A simple case of supply and demand -  Valentine’s Day inspires the heaviest demand for long-stemmed roses, and several rosebuds must be sacrificed to create a single long-stemmed rose. After the Christmas season demand for red roses is filled, growers need 50-70 days to produce enough roses for Valentine’s Day. Winter’s shorter daylight hours and higher energy costs hamper efforts to grow large rose crops. Inclement weather often requires extreme measures to ensure that flowers are delivered in time. To fulfill the tremendous number of orders for Valentine’s Day flowers, florists have to hire additional help, work longer hours and acquire extra delivery vehicles and drivers. In order to meet the heavy consumer demand for Valentine’s Day roses, imports have played a much bigger role in recent years. 

In short, roses in February are every bit as special as you would expect. 

Be sure to order Roses for Your Someone Special this week. Don’t wait until Valentine’s Day to send your Valentine a dozen roses, a romantic vase arrangement and more!

My Mistress’ Eyes

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, white and red,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks,
And in some perfumes there is more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go:
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.
And yet by heaven I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Shakespeare, sonnet CXXX

• In the Bible, Eve is credited with being the “Mother of All the Living.” 

• During the 1600′s, England celebrated a day called “Mothering Sunday.” Servants would go home to see their families, bringing cakes and sweets to their moms. This custom was called “going a-mothering”. Each mother would recieve a simnel-cake (Latin for “fine flour) and mother’s would give a blessing to their children. 

• Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia began the campaign that brought about the official observance of Mother’s Day in the United states. Her mother died, and Anna wanted all mothers to be remembered. She asked that white carnations be the official mother’s day symbol. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the orders that made Mother’s Day a national holiday. 

• Just nine years later, Anna filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop the over- commercialization of Mother’s Day. She lost her fight. Now, cards, letters, candy and dinners out mark Mother’s Day for most families. Anna had hoped for a day of reflection and quiet prayer by families, thanking God for all that mothers had done. 

• Mother Earth is also known as “Terra Firma”. That title is a Latin translation of some lines from one of the Greek poet, Homer’s, greatest poems. 

• In Yugoslavia on “Materitse,” “Materice,” or Mother’s Day, the children tie up their mother, releasing her only when she has paid them with sweets or other goodies. 

• In France children Mother’s Day is refered to as Fete des Meres. It provides children and adults to honour their mothers and give her gifts and treats. Mother’s Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in May. It is treated more like a family birthday. Everyone in the family gathers for a special meal. 

• In Europe, people on Mother’s Day honor their mothers as well as the church. They respect the “Mother Church” – the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. The church festival got blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration. 

• In Spain Mother’s Day is celebrated on 8th December. It is closely associated with Mother Mary – the mother of Jesus. On this children send special cards, chocolates, flowers and other presents to their mothers. But many children make their own presents for their mothers. 

• In Sweden Mother’s Day is on the last Sunday in May and is a family holiday. The Swedish Red Cross sells small plastic flowers on the days leading up to Mother’s Day. The money raised from the sale of the flowers is used to help needy mothers and their children. 

• Along with America, at least 46 other countries, including New Zealand, Italy, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Turkey and Belgium celebrate Mothers Day, most on the second Sunday of May. Many people follow the custom on Mother’s Day of wearing a carnation. A coloured carnation means that a person’s mother is living while a white carnation honours a person’s mother who is dead.

Be sure to order flowers for Mom EARLY!  Just give Eden Florist a call at 800-966-3336 or 954-981-5515 or visit us online at www.EdenFlorist.com. We serve Hollywood, Davie, Cooper City, Weston, Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Hallandale, Dania, Sunrise and all of Fort Lauderdale. We also serve most of Miami including Miami Lakes, North Miami, Miami Beach, Aventura, El Portal and all addresses in the North Part of Miami-Dade County.

   Pantone the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries selects Mimosa as its color of the year for 2009. The color Mimosa was chosen as a symbol of optimism, hope and reassurance, much needed sentiments in this time of economic uncertainty and political change.

According to Pantone: “The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”

Mimosa is a versatile shade that complements any other color, appeals to both men and women, and can works well in fashion and interiors.

In addition to the Mimosa blossoms, other popular flowers in shades of yellow include jonquils, tulips, roses, daisies and lilies.

Mimosa trees (also known as the “silk tree”) are popular ornamentals because of the bright colors they exude. Mimosa trees are easy to grow, do well in climates that get little rain and are a popular habitat for Hummingbirds.

International Floral Annual By International Floral Art 2008. It’s evolutionary and revolutionary and at present the only publication that shows the world what floral design is, has become and where it’s going. A must have.

In a recent issue of Flowers & magazine the Floral Annual Book was reviewed. I was blown away by the quality and depth of designs and just had to share with my readers. So I emailed the publishers and asked if they would send me some photos from the conent.  That is what you see below. 

International Floral Art. Hooray! This is another superb edition (perhaps the best yet) ~ 158 designers from 28 countries showing stunning compositions it’s a heady banquet. Quirky works, some stealthily classically, old wine in new glasses, unclassifiable, entertaining, never seen before, disturbing, gorgeous, bizarre. It’s a rocking 290 page world of ikebana meets commercial meets flower lovers who collide with florisSt and cooperate with designers who ALL invite land art, body art and natural art into a floral, vegetal and vibrant new world of design. It’s evolutionary and revolutionary and at present the only publication that shows the world what floral design is, has become and where it’s going. A must have.

The International Floral Art 08/09 edition is a publication of Stichting Kunstboek (ISBN 978-90-5856-270-8) and the cost is 59.59 Euros. This beautifully illustrated coffee table book is a true work of art. 

You can read more about it at: http://www.floralannual.com/

=

This old storytelling game has been around forever, but it just might do the trick when the kids have cleaned their plates and are ready to fly out the door again. Just ask: “Did everybody use a fork?” They’ll all nod.

“Good. If you just used a fork, then you owe the cook a magic memory. I will now unveil The Talking Fork.” Puzzled looks will follow. “I cooked this meal. And before we all leave, I want to hear some good, fun, magic family memories. Here’s the Talking Fork. I’ll go first.” Then pick up a fork around which you’ve tied a ribbon — a nice, big serving fork is good for dramatic effect — and begin. (Source: FamilyEducation.com)

Check out all the holiday flowers we have at Eden Florist.com.

Cloudy or discolored water in vases is an indication of decomposition and Bacterial growth.  Change water in your container every day or two, using fresh warm water.  This will open the stems, allowing the water to flow to the flower.  Your fresh flowers will last longer.

Be sure and call or stop by Eden Florist for your next bunch of flowers.

 

Aster (Callistephus) ~ Symbol of Love, Daintiness ~ In 1637, John Tradescant the Younger, brought Asters back from Virginia to North America. They did not seem to be noticed until hybridized with European “starworts.”They were later renamed Michaelmas daisies because their flowering coincided with the feast of Saint Michael. They bloom in autumn as a “curtain” call to summer and a reminder of a new beginning after winter’s sleep.

Order Asters and other flowers at Eden Florist.

Confucius acknowledged orchids saying, “the association with a superior person is like entering a hall of orchids”. In 1595 a Chinese flower-arranging book “A Treatise of Vase Flowers” by Chang Ch’ien -te said orchids were in the top ranking of desirability.

The orchid is also the World’s Most Diverse Plant Family

In the 16th Century Christian Missionaries in South America named the flower (Passiflora spp) because they saw it as being a symbol of the death of Jesus Christ. It was the first flower they saw on their journey and they saw it as a good sign.

They thought that the five sepals and the five petals of the passion flower represented the ten disciples without Judas Iscariot and Peter.

They also thought that the double row of filaments (corona) on the passion flower represented the crown of thorns that Jesus was made to wear. It also resembled a halo.

The vine tendrils represented the whips that were used to scourge Jesus.

The styles of the flower represented the nails Jesus had hammered into his palms and ankles when crucified.

The stamens represented the wounds Jesus sustained when crucified.

Where Passion Flowers Grow

They grow naturally in the southern part of the United States and in South America. They are grown in plantations in Australia, Brazil, Hawaii and Kenya. They are also grown in artificial conditions such as The Palm House in Kew Gardens.

There are over 55 species of Passion Flower. Their fruit is edible.

Nasturtium ~ This flower has a pepper scent and its colorful yellow, orange and red petals can be tossed in a salad. The whole blossoms can be stuffed with savory mousse; the petals can be shredded and added to risotto or mixed with olive oil and combined with cooked pasta; the leaves taste similar to watercress. 

For more ideas on cooking with flowers, check out the following books, “Flower Cookery – The Art of Cooking with Flowers” by Mary MacNichol or “Edible Flowers from Garden to Palate” by Cathy Wilkinson

When you have time, read this great post at About.com – Edible Flowers History

In celebration of Rose Month, why not try the Rose-Glazed Brie Recipe?