Author: Flora2000

I love long summer days. The longest day falls on June 21^st this year – an exactly equal amount of time in day and night. This calls for a celebration. Think about it; twelve full hours of sunlight to fill with fun. Oh, where to begin… First things first!  Fill the house with sunflowers. What better bloom to use as a tribute to the longest day of the year than sunflowers. I remember one summer road trip. We were driving across the plains of Nebraska. There were fields of sunflowers as far as the eye could see. As the sun moved across the sky, their heads followed faithfully. What a sight! It is no wonder the Aztecs referred to the sunflower as the Flower of the Gods.

Father’s Day is just around the corner. It’s time to plan for a wonderful gift for the first man in your life. It is a tough decision since he has everything he needs. What would be the perfect Father’s Day gift?

It’s time for a fresh perspective. Flowers, yes flowers are the perfect token of appreciation and love for the man of today. Show him you love him with an exquisite bouquet or better yet, show the world you love him by sending a magnificent floral arrangement to him at work.

P.S. Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I hope you like your flowers!

Weddings, regardless of culture, are built on valuable traditions which convey important meanings and messages to the married couple, their families and their community. The most enduring wedding tradition is the use of fresh flowers in the wedding ceremony. The use of flowers in weddings predates recorded history and is found in nearly all cultures of the world. Flowers are a powerful symbol of fertility and were used to assure that a newly wedded couple would produce children.

Do you know why a majority of weddings have traditionally been held in June?

It turns out that there is a more practical reason for this ancient tradition. Historically, the labor of women was critical for the autumn harvest and a June wedding would result in a conception early enough that the new bride would not be too full with a child to help with the following year’s harvest.

A standing ovation, showing love and appreciation to Father’s all over the world is what we want for Father’s Day.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all and CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of our Blog Contest.

All the entries were heart warming but, through careful deliberation, we have selected 2 winners which poured their hearts out to us and let us know what they would say in less than 15 words to their Dad’s on Father’s Day.

1) Kim Pittman

2) Jennifer Baldwin

Each of you have WON an exquisite Father’s Day arrangement absolutely FREE from us.

Thank You and Congratulations once again. Do keep coming back for more contests, decorating tips and interesting topics covering everything from floral trends to holiday and wedding traditions.

Father’s Day is closing in fast and it’s exactly what we all need to celebrate our Father’s. For all the good times and effort Dad has put in, this day would be a great way to show him how much you care and appreciate his unconditional love.

Designs and arrangements of the finest bouquets tailored to make Dad smile is what will get Father’s Day rolling.

Two winners get a stylishly designed Father’s Day arrangement each, from us, absolutely FREE.

Just write one line, in less than 15 words, ‘What would you say to your Dad for Father’s Day.’

The 2 most creative and ‘straight from the heart’ entries would be selected as the winners.

Leave your answer in our comments.

Best of Luck to you all.

Entries will be accepted till the 15^th of June.

I am very fortunate to have had the chance to have known florists and flower growers who were born in the late 1800’s and who shared stories of growing, selling and designing flowers in the early 1900’s. This was a time when many florists grew their own flowers and in addition to selling flowers through their flower shops, they sold their flowers to consumers and to each other through farmer’s markets.

One might think that flower varieties and design styles were greatly limited a hundred years ago. In fact, there was greater diversity in design and varieties in 1930 than in 1960. Check out the 1934 book “Flower Decoration” by Constance Spry sometime. It was the post-world-war-II “industrialization” of the floral industry that resulted in the inventory of many flower shops being limited to carnations, roses and chrysanthemums.

The farmer’s market is in resurgence throughout the world and a big part of the markets are locally grown flowers. I am discovering small flower growers, local commercial growers and retail florists at the markets. It is thrilling to see the new varieties of flowers, foliage and the design experimentation found in farmer’s markets. It’s just like the “old-days”.

It’s fascinating how history repeats it’s self.

Think of the many ways we use the word “nest” in our language: When we decide to spend a quiet evening at home and alone with our family, we say that we are “nesting”. When our children leave home, we refer to “the empty nest”. When we put money in savings we “feather the nest”. When a full-term expectant mother does an impulsive house cleaning we say the she is “nesting” and will deliver soon.

Yes, a nest design speaks to our basic emotions, which makes it perfect for a centerpiece in the home. The fresh flowers in this featured centerpiece have been tucked into a bit of hidden floral foam. The nest has been secured to a branch which is then laid on the table as a centerpiece. How stylishly wonderful!

Some of the very first Europeans to explore the Great Lakes area of North America were French fur trappers, traders and the “voyageurs”. These were very tough men, capable of traversing the roaring rapids and stormy lakes of the far north in birch bark canoes filled to the gunwales with heavy beaver pelts. Their 18^th century exploits, drinking fests, displays of courage and feats of strength are legendary. Yet, on Macanac Island in northern Lake Michigan there are beautiful old Lilac bushes whose dates of planting have been traced back to the late 18^th century. They were most likely planted by the missionaries, fur trappers, traders and voyageurs of the time, well before any European women had traveled into the area.

I will always remember my visit to Fort Macanac, lingering in an ancient grove of lilacs. The deep purple color, the heady sweet fragrance and the wonder of those French-Canadian voyageurs who left their homes in France, traveled across the treacherous Atlantic, then hiked and canoed thousands of miles into the uncharted and hostile far north with only the very barest of essentials…… including their most precious lilacs. How they must have loved those flowers.

We are all familiar with the practice of memorializing the death of a loved one with flowers. It seems natural and almost instinctive to do so. Flowers are a part of the funerary practices of almost every culture in every country of the world.

When famed rock and roll star Elvis Presley died in 1977 the lawns of Graceland Mansion were covered with floral tributes. Each year on the anniversary of his death hundreds of floral bouquets are piled on his Gravesite by fans. When Princess Diana of England died in 1997 tens of thousands of floral bouquets were laid outside of Kensington Palace.

But, did you know that the practice of memorial flowers has been proven to be at least 40,000 years old. In 1960 archeologists excavating prehistoric graves in Iraq discovered patterns of pollen in graves indicating the placement of floral garlands.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
and satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
and run my stick along the public railings
and make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
and pick the flowers in other people’s gardens . . .

Jenny Joseph

Yes, purple flowers are very much in style. But, you don’t have to pick flowers from other people’s gardens. Flora2000 has dozens of purple flowers to choose from – roses, iris, carnations, dahlias, freesia, hydrangea and more.

Fill your house with your favorite purple blooms and wear a red hat – I promise, life will be a little more fun.