Viburnum Spring Snowballs

Viburnum Spring Snowballs

CAGrown Green viburnum Lady Aster short season crops Snowball spring Viburnum Willow Creek

In the Sun Valley Flower World, it ain't spring until we have Viburnum.  And ladies and gentlemen, do we have Viburnum!

Viburnum is extra special because its growing season is one of the shortest--we start picking at the end of March (when their many-flowered heads are nice and full) and we are usually done by the end of April  You may hear Viburnum blooms also referred to as Snowballs--this is because their mass of tiny blossoms give each bloom-head a spherical, puffy shape.

Viburnum is also known for its color change during the season (which we'll talk about below).  They first bloom in a vivid lime green color and then turn to ivory-white puffballs as they mature in the sunshine.  

Early-Season and Late-Season Viburnum

Willow Creek Canyon

We grow Viburnum at our inland farm (a mountain canyon better known as Willow Creek) whose micro-climate provides the perfect conditions to produce this fantastic spring show.  

A rainbow beckons in Spring to our Willow Creek Farm

We plant viburnum in both open fields and covered hoop houses--the hoop houses hold in heat, contributing to a faster growing rate.  This simple trick allows us to extend the normally super-short viburnum growing season.  We can stagger our picking schedule, starting with early-season hoop houses and ending with their open field-grown counterparts.   

Here is the progression of growth over 6 weeks from dormant stems to super green foliage and blooms

 Viburnum Green-to-White

Viburnum is famous for its color change from green-to-white, which signifies the progression of the season. For example, right now, the crop is a charming green color.  This fresh look is known as early-season viburnum; it looks stunning on its own (a veritable spring forest with long stems and full, lime-green heads), and also works wonders as a focal piece in spring bouquets, adding color and a field-to-vase aesthetic to any home or bridal arrangement.

 

Late-season viburnum is another visual treat.  As our crops mature and the open-fields get a few weeks of full sunshine, our young, green viburnum develops into a brilliant white.  We still pick while it's mostly green, just like we do with our iris, tulips, and lilies.  This guarantees a longer vase life and you can watch it color up beautifully.

White snowball viburnum has an exquisite and classical appearance--its long stems and multiple florets still brings the wildflower aesthetic to arrangements like early-season green viburnum, but it also boasts an elegant cleanliness that can only be achieved with white. 

Regardless of whether you opt for early-season green or late-season white, this heady bloom and its wonderfully long, wooden stems makes it the perfect floral complement for wedding bouquets, Mother's day arrangements, or any quintessential spring gathering.  But you better hurry, like spring, viburnum season passes in a beautiful flash.

Green Viburnum and Tulips make the perfect Spring Statement

Field to Vase Dinner Tour Comes to Arcata!

Field to Vase Dinner Tour Comes to Arcata!

#american grown #CAGrown Amy Stewart Debra Prinzing F2V Dinner Tour field to vase Lady Aster Wil Franklin

The Field to Vase Dinner Tour is starting 2016 off right!  The widely-acclaimed dinner tour (the brainchild of American Grown) is kicking off this year's circuit right here in Arcata, in one of Sun Valley's very own tulip greenhouses--and you are invited to join us for this enchanted evening among the flowers.

Sounds magical, right?  Believe me, it is.  What I love about the concept is that it is not just a typical gourmet dinner in a pretty setting.  It is those things, but it is also an opportunity to support your immediate community, while also advocating for our country.

Yeah, I said it, and it's not hyperbole..... (Okay, maybe a little bit).


What do I mean by that? Well, did you know that 80% of flowers in the United States are imported from South America?  Unfortunately, this statistic is not well-known, which is why the American Grown brand (an offshoot of the California Cut Flower Commission) launched the Field to Vase Dinner Tour last year.  Its intention is to create awareness of the domestic flower movement.  Everything about the enchanted evening highlights the importance of Fresh, Local, and Sustainable--the flowers at the center of the table (and surrounding it), the wine in your glass, and the food on your plate.  Studies have shown that given the choice, consumers prefer American Grown flowers, echoing the preference of those who care where their beer was brewed and how their beef was raised, chickens were reared, and so on.

Last year, the dinner tour was a smashing success, nearly selling out in every location, and it looks like we are on track to do that here.  Here's what to expect:

A four-course meal of local food prepared by local businesses--think Eel River Grass fed Beef incorporated into gastronomical delights by Arcata's own Café Brio and Folie Douce; beer flowing from McKinleyville's Six Rivers Brewery; a selection of award-winning wine from StargazerBarn.com and Trinity River Vineyards (Willow Creek); and Drunken Botanist-inspired cocktails mixed from locally-made vodka.  Dinner will be served on a single long table, against a backdrop of millions of growing tulips.  This is the unique setting for an intimate tour of Humboldt County's epicurean and agricultural delights.

The tulips growing in the greenhouse won't be the only flowers, of course. There will be arrangements galore, all done by local business owner Faye Zierer Krause of Flora Organica Designs.  She'll be using Sun Valley flowers, greens, and botanicals to make table arrangements and dramatic installments, and there's even going to be a small demonstration for those who want to learn a few tricks.  

Also joining the evening for drinks, dinner, and conversation will be best-selling author and flower fanatic, Amy Stewart,  floral advocate and garden geek Debra Prinzing, and Winemaker Wil Franklin.  Of course, the evening would not be complete without our very own CEO Lane DeVries, whose passion for flowers, this community, and the Sun Valley team stands as testament to the American Grown feel of the entire event.

Tickets are $184 and include all the food and drink, a farm tour led by Lane DeVries, a flower demonstration by Faye, a swag bag of American Grown goodies, and of course an armful of local flowers.  There are only 150 tickets available for this once-in-a-lifetime event, so you better get while the gettin is good. 

So, what are you waiting for? Show Humboldt Field-to-Vase some love, buy your tickets here.  

Flower Humor for the Valentine Countdown

Flower Humor for the Valentine Countdown

#Valentine's Day Flower jokes Humor Lady Aster

The Final Week of Valentine's Madness has begun!

We hope the holiday has been going smoothly for all of you floral industry folks out there. I know the Go!-Go!-Go! paired with lack of restful sleep and minimal leisure time can start taking its toll during the final week.  For me, this is when my daily diet becomes a Holy Trinity of Horror--sugar, carbs, and caffeine rule with an iron fist, which first leaves me feeling like an omnipotent flower goddess, queen of problem-solving, but then quickly dissolves into a junk-food induced mental breakdown, where my only redemption seems to be that last handful of licorice and just one more cup of coffee.

Lucky for me,  here at Sun Valley I am surrounded by good people who tell me the hard truths like, "Hey there Lady Aster, you should probably switch to water," and, "Are you sure you've been showering?" This kind of support reminds me that laughter is indeed the best mental medicine, so to pass on this healing antidote, I have gathered some flower puns for the stressed, jokes for the restless, memes for the frustrated, and a video for the grumpy.  Enjoy.

 THE DUEL OF THE FLORISTS

Cartoon by Tony Zuvela

REINCARNATION

Cartoon by Kes

LADY ASTER IN 1 WEEK

 (Cartoon by Brainless Tales)

CONTROL ISSUES

Comic by the beloved Bill Watterson

CULPA VACCUS

A VALENTINE'S DAY POEM

Last week's  Groundhog Day post got me thinking about all the great Bill Murray performances.  One of my favorites is his improvised Cinderella Story scene in the classic film, Caddyshack.




Keep up the good work and keep smiling.

How Groundhog Day is Just like Valentine's Day for the Floral Professional

How Groundhog Day is Just like Valentine's Day for the Floral Professional

Bill Murray Groundhog Day Lady Aster Valentine's Day

 Happy Groundhog Day 2016!

If you are familiar with this February 2nd "holiday," then you know it's all about a little furry guy coming out of his (or her) burrow, maybe seeing his shadow, maybe not.  If he sees his shadow, it's another 6 weeks of brutal winter, if not, spring will come early.

If you are familiar with movies, then you know Groundhog Day is a 1993 cult classic starring Bill Murray as the egocentric soul who spends 10+ years (according to some movie mathematicians) in a Groundhog Day time loop. Every morning he awakens and reawakens to February 2nd, Sonny and Cher singing "I've Got You Babe" on the radio.  

Now that it's Valentine's Day go-time, any of you floral professionals feeling that way about our blessed February 14th? In the world of flowers, it seems that Groundhog Day (both the actual day and the movie) are synonymous with the Valentine's Day holiday madness. It does seem like just yesterday that we were planning, prepping, and preparing for Valentine's Day 2015, yet here we are again! (And for those of you who are experiencing your first Valentine's Day in the floral industry....just you wait....)

No thank you!

In the movie Bill Murray's character, Phil Connors, handles the time loop poorly. Very poorly.  After his initial reaction of bewilderment, he attempts to handle the senseless repetition with hedonism and manipulation, but finds no reprieve in his indulgences.  He then tries to end the repeat-day by killing himself in a variety of creative ways (including taking a toaster into the bathtub), yet every morning he still wakes up to the sounds of "I've Got You Babe" on the clock radio and the calendar pointing to February 2nd. 

Phil's final attempt to deal with the time loop is self-actualization.  He learns new skills--how to play the piano, sculpt ice, speak French.  He learns all about the people around him and what makes them tick.  Eventually, he uses this knowledge of the townspeople and the day's events to help as many people as possible...the former misanthrope even falls in love. 

So, in light of Groundhog Day, how are you handling the Valentine's Day time loop? Are you losing your head? Are you trying to control the uncontrollable? Are you, like me, drinking too much coffee?  Or, like our dear antagonist-turned-protagonist Phil Connors, are you learning from past mistakes, enhancing your own human understanding to rise above the absurd and the mundane?

Coffee helps.

Now, no matter how crazy this holiday season gets, and no matter how tempting it may be to make some sparks in the bathtub or eat ALL the donuts, we urge you to KEEP GOING! YOU CAN DO IT! Soon, the madness will be over.......just in time to start again. 


Rita: This day was perfect. You couldn't have planned a day like this.
Phil: Well, you can. It just takes an awful lot of work.

The Spectrum of Valentine Flowers

The Spectrum of Valentine Flowers

Hyacinth Lady Aster Lilies pink purple red Tulips Valentine's Day valentine's day colors Valentine's Day Flowers

It may seem too early to start talking about Valentine's Day, but here on the flower farm, we have been acting on it since last fall. We planted our Valentine lily and iris crops in October, and two short months later, we brought our tulips out of the coolers and into the greenhouse, ready to complete their growing cycle.  Looking into the future, what kinds of flowers and flower hues will be in demand this Valentine's Day? Let's find out...

Pink Hyacinth + Red Tulips = The Perfect Valentine's Day Combination

The Color of Love: Flowers

The colors of Valentine's Day haven't really changed since its inception--Red, pink and white reign supreme, representing a combination of passion, wealth of love, and purity of heart.  However, we mustn't forget the dark horse of Valentine's Day--Purple.  From dark purple to light lavender, this lovely spectrum symbolizes enchantment, originality, and love at first sight.  Very appropriate and in-demand. We, of course, have the gamut of colors in a range of floral varieties--the reddest of reds and the pinkest of pinks and everything in between.

Soil-grown tulips in all the romantic colors

The Reds

When I think about red flowers, I think of the tulip.  The red tulip is a chic and romantic Valentine's Day flower--lore tells us the tulip's dramatic black eye represents a lover's heart deepened by passion, a perfect symbol for this love-centered holiday.  How red you want to go is up to you; this primary color is represented by the bright orange-red vermilion, to the darker bluish-red crimson, all the way to the darkest burgundy (and we have soil-grown tulips in each and every hue).  Of course, lighten the shade of red and we get "baby red," better known as that other popular Valentine color, PINK.

Red Tulip Eye (photo courtesy of Veggie Plot)

The Pinks and Whites

Now, when I think about exceptional pink flowers, I think of the lily. My first thought goes to the iconic Stargazer, as its time-honored speckled pink face and signature scent is a perfect Valentine choice.  But then I think of ALL our Oriental lilies--all are veritable floral powerhouses which come in all of Cupid's colors and whose star-shaped blossoms are befitting for any romantic celebration.

A Pink and White Lily Collection

Oriental lilies' range of pink shades begins on the dark side with intense maroon (ie: Sumatra, above photo, center bloom).  Lighten it up to a still-saturated pink hue like Dynamite.  A little lighter, and a variegated pink shines through, such as with the candy-pink Sorbonne.  The hues get lighter and lighter--I especially love the pink edging and white ruffled petals of Hotline.

Clockwise from top left: Sorbonne, Dynamite, Stargazer, Hotline

We cannot talk about pink Valentine lilies without mentioning Roselilies.  Their growing popularity and lush double-petaled heads guarantee that they will sell out this Valentine's season, so get these decadent, premium, and romantic blooms while you can!

Roseliles L-R: Belonica and My Wedding

And of course, at the end of the red, pink, and white spectrum we get the beautiful pure white of White Cup lilies, Clearwater tulips and more. Their clean coloration signifies pride and devotion and never fails to put on a celebratory show.

Clearwater Tulips

The Purples

Ah, purple, how do we love thee? I consider purple to be the middle child of Valentine's day, always included but never talked about. By definition, purple is a range of hues between red and blue, and is often associated with royalty, mystery, and magic.  When combined with pink, it is associated with femininity, seduction, and eroticism (if that doesn't scream Valentine's Day, what does?).  If you want to think outside the box, yet remain romantically relevant this Valentine's day, think purple, lavender, and violet.  Mix purple with pink and you have yourself an extra special mix, my friend.

Valentine's Day marks the start of the Floral Industry's 5-month Holiday Season, and soon, we pass our flower baton to all the other flower professionals who are going to keep the V-day train running all the way through to the end. Now that you know what to expect....are you ready?

Flower Mixology

Flower Mixology

bouquet terminology DIY flower bunches flower mixology Lady Aster

The flower business has its own bouquet terminology which can get distilled even more by individual flower companies, florists, designers, and wholesalers.  This can be quite confusing for the layperson as well as the expert, so today we break down flower purchasing terminology and dive into how each floral component acts like a flavorful ingredient in Flower Mixology. 

The Terminology

At Sun Valley Floral Farms we sell flowers a few different ways:

• Consumer Bunch (aka simple bunch): Typically 3-20 stems of a single flower, such as 5-stem bunch of Asiatic Lilies, or a 10-stem bunch of tulips.
• Enhanced Bunch: Like a consumer bunch, but enhanced with greens, or paired with another flower or specialty branch.
• Botanicals and Specialty Branches: These bunches include items such as brassica, crocosmia, dianthus, hypericum, and ilex--these are textural, focal fillers.  In a mixed bouquet, they bring a lot of color, contrast, and texture, and make arrangements feel full and complete.  They tend to have the longest vase life out of any flower (useful for progressive bouquets, see below!).
• Greens:  Foliage fillers, such as salal, horsetails, bear grass, huckleberry, and woodwardia.
• Mixed Bouquets:  Designer bouquets created by our Sun Pacific division.  Usually based on a theme (color, emotion, holiday, etc) and built with a mixture of flowers, botanicals, and greens to represent that theme.

Floral "ingredients"

This kind of floral breakdown allows our customers to cater their order depending on what their customers want.  So what do your customers buy? Do they go for the single variety in a vase?  Do they buy a few different varieties/colors and make their own arrangements? Do they buy pre-made bouquets and call it good? Do they ask for ideas?


There are hundreds of variables in arrangement and bouquet building, and endless possibilities for buying and selling your flowers.  This is all part of the art (and fun) of Flower Mixology.

Flower Mixology

We can thank the culture of social sharing for the do-it-yourself (DIY) trend which has been steadily growing for a decade. This movement encourages people from all walks of life to do-it-yourself, get your hands dirty, learn a new skill (and then show it off!). I love this trend as I myself am a DIYer and will try my hand at almost anything--whether it be flower arranging, replacing the starter in my car, or building a mini-greenhouse (thanks YouTube!).  Enter Flowers: The DIYers are your flower mixologists who will be purchasing multiple bunches of various varieties, enhanced bunches, botanicals, and greens.  For your customer, the best thing about flower mixology is the freedom to experiment, the adventure of trying something new and to have fun along the way.  For you, it is the opportunity to educate, provide resources, and to turn someone from an occasional flower buyer into a flower enthusiast.  Encourage their interest with educational how-to cards, color-wheels, and all the tools they need to build their own brilliant bouquet.  Below are some flower mixology ideas and trends that you can use to your advantage, or at the very least, have fun yourself!

•  Color-Blocking: Color-blocking takes bold, contrasting colors and puts them together en masse, usually with a defined line (see Green Ball Dianthus arrangements below).  This could

  

  Color-blocking Hyacinth and Tulips

  be accomplished by purchasing a few simple bunches of differing colors, or it could be simplified even more.  For example, one of our enhanced bouquets of hyacinth and tulips comes with a mix of bright orange tulips and deep blue hyacinth (see photo on right).  You could buy one of these and have your color-block fix immediately, or you could break it down into groupings.  This is the method of using multiple small containers, with each one holding a single color of flowers, and then you group the containers together to create a potent color-block effect.

Color blocking using grouping (left photo), and altogether, en masse (right photo). Photos via Style Me Pretty

• Monochromatic:  Monochromatic arrangements use one color in an entire arrangement, but with different flowers, hues, texture and form.  Depending on the color scheme, one could use multiple consumer bunches along with botanicals and specialty branches.  Monochromatic arrangements are simple to achieve, but pack a dramatic punch and can speak volumes.  Check out the simple, but elegant, all-white arrangement below.

Photo (and DIY instructions) found on hgtv.com

Sun and Surf progressive bouquet

•   The Progressive Bouquet: A progressive bouquet starts with a mixed bunch or an enhanced bunch--basically any arrangement with a combination of floral ingredients that age at different rates, each progressing at a different time.  One example a bouquet with Asiatic lilies and iris  (see photo on the right).  Asiatic lilies have a vase life that is hard to beat, and can outlast iris by about a week or two.  Add in the super long-lasting power of greens or botanicals, and a single bouquet can become two or three over the course of several weeks.  During the December holiday season, I gave my friend a bouquet which contained white lilies, red ilex, and port orford cedar.  Ilex has a ridiculously long vase life, easily lasting a month.  Once the lilies lived their life, my friend continued to use the red ilex by pairing it with some eucalyptus and decorative rocks and voila, she had another beautiful arrangement that lasted for another three weeks. 

The bouquet on the left can progress into an immaculate Ilex display

•  Thematic Bouquets: These are bouquets created around a particular mood, trend, or season.  When our own Sun Pacific Bouquet builds a bouquet, they first create a "mood board" with a specific theme.  They then research the theme; collecting pictures, colors, ideas and trends in order to create the "mood" they want the bouquets to reflect.  These boards become a collage of inspired ideas which will then be transferred into a bouquet that speaks that theme--be it whimsical, somber, celebratory, or romantic.  These are the gorgeous mixed bouquets that many people will buy, straight up, as is.  They are convenient, beautiful, and thoughtful. However, this is also the kind of bouquet that many people want to create on their own, and when the proper tools are provided (high-quality flowers of all colors and varieties, botanicals, green, branches), they will, with pleasure. 

Clockwise from top left: Patriotic bouquet, Autumn-inspired bouquet, Romantic bouquet, and Spring-inspired bouquet

Flower mixology is fun, adventurous, and good for business.  Just like mixing a cocktail, you take a few ingredients, mix and match until you find the flavor YOU want.  There are people who prefer to buy a pre-made Bloody Mary mix, a bottle of vodka, and call it good.  And there are others who buy the horseradish, the tomato juice, the celery salt, the Worcestershire, and build their own, personal Bloody Mary from those ingredients.  There is a need for both--the individual ingredients and the pre-mixed, and it all comes down to personal taste.  The same goes for mixing up flowers. As flower farmers, we are here to supply the options, the inspiration, and the ingredients, and let the customers have at it.

   

Hyacinth Season is Here!

Hyacinth Season is Here!

Basal Plate CAgrown Americangrown Hyacinth Lady Aster Spring flowers

The month of January beckons one of our favorite flowers out of the ground and into the market. Here in Arcata, hyacinth season has begun.  

Purple "Atlantic" and Pink "Ann Marie" Hyacinth

Hyacinth are a classic bulb flower with a very passionate fan base (myself included).  They are a fascinating bit of flora--each stem has rows of intricate blossoms saturated in deep shades of blue, violet, white, pink, and yellow, each hue paired with a notable, super-heady fragrance.  When a hyacinth first begins to bloom, it produces a light floral aroma, but once the flowers fully open up the scent becomes intoxicating and powerful.  To walk into a room that contains a vase of hyacinth smells like walking into a flower shop, or arriving on the tarmac in Hawaii, or entering an English garden full of sweet flowers--absolutely heavenly.  

Purple, White, and Pink Hyacinth look great combined in a frosted vase

Now, to get to the vase full of intoxicating fragrance takes a little bit of work (on our part).  It all begins with the crop plan--which varieties get planted and when.  Almost all our favorite varieties are part of the "A-line" (with variety names such as: Atlantic, Anne Marie, Antarctica, etc).  We also stagger the plant dates--we have "early" varieties and "late" varieties of each color, which ensures that we are growing the strongest hyacinth for every season.

The "A-line" plus Blue Giant

Once we receive the hyacinth bulbs, we immediately plant them in rich, soil-filled crates, which are then placed in a climate-controlled rooting room.  There, our newly planted bulbs sit in the dark for 16 weeks, as we simulate winter and prepare them for their "spring" ahead.

Hyacinth sprouts (look for the tiny florets developing within the leaf structure)

Once the bulbs have had their winter, their root structure will be fully developed and they will have started shooting their yellow-green sprouts skyward.  At this point, we move the crated baby hyacinths into a specially designed warm, humid hoop house.  We cover the sprouts with a cloth, which maintains the warm, moist environment--the heat, dark, and humidity work together to stretch the hyacinth stems to an enviable length of 12-14 inches.   

Within one short week of being moved from rooting room to hot hoop house, the hyacinth foliage will be dark green, their clusters of bell-shaped flowers will be showing color, and they will be giving off their signature pungent aroma. They are now ready to be "pulled."
 

"Pulled" hyacinths, still on the bulb

 You'll notice I said "pulled," not "picked."  Our team gently pulls out the entire plant, making sure to leave the bulb attached. We also do this with our soil grown tulips, but it's a little different with the hyacinth, because we core the outside of the bulb off, and keep the center.  The bottom of this white bulb is called the “basal plate,” and when left on, it allows nutrients to continue flowing to the flower, strengthening it and doubling its vase life.

Hyacinth Basal Plate--freshly cored

Hyacinth Inspiration 

The bright, saturated colors of a hyacinth's blossoms and its rich green foliage will brighten any room.  One can get lost in the intricacies of its densely packed flowers as well as its distinctive floral scent.   

Intricate hyacinth florets

 They look great on their own, whether as a simple, single-color bouquet or combined with other colors.  Hyacinths also look fabulous in mixed bunches.  A flower that it complements really well is the tulip. Their contrasting shapes and textures  play well together and the variety of color combinations is limitless.  Below, you can see a few simple, yet impactful, tulip and hyacinth arrangements we made earlier this week.

Purple Atlantic hyacinth paired with orange World Favorite tulips

Pink Anna Marie hyacinth paired with yellow Strong Gold tulips

A simple and elegant Valentine's day arrangement: Red tulips and a single pink hyacinth

Do you know why you love hyacinths yet? Is it because of their multiple rows of intricate blossoms?  Is it because they are the "official flower" of the Persian New Year? Or is it their strong, ambrosia-like fragrance? Or is it because their season is limited to winter and spring, making their appearance extra-special?  If you are not yet familiar with these unique blooms, give them a try, let them charm you, and let us know why YOU love hyacinths.

And remember, for excellent hyacinth vase life, follow their special Care and Handling Instructions: Keep the white basal plate at the bottom of the stem intact--don't trim them!