Roses for all Occasions

Roses have symbolized love, friendship and beauty across cultures throughout time, making them the most popular of all cut flowers. While red roses continually dominate sales, yellow is the second most purchased color, with peach, pink and white following respectively.

While roses have long been known for their ability to warm someone’s heart or to brighten someone’s day, their scent has recently been shown to induce relaxation and a sense of calm. It has been proven that “stopping to smell the roses” can literally relieve stress, treat insomnia and calm nerves.

Next time you have roses in the house, extend your enjoyment and relaxation by drying them. This will extend their natural life by one to two years. The floral experts at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM recommend air-drying as the easiest way to dry your roses. You will need a dry, warm room that has plenty of circulating air. The flowers can be dried individually or in small bunches. Make sure that they are bunched loosely and there is enough air circulating around each of the stems. When the stems are dry and rigid, the roses are ready to be stored or used in arrangements, wreaths, door swags or as potpourri.

Don’t Forget!

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 10th!

Celebrate and love your mother all week and express your appreciation by saying thanks with the freshest flowers, beautiful plants, gourmet gift baskets and more.

The Rose Cart of Sunnyvale is offering a special price for our partners.

Brighten the day of your mother by calling us at
408-732-ROSE(7673) or ordering on-line at rosecart.com.

Say It With Flowers

I came across a funny “flower” anecdote that I hope you will enjoy. Here it goes.

One day Paul Meurisse (actor and comedian) entered a flower shop whose signs encouraged customers to “SAY IT WITH FLOWERS.”

Meurisse ordered a rose. “Just one,” he explained, “to be delivered to this address with my card.” “Is there any message?” the florist asked, picking out a lovely red rose.

By way of reply, Meurisse renowned for his taciturn nature, simply took the flower and plucked off all but two of its luxuriant petals. “There you are,” he said, handing it back.  “And even then, I wonder if I haven’t said too much.”

Say it with Flowers!

Source

A Treasure Chest of Rare Flower Scents

IFF (International Flavors and Fragrances) is one of the largest fragrance manufacturers worldwide to create perfume creations for the big names in the cosmetics and beauty industry. In a massive greenhouse just an hour outside of New York, IFF grows 2000 of the rarest flowers and plants to be harvested for surprising new fragrances.

By harvesting I don�t mean cutting. The experts employ what is called the living-flower-technology. They harvest a flower�s scent by placing a glass bowl over the flower head in order to keep the scent molecules together. An opening in the bowl is connected with a filter, which attracts the molecules and sends them through a connector to a device called �gas-chromatograph�. This device helps to take apart the �scent dna� of a flower and to analyze the different components. This is very helpful for the fragrance designer as every single flower scent is already a perfume in itself consisting of 60 to 100 main ingredients and 200 minor ingredients. With this detailed map of ingredients the designer or rather chemist can recreate all components synthetically to get them ready to be added to a scent composition.

As the name says the living-flower-technology enables the chemists to work with living flowers. Every flower emits an aroma throughout its life cycle and depending on whether it just starts to bloom, is ripe, or almost dying it emits a different scent. As soon as the flower is cut and does not take in nutrients from the soil in which it is planted, it smells differently.

It gets even more interesting when two flower heads share a glass bowl together. This is called the �romance of flowers� because each flower changes its own scent when they are so close together and yet other new scent variations can be achieved.

Finally, the NASA flower tops everything. You might not have heard of the �Overnightsensation Rose� that John Glenn took with him on his space shuttle flight in 1998. The tiny pale pink rose plant, secured in a box, traveled 10 days through space and as expected developed a very special and unique scent with a hint of raspberry and lemon. Shiseido secured this scent for its first Zen perfume. The rose plant is now sitting safely in the Greenhouse outside of New York and who knows, may be you are wearing its scent at this very moment.

Sources

Testimonials

A New and Fresh Way to Peddle Your Petals

1. Get Them Ready

Unpack and process the flowers immediately. Remove foliage below water level to prevent rotting. Start with the problem flowers first.

2. Nip It In The Bud

Ethylene kills. Flowers exposed to ethylene fail to open have a wilted appearance. Blocking ethylene should be done as a pretreatment at all levels of the floral industry. Only EthylBloc is EPA approved.

3. Get Cutting

Cut the flowers every few days. It helps ensure that they hydrate better.

4. Dip

Use Floralife’s Quick Dip to help ensure hydration and a free flowing stem. This can be especially helpful with field grown crops. It’s a must for roses and gerbera daisies to help prevent bent necks.

5. Please Feed

Place flowers in a flower food solution. They need to be nourished for maximum enjoyment. Flower foods generally contain: An acid to lower the pH of the solution. Flowers like a pH 3-4.5 depending on water quality. Ingredients to keep the stems free flowing. An energy source (sugar) to nourish the flowers

6. Measure Up

Measure flower food correctly to maximize results. Mark gallon levels on the side of your stock buckets. Take the guesswork and labor out, of this step and utilize a FloraCare dispensing unit.

7. Keep Cool & Humid

Place in a 34-38 F cooler with 80-90 F humidity. This is crucial. Maintaining low temperature and high humidity is important to reduce water loss and maximize shelf life.

8. Give It Away

Include a FloraLife Fresh Flower Food packet (10 grams) with each purchase. Helps educate the consumer on care and handling.

9. Soak It Up

Soak Secure! Floral foam in a Floralife Flower Food solution

10. Clean Up

Clean buckets and coolers with Floralife D.C.D. This helps inhibit bacteria problems. D.C.D. solution also helps keep buckets clean days after treatment.

11. Finishing Touch

Finish all design work and potted plants with a spray-mist of Floralife Floramist. It refreshes, hydrates and protects to ensure maximum customer satisfaction.

Source

Carnation (Specific Crop Treatments)

Carnation

Carnation, Miniature Carnation

Family: Caryophyllaceae

Genus: Dianthus

Origin: Central & Southern Europe

Grower Recommendations

Carnations and miniature carnations are ethylene sensitive. They benefit

from an anti-ethylene product treatment such as EthylBloc®. Treat flowers

as soon as possible after harvest. After cutting, place flower stems in

a solution of Hydraflor/100 for 1 hour (or up to overnight at 34-38F). Transfer

stems to a solution of one of Floralife Professional formulas for storage.

Please contact Floralife for specifics.

Wholesaler/Retailer Recommendations

Buying Tips:

Ask: Has product been pretreated with a commercial anti-ethylene product,

such as EthylBloc®? What is the source of the product? What is the

cultivar name? Has the product been stored dry or wet?

Processing:

Remove foliage below water level. Recut stems.

Pretreatment:

If the carnations or mini-carnations have not been treated with an antiethylene

product, treat them with a commercial anti-ethlyene product such

as EthylBloc® as soon as possible. Or if carnations or mini-carnations

have been treated with an anti-ethylene product, use one of Floralife’s Fresh

Flower Foods (see Holding Solution) to promote water uptake and hydration.

This treatment will help increase bud opening, decrease flower wilting,

and help keep stems free flowing.

Holding Solution:

Use fresh flower food at recommended rate: Use Floralife® Crystal ClearTM,

Floralife® Professional or Clear Professional, or depending on water test

results, Floralife® Original, Special Blend Hard Water® or Special Blend

Pure Water®.

To have water tested, send a plastic quart bottle of your water to:

Floralife, Inc., 751 Thunderbolt Drive, Walterboro, SC 29488, Attn: Laboratory.

Hold flowers at room temperature for 1-2 hours (2-4 hours if flowers

are limp or exhibiting bent neck) prior to storage in cooler or designing.

As a finishing touch to any floral design, spray Floralife FloralMist® over

entire project.

Floralife, Inc. 9-00

Carnation (continued)

Storage:

Place in a 34-38oF cooler with 80-90% humidity.

Cleaning:

Use Floralife Formula D.C.D.™ to clean buckets, vases, coolers, etc. D.C.D.

is specifically formulated to kill microbes over an extended period.

Customer Satisfaction:

Always give a packet of a Floralife Brand Fresh Flower Food with your

designs. Five gram packets treat one pint of water. Ten gram packets

treat one quart of water.

Troubleshooting:

Problem:

Early sleepiness

Split Calyx

Buds fail to open

Reason/Solution:

Most likely due to exposure to ethylene and/

or high temperatures during shipping and/or

storage. This may also indicate improper or

no anti-ethylene treatment. Find out if the flowers

have been treated with an anti-ethylene

product and/or look into purchasing cultivars

that are less ethylene sensitive.

Likely due to production conditions and age

of product.

Product may have been stored too long or

improperly kept out of solution for an extended

period, or exposed to ethylene. Make sure

anti-ethylene pretreatment is used; check on

storage conditions; make sure one of

Floralife’s Fresh Flower Foods is used.

Use the “Apple Test”* to check for proper antiethylene

treatment.

Do not know if flowers

were anti-ethylene treated

and/or treated properly

Source

Agapanthus (Specific Crop Treatments)

Agapanthus

Common Names: Lily of the Nile, Blue African Lily

Family: Liliaceae

Common Species: Agapanthus praecox

Origin: South Africa

Grower Recommendations

Agapanthus are ethylene sensitive. They benefit from an anti-ethylene

treatment such as EthylBloc®.To protect flowers from ethylene damage,

treat them as soon as possible after harvest. After cutting, place Agapanthus

stems in a solution of Hydraflor/100 for 1 hr. (or up to overnight at 34-

38F). Transfer stems to a solution of one of Floralife Professional formulas

for storage. Please contact Floralife for specifics.

Wholesaler/Retailer Recommendations

Buying Tips:

Ask: Has product been pretreated with an anti-ethylene product, such as

EthylBloc®? What is the source of the product? What is the cultivar name?

Has the product been stored dry or wet?

Processing:

Remove foliage below water level. Recut stems.

Pretreatment:

If the agapanthus have not been treated with an anti-ethylene product,

treat them as soon as possible. Or if agapanthus have been treated with

an anti-ethylene product, use one of Floralife’s Fresh Flower Foods (see

Holding Solution) to promote water uptake and hydration. This treatment

will help increase bud opening and decrease flower wilting. It also keeps

flower stems free flowing.

Holding Solution:

Use fresh flower food at the recommended rate: Use Floralife® Crystal

ClearTM, Floralife® Professional or Clear Professional, or depending on water

test results, Floralife® Original, Special Blend Hard Water® or Special

Blend Pure Water®.

To have water tested, send a plastic quart bottle of your water to:

Floralife, Inc. 751 Thunderbolt Drive, Walterboro, SC 29488, Attn: Laboratory.

Hold flowers at room temperature for 1-2 hours (2-4 hours if flowers

are limp or exhibiting bent neck) prior to storage in cooler or designing. As

a finishing touch to any floral design, spray Floralife FloralMist® over entire

project.

Floralife, Inc. 9-00

Cleaning:

Use Floralife Formula D.C.D.™ to clean buckets, vases, coolers, etc. D.C.D.

is specifically formulated to kill microbes over an extended period.

Customer Satisfaction:

Always give a packet of a Floralife Brand Fresh Flower Food with your

designs. Five gram packets treat one pint of water. Ten gram packets treat

one quart of water.

Agapanthus (continued)

Troubleshooting:

Problem:

Can be caused by excessive drying out, rough

handling, old age, and/or exposure to ethylene.

Check with your supplier on harvest date.

Make sure an anti-ethylene pretreatment is

performed and one of Floralife’s Fresh Flower

Foods is used.

Shattering

Reason/Solution:

Storage:

Place roses in a 34-38oF cooler with 80-90% humidity.

Source

A New and Fresh Way to Peddle Your Petals

1. Get Them Ready

Unpack and process the flowers immediately. Remove foliage below water level to prevent rotting. Start with the problem flowers first.

2. Nip It In The Bud

Ethylene kills. Flowers exposed to ethylene fail to open have a wilted appearance. Blocking ethylene should be done as a pretreatment at all levels of the floral industry. Only EthylBloc is EPA approved.

3. Get Cutting

Cut the flowers every few days. It helps ensure that they hydrate better.

4. Dip

Use Floralife’s Quick Dip to help ensure hydration and a free flowing stem. This can be especially helpful with field grown crops. It’s a must for roses and gerbera daisies to help prevent bent necks.

5. Please Feed

Place flowers in a flower food solution. They need to be nourished for maximum enjoyment. Flower foods generally contain: An acid to lower the pH of the solution. Flowers like a pH 3-4.5 depending on water quality. Ingredients to keep the stems free flowing. An energy source (sugar) to nourish the flowers

6. Measure Up

Measure flower food correctly to maximize results. Mark gallon levels on the side of your stock buckets. Take the guesswork and labor out, of this step and utilize a FloraCare dispensing unit.

7. Keep Cool & Humid

Place in a 34-38 F cooler with 80-90 F humidity. This is crucial. Maintaining low temperature and high humidity is important to reduce water loss and maximize shelf life.

8. Give It Away

Include a FloraLife Fresh Flower Food packet (10 grams) with each purchase. Helps educate the consumer on care and handling.

9. Soak It Up

Soak Secure! Floral foam in a Floralife Flower Food solution

10. Clean Up

Clean buckets and coolers with Floralife D.C.D. This helps inhibit bacteria problems. D.C.D. solution also helps keep buckets clean days after treatment.

11. Finishing Touch

Finish all design work and potted plants with a spray-mist of Floralife Floramist. It refreshes, hydrates and protects to ensure maximum customer satisfaction.

Source

Flower Walk: Atlixco’s Fair

Flower Walk: Atlixco’s Fair

The Flower Fair is taking place in one of the prettiest cities in the world Puebla, Atlixco. Atlixco’s fair usually takes place every year during summer.

Many people gather and create an atmosphere that is worth being around. The air is hot, but the fun that people encounter is worth the hot heat.

The fair usually takes place on July 11^th, to July 21^st. The fair exhibits 150 thousand plants and 5 thousand square meters. Visitors hail from many parts of the world, country and cities. Some of them include: Puebla, Atlixco, Morelos, Puebla’s, USA, Europe and mountains and sierras. There is a crowd of 120 thousand gathered throughout the month.

The fair has about 130 exhibotrs, most are producers from Atlixco’s area, 20 from different states: Puebla and Morelos.

It’s a great exhibit with many things to offer to new and older guests. To learn more about this wonderful fair, check out the following link:

Link

Some pictures of the fair: