Lily's Boots: Willow Creek Part 2 - A Rosehip by any other name...

Lily's Boots: Willow Creek Part 2 - A Rosehip by any other name...

Bigfoot CA Grown Flower farm Lane DeVries Rose Rosehips Sending flowers Snowberries Sun Valley



I first mentioned my trip to Willow Creek with Lane a couple months ago, when I talked about giant Cotinus (which is coming in strong right now). Today I'm ready to move on to another Willow Creek crop - Rosehips, not to be mistaken for roses (the flowers). Rosehips are the fruit produced by rose bushes - lovely berries that change colors throughout the season. The Rosehip experience proved to be another eye-opening part of my day in Willow Creek. Let me start by saying - and this will sound pretty naive - I didn't know that Rosehips came from rose bushes. Okay, laugh all you want. I'm trying to be honest here. So imagine my surprise when I first encountered that wonderful rose fragrance on that lovely day in July. Also, imagine how much I stood to learn about this crop from Lane!



Lane walks through the Willow Creek fields, with Mae Mae and Pearl close behind


The pictures above illustrate what the "Rosehips" looked like when I saw them in July - no berries at all! This was when it first dawned on me that Rosehips come from rose bushes. Now that I was on the right page, I was ready to really learn something!


The Jetsons

 As I've already mentioned, the crop smelled incredible, and it was simply delightful to be near it. It seems I wasn't the only one who thought so. Apparently, bees love this crop. So much, in fact, that Lane called the rose bushes "bee hogs." He had me stand still next to the crop and said, "If you stop and really pay attention, you can hear thousands of bees buzzing and see them flying right over the crops. It's like a freeway!" He was absolutely right. It was like watching bees re-enact the opening credits to The Jetsons.

The bees are not the only creatures who love the rose bushes, although they're probably some of the only ones who benefit them. Last year, deer ate the top growth off of a bunch of our Amazing Fantasy rose bushes. (I'm not even sure how that factored into the crop recovery rate.) I had never really considered deer a pest before that day, but I suppose that's precisely what they are when you're growing a fragrant crop. Luckily, they've left plenty of Rosehips for us this year!

Apparently, the bees and deer aren't the only woodland mountain creatures enticed by our Willow Creek crops...

 

Yes, these are bear droppings.

Bears are also occasional visitors to the farm. However, they are mostly enamoured with the berries and grapes that grow nearby, leaving Rosehips for the aforementioned species. That being said, it's always a good idea to bring Man's Best Friend along on a trip to the farm in case of a possible bear encounter. According to Sun Valley folklore, Grizzly (the pomeranian) actually chased a bear away once. Anyway, I digress....

Just a minute ago, I mentioned the Amazing Fanstasy variety of rose bushes. A very large percentage of the Rosehips we grow are Amazing Fantasy (despite the deer's affinity for it) because it tends to produce the strongest berry out of the varieties Lane has tested at Willow Creek. Once cut, Amazing Fantasy Rosehips can keep their color, shape and luminosity for several weeks.

Our Rosehips are harvested as early as August and as late as Christmas, depending on the progression of the crop and market demand. The month of harvest determines the color of the berry. Early in the season, they start out green; as they mature, they start to resemble Fuji apples - partially green with reddish swirls; finally, they become orange, reddish orange and cherry red at the end of the season. It's as if the Rosehips are aware of the most fashionable colors per season and act accordingly!

Lane leaves himself a production message on his work voicemail
while strolling through a young Amazing Fantasy crop.

It was interesting to see one of our crops looking so very different from what it would become by the time it was ready to be harvested (and to learn where Rosehips come from!). Now I'm just starting to see what they look like off the bush, ready for an arrangement.



Close-up of a rose bush in July



"Fuji Apple" Rosehips off the bush in August


When you are putting Rosehips in a vase, here's what you should know: Handle with care! As you know, every rose has its thorn. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Rosehips have 'em, too. Like most flowers, cut the end of the stems and place in cool water - no floral solution needed. Because they can last for a few weeks, feel free to mix up your Rosehip arrangements when other flowers fade!

Now I've told you about giant Cotinus and plump, multi-colored Rosehips. I still need to fill you in on other Willow Creek Crops like Chinese Lanterns, Ilex and Viburnum. (Funny, just one day in Willow Creek with Lane provided me several days' worth of blog material!) Look for more Willow Creek posts in the near-ish future!


As ever, you can learn more about our Rosehips by visiting our Flower resource page:  http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/pdf/SV_RP_Rosehips.pdf

Hey Material Girl, Open Your Heart... to Hydrangeas

Hey Material Girl, Open Your Heart... to Hydrangeas

CA Grown California Flowers Farmers market Growing Flowers Hydrangea Sun Valley

As most floral enthusiasts already know, Hydrangeas have been getting quite a bit of attention in the social media circuit lately, which is quite a coincidence, since my planned topic for this week was Hydrangeas (I swear!). Of course, I planned on sharing some insight into how we grow them, not who likes them or, well, doesn't.

Back in June, I talked a bit about Hydrangeas - their meaning, ancient uses, care tips, etc. Today, I'm going to give you the Sun Valley spin on these lovable mop heads, thanks to Tim, the grower who gave us a "Bells and Whistles" tour of our Love and Royal Lilies a few weeks ago. A short stroll through our Arcata Shade Houses gave me a lot more insight into the lone perennial we grow at our Arcata farm (and further convinced me that the original Princess of Pop is crazy).

Here's what I learned about the gigantic blooms being passionately defended by growers and florists everywhere:

First of all, as I just mentioned, Hydrangeas are perennials that continuously provide growth for what Tim estimates to be about 20 years. (Back in the 90's, one of Tim's first jobs at Sun Valley was to prune the very same Hydrangea plants that are still growing here today. That should give you some idea of how long these things grow!) Each year, the large, leafy bushes produce multi-flowered blooms in a range of colors, mostly blues, pinks, purples and whites.

As I mentioned in my previous Hydrangea post, the pH balance of the soil determines the color of Hydrangeas. As a general rule of green thumb, a pH of 5.5 or lower gives you a blue Hydrangea, and a pH of 6.5 and higher gives you a pink Hydrangea. (Regardless of pH, white is white.) The soil at our Humboldt farm tends to be a bit on the acidic side, so in order to produce more pinks, the growers send a base solution (calcium carbonate) through the irrigation tubes to certain crops.

Of course, color characteristics vary among different varieties. As we toured the Hydrangea Shade Houses, we strolled past red and green "Antique Hamburgs," "Kuhnert" blues, "Oregon Pride" pinkish-purples, "Merritt Supreme" perfect dark purples, and a variety of brand new Dutch hybrids in exciting new colors (and growing techniques).

I should note here that Antique Hydrangeas, certain varieties that have hardened on the vine prior to harvest and appear "marbled" in color, sometimes get a bad rap due to a few common misconceptions (and not just because of recent negative publicity created by the Material Girl). Let's go ahead and clear up those fallacies right now: Some browning of the petals occurs naturally and just requires a bit of manicuring. It is NOT decay! When Hydrangeas "Antique" or "Heirloom," they develop a marbled appearance and start to show colors that can be confused with decay. This is NOT decay! Furthermore, Antique Hydrangeas will not wilt like fresh blooms, nor do their heads require submerging in water. So, they're actually pretty fantastic. Now that I've gotten that off my chest, here are some of the varieties we saw in the Shade Houses...

"Antique Hamburg" - Tim said this variety is "bullet-proof" and a grower's favorite.
Sun Valley's "Antique Hamburg" Hydrangeas won Best in Show at SAF in 2004.



"Oregon Pride" pinkish-purple Hydrangeas



"Merritt Supreme" deep purple Hydrangeas


We grow a majority of our Hydrangea crops in Shade Houses, which mainly serve to keep rain off the plants and to shield them from too much sunlight, thus prolonging their growing season (they love water and some sun, but you know the saying - "Too much of a good thing..."). Our Hydrangea season can start as early as June 1st and end as late as December 1st (or with the first frost of the season).



An old Hydrangea plant (no longer used for harvesting) grows right out in the open sun.
Notice how the "sunburn" has faded the color of the blooms.

According to Tim, all the rage in Hydrangea Land are the new Dutch hybrids that we've just started growing. These Hydrangeas produce more flowers per plant, widen the range of colors available on the market, and bloom on one-year-old wood. Aside from their inherent benefits, the interesting thing about these crops is that, as opposed to growing them in the ground like our senior-status Hydrangea crops, we're growing them in large pots. This technique allows our growers more control or the soil alkalinity and the amount of water the plants receive. Take a look at these new varieties...



Rows of pots full of new variety, "Pearl" Hydrangea, the ideal pearly white



"Glowing Alps" Hydrangea is a brilliant glowing hot pink color



Cheery pink "Opal" Hydrangeas against a backdrop of "Pearl" Hydrangeas

When our fresh Hydrangeas are harvested, the Hydrangea team dunk the heads of the plants in cool water for a good five minutes before putting them back right side-up in buckets of water and hydration solution. When they're ready to ship, they're normally packed in a plastic wrap in order to keep the humidity high. Tim noted that Hydrangeas have the root word "Hydra-" or water (we couldn't remember if this was Greek or Latin), meaning these plants love that water! ("Hydra-" is Latin, in case you're wondering.)

This is where I ended my tour with Tim. If you want a few useful care tips for your beloved Hydrangeas, take a look at my previous Hydrangea post here. And remember: If you love Hydrangeas, go ahead and Express Yourself. Don't worry about Madonna.


If you want to stay updated on Sun Valley's flowers and other floral industry fun, subscribe to this blog by entering your email address in the upper righthand corner of this page, and then follow the given steps. Thanks!  

Rene van Rems' 25 Top Bridal Bouquet Styles

Rene van Rems' 25 Top Bridal Bouquet Styles

Bridal Bouquet CA Grown Flower arrangements Rene van Rems Wedding flowers



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, Love and Royal Lilies - Part 2

Lily's Boots, Love and Royal Lilies - Part 2

Asiatic Lilies CA Grown California Flowers lily's boots Love Lilies Royal Lilies Sun Valley

Freshly harvested Royal Lilies

In my last Lily's Boots post, we followed Love and Royal Lily bulbs all the way from the bulb coolers to the soil, thanks to Tim, our informative tour guide. Today, we'll complete the journey from the sprout to the shipping cooler, thanks to a handful of knowledgeable Sun Valley Team Members.

Starting where we left off...

Once Loves and Royals are planted in the ground (which Tim and I got first-hand experience with), they take about 12 weeks to reach their blooming point, taking somewhat longer earlier in the season. Similar to Tulips, the Lily bulbs that hang out a bit longer in the coolers are the ones that hang out the shortest amount of time in the Hoophouses. Because they really enjoy the regular weather patterns of Arcata during this season and Oxnard during the alternate season, Royal and Love Lilies do not require a Greenhouse to grow in, unlike their Oriental Lily counterparts. (We'll explore Oriental Lily growing in the future.) For this reason, they're somewhat of a Grower's dream!

Although they're grown year-round between Arcata and Oxnard, we're in the midst of the peak planting season for Love and Royal Lilies since they provide a full spectrum of Autumnal colors. Also, because our Lily bulbs are used only once, as opposed to Gerberas or Roses, which grow from the same plant for three years, we are able to exercise a significant level of control over our Lily color programs. (Check out the range of Love and Royal Lily colors by clicking here and here.) So at any given time during this time of year, if you take a trip over to the Hoophouses, you can see the Loves and Royals being planted, tended to, and harvested - a whole life cycle happening right before your eyes!



At one part of the farm, a Team Member harvests Royal Lilies

Once the Lilies have been hand-cut by the Asiatic Lily Picking Team, they are wheeled a short distance over to a nearby Hoophouse, where they are bunched, sleeved and put into buckets of water. As it happens, I got a little bit of hands on experience with the sleeving the other day. I regret to inform you that I did not catch it on video, but here are some photos.

My bunching station: Grade 1 Love Lilies on the left, sleeves in the middle,
sleeved bunches on the right



Lily putting Lilies in a sleeve, taking about double the amount
of time as the Team Member to my left (not pictured), I might add

You might think that bunching and sleeving is as simple as putting a few stems together and sticking them into a sleeve, but the process is actually much more complicated. At least, I found it to be! For starters, each Lily has to be graded and then separated into its respective grade. The grading is made clear with color-coded rubber bands. Blue = Grade 1, and Red = Grade 6.



Blue and red rubber bands identify the Lily grades



Then each bunch of Lilies must go into its own sleeve. Every sleeve is coded with the brand and name of a Lily, and a color ring around the top of the sleeve indicates the color of the Lily - a helpful measure since we ship our Lilies closed.



"Santa Cruz" Love Lilies



"Champagne Diamond" Royal Lilies



"Tiger Play" Tango Lilies

Once the Love and Royal Lilies have been graded, bunched and sleeved, a Team Member ties them, trims them and puts them into a bucket of water on one of our Dutch auction carts. (You may remember the carts from IFE.) The team member carefully maps each cart to show exactly which variety or varieties are on the cart, how many bunches are in each bucket, and how many buckets are on each cart. This data is then entered into our computer system so the Packing Team in the Warehouse (the Love and Royal Lilies' final destination at the farm) will have an accurate inventory to pull from.



A Team Member ties and trims Love Lilies



Next the Team Member draws out a cart map by hand,
which he will later enter into a computer.



Finally, the Team Member wheels a full cart to the edge of
the Hoophouse where another team member will collect it
and pull it into the Warehouse.

And this completes our Sun Valley tour of the Love and Royal Lilies. The rest of the story, as you know, continues with a little Cold Chain Management, a wholesaler, retailer or florist, and ultimately, a smiling recipient of Loves or Royals.

The next time you're sticking an orange Love or a burgundy Royal into your cornucopia, you'll know exactly where your Lilies came from!

For even more information on Loves and Royals, visit this Resource Pages:
Love Lilies and Royal Lilies: http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/pdf/SV_RP_LiliesRL.pdf
Love Lilies: http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/pdf/SV_RP_LoveLilies.pdf
Royal Lilies: http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/pdf/SV_RP_RoyalLilies.pdf

A newsletter worth blogging about: CCFC's Field Notes

A newsletter worth blogging about: CCFC's Field Notes

CA Grown California Flowers CCFC Farmers market Field Notes Floral industry Sending flowers Sun Valley

It has recently come to our attention that the California Cut Flower Commission (let's call 'em CCFC from here on out) is going to be releasing their first issue of Field Notes in the very near future. Our Team has had the great fortune of working with the CCFC on a number of levels, from small promotions to congressional hearings on issues facing the California cut flower industry, so we know they'll deliver the freshest California flower facts in their newsletter! Whether you're a grower, retailer, designer or just someone who loves flowers (read: if you're a person), Field Notes will clue you in to the latest news, floral business tips, industry profiles, and quite a lot more.

[On a personal note, I've been following the CCFC blog for awhile now, and I've found the information nothing short of enlightening. I trust that Field Notes will be of the same calibre.]

Make sure you don't miss the first issue of Field Notes! Subscribe here: http://www.ccfc.org/fieldnotes

Lily's Boots, Love and Royal Lilies (Watch the Video!)

Lily's Boots, Love and Royal Lilies (Watch the Video!)

CA Grown California Flowers Lilies lily's boots Love Lilies Royal Lilies Sun Valley

Love and Royal Lilies fill out a fall arrangement (along with Tulips, Gerbera and Sonata Lilies)



This week, I spent some time getting to know some of the other Lily(s) on the farm - the ones that go by the names of Love and Royal, to be exact. (Love Lilies are Sun Valley's Asiatic Lilies, and Royal Lilies are our Asiatic Longiflorum Hybrid Lilies - LA Hybrids.) On Monday, I came to the realization that I knew quite little about the complete growing process of these flowers that share my name. So yesterday, I arranged to meet with Tim, one of our lead Growers. What I thought would be more like an informational interview turned into a full-blown tour of the entire Love and Royal Lily growing process, from bulb cooler to warehouse, complete with a hands-on planting experience! I captured most of the experience in pictures and video, so enjoy the tour!



Tim, the tour guide



We started our journey in the Lily coolers, where the bulbs, which come in from Holland throughout the year (but mostly in the fall), are stored in peat moss, which is a perfect medium for keeping the bulbs moist, but not too moist, and for keeping the bulbs oxygenated while they slumber in the winter-weather coolers.

Crates full of Lily bulbs in the cooler



Tim displays the bulbs in peat moss

Each week, the bulbs are pulled out of the coolers about three days before they are ready to be planted in Hoophouses so they can thaw. Royals and Loves love growing in the ground and have an affinity for warm days and cool nights, which is why they're grown in Arcata Hoophouses in the summer and Oxnard Hoophouses in the winter. These Hoophouses, called "Cold Frames" in grower speak, actually have to be "pre-watered" before the bulbs can be planted (more on planting in a minute). Tim can actually power the irrigation system from his phone, albeit not as easily as doing it in person. Ah, modern technology! 



A misty Hoophouse being "pre-watered"

Once the soil has the right level of moisture, the Love and Royal Lilies are planted right into the ground by quick-handed Team Members and the "Planting Machine." (We love our technical terms here at the farm!) As it moves along a pipe track, the machine drills a line of holes across the dirt, which the team members quickly fill with bulbs. A horizontal bar at the back of the machine sweeps dirt into the planted holes. This machine enables the Team to plant literally thousands of bulbs each day!



The "Planting Machine"



A Planting Team Member - ready for his close-up!


Always up for a challenge, Tim and I tried our hands at the planting machine during the Planting Team's break. You can see us in action in the video below!

It turns out I'm not quite as coordinated as I had once believed. (Nor was Tim!) It was a great learning experience nonetheless!

Finally, the Planting Team lay drip tape, which supplies an appropriate amount of water and fertilizer directly to the Lilies' roots systems, and then they lay a wire grid, which will be raised with the Lilies as they grow to help keep them growing tall and straight.


Baby Lilies peeking up through drip tape and wire


And that, my friends, is the first part of the Love and Royal Lilies story. At this point, you've probably got enough to go on for the weekend. Please check in next week for the rest of their journey at Sun Valley - growing, harvesting and bunching!

Do you QR?

Do you QR?

CA Grown farmer's market Floral industry Gerberas Lilies QR Codes Sun Valley Tulip festival Tulips

I spend a lot of time talking about our flowers, how they're grown, their vase life and that kind of thing, but I'm switching gears today. I'm talking about the phenomenon that occurs when flowers, which have been around since the dawn of time, meet cutting-edge, "futuristic" technology. I'm talking QR codes.

Quick Response codes, called QR codes by those in the know, aren't really the latest technology out there today by techie standards, but they're still taking some time to infiltrate into everyday life. Sun Valley used the nifty matrix barcodes for the first time at the IFE trade show in June, and now we're looking for new ways to implement them. That's why I want to know a few things from you:

Let's start simple. Do you know what a QR code is?
For those who don't, here's what it looks like...




For more information on QR codes, scan the image above (you need a smart phone to do this). Here's how:

1. Install a QR reader app on your phone, which you can search for in your app store by typing "QR reader" 2. Scan the code above by holding the phone up to it (you have to be in the app when you do this)
3. See where it takes you!

Moving on...

Do you scan QR codes?
When you see them in magazines, on posters, or on packaging, do you feel the urge to scan them to see what they're all about?

Do you use QR codes?
For those of you in the flower business, do you use them in any of your promotional materials? What kinds of things do you link them to? Do you find them useful and/or successful?

What can our QR code do for you?
If we were to stick a QR code on, say, a bunch of 10 stem tulips, what would you want it to link to? For example, do you think your customers would be interested in learning more about our farm by watching our uBloom videos (Arcata and Oxnard)? Or what about linking them to an informational page (Tulip Care Tips or Tulip Resource Page)? How about coupons or contests? Any other suggestions?

The graph below shows the most common reasons consumers scan QR codes, according to a recent study by MGH.


(Source: MGH 2011)

I would really apprectiate some feedback on these questions. If you've got any input, please leave it in the Comments, or talk to your sales rep about it. Until then...



Fun facts and clever uses for QR codes





Qr code stats revealed (MGH Study 2011)