Quarterly Publication of the Original Los Angeles Flower Market of American Florists Exchange, Ltd. | Summer / July 2016 • Volume 25 - Number 3

Kit Wertz (left) and Casey Schwartz, designers for the Field to Vase Dinner Tour at the Flower Fields.

All Generations Buying More Flowers See Page 8

Designing for the Field to Vase EventFlower Fields at Carlsbad Star of Show

Story begins on page 4

Where Good Ideas are Always in Bloom

Wall St. & San Julian St. Merchants

Street map aboveA See detail (above right)

B Casa Blanca Wholesale Flowers, Inc. . . . . . . 213 488.3321Full Service

C Decor Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 629.6949Floral Supplies

D Mellano & Company . . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796Full Service

E Mellano & Company Wholesale Florist . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796

Full Service

F LA Flower District Association (Badge) . . . . . . . . . 213 627.3696

G Floral Supply Syndicate . . . . . 213 624.3982Floral Supplies

H Moskatel’s, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 689.4590Floral Supplies

I Stamis Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.6770Floral Supplies

J Cris Flowers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.1797Floral Supplies

K Jay’s Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 612.0353Greens

L Floral Prop Rental . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.1700Floral Supplies

Vendors in The Original Los Angeles Flower Market of the American Florists Exchange, Ltd.

1 JC Grand Tree Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 213 833.0002Orchids & Cymbidiums

3 Imported Flowers from Paradise, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 626.383.1367Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

4 Dan Stamis, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.6770Greens

5 Blossom Valley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 891.9320Roses

6 G.M. Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 489.7050Full Service

7 & 7B Dayro’s Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 623.5177Roses & Cut Flowers

7A Flower Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 624.4866Miscellaneous Cut Flowers, Greens

8 Designer Direct Showcase . . . 213 488.9765Floral Supplies

10 Tommy’s Flower & Vase Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.1205Floral Supply

11 Eliseo’s Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.4898Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

12A & 13A Kimura Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.1620Orchids

12B - 13B Beth Madisson Flowers . . . . . 626 512.4085Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

14 Choice America Flower Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 489.8377Miscellaneous & Exotic Flowers

15 - 17 Julia’s Wholesale Flowers . . . 213 891.1514Roses & Cut Flowers

18 Zavala Wholesale Flowers . . . . 213 488.0085 20 Wall Street Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 304.8933

Supermarket Florals, Rose Petals & Roses

23, 33- 34 Mellano & Company. . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796Full Service

24 Valle Wholesale Flowers. . . . . 213 688.8810Full Service

26 Gonzalez & Sons Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.7678Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

27 C & K Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 327.0313Vases & Ceramics

28 - 29B Ted’s Evergreens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 624.1524Greens

29A - 30 Vases by Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818 434.1512Vases

31 Balloons Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 683.8819Balloons

32A Gilbert Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 689.9564Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

32B A Ruiz Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.3695Exotic Cut Flowers

36 - 38 Tropical USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 614.1915Exotic Cut Flowers

39 Tommy’s Flower & Vase Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 688.8810Floral Supply

40 S.O.S Wholesale Flower Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 896.0322Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

41 Growers Direct Flowers, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 688.8855Cut Flowers

44 Paradise Garden Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.5144Full Service

45 Orchids Oasis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.3805Orchids

50 Martin Sanchez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 629.4154Fruit, Candy & Stu�ed Animals

Hours:Trade-Only Hours: Mon, Wed & Fri 2am - 8am, Tue & Thurs 5am - 6am, Sat Public, Sun ClosedPublic Hours: ($2 admission weekdays; $1 on Saturday) Mon, Wed & Fri 8am - 12pm, Tue & Thurs 6am - 11am, Sat 6am - 2pm, Sun ClosedFor holiday and special hours, visit OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com.

The Original Los Angeles Flower Market

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754 Wall Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 | Visit us at OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com

SUMMER 2016 | 3

Cover Story:Designing for the Flower Fieldsand Field-to-Vase Event 4

Roundabout 6

Books For You 6Feature Story: All Generations Buying More Flowers 8 Potpourri 10

Happenings/Calendar 14Got News? Send to our Editor!

(see left column)

ContentsThis newsmagazine is published quarterly (January 1, April 1, July 1, Octo-ber 1) by The Los Angeles Flower Market of The American Florists’ Exchange, Ltd. Location: 754 Wall Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 • Internet: www.bloomin-news.com. Subscription and advertising details at BloominNews.com.

PublisherOriginal Los Angeles Flower Market of the American Florists’ Exchange

www.originalLAflowermarket.comLook for us on Facebook!

Special Holiday Hours, maps, tenants, seasonal flowersand more available at www.originalLAflowermarket.com

Market Information: 213 622-1966Market Manager/Mellano: 213 622-0796

Board of DirectorsAmerican Florists’ Exchange, Ltd., Los Angeles Flower Market

Christine Duke, Lizbeth A. Ecke, Jim Mellano, Jon Prechtl, John Williams, Paul Ecke III

Editorial and AdvertisingPeggi Ridgway, Wordpix Editorial Solutions

5146 East 23rd Street, Tulsa, OK 74114Email: peg@wordpix.com • www.bloominnews.com

Art DirectorMichael Wheary, Calypso Concepts

LAFD Association Member Badge ProgramFrank Reyes

766 Wall Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014www.LAFlowerDistrict.com • Mon.-Sat., 6 am to 2 pm • (213) 627-3696

SubscribeThose working in the California floral and horticultural industries may join our mailing list at no cost. Subscribe at BloominNews.com to the print and/or email editions. Get the digital version at http://bit.ly/laflower or text FLOWER to 42828.

DisclaimerNeither the Bloomin’ News nor the Original Los Angeles Flower Market rec-ommends or endorses any products or advertisements displayed in this publication but presents them as a service to our readers.

Advertise in Bloomin’ NewsVisit Bloominnews.com or contact our editor for advertising rates, dimensions and details. Advertise in color. We’ll design your first ad for free!

Index to AdvertisersBottomLine Brokers, Sean Edelstein . . . . . . . Page 11

California State Floral Association . . . . . . . . Page 16

Floral Supply Syndicate . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10, 12

Mayesh Wholesale Florist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12

Mellano & Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7

Original Los Angeles Flower Market . . . . . . . . Page 3

Teleflora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15

Wall St. & San Julian St. Merchants

Street map aboveA See detail (above right)

B Casa Blanca Wholesale Flowers, Inc. . . . . . . 213 488.3321Full Service

C Decor Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 629.6949Floral Supplies

D Mellano & Company . . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796Full Service

E Mellano & Company Wholesale Florist . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796

Full Service

F LA Flower District Association (Badge) . . . . . . . . . 213 627.3696

G Floral Supply Syndicate . . . . . 213 624.3982Floral Supplies

H Moskatel’s, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 689.4590Floral Supplies

I Stamis Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.6770Floral Supplies

J Cris Flowers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.1797Floral Supplies

K Jay’s Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 612.0353Greens

L Floral Prop Rental . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.1700Floral Supplies

Vendors in The Original Los Angeles Flower Market of the American Florists Exchange, Ltd.

1 JC Grand Tree Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 213 833.0002Orchids & Cymbidiums

3 Imported Flowers from Paradise, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 626.383.1367Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

4 Dan Stamis, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.6770Greens

5 Blossom Valley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 891.9320Roses

6 G.M. Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 489.7050Full Service

7 & 7B Dayro’s Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 623.5177Roses & Cut Flowers

7A Flower Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 624.4866Miscellaneous Cut Flowers, Greens

8 Designer Direct Showcase . . . 213 488.9765Floral Supplies

10 Tommy’s Flower & Vase Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.1205Floral Supply

11 Eliseo’s Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.4898Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

12A & 13A Kimura Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.1620Orchids

12B - 13B Beth Madisson Flowers . . . . . 626 512.4085Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

14 Choice America Flower Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 489.8377Miscellaneous & Exotic Flowers

15 - 17 Julia’s Wholesale Flowers . . . 213 891.1514Roses & Cut Flowers

18 Zavala Wholesale Flowers . . . . 213 488.0085 20 Wall Street Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 304.8933

Supermarket Florals, Rose Petals & Roses

23, 33- 34 Mellano & Company. . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796Full Service

24 Valle Wholesale Flowers. . . . . 213 688.8810Full Service

26 Gonzalez & Sons Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.7678Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

27 C & K Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 327.0313Vases & Ceramics

28 - 29B Ted’s Evergreens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 624.1524Greens

29A - 30 Vases by Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818 434.1512Vases

31 Balloons Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 683.8819Balloons

32A Gilbert Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 689.9564Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

32B A Ruiz Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.3695Exotic Cut Flowers

36 - 38 Tropical USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 614.1915Exotic Cut Flowers

39 Tommy’s Flower & Vase Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 688.8810Floral Supply

40 S.O.S Wholesale Flower Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 896.0322Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

41 Growers Direct Flowers, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 688.8855Cut Flowers

44 Paradise Garden Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.5144Full Service

45 Orchids Oasis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.3805Orchids

50 Martin Sanchez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 629.4154Fruit, Candy & Stu�ed Animals

Hours:Trade-Only Hours: Mon, Wed & Fri 2am - 8am, Tue & Thurs 5am - 6am, Sat Public, Sun ClosedPublic Hours: ($2 admission weekdays; $1 on Saturday) Mon, Wed & Fri 8am - 12pm, Tue & Thurs 6am - 11am, Sat 6am - 2pm, Sun ClosedFor holiday and special hours, visit OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com.

The Original Los Angeles Flower Market

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754 Wall Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 | Visit us at OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com

More Than 90 Years’ of service

www.OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com

A Wonderland of Quality, Freshness, Variety, Selection and Great Pricing

It’s YOUR Flower Market!

The Original Los Angeles Flower Market

754 Wall Street, Los AngelesLAFlowerDistrict.com

4 | THE BLOOMIN’ NEWS

The Field to Vase design team included, from left, Julie Kennedy, Kit Wertz, Adri-enne Sorg, Jason Chen, Casey Schwartz. Shirts matched the design theme colors.

From these positions, the design team moved vases to final spots for an ombre effect.Photo by Kit Wertz

Guests socialize and enjoy Kit and Casey’s floral arrangements at the Field to Vase dinner in Carlsbad.

n Wednesday, April 13, 2016, my partner

and sister, Casey Schwartz and I found our-

selves surrounded by a rainbow of bloom-

ing ranunculus and dining on splendid cuisine, wine,

beer and coffee, all locally grown. We were two of the

145 guests seated for an American Grown Field to Vase

Dinner Tour, part of a nationwide tour of pop-up din-

ners being held in the middle of flower fields. We were

honored to be the floral designers for the event.

The setting was The Flower Fields owned by the Ecke

Family and farmed by Mellano & Company. It was a gor-

geous, weather-perfect Southern California evening.

An Amazing, Nationwide Concept These “field to vase” dinners are being held to

build the awareness and support for American Grown

Flowers and the family farms that grow them. Flower

farmers with the American Grown Flowers program

developed this campaign to help consumers better

connect and identify with their homegrown blooms

Designing for the Flower Fields &

O

SUMMER 2016 | 5

Mike Mellano, who farms the land of the Ecke family at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad, talks about the farm and his workers. Kasey Cronquist, IOM, CEO/Ambassador for California Cut Flower Commission, looks on.

Casey goes for a ride on the tractor to transport the flowers to the tables in the fields. Photo by Kit Wertz

Our view of the Flower Fields from our on-site design "studio." Photo by Julie Kennedy

and to appreciate high quality, variety, freshness and

consistency of American Grown Flowers.

We were selected to be the designers for the din-

ner at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, just one of

seven dinners on this year’s nationwide tour. The

first 2016 Field to Vase Dinner was held at Sun Val-

ley Floral Farms in Arcata, California in March. The

tour will conclude in Woodland, Washington in

November. (You can view the entire schedule, in-

cluding a 2017 date for a dinner in Alaska, at Field-

toVaseDinner.com.)

Casey and I were fortunate to have the support of

a fantastic and highly skilled team of our own. We

could not have done it without freelance designers

for Flower Duet (our Torrance studio) Adrienne Sorg

and Julie Kennedy, and San Diego botanical artist and

landscape architect Jason Chen.

Design Cues and Locally Sourced Flowers We had a plethora of flowers to integrate into our

design theme. In addition to the fabulous ranunculus di-

rect from the fields around us, local flower farmers do-

nated gorgeous blooms. (Mellano & Company, Dramm

& Echter and Resendiz Brothers were generous donors.)

I took a cue right from The Flower Fields and made an

ombre effect using only the bright colors of yellow, pink,

orange and red. To mimic the waves of colored flowers

in the field and the Pacific Ocean within sight, our team

used three sizes of vases (sponsored by Syndicate Sales)

to create an undulating effect down each of the eighteen

dining tables. We created more than 125 designs in about

eight hours working in a trailer on the farm. Each vase

could include a combination of gerbera daisies, proteas,

ruscus, waxflower, spray roses, alstroemeria, hypericum

berries, rice flower, boxwood and on-site grown ranun-

culus and ranunculus seed pods. It was a heavenly expe-

rience using such fresh products straight from the fields!

Continued on page 13

Field to Vase Dinner Tour By Kit Wertz

6 | THE BLOOMIN’ NEWS

ROUNDABOUT

Avante Gardens, owned by Cathy Hillen-Rullo-

da, has relocated. On May 31 Avante Gardens merged

with Everyday Flowers at 1609 E. McFadden Avenue,

Suite A. The move is intended to offer customers more

products and services backed by nearly 50 years of

combined professional florist ownership.

“Flower Farmer Day,” held at the state capitol in

Sacramento on June 1, brought farmers and legisla-

tors together at the start of California Grown Month.

Farmers and CCFC staff represented our industry by

meeting with legislators and lobbying on floral issues

and concerns.

Carpinteria flower farmers hosted a crowd of visitors

on tours of the Carpinteria area flower fields in

April, gladly sharing their passion for growing flowers.

Succulent expert Debra Lee Baldwin invites you to

watch her demonstration video on “Stunning Succu-

lent Arrangements” at Debraleebaldwin.com. Imagine

unusual designs with these special products.

Rene van Rems wowed designers again with a wed-

ding trends workshop at Mellano & Company in San-

ta Ana, sponsored by Teleflora’s Los Angeles Coastal

Counties Unit. He followed that in June with a floral

photography styling workshop with Pat Boemer (pho-

tographer of both René’s books) at his Carlsbad studio.

Ralph Yack reports that the non profit foundation

Floralgive.org partnered with Windermere Real Estate

/ Leaskou Partners on Mother’s Day to present a com-

plimentary rose to every open house visitor. Floralgive.

org raises funds for the Windermere Foundation, assist-

ing low income and homeless families.

Jan Wilder, Flower Fusion in Costa Mesa, took

the Best Reception floral design prize in Florists Re-

view magazine. Jan’s wedding photos featured a mon-

arch butterfly themed wedding and reception at the

Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach. Also featured in the

magazine’s Design Showcase were bouquets and florals

by Melinda Lynch, AIFD of Festive Designs (San

Luis Obispo); Kelly Bishop of Buds & Blooms (El

Centro); Gina Weaver of Gina’s Floral Enchantment

(Ukiah); Carrie Thengvall (Chico); Suzanne Smith

(Temecula); Kathy Simeone (Woodland); Jenny

McNiece (Arroyo Grande).

Super Floral magazine interviewed San Bernardino-

based Liane Mast, floral director for Stater Bros. Mar-

kets. Liane shared her wisdom and experience on why

businesses benefit when they listen to their employees.

The Flower Chef: A Modern Guide to Do-It-Yourself Floral Arrangements By Carly Cylinder, the owner and creative director of Flour LA, Inc., a bi-coastal flower design studio, this book is magnificent in its presenta-tion, simplicity and beauty. Taking a “recipe” approach complete with prep time, cook time and seasoning, Cylinder includes all the basics of design and supplies, then presents exquisite arrangements to make the beginning designer look like a pro. With arrangement names like Wild-flower Meadow, Jamaican Delight, Retro Surf, Tulip Swirl and Midsum-

mer Night’s Dream, just reading the text is a delight. Every chef’s recipe is complete in 10 or fewer steps, all on one page, with the finished full-color design photo on the facing page. The author tops off this visual treat with a “very creative designs” chapter that includes a spectacular glimmering globe made with metal-lic wire, orchids and a candelabra.

Order this winner at $19 from Ama-zon.com and other booksellers. Available also in Kindle/ebook.B

OOKS

FO

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THE HIDDEN DIFFERENCE What makes a flower perform? One hidden difference is maintaining the cold chain.

Mellano & Company bucks the trend selling flowers only in our coolers and delivering in refrigerated trucks. Why? It’s better for the flowers bringing freshness that makes events

(large or small) the best they can be! Call your sales rep to make your next order.

CONTACT INFO:LOS ANGELES 888-635-5266 mellano.com

8 | THE BLOOMIN’ NEWS

Consumers of every generation

have come to appreciate flowers over the past few

years, and they continue to buy flowers for others

and themselves.

That’s one of the findings of the 2016 Genera-

tions of Flowers Study conducted by American

Floral Endowment and the Society of American

Florists, an update to the 2009 SAF study. That re-

search explored consumer perceptions of flowers

and purchasing/gift-giving behavior among Gener-

ation Y (ages 22-39), Generation X (ages 40-51) and

Baby Boomers (ages 52-70).

The current study finds that nearly 73 percent

of all three generations have a high appreciation of

flowers. Flowers attract people through their sens-

es and emotions:

• Consumers strongly agreed that the color of

flowers adds to the impact of a gift (70 percent),

the sight and smell can improve their mood (69

percent) and the fragrance is important to them

(64 percent).

• Nearly two-thirds of all respondents feel special

when receiving flowers as a gift and find flowers to

be an emotional gift, while 60 percent said flowers

have a special meaning unlike any other gift.

SUMMER 2016 | 9

Study results for all three generations were

similar in other ways:

• Forty percent purchased flowers in the past

year for home decoration, and 22 percent pur-

chased flowers for themselves.

• 82 percent make gift purchases at local florists,

including nearly two-thirds who shop in-person.

• Just 34 percent said they don’t purchase flow-

ers more often due to viewing flowers as too

expensive. (In 2009, nearly half of respondents

identified cost as a barrier.)

Giving flowers is a memorable occasion.

Nearly 90 percent of consumers can remember

the last time they gifted flowers. On the receiving

end, 77 percent of women respondents said they

recalled the last time they received flowers.

Most consumers bought flowers at local flo-

rists in the past year. For everyday flower pur-

chases, 70 percent bought flowers for themselves

at supermarkets and 42 percent from nurseries or

garden centers. More people (30 percent) shop at

farmers’ markets in this survey, compared with 25

percent in 2009. The generations differ in habits:

• Generation Y is more likely to buy flowers online.

• Generation Y is more likely to buy flowers on

impulse (50 percent), compared to 41 percent of

Generation X and 39 percent of Baby Boomers.

• Social media is a major floral information

source for Generation Y (32 percent) and Gen-

eration X (29 percent); but for Baby Boomers,

only fourteen percent.

The floral industry can be thankful that con-

sumers appreciate and recognize value in giving

and purchasing flowers. To download the survey

report, visit Endowment.org/GenerationsStudy.

10 | THE BLOOMIN’ NEWS

POTPOURRI

Calling Design Contestants! California State Floral Association offers a qualify-ing design competition on “Flower Day,” Sunday, July 17 at the State Fair, 1600 Exposition Boulevard, Sacramento. The winner will receive complimen-tary registration to the statewide Top Ten competi-tion at CaliFlora, to be held November 6-7 at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market. Registration deadline for the Qualifying competition is July 8, so call CSFA at 916 448-5266 or email Ann Quinn at ann@agamsi.com now.

AIFD Extends Opportunity for Certification The American Institute of Floral Designers is ex-panding opportunities for creative floral designers to earn the coveted Certified Floral Designer profession-al designation. Joyce Mason-Monheim AIFD, CFD, president of AIFD, announced that after AIFD’s Na-tional Symposium this month (July) in Anaheim, AIFD will allow its approved private floral design schools,

certain state floral associations and its university level student chapters, to grant to their students the CFD® designation after they successfully complete the course of study and their designs are evaluated by faculty. This means CFD candidates are no longer required to attend AIFD’s Professional Floral Design Evaluation program prior to the Symposium, substantially reduc-ing costs. Learn about the additional steps and more from AIFD.org or call 410 752-3318.

Bride in Box a Cool Marketing Package Lynn Wheatley, founder of an event planning company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, developed a concept called Bride in a Box, attributing its appeal to Pinterest, Etsy and how-to websites. The do-it-yourself couple selects a “box” (package) that includes its own paper suite, linens, personal flowers, ceremony/reception flowers and even wedding weekend management using Bride in a Box LLC. They save time and money but still have a cohesive look with professional management of the event.

Blooms Over Orange County This Month! Veterans and patients at Orange County hospitals and retirement facilities will be happily surprised when members of the American Institute of Floral Designers present them with floral gifts in July 2016. Volunteers in the “Blooms Over Orange County” event will create amazing fresh floral creations and share their floral therapy. Gail Call AIFD, CFD says the AIFD professionals “know the healing qualities of flowers.” The Blooms Over program is held during the AIFD Symposium “Inspiration”, held July 3-7 in Anaheim. For details, see AIFD.org.

Only American for the First Lady More than 1,500 people attended the First Lady’s Luncheon in Washington, DC in May, where beau-tiful American Grown flowers were the order of the day. The Congressional Club wanted 100 percent American Grown Flowers. Thanks to the contribu-tions of flower farms throughout the United States, along with a dedicated design team, donated hard

SUMMER 2016 | 11

POTPOURRI

goods and freight, and donated skills, more than 200 centerpieces and arrangements filled the hall. The Congressional Club reps were thrilled, saying, “These are the most stunning flowers we have ever had at the First Lady’s Luncheon.”

Mayesh Now in Houston Mayesh Wholesale Florist has opened a wholesale floral distribution business in Houston, Texas, its sev-enteenth wholesale location and the first in Texas. Mayesh CEO Patrick Dahlson said Mayesh recog-nizes “the great number of talented and innovative floral professionals operating” in Texas and “we are looking forward to supporting” this community.

More Parking near the Flower Market The lot at the southeast corner of Seventh and Wall streets, operated by L&R Parking, was recently resurfaced and the old carwash

demolished, to include more parking spaces for shop-pers. Come on down to the Original Los Angeles Flower Market: There’s plenty of parking.

Trending Now for Babies-to-be Gender baby showers, held after the ultrasound re-sults are known, focusing gifts and décor on the sex of the unborn child. Also, couples baby showers, in-viting husbands and wives.

KKRF Grants $70,000 to CCFC The Kee Kitayama Research Foundation has awarded the California Cut Flower Commission $70,000 to advance key areas of research and sustainability for California’s flower farmers. Up to $40,000 will be used to further develop and advance the CCFC’s recently launched sustainability certification program, BloomCheck. The remaining $30,000 will fund outside research programs with scientists at universities and research institutes focused on California cut flower

and potted plant production. “This donation goes to the heart of what California flower farmers believe in – sustainability, stewardship and the value of domestically grown flowers,” says KKRF Chair Mike Mellano of Mellano & Company. BloomCheck, established this year by CCFC, is California’s first sustainable cut flower certification program. It establishes a system of best management practices for cut flower farms to help guide, educate and certify those farms meeting the high standards involved with growing sustainably in California. Flower farms that earn BloomCheck certification have met the most rigorous standards in the United States. The Kee Kitayama Research Foundation was founded in 1993 to honor longtime flower farmer and industry leader Kee Kitayama. KKRF funds research and provides educational programs for California’s cut flower and potted plant industry. The foundation is funded through industry support.

Continued on page 12

Sell Your Shop FaSter & For the higheSt price!

Buy or Sell With confidenceSean edelstein 949.551.2060

Sean@BlBrokers.com Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino & Los Angeles Counties

Flower Shop BrokerDRE#01926680

Selling FloWer ShopS Since 1997

Available: Established flower shops with great retail locations,house accounts, long-time customers and exciting potential.

12 | THE BLOOMIN’ NEWS

POTPOURRI

Overtime Bill Defeated Assembly Bill 2757 (Gonzalez), which would

have altered current overtime requirements for ag-

riculture employees covered under Wage Order 14,

was defeated in a vote of 38-35 (needed 41 votes to

pass). Currently, ag employees are required to be

paid overtime after ten hours in a day and six days in

a week. The legislation would have mandated over-

time at 1.5 times pay after an eight hour day and a

five day week worked. Grassroots efforts of farm-

ers and industry members helped defeat the measure

while furthering the building of relationships with

key urban legislators.

Another Step Taken for San Francisco Market

Kilroy Realty Corporation has acquired an approx-

imately 1.75 acre site at Fifth and Brannan streets,

next to The Flower Mart development site it owns

in San Francisco. KRC now owns about seven acres

and plans to develop a world-class office, retail and

flower mart project surrounded by a central public

plaza that embodies the rich urban history of the area.

The flower market will be redeveloped into a mod-

ern, state-of-the-art facility which will be an anchor

for the development.

Ecuador Farms Come Through In spite of a 7.8 earthquake, Ecuador’s rose farmers

scrambled onto Skype and social media in the days

before Mother’s Day and Dia De Las Madres (their

biggest holidays of the year) and were able to deliver

all their orders.

Survey Indicates BrightFloral Outlook for Supermarkets

A recent release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics

points to a decline in the number of floral shops by

2024; but an increase of five percent in the number

of floral designers in grocery stores.

We take the extra step to ensure you with the highest quality floral products

along with impeccable service.

MAYESHE S T . 1 9 7 8

MAYESH

WWW.MAYESH.COMFRESH@MAYESH.COM

VISIT OUR SOUTHERN CA LOCATIONS

CARLSBAD | LA MART | LAX | OC | RIVERSIDE | VALLEY

SUMMER 2016 | 13

Kit's table setting for the dinner. Photo by Kit Wertz

Flowers included locally grown pin-cushion protea from Resendiz Brothers, ranunculus and waxflowers from Mellano & Company and spray roses from Dramm and Echter. Photo by Kit Wertz.

Guests place their name cards and snap photos before dinner. Photo byKit Wertz

> Designing for the Flower Fields, continued In addition to table centerpieces (which garnered

many kudos!), we made display pieces for the cock-

tail hour, including three oversized floral baskets

of flowers and two floral sprays, along with accent

pieces. We also prepared buckets and supplies for

a DIY floral crown station supported by Mandie

Thompson of Mellano & Company so guests could

make their own crowns.

When the floral pieces were completed, we

packed the vases into boxes and loaded them, with

help from Jess Williams of Mellano & Company,

into the tractor trailer normally used to harvest the

ranunculus. They traveled over ten acres of flower

fields to the dining tables. My sister Casey rode the

tractor to the dinner spot and unloaded the vases.

Upon her return, we loaded the floral pieces for the

cocktail hour and rode the tractor to the barn for

that event.

One More Thing One personal touch we added was ribbon streamers

to the light poles, mimicking the flower colors. And

during the cocktail hour, the flower enthusiasts, farm-

ers, designers and fans watched how we made the din-

ner vase designs and heard our design philosophy.

Dinner in the Flower Fields was lovely and went

by too fast. We heard talks from Kasey Cronquist, ad-

ministrator of the Certified American Grown Flowers

program; Mike A. Mellano, of Mellano & Company;

Chef Jeff Rossman of Terra Catering; Jeff Bagby of

Bagby Beer Company; and local coffee grower Jay

Ruskey of Good Land Organics. We also heard from

Debra Prinzing of SlowFlowers.com.

It was great to see all the pride that goes into creating

such a beautiful floral event. We loved being part of it

all for one magical evening by our beloved Pacific.

The first Field to Vase Dinner Tour was held in Carpinteria, CA in 2015. Field to Vase Dinners typically host from 100 to 150 guests. Ticket prices range from $175 to $225 depending on the venue. Your ticket includes a reception, flower farm tour, a floral design demonstration, four-course, family-style dinner, presentations, a floral bouquet and a flower lover’s gift bag. The Field to Vase Dinner typically concludes at sunset, with dessert and coffee service. For more details, visit: FieldToVaseDinner.com

C A L E N D A R

14

June 7 – July 28 Extended summer evening hours at Descanso Gardens featuring World Rhythms on Tuesdays, Lakeside Lounge on Wednesdays, Music on the Main on Thursdays. 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge, 91011. Details: Descansogardens.org or 818 949-7984.

JULY

Saturdays: “The Wall” Farmers Market at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market, Wall Street from Sev-enth to Eighth streets, 9 am to 2 pm.

3 – 7 AIFD “Inspiration” National Symposium, this year featuring hands-on classes, Anaheim. Full details at AIFD.org/aifd-2016-sympo-sium-inspiration/.

4 Independence Day

11 – 22 Floral Designer class by Phil Rulloda AIFD PFCI AAF, Southern Califor-nia School of Floral Design, Anaheim. See Philrulloda.com or call 714 776-7445.

15 – August 14 Orange County Fair, OC Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa. See OCFair.com

17 – 23 “Make Someone Smile” week by Teleflora.

20 – 25 L.A. Mart/The Reef Summer Market (gifts). Call 800 526-2784 or see Lamart.com

22 – 25 LAMKT (gift show), Los Angeles, 800 318-2238 or La-mkt.com

24 Parents Day

31 – August 3 Real Local Florists Inc. presents design show with Rene van Rems AIFD at World Market Center Las Vegas, along with pre-sentations on Tech Solutions, Finances, Insurance, Market-ing and Merchandising. See Florists.reallocalflorists.com.

31 – August 4 Summer Las Vegas Market (gift show), World Market Center. Call 888 416-8600.

AUGUST

Saturdays: “The Wall” Farmers Market at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market, Wall Street from Seventh to Eighth streets, 9 am to 2 pm.

4 – 5 Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Associa-tion Management Institute, Rosemont, Illinois.See Wffsa.org.

3 – 14 Ventura County Fair, Fairgrounds, Ventura. See Venturacountyfair.com

7 International Friendship Day

28 – 31 “Business Smarts Summit: Operating a Successful Retail Flower Shop,” with Paul Goodman PFCI CPA, Marie Ackerman AIFD PFCI AAF, at Teleflora Education Center, Oklaho-ma City. Call 800 456-7890, xt. 6234.

SEPTEMBER

Weekend Walks, Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m.,

Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge, 91011. Details: Descansogardens.org or818 949-7984.

Saturdays: “The Wall” Farmers Market at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market, Wall Street from Seventh to Eighth streets, 9 am to 2 pm.

5 Labor Day

2 – 25 Los Angeles County Fair, Fairplex, Pomo-na. See LAcountyfair.com

11 Patriot Day National Grandparents Day

12 – 23 Floral Designer class by Phil Rulloda AIFD PFCI AAF, Southern Califor-nia School of Floral Design, Anaheim. See Philrulloda.com or call 714 776-7445.

13 International Chocolate Day

14 Rosh Hashana

15 – October 15 National Hispanic Heritage month

18 National POW/MIA Recognition Day

18 – 21 “Lifestyles – Permanent Botanicals with Style,” with Matt Wood AIFD, at Teleflora Education Center, Oklahoma City. Call 800 456-7890, xt. 6234.

21 – 24 SAF Maui, Hawaii, 132nd Annual Convention. See SAFnow.org

22 American Business Women’s Day

23 Yom Kippur First day of Fall

25 – 27 L.A. Mart Fall Market (gifts). Call 800 526-2784 or see Lamart.com

26 – 28 Advanced Floral Designer class by Phil Rulloda AIFD PFCI AAF, Southern California School of Floral Design, Anaheim. See Philrulloda.com or call 714 776-7445.

29 Hand-tied design class by Phil Rulloda AIFD PFCI AAF, Southern Califor-nia School of Floral Design, Anaheim. See Philrulloda.com or call 714 776-7445. Novelty design class by Phil Rulloda AIFD PFCI AAF, Southern California School of Floral Design, Ana-heim. See Philrulloda.com or call 714 776-7445.

ON THE HORIZON

Nov. 5 – 6, 2016:“CaliFlora” at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market, presenting Top Ten Design contests, hands-on classes, trade show, auction, new varieties, California Certified Florist exam and pinning. Details: Email Ann Quinn at ann@agamsi.com or call 916 448-5266.

Aug. 9 – 18, 2017:CalFlowers “Fun ‘n Sun” at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Carlsbad. See Cafgs.org

Check our website OriginalLAflowermarket.comfor Flower Market shopping hours, parking info and more.

Our calendar listings help you tie your business promotions to special events and observances.

cheer up with teleflora.

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(800) 421-2815

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Original Los Angeles Flower Market754 Wall Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014

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Sundaynovember 6

“Top Ten” FloralDesign Competition

Afternoon Design Show

Trade Show, New Varieties, Silent Auction, CCF Pinning,

CSFA Annual Meeting

Saturdaynovember 5

California Certified Florist Exam

Hands-on Design Classes

Student Design Competition

Enjoy the programs and camaraderie of floral industry colleagues.Sponsored by California State Floral Association

get More Details/register: Call CSFA: 916.448.5266 • email: ann@agamsi.com

Original Los Angeles Flower Market • 754 Wall Street, Los Angeles 90014OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com

CALIF FLORA2016