Join Petal It Foward 2016!

Join Petal It Foward 2016!

#PetalItForward 2016 flower power Petal It Forward SAF Society of American Florists

The Society of American Florists (SAF) is having their annual feel-good floral event, Petal It Forward, next week. The goal? To spread happiness, two bouquets at a time.

Petal It Forward in New York

On Wednesday, October 19th, SAF and florists nationwide will randomly present two bouquets each to people on the street in more than 200 cities in 47 states (see map of participating cities here). They flower-givers will ask recipients to "Petal It Forward" by giving away one of their bouquets to whomever they choose, and posting picture about it on social media using the hashtag #PetalItForward.

From 2015's PetalItForward Event

SAF is encouraging florists, wholesalers and growers of all sizes to join in, with the goal of Petal It Forward events happening on the same day across the country, spreading smiles and highlighting the fact that giving and receiving flowers make us feel good. This kind of activity is good for business and the community on several levels. SAF Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sparks explains, 

"The campaign's key strategy is to generate traditional and social media coverage to highlight the benefit of flower power--the positive impact flowers have on our emotional well-being."

What Sparks is referencing is a study completed by Rutgers University which demonstrates that the presence of flowers creates "instant delight," enhances feelings of life satisfaction and happiness, and has a positive impact on social behavior.  In addition, surveys conducted by SAF last year revealed that 84% of Americans say the best reason for receiving flowers is "just because," and 88% agreed that "giving flowers to others makes me feel happy."  Petal it Forward gives consumers the opportunity to both give and receive.

How It Works

Join the floral industry on October 19th in surprising strangers with flowers.  Stand outside your shop or hit the streets to give two flower bouquets to random people in your community.  Kindly ask your flower recipients to "Petal It Forward," by giving one of their bouquets to someone special in their life, or even to another stranger.  The reason? Just Because.

Follow the fun and join the community by posting a photo of your arrangement on social media and using the tags below. Join us as we spread flower power throughout the country next Wednesday, October 19th!

Flowers are all about Experience

Flowers are all about Experience

camera Emerson experience flower experience flower power flowers kids and flowers Thoreau

“Where the most beautiful wild flowers grow, there mans spirit is fed and poets grow.”
                                                                                       -Henry David Thoreau

Working with flowers all day we sometimes forget the magic they possess. It only takes a child‘s wonder to remind you.

Last week a neighbor handed down an outdated digital camera to our 6 year old. Immediately, we had to go on a photo safari across the neighborhood. I was happy to oblige and off we went, my son clicking away at whatever caught his eye.  I decided not to intervene with my expert advice and just see what we came back with…this was harder than it sounds!

A couple gigabytes later, we returned home and stuck the memory card in the computer. What happened next was truly surprising. Literally, 100 percent of the photos were of flowers. Not just big bloomed dahlias and poppies leaning out to the curb, but tiny flowers on a bush, which I’d never noticed, dandelions in a neighbor’s unkempt yard, little scruffy blooms on ornamental foliages;  nothing else seemed to captivate his attention.

We all start with this intrinsic fascination with flowers. It’s hard wired in to our being. The cyclic nature of cultural trends, leads to this attraction coming back into vogue again and again. Whether it was Thoreau and Emerson turning their backs on the conforming demands of society to find simplicity in nature, or hippies of the 60’s finding solace and peace in “flower power.” We are currently on the edge of a resurgence of this idea, as millennials push back on the disposable culture embraced by their parents and embrace the idea that experiences are more valuable than material possessions.

Flowers are all about the experience. Sure, they are doing a biological action to reproduce, but the flair with which they accomplish this act is truly amazing.  They draw you in and demand your attention.

Is anything on earth as universally loved and appreciated as flowers?

Perhaps this is why we share them in joy and in sorrow and why we cultivate them in our gardens and pick up an eye catching bouquet at the store.  This is why we name our children after them, hang paintings of them on our walls, and even use them as screen savers on our computers, and why when a child is given a camera and freedom, the first thing they photograph is a flower.

We all need the experience flowers give us.

*All photos taken by a six year old.