One of our valued suppliers and friends, Rosa Flora Ltd., suffered a huge loss last month when a devastating fire broke out wiping out over 15 acres of greenhouses in an early morning blaze in Southern Ontario. Thankfully, no one died in the inferno, and the three fire fighters injured fighting the fire have since been released from the hospital.

Damages exceed 10 million dollars, and include 15 acres of greenhouses filled with blooming lysianthus, snapdragons and gerbera, the administrative and head offices, computer systems used to feed and water 40 acres of greenhouses, and14 trucks and tractor trailers.

Internationally respected for their superior produce, Rosa Flora is a family run business as well as the biggest grower of Gerbera in North America. These are the real people behind some of the beautiful blooms we use to provide you,our customers, with flowers that mark the moments and milestones of your lives.

Won’t you join us as we pray for strength and grace for the people of Rosa Flora during months ahead, as they begin the process of rebuilding their facility, before the make or break Christmas Season.

photos: Glen Lawson for the Globe and Mail

Like all gardeners, I cannot help but reach for a book, looking for the perfect advice that will make my garden grow like those I admire in magazines. You know the ones: lots of cuttings proudly strutting their stuff, transplants fully adapted to their new surroundings, and not a withered leaf, or errant weed in site.

Honestly it makes me feel a bit inadequate…my garden never looks that perfect, but still, it does give me great pleasure.

So this time, I have decided on a different sort of book to read.

It’s called “Sex in the Garden” and it’s a great read. It features lots of information about propagation, pruning, transplanting, and garden features.

Even better, no one pretends that it’s all going to be perfect. Sort of like life, don’t you think?

Do check it out “Sex in the Garden – The Gardener’s Catalogue Series”, by Harvey Rottenberg and Tom Riker, published by William Morrow& Company NY, NY in 1976 

These things always have privacy issues, which delays our ability to report our personal experiences but privacy and security, must always come first!

The set up was amazing, with hundreds of people loading equipment in. It looked like very hard physical work, but completely organized chaos.

Our first priority was the personal space for EJ, David and the boys. It needed to be intimate and calm and very homey. His devotion his kids was made clear by the request for a basket of toys and blankets and warm and fuzzy kid friendly snacks and drinks.

It was obvious that the most important thing was the care and comfort of the children.

We enhanced this area with a selection of huge tropical trees and plants and a lot of cube vases of roses scattered here and there.

Our goal was to make this area a refuge from the frenzy of the crazy back stage area.

In the end, it became the type of warm family refuge any parent would be proud of.

The second area, set aside for the band, was a very welcoming space once it was enhanced with tropical trees and plants, and a few vases of flowers.

In the third area, primarily provided for entertainment and relaxation for visitors coming in to see friends and family of the immediate band and various support staff, our goal was to create a warm and comfortable environment.

Surprisingly, all of the food and beverage here was totally healthy, with fresh fruit and vegetables, and lot of various juices and waters. Although there were some bottles of wine and beer provided, they were all still there at the end of the night. Clearly, these rockers value their health! I guess once you get to understand what it takes to make a true success, the temptation to "party on" is put aside.

I really wanted to bring a bottle of wine home, just to say I did, but, my common sense prevailed. Bummer.

The tear down of the concert was the most amazing experience ever.

Imagine twelve tractor trailers, all lined up with their drivers, and the hundreds of crew, packing up instruments, coiling thousands of feet of cables, watching a grand piano floating by on invisible wheels, followed by not one, but two complete drum kits used by the finest musicians in the world....guitars?...maybe 60 of them, each guarded by a serious looking roadie, and oh hey...the wardrobe guys....listen, that one famous jacket has to be worth more than a few dollars...covered in crystals or are they diamonds?

The last thing anyone here cares about is the flowers!

So, it was here I got to hang around backstage with all the roadies, watching millions of dollars of equipment being carefully, no, lovingly loaded, and packed away for the next show.

Remember that song by Jackson Brown called "The Load out"...."now the seats are all empty, let the roadies take the stage..."

Yep, I lived that moment, and it was one I will never forget.

OK, we did the thing, we saw the show (AMAZING, by the way, catch them if you can, they will not live forever), we provided the flowers, etc etc...

And now, back to reality.... we have way too many large tropical trees that can ever fit into our tiny little flower shop.

So, if you want a terrific tropical tree or plant that is covered in Elton John vibes,

Give us a call.

We have some amazing certified royal rock and roll plants for sale that are sure to bring some peace and love to your vibe.

OK, not so much, but the plants are amazing, and because they have been rented out, and we don't have a lot of space, so the prices are great!

We all know how important it is to have vases sparkling clean, to help our cut flowers last as long as possible.

It can be very discouraging when we wash out vases, only to be left with that milky film on our glass vases…no matter how times we wash them that film just won’t go away!

Try this simple tip…

Fill your glass vase with water, and drop in one of those tablets meant to clean dentures.

Usually, the foaming action will take care of things but if necessary swish it around a bit or even help things along by using a thin scrub brush.

That should take care of it!

You may need to do it more than once, but the effort will be worth it.

After all, everyone loves to see a perfectly clean vase, with or without fresh cut flowers!

Long before the pumpkins have been tossed into the compost pile, customers have been asking  us about preparing the Urns and Planters flanking their front doors. 

Here are a few tips on how to make these entrance arrangements warm and welcoming, but still allow them to include a bit of our own personality. 

First things  first. Although its perfect to have planters filled with growing plants through the spring and summer,  in the autumn it is best to tip out the soil. Why not add it to your garden; it will be a good addition for next year.

For the cold months, it’s better to add a liner filled with  flowering arranging foam such as “Oasis”;  this will allow you to create a planter with many different materials, and  help your planter from splintering due to the severe  temperature changes. 

Autumn planters and Urns are traditionally filled with mums and cornstalks, but there is no reason you cannot incorporate other fruits and vegetables of the season.

Ditch the mums, and investigate the other products that appear at the local farmers markets!.

Let your imagination roam, and try combinations of squash, apples, broccoli, and  Indian corn.

Or maybe you lean more towards a more “natural” look… maybe a few branches of burning bush and maiden grass, accented with some bittersweet and hops will better

suit your lifestyle. 

Best news ever…if you do not feel comfortable creating your own outdoor entrance urns, we are here to help, and have lots of ways we can  fill your urns with seasonal materials that will take you through the autumn, and then with a quick switch, make them perfectly suitable for the Holiday Season as well.

Feel free to bring us things that are dear to you…a pair of snowshoes perhaps?

Or maybe some skis that you don’t use anymore?

Maybe some old figure skates from your past? 

Whatever it is, we can incorporate them into your Entrance Urns, in a way that will welcome your guests into your home.

Make them yourself, or give us a call…keeping your front entrance  freshly decorated with welcoming Entrance Urns will make you smile every  time you walk through your own front door!

Seriously, there are so many other flowers available to us at this time of year, it seems silly to cling to the past when so many flowers have become available to us in modern times. 

So, this month we declare the “Flower of the Month” (in our world) to be the Amaryllis. 

Usually purchased as a flowering bulb, the Amaryllis is available at most grocers and hardware stores in kit form…you plant it, and watch it grow  from nothing, to a full blooming stalk in a matter weeks. 

This stately flower is now available from many growers as cut flower from October through May, with the prime availability being November through February, making it the ideal yuletide blossom. 

Today we can choose from many different colours, including pink, salmon, peach, cream, white, and orange, but our favourites are the many different shades of red, from Canadian, to Canary, Maroon, Rust, Burgundy and Cherry. 

This is truly one of our favourite flowers to use at this time of year, and, as long as market prices allow us to do so, we will keep a varied selection of choices on hand for you to take home with you to enjoy. 

Typically, cut Amaryllis flowers will last up to 14 days in your home, assuming the water is fresh and clean, and they are kept away from excessive heat and cold.

I  enjoy making my own flower arrangements at home, but sometimes some of the flowers die really quickly, while others last really well. What am I doing wrong?

Answer: 

Congratulations!  I love keeping fresh flowers in my home too, and it does not have to be extravagant to be beautiful! 

It could be that you are choosing materials that do not “marry well”…that is, some just naturally do not live as long as others, for example,  if you mix daffodils with orchids, the daffs will die in two or three days, but the orchids will look great for 12 to 15 days. 

Truthfully, though, one of the most common reasons for this failure is the improper use of the floral arranging foam.When using arranging foam, it is important that you purchase one known for it’s quality, and that is why we use “Oasis” brand arranging foam at work. The dollar store brands just will not hold up as well, and, given the joy the flowers will bring you, it is  cheaper in the end  to purchase the better quality stuff. 

Next, soaking the foam seems so simple, but proper technique will make a huge difference in your results. 

Fill a deep sink with baby bath warm water, and mix in some floral preservative…the standard ratio is 1 tablespoon to one litre. If your flower provider does not give you free preservative, you are buying them at the wrong store! 

Now, gently place your brick of foam on the water, and allow the water to slowly soak into the foam. Never force the foam underwater, or you will be left with air pockets trapped inside the foam and never, ever re-use old used foam. I know it's tempting, but once the foam dries out, it will never re-absorb the water evenly. The polymers in the foam will deteriorate, and some will remain dry, resulting in dry spots deep inside the foam you can't see. 

Finally, although it might seem like there is enough water in the foam to keep the flowers alive, that is not the case!The floral foam will suspend water in it’s pores, allowing easy access to the flowers, but you must keep the container filled with water at all times. So every day, fill the container to the top with fresh water, allowing your flowers to freely drink water all day long. Even one day with no extra water in the container can cut the life span of your flowers to just a day or two. 

Keep your arrangements out of the hot sun, and away from any heat source (never on top of the TV or near a heat vent), and out of the cold. Even near a front door puts your arrangement at risk of our cold winter air freezing it in seconds!

So, to re-cap…use quality flowers that have a similar life cycle, use quality arranging foam, soak the foam correctly using floral preservative powder, keep your container filled with fresh water daily, and protect your flowers from extreme heat and cold.

 Hopefully, these simple steps will encourage you to keep fresh flowers in your home every day of the week, just like me!

the berry! And there are just so many to choose from at this time of year. 

All year long, we can use Hypericum, in it’s many different colours, but now that autumn is upon us, we can choose from so many others. The list is long, and the colours encompass all the traditional ones, plus a couple of blue and purple choices. Imagine viburnum in various shades of red and orange, and, yes,  even an electric blue! And then there are the various brunneas, imported from New Zealand, in all the grey and silver tones. Of course, from here in Ontario we have the hederas, in different green and brown tones, and then there are the bittersweets, with their red and orange varieties.

Rose hips are not here yet, but soon they will be available…and there are so many different varieties, from the big fat jewels the size of  grapes, to the tiny little beads that grow on whips five feet long. Then we mix them together with the various eucalyptus berries and other fruits from the fall, the result is total autumnal deliciousness!

Keep an eye on our Facebook Page, and of course, on our On-Line Store, to see how we love to use berries in our seasonal designs. 

Not only full of anti oxidants for  physical health when we eat them, but also a treat for our souls when we admire their beauty. 

Berries…they are good for us in so many ways!