Snowballs in Spring - Viburnum Snowballs, that is

Snowballs in Spring - Viburnum Snowballs, that is

Boots Bridal Bouquet CA Grown California Flowers Flower arrangements Flower farm Rain Boots Snowball Sun Valley Viburnum

Way back in July of last year, I took one of my first trips to the Willow Creek farm with Lane. During that trip, we saw Cotinus, Rosehip and Ilex crops, all in the early stages of their growing cycle. Part of that trip included a tour through Sun Valley's fields of Viburnum opulus, commonly called Snowballs, which we have in abundance right now.

Hoops and Fields

The Viburnum crops I saw on that sunny Sunday in July had been planted periodically over a four year period, some in open fields and some that would soon be covered within hoophouses. The crops in hoophouses "arrive" around three weeks earlier than their open field-grown counterparts, creating a longer season for this fabulous spring flower. Hoops are added to more of the field each year, so our farmers can keep the crops nice and warm, even during winter, when the outside air temperature hovers at a chilly 45 degrees. The warmth from the hoops contributes to a much faster growing rate, thus allowing for an earlier crop. Once Snowballs in hoophouses start to phase out, their neighboring Snowballs in open fields phase in.



In July, Snowballs grow in the open sun. Soon the farmers will stretch plastic
over these metal frames to create hoophouses.



Lane checks the growth progress in July



Lane's dog Mae Mae navigates around the crop

 

Harvest to Home

As I mentioned above, Viburnum harvesting has just begun. Willow Creek farmers cut them when their heads are nice and full. (You can see what I mean in the close-up picture below.) Freshly harvested Viburnum goes straight into buckets and into our Arcata farm coolers. From there, they make their way to our customers in wet hampers, which prevent dehydration.

Viburnum crops in hoophouses are being harvested now

Viburnum in the field will be harvested in a few weeks

Many Shades of Green

One of the most fun things about Viburnum is it's similarity to those hyper color t-shirts from the 80's! Right now, the crop is a charming green color, similar to that of Green Ball - an extra large variety of green dianthus we grow. Once the crop is bathed in a few days of good sunshine, it starts to turn a lovely shade of bridal white. We harvest Viburnum in all of its stages of color. It all makes for a nice floral complement in spring, Mother's Day and wedding arrangements!

Close-up of gorgeous green Viburnum taken a couple weeks ago

 

"In-betweener" Viburnum from a previous year's crop is changing
from green to white

Fully white Viburnum from a previous year's crop

Vibrant Sunrise Bouquet from Sun Pacific Bouquet - featuring Viburnum

  

Vibrant Sunset Bouquet from Sun Pacific Bouquet - also featuring Viburnum

The viburnum season typically lasts April through May, making it the quintessential spring flower. So, don't miss your chance to fill your buckets with the kind of Snowballs you won't want to throw!

As always, you can learn more information like crop standards and care tips for Viburnum by visiting our Flower Resource pages on our website. Here is the direct link: http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/pdf/SV_RP_Viburnum.pdf

Rene van Rems' 25 Top Bridal Bouquet Styles

Rene van Rems' 25 Top Bridal Bouquet Styles

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Today's blog post takes a slight departure from my usual adventures in floral education. Rather than a flower, I'm talking about a book (which is, of course, all about flowers). Rene's Bouquets for Brides is the sophomore publication from renowned Dutch-born floral design presenter and consultant, Rene van Rems, and it showcases 25 of today's top bridal bouquet styles. Because Sun Valley proudly supports Rene in all his endeavors and vice versa, I'd like to say a few things about the book.

[Don't worry, no Spoiler Alert needed: I'm not critiquing this book (with my frequent abuse of English grammar, I'm in no position to pass judgement on others' use of it). I'd simply like to tell you what I think makes it worthy of floral shop windows and coffee tables everywhere.]

1. Simply put, the bouquets!
Put more elaborately, Rene's Bouquets for Brides makes use of some of the most stunning and interesting flowers available on the market today. The styles range from traditional to strikingly contemporary, simple to overwhelmingly elaborate, colorful to classically white. Every bride-to-be will most likely find a bouquet style that speaks to her in this book, yet every bouquet is not necessarily for everyone. For instance, I can't imagine ever wearing a floral boa, but never say never...

2. Sensational photography
Oh, the pictures! The featured flowers and brides are gorgeous no matter how you look at them, but photographer Pat Boemer captures them in their absolutely best light (and composition and focus). Each photo is worthy of a frame, although the thought of taking scissors to this book makes me gasp!

3. The Bride, the Dress and then the Bouquet
Rene stresses that the bridal bouquet should not only reflect the bride's personal style, but it should also compliment the style and shape of her gown, as well as the type of affair she is hosting. Every chapter reveals which types of personalities, dresses and events the bouquets are best suited to. Basically, Rene's a man who knows what women want, even when they don't know that they want it! 

4. Simple to follow design techniques (with illustrations) Let me be clear: I'm not quite sure that I could piece together bouquets quite as stunning as the ones Rene presents just from following the steps in this book. However, Rene's design tips and tricks, such as which types of flowers to avoid in hand-tied bouquets, are great tools for floral designers with a bit of design background.

5. The best version of our flowers
You know when you have a good friend who just seems to become the best version of herself when she's met the right fella? Well, that's how it is with our flowers in Rene's Bouquets for Brides. Sure, they're beautiful on their own, but it's almost as though they meet their maximum potential in Rene's designs. In other words, Sun Valley's flowers become the best versions of themselves when arranged with the right flowers, as they are in the pages of this book.

Rather than listening to me ramble on, let Rene tell you more about his book by watching his promo video. Here's the link: http://renevanrems.com/video-bookpromo.html
 

Whether you're a floral industry veteran or a newcomer to flowers like myself, you're sure to appreciate Rene's Bouquets for Brides. Here are some ways to go about getting yourself one:
1. It is available for pre-order now on his website: http://renevanrems.com/store.html
2. You can pick up a copy this September at the SAF Convention in Palm Springs, CA. Look for Rene and his team for more details.
3. Finally, stay tuned on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/SunValleyFloralFarms) and here on Flower Talk, where we will be announcing details for a signed copy give-away!

Lily's Boots: Why Brides Need Flowers to Take the Plunge

Lily's Boots: Why Brides Need Flowers to Take the Plunge

Bridal Bouquet CA Grown California Flowers Flower arrangements For the bride Iris Lilies Sun Valley Tulips Wedding flowers

Dress               Check!
Venue              Check!
Invitations         Check!
Flowers            Check!
Cake...
               
Last night, I sat down with a friend to help her choose flowers for her upcoming wedding. I was happy to point her in the direction of flowers that suit her taste, show her some unique varieties, and tell her how to take care of them all the way from the shop to the alter. (I couldn't have done that a year ago.) Mostly, I was happy because she was happy, and I could feel her elation grow with the addition of each Green Ball and Chamomile Button. This inspired me to take Lily's Boots down the aisle for today's post.

Since wedding season is in full swing (and let's be honest, because I'm a girl), I've been perusing the wedding blogs to keep my finger on the pulse of the latest trends, especially floral, for tying the knot. While I've noticed a few overlapping themes (green wedding, outdoor wedding, Anthropologie wedding, etc.), what resounds the most is that today's weddings are all about individuality, not necessarily the latest trends. And the flowers reflect that. Throughout my quest to stay current on today's most stylish vow swaps, I've seen arrangements taller than my house and wild flowers placed in mason jars. I've seen flowers in the hair, on the cake, in Radio Flyers, and floating in ponds. I've seen real flowers accompanied by larger-than life paper flowers painstakingly cut and pieced together by hand. Elaborate, simple. Traditional, contemporary. Monochromatic, multi-colored. The point is I've seen flowers in 99.9% of photos depicting folks enjoying their big day.

The greater point is, after all this time, most people still consider flowers one of the staples of their ceremonies and receptions. The bouquet, the flower girl, the centerpieces - they haven't gone anywhere. Even as cake is phased out by cupcakes and French pastries, puffy bridesmaid dresses are replaced by fashion-forward dresses that can actually be reworn, and tuxedos make room for denim, flowers remain front and center. As you might imagine, I have a few theories as to why flowers continue to show up at each and every matrimonial ceremony.

1. Style

What bride doesn't want her day to be beautiful, both emotionally and aesthetically? I think most of us can agree that the natural beauty of flowers is enough to fill any venue, be it a Four Seasons or a backyard barn, with a touch of class, elegance and whimsy.

2. Self-expression
As I mentioned before, today's couples are all about showcasing what makes their loving relationship unique. Given the hundreds of thousands of flower varieties out there, and then multiplying them by the endless ways they can be arranged, my calculations show that there are infinite ways to use flowers as focal points. Not only that, but with various symbolic meanings, emotional triggers and signature shapes and colors, the flowers a couple chooses for their wedding can actual communicate who they are as people.

3. Happiness
I've harped on about this before, but flowers are shown to truly make people happy. On an already joyous occasion, why not add a little emotional buffer, like a happiness insurance policy? You know, just in case of rain or some other wedding day stressor. Brides must already be privy to this flowers and happiness information because they're still positioning flowers in every visual field in their marriage site.

For whatever the reason they love flowers, I love that brides still love them. I'll admit that as a grower, Sun Valley isn't directly involved in weddings, but brides indirectly account for a large portion of the demand for our flowers. So as it turns out, I'm not the only one at the farm paying attention to trends. Like most brides, our production team plan well in advance (years even) to make sure we have just the right flowers at the right time. Year-round availability and seasonally appropriate coloring of our core crops (Tulips, Lilies, Irises), plus seasonal items like Montbretia, Cotinus and Rosehips help us fill bridal bouquets with the flowers brides want, when they want them. And if what we do here at our farm can ultimately make brides feel stylish, unique and (for Pete's sake) happier, then I'm thrilled that I'm a part of it!



To get an idea of what we have available this season, check out our Sun Valley Showroom: http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/Showroom2.cfm?site=svf