaned with care. This rose will not fail you in terms of arching or bending stems, nor even drooping heads, provided the flowers have been properly hydrated. The rose itself opens in a promising way, but stops at about halfway from what I would consider a full reflex. "Red Paris" is a rich dark red, with a glossy, light velvet finish, and very reminiscent of First Red. It would appear to a very useful rose for production work, as it is strong, but it lacks the grace and flair that I look for in a flower.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-30263809030086148602010-12-02T15:04:00.000-05:002010-12-02T15:04:27.285-05:00AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH ABOUT ROSES<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TPf1jP4MHYI/AAAAAAAAAxY/ZZHU2RNLCEE/s1600/sabana+blog+floods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TPf1jP4MHYI/AAAAAAAAAxY/ZZHU2RNLCEE/s320/sabana+blog+floods.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems the name for the "El Nino" climate phenomenon was coined by fishermen from Ecuador and Peru in the 17th century, because it seemed to always occur at Christmas time. "El Nino" is the hispanic term for Jesus Christ, and is literally translated as "Little Child" or "Little Boy". My understanding of this phenomenon is that it occurs when the normally warm surface water of the Eastern Pacific Ocean is blown west and the cold water is allowed to rise to the surface, aided by the Humboldt current which brings cold water from the Southern Pacific. Then tropical winds blowing eastwards, in contrast to the usual direction of the South Pacific Trade Winds, drives water from the ocean which results in unusually large amounts of precipitation in the Andean nations of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Or is that "La Nina"? </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been researching the unusual amount of rain occurring in Colombia which has resulted in massive flooding that continues into December, and which is repeatedly attributed to be a result of the "La Nina" phenomenon. Not one single source can provide a succinct and unambiguous definition, as all the explanations end with caveats stating words to the effect of 'no one is really sure' about these effects, and on top of that many of the meteorological sources are frustratingly vague. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not to worry, lets just gloss that part over, as I can report that around the world in 2010 unusually powerful winds from the Northern and Southern hemisphere were meeting at the equatorial belt, causing massive updraughts and moving spectacular amounts of water into the atmosphere. And as we have seen on news reports on all media, equally spectacular amounts of precipitation have caused disastrous flooding in Pakistan, Thailand, Colombia and Nigeria, to name a few. During the month of November in Colombia floods caused 161 persons to lose their lives, 1.3 million people have lost their homes or sustained significant damage to them and an estimated $2.5 billion in total losses is said to have occurred.</span> </div><br />
In stark contrast, unusual climate changes occurring in Siberia are such that this November was the warmest that has ever been recorded! <br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I highlight this problem, particularly with respect to our upcoming Valentine's Day in 2011. Throughout our industry there has been much discussion and opinion about the shortage of some flowers as well as their reciprocal increase in prices. I outlined the main reasons for this in an earlier article (October 18th </span><a href="http://shopmayeshboxlots.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">read here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) and certainly weather has been one of the problems, but going forward from now until February it seems that a wet, rainy and cold climate will engender many problems for the rose supply, as well as that of gypsophilia and most flowers grown in Colombia, and to a lesser extent in Ecuador.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The good news is that there is almost a zero probability of a freeze this year.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TPf5JFB0t8I/AAAAAAAAAxk/5o8GWk_zWIA/s1600/blog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TPf5JFB0t8I/AAAAAAAAAxk/5o8GWk_zWIA/s320/blog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The principal problem that I foresee for this Valentine 2011 will be that of quality, rather than one of supply, although issues with the former will have some effect on the latter. But the fact that quality will most likely be compromised leads one to some troubling conclusions, not least of which is that many Roses entering the marketplace will not be of export grade. But lets look at why the products from many rose farms will be compromised:</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many rose plantations are experiencing dire cash flow problems due to a variety of reasons attributable to the poor economy, as well as because the Colombian Peso remains fairly strong against the US Dollar. Quite a few farms had been promised loans by the Colombian Dept. of Agriculture but this aid was withdrawn after a scandal involving monies furnished to Falcon Farms and Florandina by the Colombian government was used in an allegedly fraudulent manner.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without adequate financing, amicable agreements with vendors and suppliers and/or good cash flow the ability of farms to grow and maintain healthy, vigorous plants is circumspect. Realise that the rose plants projected to be used for Valentine's production, which will be all the reds, most of the pinks and a few select colors (minus those required for standing orders), have all been <em>pinched* </em>and will produce three, maybe four stems of roses for the holiday. To effectively produce three times as many flowers as normal, the plant will need a commensurate amount of fertilization, as well as more labor to care and groom the plants as necessary. And this is in a good climate.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given that it has been raining in the Sabana of Colombia for what seems like months on end, and it is forecast to keep raining through February, the rose farms now face two more issues for which they need money: First of all, with the almost permanent layer of cloud cover obscuring the sun, the luminosity that the plants would normally enjoy is seriously compromised, which leads to a drop-off in productivity. This can be partially offset by feeding the plants more than normal, which should result in a yield more or less commensurate with expectations. Unfortunately, even though the fecundity of the plants may be satisfactory, without sun the rose stems tend to stretch as they reach for light. As such, plants will produce roses with 70cm stem lengths but with a stem diameter and strength appropriate to the quality parameters expected of a 40cm rose. An exigent and quality conscious rose farm will, of course, cut these stems down to the appropriate length. As well as issues with stem length, the low light levels cause the stems to 'wander', resulting in crooked and twisted stems. Furthermore these same atrocious conditions of will also negatively impact the head size, and may diminish the petal count. Usually, both these defects would cause a rose to be graded out for domestic consumption and would not enter the export inventory. Usually!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Secondly, with the copious amounts of rain and continued cloud cover expected in Colombia and Ecuador during the entire three months the roses are in production for Valentine's, the low luminosity and high humidity create the perfect environment for diseases and pests to wreak havoc. More pesticides and anti-fungal fumigation's need to be applied than usual, with extra vigilance needed as this is the most valuable crop of the year. Because of the pinch, wherein three months of production was sacrificed to ensure that an increased yield will flush at the end of January, the plants are functioning under stress in less than an optimum environment. Again, the increased amount of vegetative growth means that more labor is needed to be vigilant for incidence of disease, especially for Downy Mildew, Powdery Mildew and Botrytis and also infestations of Spider Mites.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It does not take much to figure out that the top rose farms with good management, a sound financial footing and professional integrity will be generally impervious to the issues outlined above, except for the problem of filling all their orders. But how many of those farms are there, really? Not enough, that's for sure.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rose farms in Colombia and Ecuador will be doing the very best that they can, and with no malice aforethought, but the facts are that with out sufficient financial resources strict fertilization and phyto-sanitary programs cannot be maintained. And this will lead to a serious compromising of quality. Most of these lesser quality products will come to the USA as, unfortunately, the US flower industry is generally considered to be a largely uneducated marketplace with an overemphasis placed on price. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rose growers will be shipping their best roses to their most knowledgeable clients, as well as those paying the best price. In Ecuador this means a lot of these will be going to Europe and Russia, as well as some select importers and wholesalers in the USA. This is because Ecuadorian roses are considered among the best in the world. Of late, only 29% of all Ecuadorian roses on an annual basis come to the USA, although at Valentine's percentage-wise it is a little higher. Colombia sends a little under 90% of its rose production to the USA, so one can see that given the litany of problems in Colombia, it appears inevitable that the overall quality of roses available to US consumers will be compromised.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My conclusion is that there will be a good supply of roses, but that good quality products will be quite scarce.</span> </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Therefore, I urge you to consider your flower purchases with diligence, not just for Valentine's Day but for the rest of the year. Learn about the products that you work with, ascertain what the internationally recognised grading standards are for the flowers that you use, establish meaningful relationships with wholesalers, vendors, growers and such, who can provide you not only with products but with knowledge.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, roses, carnations, peonies, hydrangeas, in fact, probably all flowers will cost a bit more next year, so it behooves you to buy them from a company or individual who can provide you with <em>provenance**</em> and knowledge. And a fair price, too!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Pinch - Term used to denote the cutting back of rose canes to promote a vigorous flush of several stems of roses at a later date. The lower one cuts on a rose plant, then fewer stems are promoted but they tend to be very long and of high quality. The higher up on the plant one cuts the rose back, the more stems are produced but are shorter and of lesser quality. Therefore the 'pinch' is a compromise of yield balanced with quality. While the bush is pinched there is no production of roses on that plant until harvest. Also note that after Valentine's the plant is effectively 'pinched' again, which explains the dearth of product in February and March. Ecuador is pinching less and less, in order to have high quality roses year round - another factor contibuting to the scarcity of top quality products for Valentine's Day.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**Provenance - A term generally used in the Art World, and especially that of Antiquities, to denote that an item has a traceable history and/or a clear and legal origin. I use it here to emphasize that it should be part of a flower buyer's routine to ascertain origin of a product, the grower perhaps, how it was shipped, when it was shipped, when it was harvested, was the cold-chain maintained and so forth. Professional wholesalers will be happy to be engaged in a process of edification, as after all they are really partners in your success.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-29297460952447758952010-11-24T12:02:00.000-05:002010-11-24T12:02:58.685-05:001909 - THE YEAR PLASTIC WAS INVENTED<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TO1C-gz4OAI/AAAAAAAAAxU/KGGtxlCkrNs/s1600/1905+arrangement+blog+gloriosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TO1C-gz4OAI/AAAAAAAAAxU/KGGtxlCkrNs/s400/1905+arrangement+blog+gloriosa.jpg" width="302" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imagine, if you can, that just one hundred and one years ago plastic was invented (and I am talking about the material, not the financial vehicle!), and since then the evolution of technology has grown at a mercurial and Moore-ish rate. Consider, that just prior to this seminal event Einstein published his "Theory of Relativity"; Freud published his "Theory of Sexuality" and Ford produced the first Model-T automobile, all in 1905. In 1906 Kellogg's introduced cornflakes and in 1907 Picasso introduced Cubism along with Georges Braques. It is quite staggering that in two or three generations we have moved so far and so quickly in every realm of human endeavor.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In contrast, one might conclude that our industry, based on recent history, has only recently has access to the esoteric and unusual ingredients one now sees in contemporary floral design. Yet this could not be farther from the truth.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am an avid collector of flower books, and on my last trip to Great Britain I picked up a copy of "British Floral Decoration" by a certain Robert Forester Felton, published in 1910. Judging from many of the pictures in the book, Mr. Felton appears to have been the Preston Bailey of his era, having executed many elaborate decorations for various members of the Royal Family, as well as decorating Claridge's for Royal visits by such luminaries as the Japanese Emperor.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of his observations are sobering, especially when he states that: "It is fitting that the greatest of modern Empires should be represented by a flower which has taken all the world for its province, and is itself the monarch of flowers". I mean, that was only written one hundred years ago, and not only has Great Britain been eclipsed as a world power, but there is talk that the USA, which coincidentally has also taken the rose as its national flower, may be witnessing the sun setting on its world dominance.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just as sobering, and also showing how ephemeral the things that we create really are, he also writes: "Neither has the Rose been forgotten in the world of song: hence we find, among many more or less popular airs taking Roses for their theme, 'The Last Rose of Summer,' and 'She wore a Wreath of Roses,' two songs <em>which will live forever</em>. (My italics!)</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FOREVER? I used to think that Elvis and the Beatles songs would last forever, and now I see them decomposing in the manure of history and fashion. It is the way of the world, and each successive generation embraces new inventions, fashions and styles, and quite rightly so. However, it is patently obvious that after a few generations, that which has been forgotten is often introduced as novel and original; distinct and daring, especially in the arenas of fashion, art, science and music. And this applies to the flower industry, as we are in fact entirely influenced by the whims of fashion.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, please share in my surprise when I encountered this floral arrangement from 1909 featuring; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Gloriosa Rothschildiana; </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Gloriosa superba;</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Japanese Honeysuckle*; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lily of the Valley<em>;</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em> Francoa ramosa;</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buff carnations<em>; </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Begonia; </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Caladium argyrites </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and <em>Lonicera japoonica</em> "variegata".</span><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One hundred and one years later, most wholesalers would struggle to procure most of these items, yet they are surprisingly at the height of current fashion. Honeysuckle vines are becoming much in demand, especially for their divine fragrance, although the flowering one illustrated here looks more like *<em>Lonicera sempervirens </em>than<em> L. japonica</em>. Also of note is the use of the trailing variegated cultivar. "Buff" carnations (yellow-brown) would also pose a problem, because while this color is very much in demand I am not aware of a cultivated carnation filling this bill, although roses such as "Combo" come close, <em>Francoa ramosa</em> is a very cool flower but which is hardly cultivated at all these days. It is a native of Chile, and I have asked some growers there to do some trials. We shall see. It is a beautiful upright line flower with white flowers along the stems like a cross between liatris and veronica. Back in the day it was called "Bridal Wreath", which gives you an idea as to it's romantic nature.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I leave you with the opening paragraph from "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens which so succinctly shows us that while many things change, human nature does not:</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Thanksgiving.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697142657081333162.post-11669268995376398022010-11-18T14:59:00.000-05:002010-11-18T14:59:51.486-05:00CAN-CAN<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TOWDIXkOrbI/AAAAAAAAAxE/7hcj5t82woQ/s1600/Toulouse+Lautrec+Eglantine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TOWDIXkOrbI/AAAAAAAAAxE/7hcj5t82woQ/s320/Toulouse+Lautrec+Eglantine.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TOWDK-yXWBI/AAAAAAAAAxI/KR_NSqzTGOo/s1600/Toulouseblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TOWDK-yXWBI/AAAAAAAAAxI/KR_NSqzTGOo/s320/Toulouseblog1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TOWDOiu04lI/AAAAAAAAAxM/5Mfg19qD9ag/s1600/Toulouseblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TOWDOiu04lI/AAAAAAAAAxM/5Mfg19qD9ag/s320/Toulouseblog2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TOWDReRkNzI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/FZ2-Ji2JfyY/s1600/Toulouseblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K4BXHOBCRgE/TOWDReRkNzI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/FZ2-Ji2JfyY/s320/Toulouseblog3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oft repeated in our industry, though probably not investigated enough, is the quizzical exclamation "What's in a name?" In this case I am dumbfounded, as this rose, which is a brilliant, bold yellow, would have been better suited to the name of fellow painter "Van Gogh". Could it be that the breeder Alain Meilland was intoxicated by Lautrec's prints of the dancers at the Moulin Rouge, especially the one illustrated here, or could it be a tribute to the sun of Southern France, whence Lautrec was originally from? Who knows? And why do I frequently associate the most fecund flowers with burlesque dancers? </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Certainly, there is something rather alluring in flowers like the classic peonies and the masterpiece garden roses, in their demeanour and above all their disposition when they are most mature.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps the rose is a tribute to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's broad appetites and epicurean tastes, not to mention being a rather auspicious mixologist, almost a century before the word was created. His most lethal concoction was one he called "The Earthquake", and if it doesn't move the ground you walk on, it will most certainly have your skull spinning on your spine! Take four parts Absinthe, two parts red wine and add a splash of cognac! And, please, no ice. It is no coincidence that Toulouse-Lautrec died at the tender age of just 36 years.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This garden rose from the House of Meilland in the Cap d'Antibes in Provence, France, is a magnificent part of the "Romantica" collection, which also features the fabulous "Yves Piaget", and continues the intoxicating legacy of it's namesake, featuring a beguiling perfume rich with the sweet notes of citrus and grape and hints of lilac. The rose develops in a magnificent way, holds it open form in a most practical fashion, and the fragrance continues to issue throughout the time the roses are in an arrangement. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking for myself, and therefore not entirely objectively, this is my favorite yellow rose that is available commercially. It has a fairly organized center which resembles an old-fashioned bourbon rose with a generous amount of outer petals forming an attractive cup. While the blooms open quite rapidly, as is common with most yellow roses, the flowers tend to set when they have fully reflexed and the overall effect of these roses, simply massed in vases, is stupendous. Rich. Feminine. Exquisite. Billowing like the petticoats of a chorus line doing the "Can-Can".</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK. Now I get it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">First Image - Lithograph by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec "La Troupe de Mlle.Eglantine".</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Images Two, Three & Four - <em>Rosa </em>"Toulouse-Lautrec" available </span><a href="http://www.mayesh.com/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">here</span></a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2