David's Diary

AN OCTOPUS'S GARDEN IN THE SHADE

2011-03-04T14:58:00.000-05:00

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.

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 leptospermum, lycopodium fern and lepidium.

The flower in question is a cultivar of Jatropha podagrica, 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.

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 Guatemala Rhubarb; and the trunk has a pronounced bulge at the base, technically known as a caudex, leading to the name Buddha Belly!

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.

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..."

RASPBERRY BERET

2011-02-22T16:51:00.000-05:00

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 Eremurus Himalaicus will make an appearance, but other hybrids have generally replaced these awesome specimens, being a rather more manageable 3'-4' in height.

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?

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.

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 to the handwoven textiles from the Himalayan foothills with as many as sixty colors!

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.

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.

REVIEW, REVIVE, REJOICE

2011-02-18T16:51:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

I do hope that everyone had a productive Valentines, business-wise; and an intimate evening, amorous-wise.

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.

I can only speak for our household, but love was in the air! And still is....

Blog will now return to normal publishing schedule.

THE HEART OF THE MATTER

2011-02-07T17:46:00.000-05:00

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!

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.

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.

Flowers.

Beautiful.

Divine creations.

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.

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. I do hope that I have demystified many aspects of the rose harvest in Ecuador, and that you have enjoyed the posts from Quito.

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".

THE PORTUGAL-CORFU ROSE AVAILABILITY INDICATOR

2011-02-05T21:00:00.000-05:00

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".

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.

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.

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.

IL PANAMERICANO

2011-02-05T09:38:00.000-05:00

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.
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.

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!

FEEL THE PINCH

2011-02-04T21:43:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 general rule of thumb the more expensive that a rose is, then the less productive the variety; and vice versa.

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."

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.

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.

As with many aspects of our lives, economics plays a big part in the decison to pinch.

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.

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).

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!

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. Especially the growers!

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.
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.

THE TITANIC AND THE ICEBERG

2011-02-03T22:29:00.000-05:00

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Image - Wild roses growing on a bank near Latacunga, province of Cotopaxi, Ecuador.

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT VALENTINE'S 2011 BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK

2011-02-02T22:57:00.001-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It is worth noting that Colombia, too, has significant transportation issues, amongst other things.

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.

"Yes, we have no red roses, we have no red roses today!"

Which is another way of saying that there are roses available but did you place an order with your supplier?

ALSO SPRACH ZARUTHSTRA

2011-02-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

BOOM, boom, BOOM, boom, BOOM, boom...BOOM....boom...

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.

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.

Some notes on the photographs.

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.

Image # 2 - view of the post-harvest hall with grading racks

Image # 3 - roses being prepared fro grading

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

Image # 5 - Preparing the bunch

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.

FROM NERO TO HERO

2011-01-31T21:19:00.000-05:00

Today is day one of my ten day sojourn in Ecuador checking roses for the 2011 Valentine's holiday.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

COUNTDOWN TO VALENTINE'S DAY 2011

2011-01-26T13:54:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. Here we go...

TROPICAL HYDRANGEAS

2011-01-25T15:32:00.000-05:00

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.

Dombeya wallichi 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

BLUE FAILS

2011-01-21T13:31:00.001-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

And if you don't like the color you can give them the Bornay treatment, of which I am also sceptical. But better than blue phals. Or is that Blue Fails?

Image #1 & #2 - Blue Phaleonopsis plants from The Silver Vase; TPIE

Image # 3 & #4 from TPIE show

Image #5 From Bornay Blog; entry January 11th 2011

RED (NOT) CHILE HYDRANGEAS

2011-01-14T15:18:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

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.

Available now at Mayesh branches and also for shipping nationwide. For more information click here.

FREAKY FLORANOMICS

2011-01-12T13:49:00.000-05:00

In the first two of the accompanying images on the right we see some fairly unusual materials, namely arundo donax accompanying the artichoke flowers in the first, and francoa racemosa 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Richard Hamilton’s collage “Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?” created in 1956 perfectly illustrates the era. 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! In fact virtually every innovation in the fifties was aimed at time saving for the consumer, without regard as to the quality of life.

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

I refer you to George Staby’s excellent organization “The Chain of Life”, 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.)

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.

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.

Acknowledgements:

J. Gregory Conway, images #1 and #2 from “Conway’s Treasury of Flower Arrangements”,1953, Knopf

Constance Spry, image # 3, from her seminal book "Garden Notebook" Dent,1940

Christian Tortu, image #4(strawberries) and #10(fennel), from his book “Sensational Bouquets”, 2001, Harry M. Abrams, Inc., NY

Thanks to Pinnacle Food Corporation for their image of the Swanson’s TV Dinner. Image # 6

Oasis is a registered Trademark of the Smithers-Oasis Corp

Image # 11 from the Divine "Miss PIckering"; a bouquet appearing in the UK's "Wedding Bouquets" 2011

Richard Hamilton "Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?" , 1956 - Image # 5

THE TREND IS MY FRIEND: FASHION OUTLOOK FOR 2011

2011-01-07T14:54:00.001-05:00

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 de Nimes and serge de Genes) is part of a long term trend.

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.

For example, green roses, and especially Rosa "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.

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!

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 Lonicera sempervirens 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.

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?

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.

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.

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 modus operandi 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.

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 Bornay 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 Dianthus caryophyllus world is the breeding of a new series of "Antique" carnations that will do much to finally lift the stigma of this ubiquitous flower.

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.

PS - The image is of Cymbidium "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!

NOTES ON IMMORTALITY

2010-12-31T14:32:00.006-05:00

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; Streisand; Madonna perhaps; Elizabeth Taylor 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 "Sarah Bernhardt" 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 Oscar Wilde politely asked at her salon; "Do you mind if I smoke?" she adroitly replied "I don't care if you burn".

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 "Louise Abbema". 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 Victor Hugo as 'golden' and by many contemporary critics as 'silver', simply was unparalleled in the world of entertainment. The noted American author Mark Twain stated: “There are five kinds of actresses: bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses, and Sarah Bernhardt.” 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.

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; Victor Lemoine.

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. Paeonia "Sarah Bernhardt" truly is a masterpiece.

By the time Victor Lemoine created paeonia "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!

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 P. "Red Charm" 1947 and P. "Coral Sunset", but in general the really striking varieties such as P. "Duchesse de Nemours", P. "Festiva Maxima" and of course the aforementioned Sarah B are vintages of at least a century.

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 "Vendela", 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.

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...then! 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: "Grey Pearl" (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) fragrant and the color is lavender gray shaded olive and tan!!! Sounds awesome.

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 Asclepias, a humble shepherd called Paeon. While today we recognise the Asclepia as a so-so flower, it is the Peony that today far outshines the teacher.

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.

It is also comforting to realise that a somewhat mediocre rose, appropriately called "Trump", appears to have a very short life expectancy.

A happy, safe and prosperous New Year to all.

BLACK FINESS: FAIL

2010-12-15T10:53:00.001-05:00

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.

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 Botrytis cinerea, 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.

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.

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 botrytis or bronzing is to gently 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.

THE ELECTRIC CANDY-COLORED COCA COLA CHRISTMAS

2010-12-14T12:09:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

I noticed on the blog of "Miss Pickering", a designer based in Stamford, England, recently expressed the desire, namely "I Want to Break Free" ...from the red! 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.

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.

"Re-Use; Recycle; Rejoice".

Image 3 and Image 4 from Miss Pickering's Blog,

the use of whose images I am grateful. Great blog too.

Image 5 and Image 6 from Sprout, great site also. I am grateful for the use of her images. The stockings were made from recycled sweaters from a Thrift store.

I love it.

STAR POWER

2010-12-08T14:04:00.005-05:00

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 O. Thyrsoiides, 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".

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 O. umbellatum, 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:

"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."

2 KINGS 6:25

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.

The varieties most common today are the pure white O. Thyrsoiides with the flowers clustered in a terminal raceme or spike; the tall O. Arabicum with creamy flowers and almost black ovaries clustered in a corymb; O. Saundersiae which is very similar to the Arabicum; and the brightly colored O. dubium which until recently was available in Orange and Yellow. A new cultivar O. dubium "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 O. Thyrsoiides 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.

"TIS THE SEASON

2010-12-07T10:19:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH ABOUT ROSES

2010-12-02T15:04:00.000-05:00

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"?

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.

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.

In stark contrast, unusual climate changes occurring in Siberia are such that this November was the warmest that has ever been recorded!

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 read here) 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.

The good news is that there is almost a zero probability of a freeze this year.

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:

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.

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 pinched* 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.My conclusion is that there will be a good supply of roses, but that good quality products will be quite scarce.

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.

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 provenance** and knowledge. And a fair price, too!

*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.

**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.

1909 - THE YEAR PLASTIC WAS INVENTED

2010-11-24T12:02:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 which will live forever. (My italics!)

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.

Anyway, please share in my surprise when I encountered this floral arrangement from 1909 featuring;
Gloriosa Rothschildiana;
Gloriosa superba;
Japanese Honeysuckle*;
Lily of the Valley;
Francoa ramosa;
Buff carnations;
Begonia;
Caladium argyrites
and Lonicera japoonica "variegata".

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 *Lonicera sempervirens than L. japonica. 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, Francoa ramosa 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.

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:

"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."

Happy Thanksgiving.

CAN-CAN

2010-11-18T14:59:00.000-05:00

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?

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.

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.

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.

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".

OK. Now I get it.

First Image - Lithograph by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec "La Troupe de Mlle.Eglantine".

Images Two, Three & Four - Rosa "Toulouse-Lautrec" available here

BOMB

2010-11-15T17:06:00.000-05:00

In the world of flowers there are many terms that have been created to define flower shapes, patterns, petal structures and so forth. Quite incredibly, especially in this day of information at our finger tips, many of the succinct descriptive terms used to precisely define a flower have faded into the background. Even if one does know many of the terms, they are almost redundant as many people in our industry have no clue as to what you are talking about. Fortunately, we have access to thousands of images on the Internet which are worth many trillions of words, based on the assumption that one picture is worth a thousand, which may make many of them obsolete.

However I came across one such specific term recently which absolutely delighted me with its pertinence and perspicacity. It is used to precisely define a type of herbaceous peony: "BOMB"! The epithet refers to the structure of a peony that has a dense compact center composed of many 'inner petals'; petals that are actually dramatically transformed stamens and which are so densely packed that they form a ball, often obscuring the guard petals, or appearing to sit on them, as if on a plate.

A classic example of this, as well as being one of the greatest herbaceous peonies of all time, is the seminal "Red Charm" which was hybridized by nurseryman Lyman D. Glasscock in Chicago in 1944, and which was awarded a Gold Medal by the American Peony Society. "Red Charm" is a double Bomb form and is the standard to which all red peonies are compared to, not just in form, but also in its true red color. It is unfortunate, but almost all other peonies that are classed as red are usually a shade or two into deep pink and while almost red, to the human eye they are not.

Incredibly, the name is derived from a classic frozen ice-cream desert that was perfected by none other than Escoffier. In the 19th century an elaborate dessert was formed in exotic copper and porcelain molds, and filled with frozen ice-cream, which in turn had another filling within. At the dawn of the 20th century Escoffier refined the desert, making the shape much simpler, using large mixing bowls for the form, filling them with a frozen ice-cream outer layer and then inside with frozen custard and syrup. The large frozen dessert that resulted when two hemispheres were put together resulted in a large solid orb, that resembled the explosive device of Russian anarchists. It seems the name for the dessert was borrowed from this device and became known as "La Bombe", a name which has endured into the 21st century. In turn, during the 1920's the term was appropriated to describe this relatively new class of peonies, which had been developed on both sides of the Atlantic.

Ironically, the term has now become a popular part of the vernacular and is used to refer to something that is "off the charts", outstanding and awesome!! The Bomb!

And the term, especially in the modern context, really does apply to the American Classic; "Red Charm" It is available right now, for about two or three more weeks, so don't miss it.

Paeonia "Red Charm"
Images One & Six have had the guard petals removed

WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?

2010-11-11T12:46:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been cutting down on TV as of late, but in case I was missing anything, my girlfriend and I did a little channel-changing last night. First off, it just seems that the commercials go on for ever, and they are excruciatingly torturous. I mean awful. Second, given that there are hundreds of channels, it is amazing how many are unwatchable. Anyways, "The Arrangement" on Logo caught my eye. seeing as it was about, of all things, arranging flowers. But it is following the insidious competition formula started by the Food Network. In fact have you noticed how the Food Network has gone from being a cool channel with neat shows (I see Mario Batali has jumped ship! Good for him) to being a a channel about competitions involving foodstuffs.So much so they have created another channel for the cooking shows, which is ironically called the Cooking Channel (I think). It is like MTV's evolution from music channel with music to a music-channel with no music!

Anyway, I digress. "The Arrangement" is hideous, or at least this episode was, with so many ghastly puerile double-entendres about homosexuals, it made one's skin creep with embarassment. I mean are the producers of this show along with "Logo" trying to reinforce the stereotypes that already exist about the male part of the homosexual community? Because they are doing a good job of it, and giving the gay community and the floral industry short shrift in the process. And please, who designs flowers like this anymore? Aren't the days of contrived and tortured manipulations of floral products so 2000 and late?

This is doing more damage than the awful bouquets in most of the supermarkets. Surely, the time for a simple, heartfelt approach to flowers - such as you can find at any of the sites on the Blogroll, or indeed at so many florists around the country who treat flowers with respect and retain the intrinsic integrity of God's special creations - is now?

I think it is time to start a "Don' Be Cruel to Flowers" Movement!

Image from Saipua's excellent blog.

Casual, considerate and very cool. The way flowers ought to be handled. IMHO.

GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME NARANJA

2010-11-08T16:28:00.002-05:00

What the devil are we talking about? Two varieties of a flower named after a rather elusive yet tragic damsel from one of Virgil's pastoral poems. Yes, that Virgil...the one who penned "The Aeneid" , the classic history of Rome.

I have always been rather fond of Amaryllis, who kept her virtues and her beauty hidden below ground in a cave, and yet so brilliant and alluring was her beauty that even the obscurity of the depths of darkness found within the cave could not cloak her intense beauty. The name is derived from the Latin word for "sparkling" which is amarysso.

And yes, she has many admirers, although as usual she was stricken by a love she could not have, unless she brought to him a flower that was hitherto unknown to the world. Plunging a knife into her bosom, a flower appeared on her chest; a metaphor that appears in "Green, how I want you Green" by Llorca. (See post in September). Aah, those tragic poems!

Linnaeus, famous taxonomist who developed the system of naming plants that is used to this day elected to give this name to the class of flowers that we now call Hippeastrum, based largely on the fact that these fabulous flowers on erect, stiff stems appear suddenly from under the ground, where the bulbs have remained dormant for many months. The inflorescence is impressive and the variety of colors is beguiling.

Featured in the pictures are:

"Liberty" - a deep, rich red, a Burgundy really, with large blooms and a slightly glossy petal surface. It is in season now.

"Naranja" - a fully saturated orange flower, brilliant on the showy petals, and a matte coral/peach on the backside. Look for both of them now, at the peak of their season in Chile, as opposed to the forced blooms starting to arrive from Holland. While this is a new crop for Chile, the outlook appears to be very good, as the flowers are large, long-lasting and have stout stems. In vase tests the flowers have lasted very well.

PASS THE DUTCHY ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE

2010-11-05T15:17:00.000-04:00

"Dutchy". Bold. Brassy. Big. Bright. And very orange. Very, very orange. This new rose for 2010 is starting to appear on our shores, although why it is called Dutchy we are not sure. Presumably it has something to do with Holland. Perhaps it is a vernacular term of endearment for a native of Holland, seeing as their national color is bright orange? Or maybe it is named after a water pipe, often seen in the coffee shops of Amsterdam? Your guess is as good as mine, but one would have thought the Dutch breeders had already created enough orange roses to last at least until all the foreclosures in the USA housing market have been sold off!! Apparently not. While the color is exceptional, with an incredible saturation in the petals, I find the pointy, rather 1960's high-centered disposition rather unattractive and very old-fashioned.
But if you like the look of it, please do contact us. It certainly is the flavor of the month.

And have a terrific weekend.

FRANKLY, MY DEAR, I DO GIVE A DAMN

2010-11-02T15:34:00.000-04:00

WHITE O'HARA, with apologies to Scarlett O'Hara. Or should it be Rhett Butler? Clearly, all our harangueing of rose breeders as well as impressing on growers both in Ecuador and Colombia that fragrance is an extremely important component is finally starting to pay off. In association with those pleas, our desire for more romantic flower forms are also being addressed and now we can see that roses with characteristics of the old damask, bourbon and gallica roses are finally appearing in commercial cut flower production. At Mayesh we have reiterated these concepts like a broken record for the last twenty years, so it is gratifying to see the market finally catch up to our needs and wishes. And lets be clear, these are not original ideas but simply the manifestation of what our customer have been telling us for years.

For almost twenty five years, Mayesh has been selling fragrant garden roses in its Los Angeles location, and were the pioneers in Southern California for this esoteric product. We purchased them from Ray Ridell's rose farm in Northern California, a man who was certainly way ahead of his time.

The problem with garden roses is that they are bred to be enjoyed on shrubs in the garden, and thus generally do not have a good vase life. However, the fragrance and the romantic rosettes are simply too alluring to be ignored and slowly the marketplace demanded these products and the obvious flaws were tolerated fro many years. Nonetheless, it was obvious that this could never be anything more than a niche market, as issues with weak peduncles, debilitating diseases, especially downy mildew and aphid infestations, made them an item only for the most esoteric designers who were determined to capture the look and feel of sumptuous "Belle Epoque' rose garlands and arrangements.

Today however, we can now count several roses that have been bred specifically for the commercial cut flower industry that have delightful fragrance, many of which have the double petal forms that are so much in demand but which deliver the critical floral pre-requisite of performance for the consumer.

Of course we are now familiar with David Austin's roses that he created specifically for the cut-flower industry, the most notableof which is "Patience" a spectacular white rose with a fully double, quartered rosette that is a destined to be a classic. "Patience" has a delightful light sweet fragrance and overall is reminiscent of the exquisite garden rose "Felicité Hardy". "Vitality" is another exceptional white rose from the breeder De Ruiters, and although it is a somewhat high centered tea rose, it opens to a rather attractive aperture and is divinely fragrant. It has an exceptional vase life.

A few years ago, the French breeder Delbard introduced a delightful pink rose called O'Hara, which featured many attributes of a garden rose but is in fact bred for the commercial cut flower market. It has a disarmingly casual habit and opens somewhat loosely, liked a ruched silk scarf. It has a sweet aroma and is a delightful flower. And this summer, its companion "White O'Hara" was introduced to the marketplace.

The introduction of this rose, along with "Vitality", represents a seminal moment in the rose industry as several breeders have now demonstrated that it is possible to produce a vigorous, viable product for the cut flower industry that combines the desirable aesthetic attributes associated with garden roses with the hardy and abuse-tolerant aspects of a commercial cut rose.

After doing several vase tests, we are of the opinion that "White O'Hara" will be a much sought after rose for weddings and events in 2011. We observed the following charcatersitics which we shall share with you here:

In the stage at which is shipped the bud is somewhat indifferent and resembles a rather bland hybrid tea. Removal of the guard petals is recommended, and probaly necessary, as they do sustain some bruising on transit. As the rose starts to open, a pink hue will be observed in the heart of the rose, and rather characteristically some will appear more pink than others. At the half way stage many of the blooms will reveal a formation of double and more typically triple hearts which are not particularly attractive, but this is just a phase. Shortly thereafter the rose develops into a very informal rosette which resembles, likes its cousin "O'Hara", a gathered handful of the finest creamy white silk. The pink hues fade away, and the result is an oustanding casual double rosette, very American in its loose disposition, and which holds in the vase.

Of course, while it is undoubtedly beautiful to look at, the coup de grace is the superb sweet scent, echoing sweet vanilla pods with notes of peach aroma and the fragrance of lilac.

The grower has assured Mayesh of a substantial supply of these roses for 2011 and beyond.

In fact we have his word on it!

For more information on this rose and all the Mayesh products please contact your sales associate or click here.

ALL HALLOWS EVE

2010-10-30T18:22:00.000-04:00

This summer my girlfriend and I visited Edinburgh, in Scotland, and we went to the notorious cemetery or "Kirk yard" of the Greyfriars church, which is almost directly below the famous Edinburgh castle.

It is famous as being the site from which the "Body-Snatchers" recovered their cadavers to sell to the doctors of the Medical School. Many of the tombs are decorated with "Memento mori" or 'Reminders of Death', and date from the 17th , 18th and 19th centuries. Although a little ghoulish, the cemetery is a tranqiil and beautiful place.

Happy Halloween.

TOO SEXY FOR THIS VASE

2010-10-29T13:54:00.000-04:00

I warned you, I warned you. The coral; peonies may be with with us a week or two at the most and then they will be gone!!

But there are other varieties coming now, amongst them are hot pinks and whites. One of my absolute favorites is the divine "Festiva Maxima"., a classic white hybrid paeonia lactiflora, that was hybridized about 160 years ago by the French breeder Auguste Meillez in 1851. It is still amazing to me that hybrids of peonies thta are over a hundred years old are still with us, when it seems that rose varieties come and go every year!

This white flower is certainly one of my favorites, with an impossible amount of petals that unfurl from a small ping-pong sized bud. My analogy for this magnificent display is like those tantalizing ostrich fans used by burlesque dancers which slowly unfurl to reveal glimpses of flesh and creating an illusion of a naked lady. The sexual innuendo continues with three or four of the central petals which guard the ovaries being edged with a deep and erotic hue of carmine. Whether massed in large vases, or a just bloom or two on a bedside table, the effects are breathtaking and may be enjoyed over several days. Of course they are fabulous components for bridal bouquets, and may also repeated through all aspects of wedding decor to stunning effect.

And even as the "Festiva Maxima" blooms start to shatter at the end of their vase life, I find the dropping petals displaced around the container still so brilliantly white they remind me of the feathers of an exotic white cockatoo, that I enjoy this final act as well.

Incidentally, the name "Festiva Maxima" is Latin for 'Seriously chronic party!' - Enjoy!!!

CORAL CHARM

2010-10-27T09:38:00.000-04:00

It is my own opinion that, if we truly wish to stimulate the sale of cut flowers in this country, more poeple need to experience the awe-inspiring event of peonies opening. More destruction has been done by the awful carnation, pom-pom, alstro, gyp flower glomerates that are embalmed in cellophane sleeves than any other cause. If you do not see the hand of God when you stop to buy some flowers, then, really, what is the point?

"Beauty is one of the rare things that do not lead to doubt of God."

- Jean Anouilh

CORAL COQUETRY

2010-10-26T12:51:00.000-04:00

Over the last ten years or so we have been able to enjoy the passionate end-of-the-day tones of the Coral peonies during Autumn.

Hitherto, we could only appreciate them in late spring, when their glorious display is available from farms in the Northern hemisphere. Now they are extensively planted in New Zealand and Chile, where they are producing abundant amounts at this time, and where it is spring in the Southern hemisphere. They were only available in New Zealand at this time for many years, but now many peonies have been widely planted in various parts of Chile. Which is a good thing, as the New Zealand dollar has strengthened to record highs against the US dollar. Chile provides us with a much more reasonably priced product. That is not to say that they are inexpensive, because they are not, but they do represent terrific value in terms of aesthetic beauty and as an expression of the power of creation. The coral varieties, such as "Coral Sunset", featured here and the fully double "Coral Charm" are some of the supreme examples of the genus, and should be taken advantage of now, as the season is quite short.

They are truly a superb focal flower for large sweeping autumnal compositions such as formal Flemish-style arrangements or used in the disarmingly "Brooklyn-casual" style of Saipua and Nicolette. They are also wonderful flowers for the fall wedding, although they are not for the faint-of-heart, as they are bold, and the designer needs to know that these peonies slowly fade from the rich coral, turning salmon-pink, a faded copper and ultimately to a white gold. This means that the other flowers have to be selected with this autumnal cadence in mind.

So powerful are these peonies, that can be enjoyed alone, simply placed in a tall vase, as they slowly open to reveal the amazing petal structure with the anthers waving liking a an anemone in the middle of the blooms. The petals themselves are imbued with strokes of subtle pink, gold, bronze and peach seemingly applied with the precision of the French painter Fragonard; at once defining innocence and yet also betraying an implicit coquettishness.

These are really spectacular blooms, and very highly recommended. The season is very short, so I urge you to take advantage of these superb flowers.

BLUE CYMBIDIUM

2010-10-20T11:57:00.000-04:00

No matter how jaded one may become in the cut flower industry there is always something that happens to clear away the cobwebs of complacency. For years it has been the generally acknowledged wisdom that the cut flower market would never be in a situation where demand could outstrip supply, and yet we may very well be on the cusp of such a situation for some varieties! For one example, see the article on the rose shortage below.

Similarly, we received some cymbidiums from Holland that literally assaulted my visual senses, and which affected my vocal chords fro several moments. I was almost at a loss for words. After recovering from the initial shock I took a closer look at these dyed-blue cymbidium orchids. They really are an affront to good taste and are just wrong! However, that is my humble opinion. In this day and age who dares to be the ultimate arbiter on aesthetics and cultural finesse? Only the foolish and the intolerant.

Nonetheless I found myself trying to imagine under what circumstances these might be appropriate.

I speculated that if there were another universe, a doppelgänger so to speak, wherein Frank, the character played by Dennis Hopper were actually to marry the persecuted woman portrayed by Isabella Rossellini in the classic move "Blue Velvet", then it would be entirely appropriate for Frank to have a boutonnière featuring a blue cymbidium. Perhaps not, but they would look stunning in Isabella's hair!

As opposed to the "Blue"-dyed Vendela roses which look rather fake and painted and very tacky, the blue dye is absorbed subcutaneously and has a very natural feel, like that of the plastic arrangements in the dentist's waiting room.

Also available in shocking pink and ugly ochre.

If you find that you have an uncontrollable desire to order some you may click here.

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING ROSE SUPPLY

2010-10-18T16:18:00.000-04:00

The Shortage of Roses in 2010

For professionals working in the floral industry, 2010 has been a year when certain flowers have become scarce and in some cases hard to get at any price. Roses in particular are becoming increasingly scarce and some varieties are taking on the cult status of rare rookie trading cards. Well, that's a sight exaggeration, but you get my drift. In this short essay I have outlined the main causes and what we can expect for the next couple of years.

The output of roses produced in Ecuador and Colombia this year, when compared with the last ten years, represents somewhat of an anomaly, yet in light of current events and the passage of time will most probably be viewed as a significant market correction. The fact that we have witnessed so much economic upheaval in every area of commerce within the USA as well as globally would lead one to logically expect corrections in the floral industry, and we can now see that this is in fact happening in all major growing and distribution zones.

The following factors have had an impact on a decreased rose supply, and which may be summarized in five major categories, namely; Climate; Access to Capital; Fluctuating Exchange Rates; Mass Market Contracts; & Increased Demand Worldwide.

Climate
Whether one subscribes to global warming or global cooling, a Democrat climate conspiracy or a Republican denial of weather statistics; there is no doubt that the whole planet is experiencing climate change. In Ecuador specifically, and also in Colombia but to a somewhat lesser extent, the countries have experienced uncharacteristic and prolonged periods of cold weather, with significant amounts of rainfall and with a net result of a dramatic reduction in luminosity. This component is required for the plants well-being and to ensure rapid, healthy growth of the plants. Normally in the equatorial countries at the elevations at which flowers are grown there is normally a significant amount of sunlight, but this year and over the last 12 months really, it may be said, that the reduction in days of normal luminosity is now wreaking havoc in production.

For many years the Eastern Seaboard, Rust Belt and Midwest received a significant amount of their roses from Colombia. However, that country’s production is dropping rapidly due to causes outlined in this summary, which means that more buyers are turning to Ecuador to augment their supply.

Access to Capital

Just as gaining access to business loans in the USA has become very difficult, in Colombia and Ecuador they have become almost impossible to secure. With the economic downturn, horticulture in general is now viewed as a risky segment, and banks are unwilling to invest or make loans to the flower plantations.

In Colombia the situation has become exacerbated by their strengthening currency, the “Peso”, which has meant that flowers sold today yield less in returns when the accounts are settled after 30-60 days. Over the last 12 months this trend has really put the screws into production, with several farms declaring bankruptcy and several more simply closing their doors. While the Colombian producers are desirous to raise prices, the prevailing pessimism of the world economies has meant that this has been very hard to do.

For some farms, the situation is further compounded by having long term contracts with supermarkets and the probable outcome of trying to raise prices with supermarkets is most likely to lead to a loss of the account. Some of the larger enterprises did in fact receive loans from the Colombian National Bank a couple of years ago, but again the unfavorable exchange rates has meant that servicing the loans has become increasingly difficult. This has lead to a major player Falcon Farms CI declaring bankruptcy October 11th in Colombia, and seemingly abandoning the farm and replacing it with another very large one in Ecuador. This single thread of events tightened the market a little more, as the farm they acquired had been selling for the wholesale markets and is now selling exclusively to Falcon Miami and their mass market accounts.

Exchange Rates

As outlined above, the Dollar-Colombian Peso exchange rate has had a negative effect on the flower producers’ ability to be profitable, as the monthly difference cut into their bottom line. The solid, well financed farms with good cash-flow and aggressive marketing strategies (and of which there are relatively few) have sought to offset the downside of trade with the USA by finding new partners in Europe, Russia and Japan.

In Ecuador, where they have had solid relationships with Europe and Russia for some time, the fact that they are a dollar-based currency has impacted the sales curve this year as follows: In Holland, where traditionally flower imports are weak in the summer, they were down substantially in volume and sales as the dollar strengthened against the Euro.

However, this has started to shift as the winter season approaches with purchases rising much higher than normal as the Euro is now getting dramatically stronger, having risen almost 15% in the last month.

Russia on the other hand, fueled by an economy that is driven by energy reserves has bought more roses so far this year than at any other time in their history.

Also note that as the Australian Dollar, the New Zealand Dollar and the Euro all get stronger, we import less from those countries, which puts even more pressure on the available supply of more affordable imports from South America as well as that of domestic production.

Mass Market Contracts

Most supermarkets, big box stores and on-line fulfillment operators negotiate flower prices and quantities anywhere from 3 months to one year in advance. The buyers drive very hard negotiations predicated on large volumes, and they expect the vendors to fulfill their end of the deal. Many of these agreements are in fact encapsulated in legal documents that have provisions for stiff financial penalties if orders are not fulfilled. At present, there is a distinct push from the bouquet makers to locate products that fit into the parameters outlined by their mass market clients as well the price points. At present, it seems that there is enormous pressure on many bouquet makers to fulfill the contracts and remain profitable. Recently a large provider in Miami, Superior Floral, simply had to close the doors as they were unable to turn a profit. I suspect that larger players are keeping their clients happy until it comes time to renegotiate prices. And prices will have to go up. The growers will insist on this, particularly as there are now other options available to them. Furthermore, the amount of legitimate plantations that can fulfill orders to the customers’ expectations in terms of volume and quality is also shrinking.

Increased Worldwide Demand

As recently as seven years ago the USA used to absorb about 60% of the rose production of Ecuador and from Colombia a figure in the region of 90%. In 2010 through August USA received about 32% of the rose production in tons from Ecuador, although this was valued at 29% in dollar value. Russia has purchased a little over 18% in the same period, a quantity which has almost doubled since 2007.

Colombia is actively soliciting offers from Europe and Russia, and although they are now shipping many carnations to other countries, they have been less successful with roses due to quality issues. On the whole most of the rose production from Colombia is still shipped to the USA, but a larger percentage is going to the mass markets.

France, Italy, Ukraine, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Japan are starting to import more and more roses from Ecuador, and these countries are atop a list of some 50 countries bringing in 10,000 tons or more.

This strategy of diversification is a sound one and ensures better returns for the farms, but it does mean that in the global marketplace the probability that flowers may go to other parts of the world is increasing, and in the nature of capitalism the better roses and hot varieties tend to be siphoned off to the highest bidder.

It should also be noted that Russia tends to have a group of varieties that only appeal to them, which may be generalized as having long stems, large heads and gaudy tow-tone colorations. The fact that some growers are allocating large chunks of their farms to growing these varieties, and harvesting them in a completely different way means that less acreage is available for the USA and other markets.

Conclusions

Any one of these categories on its own would constrict the rose supply, but when one considers that a combination of all these things is now occurring the result is clearly a substantially impaired rose supply. The fact that the rose supply is now possibly less than demand for the first time in twenty years must inevitably lead to increased prices.

It is also becoming patently clear that as the top tier of thirty or so farms in Ecuador start to leave the other farms behind (in terms of product composition, high quality standards and marketing integrity), and find that the demand for their exclusive, newer varieties and higher quality continues to sell out; that they can raise their prices and sell to the highest bidder. With the internet, this means it could be a buyer in Kazakhstan, South Korea or Canada!

This also encourages the second class farms to raise their prices, since for many rose buyers they represent the only chance to procure substantial quantities of product, being shut-out of the top tier. These farms are able to successfully raise prices because of the comparative nature of our business.

And likewise the lower class of farms can ask prices for product that is marginal.

CAN THERE BE ANY DOUBT THAT PRICES AT THE WHOLESALE LEVEL MUST GO UP?

In years past, the response to tight supply and increased demand resulted in a reciprocal increase in new farms, or the addition of more growing hectares by existing farms. However, at this time there has been no such response, as any substantial inversion of capital in floriculture has been cancelled or postponed due to lack of liquidity and the uneasiness and uncertainty of the economic future within the USDA, as well as Ecuador, Colombia and indeed the entire world.

Finally, while I can imagine a few surges in production occurring on occasion, I do not believe that there will be any increase in production for several years. This will also have a knock -on effect, as designers resort to other flowers to fulfill their needs, which will in turn lead to a market that is driven by demand for the first time in almost thirty years!!

Could 2011 be the year of the Dahlia?

PINK FARFALLA

2010-10-12T14:08:00.000-04:00

A few years back a variety was introduced called Farfalla. While it is a rather pretty and capricious name - Farfalla means "Butterly" in Italian - the color scheme left a lot to be desired and would have been more succinctly named "Hooters"! That is because it is a creamy white rose with fat orange margins. I mean, who buys this stuff? For that matter who decorates in orange and white? Perhaps it has attained popularity in Russia where their understated and refined good taste is legendary?

The breeder is Nirp, about whom much can be said, but about whom you may say nothing if not that they are persevering. Nirp International of France brought us the rather fabulous "Supergreen", the very subtle "Amnesia" and the classic "Versilia". On the other hand they have also been responsible for lead ballons like "Twingo", "Tabasco" and "Farfalla".

Recently we received a shipment of "Pink Farfalla" from Ecuador which I had the opportunity to trial and review. In the state in which we receive roses, carefully packed in corrugated carton, the roses looked like a variegated pink, a rather vulgar pink at that, and appearing for all the world to be the Las Vegas variant of the aforementioned "Hooters". After a couple of days in water the saturation of petal color stated to lighten and slowly change from pink to lilac. Also the gaudy pink margins started to bleed out of the petals. By day four the disco-duck was transformed into a very attractive lavender rose with hints of fuchsia limning the very edges of the petals.As the flowers started to fully reflex a very attractive fully double rose is revealed, with a somewhat casual loosely quartered petal structure.

The one drawback that I observed was some bruising to the petals, which in of itself would not be uncommon, but the complexion of the petals revealed the creases and bruises in a rather unflattering light. This is only noticeable at very close quarters, and as such would not be suitable for a bridal bouquet. On the other hand , given the trend toward garden roses and that full, overblown fin-de-siécle look, these would go along way to keeping a budget in check, worked in with legitimate stars such as Yves Piaget, Miranda, Baroness and so forth, to be adroitly used in large arrangements for reception areas or in garlands and adorning huppahs.

"Pink Farfalla" has some potential, but packing will be very important to ensure bruise-free flowers. Once hydrated it is a very hardy rose, with robust stems and glossy dark green foliage. Remember, even though the product you will receive looks quite pink, similar to 'Vogue', it opens into romantic bloom with a distinctly feminine hue of lavender. All in all shows some promise.

SERVICE CHARGES

2010-10-11T12:23:00.000-04:00

Lately, I have started to notice "service charges" appearing in my life. Again, this pairing of words seems to be a violation of etymological etiquette to put it politely (as in "restaurant quality"), and if I may dare to be quite blunt, this coupling of nouns is simply a euphimism for highway robbery. In order to be more contemporary (and contemptuous) - I understand the phrase that is appropriate is a cyber-jacking...and there is nothing virtual (or virtuous) about it! Talk about semantics!

Ticketmaster is definitely one such insidious Wizard of the SC, and closer to home are the on-line floral order gatherers and the Wire Services. My objection to the "service charge" is that I have yet to witness any evidence of service, or a delivery of something that could be remotely connected to service. In fact, it is my casual observation that if there is any initimation of a charge for service then you should run like hell!

Ticketmaster also has the gall to charge for ticket delivery, which seems reasonbable, but at least they do give you the option to print your own tickets. Charge for that covenience? $2.50!!

Service my gluteus maximus!

I even had a dream about service charges which shows you how insidious these things are. I was staying in Orlando with my girlfriend; a short Stay-cation, as it were, in Florida. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were in town playing some shows, and it just so happened that we ran into Anthony in the lobby of our hotel. Since I had had a professional acquaintance with him from 'back-in'the-day' (I was a singer in a Punk band in Los Angeles as well!) I invited him up to our room where we chatted for a while. Anyway we came around to the topic of tckets for the show, and I asked if he could comp us a pair. Anthony said it would not be a problem, especially as FTD was sponsoring the show.

Sweet, says I. However, continued Mr. Kiedis, we would have to pay FTD a service charge of $217.25 for the tickets, plus a delivery fee.

Maybe it was a nigthmare.

Top photo - The Chili-Peps

Lower photo - the author of David's Diary, definitely back in the day

FUGLY

2010-10-08T13:28:00.000-04:00

What in the world is going on?

It seems of late that many of our more progressive designers are requesting the most subtle and sophisticated roses in the marketplace. "Combo, Quicksand and if you can't find those sub with Camel or Sahara" are the cries we hear.

Hello? We have been promoting Combo and Quicksand for many moons, but it seems this fall their subtle and very understated tones of beige and puce shot through (think shot as in 'shot-silk') with hints of autumnal tones of peach, raw umber, rose madder and yellow ochre are highly sought after.

Looking in the coolers for new varieties that might make suitable substitutes I came across this rose with which I was hitherto unfamiliar. In the subdued lighting of the coolers, snugly wrapped in the tight, squared-off corrugated packaging this rose looked incredibly promising. However, in the naked light of day, stripped of the vestiges of any wrapping the rose looked less beguiling, and revealed some rather cheap bubblegum tones.of pink.

As I am forever an optimist, I delayed judgement until it had hydrated and the flower had time to find a comportment that was more open and relaxed.

Unfortunately, the situation only got worse for this bloom called "Tamara", as not only did more pink become evident, displaying aspects similar to those of Toscanini and Vivaldi, but cruelly the way in which the petals opened was lacking in finesse or beauty.

Now, it could be that the roses I reviewed were from the first flush of the plants, and being an immature product had not yet fully formed their correct structure - but I doubt it.

It demonstrates just how thin the line between the sublime and the ridiculous (the f'shizzle and the fugly) is.

A few more things that make this rose a candidate for the supermarkets is that once the guard petals are removed the color becomes a distinctly bland pink. And quite a few guard petals had to be removed as this variety does not sustain the stress of handling and shipping well.

Two thumbs down for Tamara.

GREEN, HOW I WANT YOU GREEN

2010-09-29T14:30:00.002-04:00

Green, how I want you green.
Green wind. Green branches.

The ship out on the sea

and the horse on the mountain.

With the shade around her waist

she dreams on her balcony,

green flesh, her hair green,

with eyes of cold silver.

Green, how I want you green.

Under the gypsy moon,

all things are watching her

and she cannot see them.

Green, how I want you green.

Big hoarfrost stars

come with the fish of shadow

that opens the road of dawn.
The fig tree rubs the wind
with the sandpaper of its branches,
and the forest, cunning cat,
bristles its brittle fibers.
But who will come? And from where?
She is still on her balcony
green flesh, her hair green,
dreaming in the bitter sea.

--My friend, I want to trade
my horse for her house,
my saddle for her mirror,
my knife for her blanket.

--My friend, I come bleeding
from the gates of Cabra.

--If it were possible, my boy,
I'd help you fix that trade.
But now I am not I,
nor is my house now my house.

--My friend, I want to die
decently in my bed.
Of iron, if that's possible,
with blankets of fine spun wool
Don't you see the wound I have
from my chest up to my throat?

--Three hundred damson roses
bloom on your white shirt
Your blood oozes and flees a
round the corners of your sash.
But now I am not I,
nor is my house now my house.

--Let me climb up, at least,
up to the high balconies;
Let me climb up! Let me,
up to the green balconies.
Railings of the moon
through which the water rumbles.

Now the two friends climb up,
up to the high balconies.
Leaving a trail of blood.
Leaving a trail of teardrops.
Tin bell vines
were trembling on the roofs.
A thousand crystal tambourines
struck at the dawn light.

Green, how I want you green,
green wind, green branches.
The two friends climbed up.
The stiff wind left
in their mouths, a strange taste
of bile, of mint, and of basil
My friend, where is she--tell me--
where is your bitter girl?
How many times she waited for you!
How many times would she wait for you,
cool face, black hair,
on this green balcony!

Over the mouth of the cistern
the gypsy girl was swinging,
green flesh, her hair green,
with eyes of cold silver.
A sliver of the moon
holds her up above the water.
The night became intimate
like a little plaza.
Drunken "Guardias Civiles"
were pounding on the door.
Green, how I want you green.
Green wind. Green branches.
The ship out on the sea.
And the horse on the mountain.

Ballad of the Sleepwalker
by Federico García Lorca

Recently we have been getting these strange and wonderful ranunculas from Chile which are part of a series developed by the renowned Italian anemone and ranunculas breeders "Biancheri".
The green centers have been encouraged to develop calyceous material which results in delightful eruptions of green form the bright centers. Of all of them however, my favorites are the green ranunculas each of which seems to be an unique creation.
And occasionally we get Green Zebras.

SPATHE-MODIC

2010-09-24T10:29:00.000-04:00

Have I taken my puns using the word spathe too far? Did the little piggy cry "Wee-wee-wee" all the way home?

Notwithstanding the profundity of these questions as well as their solutions, I present four of the most recent new varieties of colored Zantedeschia hybrids available for the fall season .

The spathe is the modified leaf that surrounds the spadix; the spadix is the small phallic-shape at the center of the spathe, whereas the actual flowers are in fact the tiny specks that "bloom" on the spadix. (See image to right).

The spathe is imbued with rich color, often speckled and mottled with another hue, especially in the case of oranges and red, and sometimes the whites and creams have another hue such as pink or peach applied like blush. Case in point is the new "Crystal Pink", which is very similar to the Crystal White and the Crystal Blush, but has slightly more pink. The difference between these three varieties is really a matter of degree, and all would be adequate as a white.

There are two new varieties of yellow: Firstly there is "Serrada" (sic) which has a slender spathe that offers a rather narrow disposition in a bright yellow imbued with a caste of lemon tones. Serrada seems to be a corruption of the Spanish word 'Cerrada', meaning closed.

The second yellow is a rather bold and brassy, featuring a spathe that is large, well developed and generally disposed to reflexing and which is a golden egg-yolk (free range) color occasionally limned with green at the apex of the spathe. The name of this variety is rather appropriately termed "Conca D'Or" or Golden Shell.

Lastly, a new calla called "Autumn Jewel" features a rather unusual and complex combination of dull brass tones and brown hues melded into a terracotta colored spathe. The spathe itself is has very attractive shape developing into the classic conical form of the Z. rehmanii hybrids and the red and brass tones contrast nicely with a golden spadix.

LUSTY LATIN

2010-09-17T12:25:00.000-04:00

It is my understanding that there are approximately 150 ways to say that someone or something is hairy, and the name of this fabulous Leucadendron uses one of them. These dynamic floral items come form South Africa at this time of year. Use them to add silver flourishes to autumn expressions and detailed comtemporary sculptural compositions. The spherical flower-heads resemble old-fashioned golf balls that have fallen apart, revealing the tightly wound guttapercha within. However, the texture is incredibly soft, like the downy fur just above a cat's nose, and from which the flower gets its epithet: Leucadendron pubescens. Now, I know some of you are thinking that it is a rather risqué name from those lusty, lascivious Latins but in point of fact pubescens means 'fine, downy hair', and is derived from the Latin pubescere which means 'to mature; to come of age' and which is also the root of 'puberty'.

Now is the time to take advantage of these novelty flower cones arriving from South Africa, as their seasons are often quite capricious in nature, and can finish quite quickly. Fortunately, the different varieties seem to bloom one after another, so if it is unavailable, please inquire as to what other flower cones, globes and spherical materials are coming in from South Africa. Another economical asset of these products is that they are quite hardy and have an excellent vase life.

E. ROY DAHLSON II; In Memoriam

2010-09-16T15:48:00.000-04:00

On September 7th my uncle, Roy Dahlson, passed away. A man who was proud to be American and who fathered nine children, and yet when I came Los Angeles, he accepted me, a rowdy young man, into the fold of his heart. I am eternally grateful for the help and guidance that he extended to me. Roy purchased the Mayesh Wholesale Florist in 1978 and I joined the company in 1983. He extended to me the luxury of learning about flowers and the opportunity to earn a living; which is a beautiful gift.

Thank you, Roy.

"Death is not the end

Death can never be the end.

Death is the road.

Life is the traveller.

The Soul is the Guide

_ _

Our mind thinks of death.

Our heart thinks of life

Our soul thinks of Immortality. "

By Sri Chinmoy

ACE OF SPATHES

2010-09-10T13:12:00.001-04:00

When I first started my travails on the Los Angeles Flower Market many moons ago, long before the imports really made inroads into the Californian flower industry, I recollect that all flowers had their seasons: Spring would be announced with the advent of blossoms and bulb flowers. In April and May the wonderfully scented lilacs would arrive from the high desert and the awesome Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia Aethiopica) that were harvested fully open would come to the market by the bucket-load. Over the years, many of the small growers of these spectacular flowers have retired or stopped growing for various reasons, until the supply has dwindled to almost nothing.

Ten years ago I had a vision for a year-round supply of an "Open-Cut Calla" predicated on a very special packing procedure, and thereafter promulgated, nurtured and developed into a very popular item. In fact, the program was wildly successful, and Mayesh sold thousands of stems of the Callas grown in Ecuador each week, all year long.

However, over the past three years the callas, which are a species, rather than a hybrid, and exceptionally strong as a rule, succumbed to fusarium and phytoptora which severely weakened the plants' immune systems, and which were then attacked by Erwinia; a virus that until recently was only a threat to the colored Zantedeschia hybrids. This blight, apparently first reported in China in 1999 has now appeared in Ecuador, and has affected all calla growers, which is a terrible shame. It is clear that it will take some time to resolve.

Notwithstanding, the callas are still the best available as they are cut "open" which is where the true beauty of the flower lies. When they are cut tight they never reveal the true beauty that engendered the bestowal of the name "Calla Lily" from the Greek word kallos meaning 'beauty', and to which the Victorians ascribed the meaning, in the 'Language of Flowers', of "Magnificent Beauty".

How sad, I often think, when I see the limp white tortillas in an arrangement, still wrapped tightly, much as when they were cut in the field. For sure, tight callas are easy to pack and ship but the product is as stimulating as the sad tomatoes in the supermarkets. On the other hand, the "Open-Cut Callas" are very difficult to pack and ship, and in fact a little tolerance and latitude is need to enjoy their full glory. The size and scale of these flowers means that 9 times out of 10 they will be viewed from distance, so a spot here and there will never be noticed.

DESIGN TIP: In arrangements, particularly when the composition calls for mostly or only white Callas, a few tight callas can be mixed in with the "Open-Cut Callas" and the overall look will still be very rich, as visually the eye surveys the result much as it would see the flowers blooming in nature; some will be fully open and some in various stages of development. This technique allows some relief from the expense of the "Open-Cut Callas".

The images here are the "Open-Cut Callas" from our grower in Ecuador, which were opened by USDA in Miami.

GREEN ZEBRAS AND BLUE BOTTLES

2010-09-07T16:39:00.001-04:00

OMG!!

So I was walking through the office, and I noticed that there was a shift in a matrix. I had to stop and look again, just to be sure, Mr. Anderson.

And there they were : Variegated ....GREEN ...Ranunculas!

Oh yes, (with apologies to Seinfeld) - they are natural and they are spectacular!

So, as an epilogue to a recent post about "Butterflies and Zebras", I hope that you can enjoy these de-licious and de-lovely flowers.

To order go here - Availability: Very limited

STINKING BISHOP

2010-09-07T11:14:00.000-04:00

This summer I visited London and Edinburgh in the British Isles with my girlfriend. We had a wonderful time and were able to get to visit many of "pre-trip must-do's" including the awesome British Museum, Gordon Ramsay's and a couple of musicals, noteworthy of these was "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" on stage. Personally I have never been one for musicals but I have to admit that this was pretty good! A complete "Fail" was a much anticipated visit to the Chelsea Flower Show, which needs tickets pre-booked months in advance: They take their flowers and plants seriously in England! On the other hand we elected to go to a candle-lit performance of several chorale pieces at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields complete with orchestra which was very spiritually uplifting.

We made a couple of other pilgrimages; one being to the Doctor Maartens (DM's) store in Covent Garden, home of the legendary boots with the patented air-cushion soles, which in my youth were referred to as "Bovver Boots" - as in "Do you want a spot of bovver (bother)?"; the other being a visit to the home of "Neals' Yard", a quintessential English cheese shop.

This cheese shop is one of many examples in London and throughout Europe of shops dedicated to one item. The focus and knowledge is consequently much more profound and the enthusiasm of the staff is palpable even before any words are exchanged. In my opinion one of the distinct downsides of the proliferation of a virtual world on the Internet is the inexorable elimination of these highly focused businesses from the real world.

Fortunately for us, we were able to experience this wonderful shop, to inhale the aromas, to feast our eyes and to taste the wares. There is simply nothing that equals this experience; an environment that so physically exerts its existence in the tactile and sensory world. And yet certainly it is all but disappeared in the USA, with just a few exceptions in New York and perhaps a few other major urban centers.

For want of a better example, just think about most floral businesses today: With few exceptions, there are no charismatic spaces full of flowers that wow the olfactory and visual senses. Far too many fabulous flowers, great designs and floral decorations are only seen at weddings, on designers' websites or at flower schools that seem to be popping up. For better or for worse, however, that is the way things are today, although as with all things this state is temporal and will change, as flowers are far to wonderful and wondrous to remain the exclusive province of weddings and events.

Notwithstanding the above, my girlfriend and I got to enjoy this fabulous emporium and appreciate it for the time we were there, in person, up close and also later on enjoy it all over again in our mouths! The Cheese.

That's another thing , by the way, is how wonderfully mature and ripe the cheeses are, with fully developed flavors and sharp, edgy accents impregnated into the deep, creamy textures.

It is so important to allow products such as cheese, beef, and even flowers to mature and age to a point where they impart the full flavors, colors, scents and afford sentient beings the best visual experience.

Which is, of course, how one gets to enjoy the perverse pleasures of a cheese called the "Stinking Bishop". Amen!

ROSE PORN

2010-09-01T12:34:00.000-04:00

Have you noticed lately on television advertisements they will refer to food using a noun as an adjective in a very annoying way? For instance there is an ad for Italian meal in a box, I think, that proclaims that it is "Restaurant Quality". Of course that begs the question; "What kind of restaurant are they alluding to?" Perhaps a commercial that is less ambiguous is the one that proclaims a foodstuff to be "Sit-Down Quality". I guess that rules out all those meals that you have to eat standing up like a Pinks Chili-Cheese Dog or a Philly Cheese Steak Wit'. In a really incorrigible abuse of the English language, not only does the noun become an adjective, but the noun becomes almost superfluous and meaningless. But hey, if its good enough for Madison Avenue its good enough for me.

Being the philistine that I am, I have latched on to Porn; as in Food Porn, and feel the urge to provide you with some Rose Porn. See - its that easy to turn a noun into an adjective!

There is a fabulous new rose with a somewhat limited availability that we call "Charity", which is a deliciously feminine pink hue with a fully double rosette. "Upskirting a ballerina in a tutu" provides a pale metaphor of the wonderful ruffled beauty of this rose, which is why the pictures are so necessary and illuminating. Charity does grow with some green calyceous growth in the center, which seems to be very fashionable at the moment, but not for everyone.. It has a strong resemblance to one of the classic garden roses of all time, the R. 'Fantin-Latour' a seminal rose in the history of flowers, but like many of the new generation of garden roses from David Austin developed for cutting, it has a vastly superior vase life than the famous Fantin-Latour. As if this is not enough, "Charity" also has a delightful light but lingering perfume altogether reminiscent of Yardley's English Lavender soap, and all in all, is an absolutely wonderful flower.

David Austin Roses, the breeder of this rose does not like it at all, due largely to the green protuberance in the center and will not be developing it for the cut flower market. Which seems to me to be rather a shame, as it is a modern masterpiece. We have an exclusive but limited supply of this rose, and I encourage to you to order it while still available.

And hey, if you don't like the green cayceous material showing, you can do what I did in the last image and cut it off with some scissors.

BUTTERFLIES AND ZEBRAS

2010-08-30T14:13:00.000-04:00

"Butterflies and Zebras, and Moonbeams and Fairy Tales"....so go the words to the classic Hendrix lament "Little Wing".

Perhaps whomsoever coined the name for this variety was not only aware of the old commercial hybrid tea rose called "Zebra", the first rose that was streak'd with vertical daubs of color in a popular combination of hot pink and white, and but also the song from "Axis: Bold as Love". Or maybe it is just a fanciful coincidence.

Zebra was quickly followed by "Henri Matisse", also an hot pink/white combination, and more recently the Intuition series from French rose breeders Delbard, the latest of which is the "Orange Intuition". However, "Butterfly" seems to be in a league above these other varieties, especially as the color combination is so appealing, but more significantly because this rose opens, revealing the wonderful variegation for all the world to see.

Intriguing new rose, with limited supply, we think Butterfly will be very popular for autumn collections.

Eye Candy

2010-08-25T14:57:00.000-04:00

Here in Miami we rarely see the wonderful items that they get in California, as we are mostly involved with the importation of flowers from South America. However this week we received our first shipment of Viburnum from Wisconsin. Of course, at this time of year it is not the fabulous :Guelder Rose" or Snowballs, with their generous spherical flower heads, but it is from the same family. Whereas the Guelder Rose, aka V. opulus 'Sterile' is in fact sterile and produces no fruits, its cousin V. opulus 'Compacta' is loaded with glossy, vitreous berries of dark and strawberry red. Great item for fall arrangements or just massed on its own.

Eye candy for florists!

If you feel the need to indulge please contact the

Mayesh Shipping Department here

MILKY WAY

2010-08-24T16:57:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday nights there is a show on Discovery Channel that we love to watch, featuring an ultra-nerd who is very cool; one Professor Brian Cox. He is the emccee on a terrific show called "Wonders of the Solar System", which lays out how really magnificent and interrelated the whole universe is. Each week he takes us up to the skies and beyond and demonstrates a different aspect of the solar system by relating it to geographical features on planet earth. Brian Cox also happens to be a secular humanist, which is what I consider myself to be, so that is also very cool. We are not alone.

Milky Way is a new rose which is a very pale cream, almost white, but not; if you know what I mean. It has a slight hue of a peachy-pink, very similar to Vendela. However there is good news and bad news...Good news first. The flowers open up lavishly, oftne with double and triple hearts, whorling like eddies in a river. The overall effect is one of massed balls of silk brocade or fine damask. Exquisite.

The bad news is that after a few days some of the petals get bubbly and seem dry, much like Rosita Vendela does, or on occasion Vendela. It seems to be a genetic feature. Sort of ashame, but if they were used for wedding work the effects will be breathtaking.

2010; A ROSE ODYSSEY; FROM GREENHOUSE TO FLORAL STUDIO; Part Two

2010-08-23T17:29:00.000-04:00

And here is Esperanza, almost two acres of this special rose! The quality and consistency manifested in this shot clearly demonstrates the influence of tender, loving care, as well as good management in concert with the technology and steps described above. Now we just have to get them to market. This really is a labor of love.

The roses are harvested individually, one by one, and are set at the end of the rows in a plastic mesh. These plastic meshes containing the roses are rolled up and transported by mono-rail to the post-harvest facility. Understandably, with a plantation covering some 24 acres, carrying the roses to the processing center requires a method such as this that will not stress the flowers, nor unduly compromise the employees’ ability to deliver the roses in the best of condition. These monorails run the length and breadth of the farm, all terminating at the central warehouse.At the post-harvest warehouse, the roses are unloaded from carts and placed in the receiving tank while the varieties are prioritized for processing. This tank will normally contain a solution with a fungicide and/or a bactericide. The roses are then placed into large buckets of water, and taken into post-harvest, ready for grading. The post-harvest center comprises a long room with a conveyor belt running down the center. On one side are the stations of the personnel who bunch the roses. Positioned next to them is an associate who grades the flowers. The grading is done with a variety of parameters in mind.

Firstly, all roses that are not of export quality are immediately remaindered, and set aside for the domestic market. Then the stem lengths are measured and placed on a rack ready to be bunched. Simultaneously, the grader assesses the cutting point as suitable for one of three markets.

The very open roses are selected for Russia, the ones with a medium aperture set aside for the United States, and the tightest blooms allocated to Europe.

Mayesh Wholesale is of the opinion that new roses with high petal counts, such as Esperanza, actually benefit from being cut more open. The color is richer, the petal structure better developed, the head size appreciably larger and the overall performance is superior.

The people making the bunches select stems from the rack, again with a particular marketplace in mind. Russia and Europe are packed in bunches of twenty, and for the USA and Canada in bunches of twenty-five. Note the mirror in the picture, placed so that the individual can closely monitor the uniformity of the bunch.

The completed bunch will have a label affixed to the wrapper that indicates name of variety, stem length and number of stems in the bunch. This data is also encrypted in barcode form on the same label. Then the rose is placed on the conveyor belt and travels to the post-harvest inventory.

At the end of the conveyor belt, the roses are collected, the labels scanned by a bar-code gun and then the freshly made bunches are placed into buckets of water, arranged in the warehouse by geographical destination. Technologies such as bar-codes greatly assist the grower as the available inventory is being updated immediately upon completion of each bunch. In the fast paced world of fresh flowers, this is extremely valuable, as sales can start promptly thereafter.

The buckets of roses are then placed in coolers where they will hydrate for 24 hours, before being packed into boxes ready for their journey to a destination thousands of miles away. The roses must hydrate for a minimum of 8 hours, and the general practice in Ecuador is to leave them overnight. Without proper hydration in a professional solution, the roses will not be stable enough to survive the trip. Any advertisement that claims to deliver roses from Ecuador one day after cutting is guilty of making false representations. All roses from Ecuador destined for Mayesh Wholesale are flown exclusively on UPS Air Cargo. Although they are somewhat more expensive than other carriers, they are the only airline out of Colombia and Ecuador that offer a scheduled service that is adhered to. UPS is consistently reliable, and thus a program of just in time shipments can be coordinated. As you can imagine for fresh flowers, and roses in particular, this rapid transfer of cargo from cooler to cooler is essential.

In Miami the freight is received by our logistics company, where it is pre-cooled, sorted, and loaded onto temperature controlled trailers. These trailers are contracted through various refrigerated trucking specialists, to expedite their movement from Miami to Los Angeles. The journey is 48 hours, and the trucks run virtually non-stop, driven by two-man teams. The temperature is maintained at a constant 34 degrees, and during the trip the roses are exposed to an ethylene inhibitor call “Ethyl-Bloc”. This product slows down the transpiration rate of the flowers, and significantly lowers the ability of the roses to generate ethylene.

Upon arrival in Los Angeles, the roses are distributed to our various locations, and ultimately are sold to you, the customer. And so, this Odyssey of the Esperanza, this journey of Hope is almost to its conclusion. And yet, incredibly the new form the roses take, at the end of their life, whether as a wedding bouquet or as a “Thank You” gift, they give new life, they inspire dreams, and they renew hope.

So the next time you adjust the blooms, rotate a rose into position, turn another to its best aspect, and conclude the assembly of a bridal bouquet, pause to contemplate all the dreams that the bouquet represents, not only the ones of the person who will carry it, but also the ones of the people who grew it.

For to be without love is a terrible thing,

But to be without hope is to be dead.

End

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Renato Teran, and the entire team of Agricola El Rosario located at the Hacienda Ortuno. The roses are marketed under the name of AgriRose.

Many thanks to DeRuiters Neuwe Rosen for creating Esperanza

A FINE ROMANCE

2010-08-20T12:06:00.000-04:00

One might be tempted to think of Hypericum as a rather staid, floral item. like yesterday's cold mashed potatoes, but breeders have been making refreshing developments in the size of the berries, the amount of buds on the corymbs and the diversity of color. These days the colors run the gamut from red to orange, through yellow, green and even white!

A mere ten years ago the products could not be imported into the USA, but in 2001 the USDA allowed the importation of the "fruits" of the Hypercium plants and the torrent of hybridization seemed to have started at about the same time.

At first there was only the "Excellent Flair" a rusty brown which is now known to the world as "Dolly Parton" and as such has enjoyed a new lease on life.

Then came "Pinky Flair" and a few others in the "Flair" series. Hilsea Farms in Ecuador introduced several hybrids including some attractive green varieties such as "Green Condor".

Then came the "Magical" series, which featured a lot of new, prime colors such as yellow and orange, as well as the first whites. However, some of the cultivars were rather prone to rust as well as the berries being somewhat small.

Recently a new series from Global Plants BV, a breeder based in Holland has introduced the "Romance" line of Hypericum cultivars which offers interesting colors, a good size of drupes and deep green healthy foliage.

I have featured some of these before, but here is a look at the most recent additions; from top to bottom are "True Romance"; "Blushing Romance" and "Cool Romance".

"True Romance" features a tomato red color, in that it has a hint of pink underneath the skin, and features very large, glossy fruits.

"Blushing Romance" has an abundant amount of terminal corymbs on each stem with a very subtle apricot-pink color.

"Cool Romance" is a delicate white drupe that looks as though it were created from fine porcelain, with slightly translucent berries of a tone that would go perfectly with "Patience" garden roses or "Crème de la Crème".

"Fine Romance "is a classic song from a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie called 'Swingtime'; interpreted by Frank Sinatra.

Have a great weekend!

2010; A ROSE ODYSSEY; FROM GREENHOUSE TO FLORAL STUDIO; Part One

2010-08-16T13:53:00.000-04:00

As you adjust the blooms, rotate a rose into position, turn another to its best aspect, and conclude the assembly of a bridal bouquet, pause to contemplate the dreams the bouquet represents, and wonder about the person who will carry it to the appointed place where her betrothed awaits. You imagine, perhaps, that there will be a moment before the marriage when time practically comes to a standstill and your client will clutch the bouquet to her bosom, thinking of her new life, new opportunities and adventures. The door opens and her story starts, full of hopes and aspirations. This story ends here, but it begins much like the bride’s, full of hopes and aspirations, but a few years earlier.

This is the story of all roses that are grown as cut-flowers, but it is also the tale of one very special rose, called “Esperance” or “Esperanza”, the former a French word, the latter Spanish, but both meaning “Hope”. The journey of our rose begins on a farm in Ecuador. Situated at an elevation of almost 11,000 feet, high in the Andes, is the rose plantation of Agricola El Rosario. In the background, surrounded by clouds is the famous volcano of Cotopaxi. Before one single rose is harvested there is a considerable amount of work and forethought that must go into it. The best roses need good soil, with the requisite alimentation, good drainage and precise fertilization. Therefore the land must be prepared properly, with protection against inclement weather, while allowing for high levels of luminosity for the rose plants. The greenhouses in Ecuador were formerly constructed with wood, but analytical studies demonstrated that the amount of timber required prohibited a significant amount of light from reaching the plants. Today the greenhouse structures are engineered and prefabricated from steel to provide sufficient strength to withstand gale force winds and hail storms, as well as a minimally impeding the amount of light reaching each plant. In fact, as well as the design of the greenhouse, technology predominates in every phase of growing a rose, from plant spacing, irrigation, computerized fertilization. A new rose is planted out in one of two ways, either by planting “mini-plants” or more commonly done, by grafting the “eyes” of the desired variety onto rootstock. A mini-plant is a young plant that has been growing for 3-6 months, and come mostly from the breeders in Europe. The “budding eyes” are the little tumescent swellings you will frequently see where a leaf joins the stem. Because the new hybrid varieties are quite delicate and do not form strong roots, they are grafted onto roses with known strength and performance. These roses are called rootstock, and the most frequently used variety today is R. “Natal Briar”, a few on R. "Manetti" and occasionally R. canina. In this series of images are Esperanza roses that have been grafted on to rootstock. You will see here and there a few stems that are bent onto the ground. These are the stems of the rootstock, and provide the necessary photo-synthesis for the new variety to develop. This technique is called “bending” and was developed in Japan. As you can see most of the plants have developed, thrusting strong “basal” stems upwards. It is only the plants that are slow in developing that still have the rootstock leaves attached. Another shot of plants of about nine months, showing roses being sprayed for potential diseases, especially fungii. Here you can see the plants have developed considerably and have produced two or even three basal stems. A good, conscientious grower will now spend up to a year developing the structure of the plant. The grower will be sacrificing potential production, and revenues, in order to create a plant that will give a consistent yield of high quality roses in the future. The object is to create an urn shape featuring 4 or 5 strong canes. All roses are cut and processed by hand, which is incredibly labor intensive. This farm, called “Agricola El Rosario”, comprises about ten hectares, or 24 acres. There are approximately 650,000 plants producing on average about 20,000 stems per day, which is no small feat when you think that each flower, as delicate as it is, has to be cut, hydrated, processed and bunched.

Renato Teran, owner of “Agricola El Rosario” inspecting the first flush of a new variety.

Mayesh Wholesale is proud to be working with farms such as Agricola El Rosario, Producnorte and Evergreen. These rose plantations recognize not only that best farming practices necessitate good stewardship of the precious resources of the environment, they also must shepherd their most important asset, their employees. The workforce is predominantly female, of indigenous origin, and mostly descended from the Incas. For hundreds of years the Incas have been ostracized from Ecuadorian society, living separately, almost like the “Untouchables” of India. Within their society, the women have further been living in bondage bowing to the dictates of their macho traditions. Because his workforce largely comprises of young women, Renato Teran provides not only three square meals per day, doctor consultations three times a week, but also daycare for the children of the employees. Clearly this is not entirely altruistic, as these measures ensure a ready, willing and able workforce, but it does show an understanding of life, and that everyone needs to be nurtured in order to have a chance to realize their dreams and aspirations. It gives the children to grow under proper care, with proper nutrition, and it gives the women an opportunity to earn a living, knowing their children are safe, and try to escape from bondage.

“There is hope. Si ay esperanza!”

Part Two of "2010: A ROSE ODYSSEY" will be publiushed next Monday 23rd August

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Renato Teran, and the entire team of Agricola El Rosario located at the Hacienda Ortuño.
"Esperanza" is a classic pink rose bred by De Ruiters

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

2010-08-12T12:04:00.000-04:00

....That which we call light crude would by any other name smell as sweet! with many apologies to Mr. Shakespeare, poet and playwright, but clearly a name is very, very important.

It would not be appropriate to call a Home for the Elderly "Auschwitz" or even "Guantanamo" no matter what one's private opinion might be of such a place; so which wag decided to call the deep-sea oil field in the Gulf of Mexico which has been plagued by the BP disaster, "Macondo"?

"Macondo" as you may, or may not, know is the mythical town in Colombia conjured up by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in his classic novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude". Macondo is a town that experiences several generations of human beings, which blossoms in the jungle, enjoys a technology boom and then nature unequivocally strangles the town. It is in essence a microcosm of a "Banana Republic" whose greatest triumph is the introduction of the epitome of the technology of the era, an impressive but irrelevant railroad. The whole endeavor is doomed from the start.

The story would surely have been familiar to whomsoever the executive was who came up with the infamous and unlucky nomenclature for this disastrous project. How could the name have ever been approved?

When will the suits ever learn that life imitates art!

I'M JUST MAD ABOUT SAFFRON (...and Saffron's mad about me)

2010-08-11T15:48:00.000-04:00

Frequently, we have flowers in the office that are generally part of a vase test, usually to check vase life, or if it is a new variety to observe its characteristics, how it opens and how well it lasts. Most of the time the items on display do not whet one's appetite or even raise an eyebrow, but there are thrilling moments when a flower is observed in a new context or something rather special is exhibited. Today I enjoyed one such rare moment as a fairly new rose called "Gelbe" was on view in various vases around the office. "Gelbe" seems to be a corruption of the German word Gelb, which means yellow, and a more incisive, definitive choice for a name could not have been chosen. Truly an invigorating, Good-Day_Sunshine kind of yellow illuminated the room with its brilliant color. But it was the comportment of the blooms with their rather generous amount of petals slowly reflexing that was so beguiling. Perhaps the most enticing aspect of "Gelbe" is the deeply scalloped edges of the petals, which is reminiscent of some classic garden roses.

"Gelbe" has that deep yellow you get when preparing crocus anthers in warmed white wine prior to using in, say Bouillabaisse; a yellow that is strong with just a hint of red. Certainly not a 'Mellow Yellow'!

Recommended!!

Is there a trend here? Given the rather awful rose names that have surfaced of late could it be that breeders are keeping it very basic. First Gelbe; and next maybe "Amarillo"? or "Jaune"? Simply use the color of the rose, but use the word from another language. "Galben" - that's Romanian.

HOLIDAY IN THE SUN

2010-08-03T10:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I have been away on holiday, a concept usually associated with recharging one's batteries. However, I went to Orlando with my nine-year-old son (soon to be ten) who kept me on my toes and who left me physically exhausted. But I loved every minute of it!! We skipped the Disney experience this year and went to Sea World and their allied water park called "Aquatica". Temperatures were soaring, with blazing sun in the mornings and tropical showers in the afternoon, so the water activities were ideal for keeping cool.

Even though we are in a midst of a severe recession, one would be hard pushed to know it at the theme parks. Both SeaWorld and Aquatica were packed, and prices for every conceivable add-on were, in my opinion outrageous. By the way , if you are planning to go to Orlando, don't underestimate the not insignificant parking fees. It is amazing to me that these are not highlighted on the websites. Water was the best value at $2.80 per 12oz. bottle. And we drank plenty of them due to the extreme heat. Every day was an SPF 50 day!

Nonetheless we had a blast, and we really enjoyed our last activity before returning home which was a round of miniature golf at the "Pirate's Cove Miniature Golf Course", located at the Crossroads. Awesome,and educational; that is, if you like pirate history which I do.

Did you know that Blackbeard's name was Edward Teach? And that he liked to go into attacks on ships with a lighted fuse cord sparkling in his hat?

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!