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Showing posts with label Flower arrangements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flower arrangements. Show all posts

Nov 26, 2014

Flower Anniversary

What better way to mark a mile stone than flowers. Bob and Carol Henderson of Des Moines, Iowa recently celebrated 50 years of marriage. They gathered with friends, family and flowers to toast to another 50 years.

Only 5% of married couples will reach the Golden Anniversary and an occasion like this requires amazing flowers. Renown flower designer Els Teunissen was on hand, with heaps of Sun Valley flowers to help set the mood. 

Here are the pics!

Zantedeschia, Gerbs, and Green Ball

Tulips, Green Ball and Zantedeshia

Oriental Lilies, Rose Hips and Brassica

Oriental lilies and Delphineum

Delphinium and Zantedeschia

Some of everything!

LA Hybrid lilies, tulips and gerbs.

White lilies

Orientals and Green Ball
 Thanks to Els for the wonderful designs, and best of luck Bob and Carol for the next 50 years!
CAGrown flower blog






Apr 23, 2012

Snowballs in Spring - Viburnum Snowballs, that is


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

Aug 31, 2011

Rene van Rems' 25 Top Bridal Bouquet Styles



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!



Jul 30, 2011

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



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

Jul 22, 2011

Lily's Boots: Sun Valley's Open House



This week, I've decided to write about where my boots are going, not where they've been. On Sunday, they're bringing me right back here to our farm for our 24th annual Open House. I'm very excited for the event, as it's my first time and I've heard there's a lot to see and do. Yes, I'll be working during the show, but I still intend to check a few things out! Here's what I'm told you (and I) should see and do:

1. How we do things here.
Get an idea of how and where our Tulips, Asiatic lilies and Oriental lilies are planted, grown, harvested and bunched by taking a Guided Tour of the Greenhouses. Also check out how we pack our products at the Packing Display and see how we pasteurize our soil at the Soil Steaming Display. Finally, take a Hayride past our hoophouses and fields, where crops like Hydrangea and Iris are growing.


A hayride takes off for the fields (Open House 2010)

2. "Made in America" Design Show.
Floral designers from all over California and Oregon will  showcase their talent while taking you on a journey through "Roaring 20's," "Retro 40's," "Rock n' Roll 50's, 60's, and 70's, " and "Futuristic" eras with their designs. First, second and third place winners will be chosen for each category, and a Best in Show winner will be chosen from the first place category winners. Winners will be announced at 3:00 pm. The public (that means you!) will also be able to vote on their favorite design for the Pople's Choice Award.


The Best in Show Winner of 2010

3. The Masters in Action.
The Floral Design Show judges will also put on a show of their own - this is a must-see! Returning judges, Darlene Montgomoery CCE, MFD and Win Gonzalez, Jr. (former President of the Northwest chapter of AIFD), and newcomer Lily Chan (Vice President of the Northwest chapter of AIFD) will demonstrate their expertise on stage in the Main Showroom starting at 1:00 pm.


Darlene Montgomery gives a design presentation (Open House 2010)

4. Pick up bulbs and buy our flowers!
If you pre-ordered bulbs on our website, then you'll be able to pick them up at the General Store during the show. Also, we'll have a great range of our fresh flowers for sale, so get there early for the best selection!


Flowers and Bulbs for sale and pick-up (2010 Open House)

5. Entertainment for the whole family
All of the floral fun will be complimented by live music, food and refreshments, and a the ever-popular Kiddie Corner. So in between tours, shows and purchases, relax and recharge your batteries with a coffee or give the Jolly Jump a whirl (if you're a kid, of course)!


Lucky sisters bring home flowers! (Open House 2010)
 There's clearly plenty to keep you and me busy this coming Sunday. Everyone at the farm is excited to see familiar faces from the local community and our out-of-towner friends and family. If you're in the area on Sunday, please pop in at the farm and say hello!

Sun Valley's 24th Annual Open House
Where: 3160 Upper Bay Rd., Arcata, CA
When: Sunday, July 24th, 12 - 4 pm
Contact: Tina Uhl, (707) 825-5827
http://www.tsvg.com/

Jun 29, 2011

Hydrangea: More than just a pretty face


Hydrangea season is upon us at Sun Valley.

Exciting news for most, as these pom-pom-like blooms are equally stunning in wedding bouquets, in large, upscale arrangements, and as single stems in a vase for the home. Even though its aesthetic appeal goes without saying, you should know that Hydrangea isn't just a pretty face. Here are some of Hydrangea's other qualities that make it special:

The All-American Flower
While Hydrangeas can be found all over the world today, some varieties are actually native to North America. A fun fact for our approaching Independence Day!

A Blooming Sensation
One stem of macrophylla (or "mophead") Hydrangea, a common variety we grow at Sun Valley, has dozens of four-petaled compact blooms that together form a cylindrical head, giving the flower the appearance of a very lovely mop.

The Chameleon
Many gardeners may be aware that soil alkalinity and the presence of aluminum contribute to the coloring of Hydrangea. But did you know some varieties also naturally change colors as they mature? For these varieties, the same Hydrangea bush produces much different colors from May to June and from June to August, when they become "antiqued" (appearing marbled with many layers of color). The great thing about the mild, misty summers at our Arcata farm is they provide Antique Hydrangeas with plenty of moisture, meaning they stay nice and hydrated even later in life.  




The two Hydrangeas pictured above are the same variety
with different soil alkalinity. Remarkable difference, eh?
(Variety: Kuhnert, Blue & Light Pink)

This Hydrangea is antiqued. Notice the layers of color.
(Variety: Antique Hamburg Blue)
Healing Powers
Native Americans used parts of the Hydrangea plant as a diuretic, a detoxifier, a burn remedy, and today's equivalent of Icy Hot. Today, it is sometimes used as a tonic herb in alternative medicine, but I'm going to have to say "Don't try this at home," unless you are an alternative medicine specialist!

Magical mystery flower
Okay, this one may be a stretch, but according to folklore, Hydrangea can be used to break a witch's curse. I'm not sure this is really applicable to anyone these days, but it's great to know if you ever do have the misfortune of crossing paths with the Blair Witch.

Some like it hot...
When you bring them home, Hydrangeas need a variety of water temperatures for a variety of reasons. The stems should be run under hot water for 5-30 seconds after cutting a 1/2 to 1 inch off the stem. This softens the sap-like substance at the base of the stem and allows them to drink water. They should then be placed in fresh, tepid water covering the length of the stem and placed in a cool location. If your Hydrangea is looking deflated, the whole flower (bloom and all) can be brought back to life with an hour-long bath of cold water.

With all of its unique qualities, you could say Hydrangea is quite well-rounded. (Okay, okay. Bad joke.) Just remember the next time you're enjoying its breathtaking outer beauty, there's so much more to Hydrangea than meets the eye.

For more information on Hydrangeas, please visit our Flower Resource page at: http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/pdf/SV_RP_Hydrangea.pdf

Here are a couple of other very helpful Hydrangea websites:
Hydrangeas! Hydrangeas! (For gardening and cut Hydrangea tips) http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/
American Hydrangea Society (Love the flower? Become a member!) http://www.americanhydrangeasociety.org/

Jun 18, 2011

Lily's Boots: Flowers, boots and the Miami heat


I'm here in the midst of the third and final day of the International Floriculture Expo - Miami edition. I have been preparing for this event for what feels like a very long time, and while I think i was well-prepared for the goings-on in our booth, I was in no way prepared for the floral extravaganza that is the IFE: the Disneyland for floral enthusiasts, the Mecca of all things new and remarkable in the floral industry, the land where working is downright fun.

Of course it was great for the reasons I had anticipated: yesterday’s ceremony in which Lane named a lily for Stan Pohmer; featuring our fantastic flowers using materials from the farm (auction cart shelves, conveyor belt floor, greenhouse pipe chandelier); formally introducing All-In-One Vases and Upscale Vase Arrangements, and raffling off the much-coveted iPad2’s.

But here are some of the things that one simply can’t plan for or anticipate that made this show truly fantastic:

First of all, our team reconnected with old industry friends, and I got to make a lot of new ones. Maybe there’s something to this whole “flowers make you happy” thing because people within the floral industry are genuinely friendly and pleasant to be around – easy to befriend.

Second, I get to spend time with our flowers from the time they are babies until they are ready to make their way into the world on a daily basis, but here I get to see them in the world! Buckets upon buckets fully loaded with flowers are simply a stunning sight. It’s hard to say whether the two cartloads of Telstar Iris, the rainbow of soil-grown tulips, or the whole corner devoted to Lilies of all varieties (Royals, Lilytopias, Rose Lilies, oh my!) were more magnificent to take in. “Power in numbers” hit home with this display.

One last-minute inspired idea came to Lane last night when we found ourselves with a few extra tulips at the end of the day. He and another team member ended up handing out several bunches of tulips to unsuspecting people strolling around South Beach. Aside from a few “what’s the catch?” looks from suspicious passers-by, a lot of people walked away with bonus flowers and bonus smiles.



This morning’s highlight was getting a sneak peak of Rene van Rems’ new book Rene’s Bouquets for Brides, which is filled with creative and captivating wedding bouquets – some classic, some contemporary, and all made from flowers grown within the U.S. The photography perfectly captures the wide range of bouquets and “brides,” which a) make me want to get married one day so I can carry one of those masterpieces down the isle, and b) remind me that floral design of the caliber is a scientific art that is better left to the experts! For more information on Rene and his book, please click here. 

Finally, the icing on the IFE cake for me was the fact that our booth tied for Best Booth Design for the show. I think that the tulips-in-boots chandelier was a big hit, and the farm-like feel of the booth really resonated with people. The stunning flowers just might have had a little something to do with it as well. ;) (And yes, I wore my boots during the entire show along with my fellow team members!)


 Overall, this has been an amazing experience and one that I hope to repeat again and again. I couldn't possibly write about everything that I've experienced during this show (because you would eventually become overwhelmed or lose interest in my rambling), but let me say I'm humbled by the amount work that has gone into making this thriving floriculture industry into what it is today, and I'm happy to have met some of the folks who've contributed to it. Until next time, it's been a pleasure! 



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