flowers

Day Trip to Half Moon Bay

Took a rare spring break and headed to our old stomping grounds of  Half Moon Bay. It was one of those rare days when the sun was shinning, and the temperatures we're in the low 70's F. Purple place, Half Moon Bay

The flower show was amazing. Spring has arrived here in glorious color.

Tom & Pete's Produce, Half Moon Bay

The only nursery we got close to was closed on Monday. Good for them.

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So much color that even the parking lot's with their blowing bits of garbage seemed OK.

Phlox and Arctotis in parking lot, Half Moon Bay

If it hasn't already arrived where you live, spring should be on its way to you soon.

Chicago, the city of flowers and vegetables

Some cities just know how to put on a show. Chicago has plantings like this all over town. Each one seems unique, and all are kept looking great.

I attended a talk this morning at The IGC (Independent Garden Centers) Show here in Chicago by Rick Bayless, award-winning chef-restaurateur, cookbook author, and TV personality. What's really cool is he  harvests organic herbs, vegetables and other edibles from his home garden  and other city gardens for his restaurants, Topolobampo and Frontera Grill.  He mentions that just twenty years ago there were no farmers markets in Chicago, so he started growing his own! Now,

any top notch restaurant in the city MUST use fresh vegetables grown locally. Yes, they also grow them on the rooftops of the city.

The edible craze will certainly die down, but it will not go away. It's a great opportunity for those of us who sell gardening. We have waited for years for this kind of opportunity. Food and gardening just go together. Having a representative of the trend like Rick will only encourage people even more to "grow their own".

Guerilla Gardeners, "dig, drop, done, move on"

The bulb industry is wondering how to invigorate the bulb trade. As we have talked before, bulb sales are way down and the bulb trade is looking for ideas. The have tried the Dig, Drop, and Done campaign, which was panned by most garden centers, and customers. The three ladies who are suppose to represent three different demographics never hit the nerve they we're suppose to.

Seems to me that bulbs would be a perfect match for the guerrilla gardening movement. Since the beauty of bulbs is revealed sometimes months after planting, it's perfect for the delayed gratification that is guerrilla gardening. Guerrilla gardeners savor passing by a "target", and watching the reactions from passerby's. "Who planted these?" someone asks, as the guerrilla gardener smiles to themselves knowing they are responsible.

What if "guerrilla grafters" carried a cache of bulbs along with their grafting bud wood? After grafting their bud wood to the flowering pear tree they drop to the ground, all the while repeating the mantra they we're taught, "Dig, Drop, Done, Move On". Imagine the look of surprise on passerby's when they see pears on formally barren trees, and bulbs sprouting from the soil. "Who did this?" people ask as our guerrilla gardener walks by the site, smiles knowingly, and continues down the street with her bag of recently purchased bulbs in hand. Where will she strike next?

This could be a whole series of fun escapades. Bulb growers, give me jingle if your interested.

7 ways to show your cheapness this Valentines Day!

Boston.com posted an article titled, "7 Ways to Save on Flowers". (If you cannot access the article from the link, go here and click the top story)It seems The Boston Globe only knows independent florists as places to go and bicker about price. The only mention of independent florist is this. "Your local florist may also do business online at competitive prices. Read customers' online reviews and scour coupon sites such as retailmenot.com, couponshack.com and coupons.com for discounts. And don't fall for throw-ins like chocolates and stuffed animals - those just add extra costs and create the illusion of a deal." Kindness, it's just an illusion!

Well, where do I go to get a deal on flowers? The Globe knows. Costco and the local grocery store! This from the post, "Check grocery stores, whose floral departments may be bigger than you realized. For example, last year Costco was offering three dozen long-stemmed red roses in a vase with baby's breath online for $99.99, and the company's warehouse stores were selling a dozen long-stemmed roses for $14.99." Online ordering is mentioned twice in the article.

How about a little Valentine love for your local florist trying to compete against this kind of publicity? On top of it all Boston.com tells us, "Giving your loved one a single long-stemmed rose is a powerful statement of commitment. And you can put the $75 or so that you save toward dinner for two -- or another gift." Gee Boston.com, couldn't they save even  more money and take that $75 and spend it at the Costco food service court, instead of some overpriced restaurant? Paying $75 for a dinner for two is not an illusion!