LA Hybrids: Bred To Please Consumers

LA Hybrids: Bred To Please Consumers

#CAGrown Fall Colors LA Hybrid Lilies Royal Lilies

Our own Bill Prescott recently contributed an article to the Produce News highlighting LA Hybrids for fall. These amazing lilies are coming in strong on our farm. - Lily


People buy cut flowers to enjoy their full splendor, yet it is intrinsic in the very nature of flowers that they bloom, and then the blooms fade. When I talk to consumers about flowers, the one phrase I hear again and again is that,“They don’t last.” Frankly, I’m glad they don’t last; flowers perform a single, unrepeatable act of beauty for every person willing to spend a couple dollars or plant a garden.

Watching the progression of a lily opening up over the course of days fills me with joy and appreciation. In this respect, flowers are much like snowflakes- no two are truly the same. There are no digital copies, you can’t copy and paste flowers.

You must grow them.

The new breeds of Longiflorum Asiatic Hybrids (LA Hybrids) are redefining the often sticky subject of “vase life.” This isn’t by accident or coincidence. The breeders in Holland have been working with these hybrids to focus on not only rich colors, a wide ranging color palette, and thick healthy petals, but unparalleled vase life.

When consumers can take home a bunch of lilies and have them last two weeks in their home, we are expanding the value proposition of our flowers. If a consumer does a weekly grocery trip, imagine as they walk past the floral department, and think,“the lilies I bought last week still look great, I will get more next week.”

This level of performance builds long term sales and trust from consumers. Vase life is a holy grail of the flower industry, and it is equated to value in the consumers mind. No matter how beautiful a flower is, if it wilts and dies quickly, consumers are disappointed. LA Hybrids are the cure for this issue.

LA Hybrids also break the traditional thinking of lilies, because they have virtually no scent. Though many people love the intoxicating fragrance of an Oriental, they are potentially inappropriate for some social situations, such as taking flowers to a dinner party.

When I show a consumer that these lilies don’t have a scent, they immediately start taking about the family member or friend that loves lilies, but can’t handle the fragrance.  This lily solves a problem for our customers.

Lilies have universal year round appeal- however, autumn just seems to resonate with lily lovers. LA Hybrids are perfect for fall, coming in the warm oranges, yellow and reds that consumers love for September, October and November.

As flower farmers, we are growing and nurturing these wonderful creations so they will perform at the highest level for consumers.  As an industry, we all understand that creating the optimum experience for our customers is the key to our success and the continued support of our sales partners.

If you are not offering LA Hybrid lilies to your customers, this fall is the perfect time highlight these warm toned lilies with a class leading vase life and the added benefit of no scent.

What Makes a Lily So Royal?

What Makes a Lily So Royal?

#CAGrown LA Hybrid Lilies Lady Aster Royal Lilies

 We absolutely love lilies here at Sun Valley.  We offer hundreds of colors, species, shapes, and sizes under a handful of brand names. One of our most popular brands is our line of Royal Lilies.  These flowers are a special kind of hybrid that demands an exploration into their greatness.

And what makes our Royal Lilies so special? First off, they are our exclusive brand of Asiatic-Longiflorum Lilies, better known as LA Hybrids.  These are not your average garden variety lilies; these are a man-made flower species, hybridized for better performance, and bred to meet and exceed the needs of flower lovers, connoisseurs, and novices alike.  Their blooms are bigger than traditional Asiatics, their vase life is the longest of any lily, and they boast the widest variety of colors.  Not only that, they are virtually scentless--perfect for those who have sensitive noses or allergies. We have been growing LA Hybrids year-round for years, and our dedication, experience, and first-rate finished product is why we have named them Royal Lilies--they are fit for a king or queen, indeed.

Just take a look at the photos--these babies boast extra-large, smooth blooms in a vibrant spectrum of hues.  Their outstanding vase life and distinct trumpet-like shape are both traits they take from their Longiflorum side.  Their Asiatic blood guides the blooms to face upward while also being responsible for their warm, super-saturated hues. 

Besides their excellent breeding history, Royals also need a quality growing environment to really shine.  This, of course, means giving them what they want every step of the way.

The first step is getting the bulbs into the ground.  Royal Lilies love moist, rich soil, so we make sure to pre-water the terrain to achieve the perfect level of moisture.  Next, our planting team places the bulbs directly into the ground.

Baby LA Hybrids with drip tape and wire

Once all the bulbs are planted, our team lays down drip tape, which provides a consistent, measured supply of water and fertilizer directly to their root systems, without wasteful runoff.  Finally, the team lays a wire grid, which is raised with the Royals as they grow (see photo above).  This support system keeps them growing tall and straight.

Lilies in one of our hoop houses

Royals like warm days and cool nights, which is why we grow them our hoop houses in Arcata (thanks cool, coastal breezes!) for three seasons and in Oxnard hoops in winter (thanks warm, SoCal weather!). The two locations allow us to produce continuous, dependable, true-to-type crops year-round.  
 

Large crop of LA Hybrids growing in our special hoop house, known as "The Cravo"

We use our space well, and don't rush the flowers. We grow them slowly, taking about 12-16 weeks to reach the perfect time to pick (still closed, showing some color on the buds).  This style of growing allows enough time for all the energy and nutrients from the bulb to reach the buds, so their vase life is incredible and the colors really pop.

Once picked,  the stems are bunched into groups on soft tables (to prevent damage), and then placed in buckets of water, which is the start of their post-harvest journey.

Once the lilies have been bunched, the next step is to place them in a sleeve, which we have coded with the name of the lily and its color.  This is necessary as we ship our lilies in closed bud form, allowing them to bloom for you.  Once sleeved, each bunch is trimmed to an ideal height and then placed into a bucket of special water on a cart.  Each cart is mapped to show exactly which variety (and how many) are in each bucket and how many buckets are on each cart.  This data allows every team member on all levels (sales, packing, shipping, etc) to have the most accurate information. At the end of the day, we don't just grow flowers, we live and breathe them! 

A Lily Scent Guide by Lady Aster

A Lily Scent Guide by Lady Aster

#AllLiliesDon'tSmell #americangrown #CAGrown #lilies #Smell Asiatic Lilies LA Hybrid Lilies lilyguide Oriental lilies OT Hybrid lilies Roselilies

Welcome our newest flower connoisseur, Lady Aster, we will be sharing her view of the farm on occasion. Enjoy.

“Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.”
               -Helen Keller

The body is a wonderful mechanism.  Our sense of smell, perceived in our olfactory bulb, is part of the brain’s limbic system—an area so tied with memory and feeling that it has been nicknamed our “emotional brain.”  A single smell can call up long-forgotten memories and powerful emotional responses in an instant.  Pretty great stuff, if you like what you smell.  Everyone is different and some people do well with strong scents, while others’ olfaction may be easily overwhelmed. 
   
So what about Sun Valley’s Oriental Lilies? Do these inspire good feelings or aromatically overwhelm?  The answer can be both—while our aromatic lilies may smell amazing to some, others with allergies or sensitive noses may find their scent overpowering.   Luckily for them, not all lilies smell.  It’s true; some lilies boast a fragrance that will fill a room, but other varieties have little to no scent at all.  If you are one who has an aversion to strong-smelling flowers, but still love the presence of gorgeous blooms, this is the post for you. 

I took several of our lily varieties home to test the “smell phenomenon,” placing each variety in a different room for a clear distinction of scent. Here, I provide you with a short-but-sweet summary about which lilies to choose for your all your scented (or non-scented) needs. 

High-Level Smell:
The lily with the strongest fragrance comes as part of our Orchid Lily Line—our well-known Starfighter Lily.  Its colorful blooms and sweet smell brings a bright and lively presence to any room.  I placed a bouquet in my living room, and every time I entered the room I was reminded of stepping off a plane in a tropical paradise, the air heavy with honeyed smells.  If you are one who loves powerfully fragrant flowers, opt for our Starfighter Lily; or, if you prefer a less provocative scent, try our other Orchid Lilies, such as White Cup, Sorbonne, or Curie.   All lilies of the Sun Valley Orchid variety have graceful, arching petals and range in color from pure white to warm hues of pink and red.  

Our famous Starfighter smells how it looks—vibrant!

Mid-Level Smell:
These beauties still have a fragrance, but it is less direct than our Orchid varieties.   These slightly sweet flowers include all varieties of our Sonata Lilies, whose upward facing, 6-inch blooms boast an intensely delicate scent with a light citrus-green background.   The smell of these lovely lilies is subtle, only coming to the surface when you stick your face in them and take in a big, deep breath.   Sonatas are a hybrid of both Oriental and Trumpet Lilies, giving us the best of both worlds in terms of satin-like colors, longevity of life, and light, pleasing scents.

 These Sonata Lilies exhibit a subtle scent to match to their soft, silken colors, this is Time Zone.

Low-Level Smell:
Roselilies (which are part of our Specialty Lilies collection) are lush, double-flowered, gorgeous blooms that demand attention with their appearance, while offering a soft and delightful fragrance. Because their layered blooms are pollen-free and their aroma light, they are a great choice when wanting to visually “wow” your audience without triggering any floral allergies or scent sensitivities.  

One of my favorite Specialty Lilies, Belonica, has giant double blooms that will tickle your fancy, not your nose.

No Smell:
For those who would like immense flora with low-to-no smell, our Love Lilies and Royal Lilies are the blooms for you.  These Asiatic and Longiflorum-Asiatic hybrid lilies are well known for their strong stems, smooth petal forms, long lasting blooms, and, of course, their lack of smell.  Their petal texture is thicker than other lily varieties, which means a longer vase life and their colors range from richly saturated hues to soft, pastel-like shades.  If you suffer from floral allergies or simply don’t like fragrant flowers, check out the large selection of Love (Asiatic) and Royal (Longiflorum-Asiatic) Lilies for a beautiful, verdant display without any additional smell.

A colorful combination of our odorless Love Lilies.

A close-up of one of our long-lasting, no-smell Royal Lilies, this is Royal Bach.

 I hope you enjoyed our walk-through scented science experiment. Regardless of your preference of smell or no smell, all our long-lasting lily varieties will be sure to offer a visual experience like no other.  What do you think? Are you a fragrant flower lover or do you prefer beautiful bouquets without, ahem, a strong bouquet?

Go Team, Autumn Colors and Varieties.

Go Team, Autumn Colors and Varieties.

#americangrown Autumn flowers LA Hybrid Lilies Lilies

"Farming is a profession of hope."
                                             -Brian Brett

We hope you had a flower filled Labor Day and were able to enjoy the long weekend. For flower farmers, Labor Day weekend is a natural jumping off point for fall. All the splashy color of summer blooms will start being replaced by the orange, yellow and reds of autumn.

A creative use for all those empty wine bottles!

We love this time of year on the farm for many reasons.

First, is that since families are sending the kids back to school, and settling down after vacations and road trips of summer; they will be getting back to their year-round routine. This means having fresh American Grown flowers at home. We are ready with LA Hybrid Lilies in a wonderful fall color palette, and our Zantedeschia crop has the warm colors that will keep you cozy as the nights start to take on a chill and the leaves start to change color.

Our Royal LA Hybrids are looking great!

Second, is that our Willow Creek farm is about to grab the spotlight. Rosehips, Snowberries, Cotinus and Ilex. If you keep an eye on Sun Valley, you'll remember that our CEO/President/Farmer, Lane DeVries, has an obsession with Ilex Verticillata. He has been making cuttings and breeding the Ilex with the best traits for floral design for years, and every season the orange and red Ilex berries start to color up in a wave of bright berries across the Trinity River valley. This year is promising to be the best Ilex harvest to date.

Patience...it's not quite Ilex time, but getting close.

Third, is that fall weddings and fall special events are always a great time for flower designers. As summer wanes, people need to keep the energy that flowers provide, whether in their home, at their office or in restaurants and cafes. This leads to an economic upswing for all segments of the flower industry, and this starts right here at farm level; where 16 weeks ago we planted the orange and yellow lilies that are so in demand, now that we are past Labor Day.

Autumn Anitques

Personally, fall is my favorite season. Perhaps because I was born in October, perhaps because we are indoctrinated with the idea of going back to school at a young age, ...even when school is a distant memory, or maybe it's the need to prepare for winter, storing up ideas and inspiration, much like a  squirrel gathers acorns.(Does this sound nuts?)

Fall is invigorating. I get a huge burst of creativity, and the sensation of the crisp autumn air is amazing. The cold nights are not only the perfect weather for hiking (and sleeping), the warm sunny days and chilly nights are great for flowers, especially lilies. This bodes well for you as our Orchid Lilies, Sonata Lilies, Love Lilies, Zantedeschia and a wild variety of Specialty Lilies are coming in just in time for football season.

Flower Inspiration!

Get energized this fall with our stunning flowers that are grown to perform at the highest level, go team!

We Are Bringing You LA Hybrids

We Are Bringing You LA Hybrids

Asiatic Lilies LA Hybrid Lilies Oxnard

The lilies whisper to the day

That sends the breeze below

It touches ground that none can see

Where lilies lively grow

Beautifully arrayed in white

And drinking from the soil

Free to whisper their poetry

Without the need to toil

                                                        -Deborah Amar

LA Hybrids soaking in the California sun.

LA Hybrid and Asiatic lilies are coming in strong from our farm in Oxnard, California. As we all know, not all lilies are created equal. This is why at Sun Valley we call our LA (Longiflorum Asiatic) Hybrids “Royal Lilies” and our Asiatic Hybrids “Love Lilies”; this signifies that you are getting the premier varieties and the highest quality.

Tropic Diamond  |  Esprit  |  Party Diamond  ~ from the Fields Collection.

Nothing about the flowers we grow is garden variety; our flowers are bred to perform. Industry wide, LA Hybrids are in serious demand, and the reason is pretty obvious. These gems have been bred to meet the needs of flower connoisseurs.

Our LA Hybrids feature:

• Thick, color saturated petals.

• Larger buds than traditional Asiatics.

• The best vase life of any lily.

• A color palette more varied than any other lily class; have you see the peachy colored Menorca?

Menorca

So where do these traits come from? The Longiflorum bloodline produces the trumpet shape and provides extra-long vase life. The Asiatic bloodline brings the warmer flower colors and the upward facing blooms.

We increased plantings this year, so more Royals are getting harvested!

I asked Sun Valley’s Lane DeVries to elaborate on our Royal LA Hybrids.

“These lilies are perfect for people who love a big bold lily, but are afraid of the scent that traditionally accompanies an Oriental. Some ories have such a strong scent, I have trouble being in the same room with them. This is one reason I love our LA Hybrids…especially in winter when most people’s homes are closed up tight with the heat running. When it’s cold outside, the very light scent of the LA Hybrids is a blessing and the bright colors can chase off the winter blues like nothing else I know.”

Yellow Diamond Royal Lily

Next I asked Lane what makes our LA Hybrids special?

“There are a few reasons our Royals are superior to others on the market. First are our growing conditions in California. With a farm in northern California and farm in southern California we are able to grow in the very best climate year round. We also select the strongest varieties available, you start with a great bulb, and you get a great flower. Lastly, we grow our lilies slowly. You can’t rush these flowers. We have the space to let them grow slowly. This lets the energy from the bulb and the nutrients in the soil reach the blooms, so their vase life is phenomenal and the colors are just incredible.”

Yellow Diamond  |  Bright Diamond  |  Laksmi  ~ from the Royal Fields Collection.

Right now most of the country is in a ridiculous cold snap with arctic winds pushing subzero temp across vast swaths of America. There is no better time to treat yourself or your customers to these wonderful lilies.

What Happens on the Farm in Spring?

What Happens on the Farm in Spring?

#americangrown #CaFlowers #OriginMatters Asiatic Lilies Easter flowers Freesia Gerberas Iris LA Hybrid Lilies ornithogalum dubium Oxnard

"The air is like a butterfly
With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
And sings."

- Joyce Kilmer, Spring

Spring officially starts tomorrow! And not a moment too soon, am I the only one feeling like this was a longer than necessary winter? Longer days mean more time after work to play in the sun and warmer temperatures all around.  The earth’s northern hemisphere is now tilting toward the sun, so shake off that chill of winter, and hold on.

As flower farmers this means we have to make some pretty dramatic changes in response to the changing seasons. One great part of having two farms spaced about 600 miles apart is that we have the ability to grow our crops where the weather is ideal. This gives Sun Valley top of the season availability, no matter what season it is.

For the last several months we have been growing Iris at our Oxnard facility. Now as it gets warmer down south, we will start iris production in Arcata as well. This parallel production will give us a steady supply as spring and summer bring warmer weather to both our farms, by mid-June it will get too hot for iris down south, but for spring we will be producing heavily both north and south.

In our hoop houses, we will also be bringing the majority of our Asiatic Lily and LA Hybrid Lily production north after about Mother’s Day. Now though, we will be running substantial production on both farms, as the climate is great in both locations. Crops that like the warmth such as Delphinium, Dubium and Matsumoto Asters will be coming on strong as these longer days lead to more light and more warmth in Oxnard.


Ornithogalum Dubium Orange...perhaps the hardest flower name to pronounce. 

Our freesia crop, which is one of the most temperature sensitive crops we grow, will be coming back to Arcata after Mother’s Day as well. If you aren’t familiar with freesia it is really worth getting a few bunches to watch them develop. It has an unusual, yet subtle scent which varies by variety. The vase life is remarkable, as the florets open up over time and there are great color options. I wrote about freesia last fall, but it continues to impress me as a beautiful and versatile flower.

Freesia, very easy to pronounce!

Tulips always stay in Arcata, except for a smattering of hoop house French Tulips that we grow in Oxnard during winter. Our big gerbera program is always in Oxnard, this is due to the growing infrastructure they need, as well as the growing expertise in Oxnard. Our lead gerbera grower, Gerrit Vanderkooy, grew up in Holland in a family which specialized in gerbera growing, so his knowledge of this particular crop runs especially deep. This generational knowledge is another key to maintaining steady production of our core crops.



Gerbera's Grown at our Oxnard farm.

 In Arcata, I asked our head grower Tim Crockenburg, what happens differently as we joyfully roll into spring.

“Spring is volunteer iris time in Arcata, we have big fields of bulbs that come up naturally every year. Frosty nights are few and far between, and the warmer days lead to healthier crops.”

What about in the greenhouses?

“We are using the grow lights less on the Orientals as the days get longer, currently they are still growing pretty slow. The most important factor in lily growing is the temperature. As it warms up they will come to harvest quicker.”

How are we looking for Easter and Mother’s Day?

“This year we are right on schedule. We always anticipate easing into spring, so we have planted our blocks with enough cushion to ensure that we will be in great shape for Easter…and then for Mother’s Day we will really kick it into high gear.”

Springtime in California is truly something to behold. No place on earth holds forth with so much potential. Whether in the high peaks of the Sierra, the rugged coastline at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, or in a backyard in San Francisco, spring is more than just a symbol of hope; it is as close to a true rebirth we will ever know. As the buds on the alders in Humboldt County explode from dormant branches and the mountains of the Los Padres National Forest above our Oxnard farm turn vibrant green, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that we are once again taking leave of the wet cold, winter and embracing the anticipation and optimism of spring.