What does this mean for my clients and potential clients? I will continue to offer wedding and floral design services in Southern California as I have for the last six years as The Spiraled Stem Floral Design – however I will now be operating these services as Organic Bouquet. I’m still in the same location, have a great design team, and am available to help make your wedding or event beautiful with the finest eco-friendly floral decor available on the market. You can reach me at all of the same contact information for now, and I will be transitioning the website and blog and such to Organic Bouquet in the near future. I would love to hear from you with any questions you might have or to schedule a consultation for your event! And blogging will resume regularly soon!

Share on Facebook

On event day I drove that big old truck up to the Pasadena Convention Center. Big truck driving tips: Tip #1 – Don’t ride in one of those trucks if you get motion sickness – I thought I was going to lose it from all of the bouncing and Tip #2 – When the sign says “Truck Route Exit Here”, for goodness sakes EXIT! Driving on the 110 into Pasadena in a 26′ truck is no good (you have to have driven that particular stretch to appreciate what I’m talking about!). 

Our team installed the event in about 3 hours and it looked FANTASTIC (if I do say so myself!). Organic Bouquet sent us a beautiful selection of our favorite eco-friendly flowers – roses, spray roses, gerber daisies, bells of Ireland, hypericum berries, alstroemeria, lemon, seeded eucalyptus, tulips, and mini calla lilies.

The highlight of course was the infamous “World’s Tallest Roses”- big beautiful tall red roses that can whisper in your ear when you are standing next to them. They graced the Alabama bar and at the end of the night, I had to fight just to keep a few of the over 100 stems that I had because the guests were tearing those things right out of the vase to take home.  

Once we finished setting up, I was able to take a “bird bath” in the bathroom off the kitchen and get all done up to enjoy the party! Darrell took the Gold Line over after work and hung out with me – we had some yummy food and drink and I even took a ride on the mechanical bull (photos never to be published).

One of the best parts of the event was when it was over – we packed whatever flowers were left back into the truck, and the next morning I delivered them to the Petals for Patients program run by Silverado Hospital in San Juan Capistrano. Petals for Patients receives donated flowers that they repurpose into little arrangements to be delivered to hospitals, hospice facilities, and patient’s rooms to brighten their day. This was the biggest donation they had ever received and they even producted a little video on it that you can watch here!

Click here to view the embedded video.

To top off the event, I actually got to attend the BCS Championship Football Game! It was the first time I’ve gone to a game at the Rose Bowl and was a a lot of fun and quite emotional as we were sitting in the Texas section. Here’s a photo of me with my client Patrick from Aramark at the Anaheim Convention Center and Robert from Organic Bouquet. Overall a great event and an action packed way to kick off 2010! Thanks to my team for rolling up your sleeves and digging in!

Share on Facebook

I first met Amy almost three years ago, right when her book came out and right when I launched my green program at The Spiraled Stem. I voraciously read her book over the course of about two days, luckily I was flying to the East Coast and had plenty of time to read on the plane. On that trip I met up with Amy at the New York Botanical Gardens, but due to train delays, I missed the good stuff on her lecture and caught her just in time for an autograph!

So last week I finally caught her lecture, and if you have the opportunity you should go too. What struck me the most was that she is a writer  – not a flower industry insider but a flower lover who has an editor who lets her write about her interests and flowers struck her fancy. Must be nice by the way, I was living vicariously through her words and the photos she shared in the lecture – I’d LOVE to go to Ecuador, Holland, Miami and see all of the pieces of this flower machine in motion. SOME DAY! Just putting that out in the universe.

After her lecture I pulled her into the backstage of the auditorium for a Coffee Chat, here it is!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Christine Saunders from The Spiraled Stem Floral Design chats with New York Times best-selling author Amy Stewart. Her book Flower Confidential: The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers. Find out what inspired Amy to peel back the petals of the flower industry, her biggest surprise in her world travels, and why flowers are like wine. Her book can be ordered at www.AmyStewart.com or is available at a bookstore near you.

Here’s the info from the Southern California Horticultural Society series that we were a part of:

Share on Facebook

Environmentally and economically (eco-eco) conscious brides, couples, and those contemplating a party for any occasion, are invited to the Environmental Nature Center to meet local businesses providing affordable, “green” products and services that can reduce environmental harm while ensuring a joyous, memorable and stylish celebration. Come explore the Center’s facilities, which are now available for weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners and showers!
 
Signed copies of New York Times environmental writer Mireya Navarro’s best selling book “Green Wedding” will be available for sale. All proceeds from book sales go directly to the programs and operation of the Environmental Nature Center.

Participants:
Bloom Where You’re Planted
118 Degrees
About Town Bartending
Avanti Café
Beach Pit BBQ
Boulevards of Travel
Braedon Photography 
CandlEssence
Classic Party Rentals
DJ Wendy
Flutist Susan Fries
Fly by Night Studio
Kathleen Neilson, Esthetician
Nature’s Gifts
Newport Beach Vineyards
Savory Concepts Catering 
Sun Flour Bakery
Where’s the Party?
and more!
 
$15 Admission to the event includes an eco-friendly lunch and flower arranging workshops with Veriflorist Janet Peloquin, owner of Bloom Where You’re Planted. Participants will learn to make their own bouquets and boutonnières.
 
Call 949-645-8489 or complete the registration form below.  The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) is located at 1601 E. 16th Street in Newport Beach, CA.

Share on Facebook

Reprinted from the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Economic downturn slows organic flower market

Issue Date: September 9, 2009

By Kate Campbell
Assistant Editor

From commercial-scale operations to micro-farms, the state’s more than 80 organic cut-flower growers use organic techniques to add value to their products. Some report they have reduced production due to the recession, but say they hope sales will bloom again once the economy recovers.

Kendall Farms office manager Rose Conner, employee Efigenia Avalos and general manager Troy Conner, left to right, check the family operation’s organic flower supply. Growers hope for a sales bounce going into the fall.

Kendall Farms in San Diego County was the nation’s first farm to become certified by VeriFlora—an international certification program that assures sustainability practices in the growing of flowers and nursery stock—and has produced USDA certified organic flowers and greens for more than five years. It’s among a small group of flower growers who can provide a full line of certified organic bouquets in quantities required by retailers such as florists and supermarkets.

But the 350-acre family farm, which specializes in exotic Australian and South African ornamental varieties, produces cut greens and flowers using both conventional and organic techniques.

“With the economic slump, supplying organic product to wholesalers hasn’t been working out, so we’ve been creating our own market,” said Troy Conner, Kendall Farms general manager. “We’ve been trying to work with companies like Whole Foods to expand our sales.

“We’ve had some pretty good success with retailers—both large and small,” he said. “But at the end of the day, consumer demand just isn’t there right now to support the volume we’re capable of supplying.”

So, Conner said, the farm has cut back its organic offerings “significantly” this year.

“People like and want organically grown flowers; they just don’t want to pay for it, at least not right now,” he said.

Abby Harned of Three Sisters Farm in Redlands calls her Riverside County organic operation a “micro-farm” and figures it wouldn’t even form a blip in the national statistics. She and husband Jason are new to farming and sell at local farmers markets, as well as to a few organic restaurants.

“We don’t specialize in cut flowers, but we do grow them and add them to our vegetable offerings,” Harned said, adding that the farm is currently harvesting sunflowers, cosmos, zinnia and coreopsis—what she called “old-fashioned cutting flowers.”

“We want to diversify and that might include edible flowers,” she said. “For example, we have garlic chives that are blooming and we’re selling bouquets of those. You can chop them and put them into salads raw.”

Trends come and go, she said, “but people have been eating things from the garden that have gone to flower forever. I’m excited about offering these things and teaching people that they can eat the flowers too.”

Bagher Bahardar, who grows organic flowers and greens in San Diego County, along with citrus and avocados, said he sells his cut flowers through distributors that include Kendall Farms.

He uses the flower-production capability to help hedge against pest quarantines that regularly pop up and limit his ability to ship fruit out of the area. His cut flower business potentially has a more reliable revenue stream, he said.

For the organic floral market to take off, Bahardar said, there will need to be improvements in the economy and more growers offering greater variety.

Recent floral market studies indicate organic flowers promise farmers good market opportunities, but a larger number of growers are needed to offer the market a wider variety of choices.

Conner said Kendall Farms routinely receives calls from floral wholesalers and designers asking, “What’s new? What’s trendy? What’s hot?” Often the new kinds of floral products are being grown in small quantities or in experimental plots on small flower farms.

And, specialty cut flowers can compete with the traditional flowers—like roses and carnations, which often are shipped from South America, he said. Locally grown flowers can be cut in the morning and in a shopper’s home in the evening.

The Sun Valley Group, one of the largest flower growing operations in the United States, grows flowers year-round on six production farms stretching across California, from the Oregon border to the Oxnard Plain. Because the company has farms in a variety of microclimates, it can produce flowers native to many other parts of the world.

In June 2005, Sun Valley received sustainable certification from VeriFlora. Among its sustainable practices are soil sterilization using steam and the use of more than 15,000 tons of compost a year to improve soil health and fertility.

Mike Crosby, sales manager for the Arcata-based grower, said, “We’ve attempted to grow organic flowers—tulips and grasses—but it’s enormously challenging to grow decorative crops that way. Instead, we’ve adopted sustainable growing practices and think we can do more for the environment using that approach.”

He said that even though the company is international in scope, the recession has taken its toll.

“We’re not immune to the economic problems other businesses are facing,” Crosby said. “We’ve had to downsize to match our cost structure to market demand, but we have a loyal customer base.

“Summer is always a slow time in the flower business,” he said. “We’re hoping for a surge of orders after Labor Day.”

(Kate Campbell is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at kcampbell@cfbf.com.)

Share on Facebook

I’m also going to be introducing a fan page on Facebook, where I will be uploading photos and updates as I do flowers for wedding this summer. You will actually get a glimpse behind the scenes at the flower market, in the design studio, and at weddings this summer – as they happen! I will let you all know when I get the Facebook fan page started so you can join.

To quickly recap the Green Weddings book signing event, it was a huge success! We had about 60 or so people show up to hear the expert panel talk about green weddings, and many people picked up Mia’s book and had her sign it for them. If you missed our event, Mia will be back in Southern California in May, visit her website for dates and locations.

I was also hugely pleased to present the winner of the Say I Do With A Big Do Contest, Bihn Phan! Learn more about her amazing story here.

So I wanted you to be able to enjoy some photos of the Green Weddings Event – but apparently I am also behind in Wordpress updates and such because I can’t upload pictures. I must confer with my IT support (my husband Darrell) and revisit that issue. Please check back soon because I promise to be a better blogger, and there are some great things ahead at The Spiraled Stem!

Share on Facebook

Join us on Sunday, March 15 from 2-4pm for an exciting afternoon learning about Green Weddings from the experts. Mireya Navarro, author of Green Wedding: Planning Your Eco-Friendly Celebration will be discussing green weddings with a panel of experts, including a floral designer (me!), a green lifestyle authority, an eco-chic wedding planner, and a bride who had a green wedding in 2008. This book is a MUST HAVE in any wedding professional’s library, and serves as a practical and inspirational guide to brides and grooms who are trying to do right by the planet during their wedding.

Please click on our Green Wedding Panel Discussion and Book Signing Event page for profiles of the panelists and all of our fabulous sponsors. You can also register to attend this FREE event here!

Yummy refreshments and beverages will be served, come and enjoy a relaxing and inspiring afternoon with us!

View an article on the TODAYSHOW.com website with Mia here!

Share on Facebook

This Friday and Saturday February 27-28, the Brides Against Breast Cancer Nationwide Tour of Gowns stops in Anaheim! For two days only, brides can shop from a huge selection of wedding dresses in all sizes and with prices at 25-75% below retail. These beautiful wedding dresses have been donated by past brides, designers, salons, and manufacturers so that proceeds from the sales go to benefit Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, a non-profit organization which grants end of live wishes for terminally ill metastatic stage IV breast cancer patients.

Power Hours
Making Memories will host special morning hours of operation to offer brides a “sneak peak” and first pick of the thousands of gowns available for her one special day. “Power Hours” are on Friday, February 27, 2009, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm – admission is $20, advanced registration is required, and space is limited. Visit: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/275961408 for Power Hours registration.

Here are the details on the Brides Against Breast Cancer Wedding Dress Sale:

Location
Anaheim Marriott Suites Hotel
12015 Harbor Blvd
Garden Grove, CA

Hours
Power Hours:
Friday, February 27, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Gown Sale:
Friday, February 27, 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Saturday, February 28, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Registration
Power Hour: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/275961408
Brides: http://www.makingmemories.org
Volunteers: http://www.bridesagainstbreastcancer.org

Payment
Cash and credit cards are welcome. General admission is FREE.

BONUS!

A coupon worth $50 off any gown over $500 or $25 off any gown from $250 to $499 will be printed in the Orange County Register and the LA Times – Orange County Edition on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for additional savings! Brides must present the coupon clipped from the newspaper to redeem the discount.

View the Brides Against Breast Cancer Dress Sale Press Release.

View the Brides Against Breast Cancer Dress Sale Flier.

View the Brides Against Breast Cancer Dress Sale Coupon (you must bring in printed newspaper coupon to redeem!)

The Spiraled Stem Floral Design is honored to be the volunteer local coordinator for the Brides Against Breast Cancer wedding dress sale, so we will be on site for the entire sale. We are still taking volunteers so please contact me at christine@thespiraledstem.com if you are interested!

I learned about BABC last year as part of The Green Event Studio launch, and we were happy to host the launch as a Pink Envelope Project event. I also pledged to donate my wedding gown in support of BABC, and that is just what I did last year.

My dress professionally cleaned and boxed had been sitting in my closet for 5 years.

My dress ready to join the thousands of others waiting for a new owner.

Me with my dress before we part ways.

Yes I had to try it on just one last time.

No it didn’t still fit! Be careful girls, this can happen to you too!

If you are a recent bride who would like to donate your dress, you can bring it to the sale and we will accept donations, just like how I did last year. For dresses that are really damaged or are non-sellable for any reason, there is still hope! Brides Against Breast Cancer will still accept the donation, but they use the fabric for quilters to make fabulous quilts that are worth thousands of dollars, and the proceeds of their sale go to Making Memories, just like the dresses!

For all the brides who are still shopping for a dress, or for past brides who want to donate their dress to a good cause, we look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Share on Facebook

It falls on a Saturday this year, so send beautiful, earth-friendly VeriFlora-Certified sustainably grown roses to your sweetheart at home or the office on Friday the 13th, and you have all weekend to reap the benefits. It’s the Valentine’s gift that keeps on giving without taking too much from the earth.
 
One-dozen long stem red/pink/white roses arranged in a vase (as pictured): 

$75 plus $12 local delivery and tax

 A half-dozen long stem red/pink/white roses arranged in a vase: 

$50 plus $12 delivery and tax

Non-premium colors are available for a $10 discount. Custom, upgraded, and mixed arrangements are also available, just call and ask for details! We accept cash, checks, paypal, mastercard, Visa, and American Express.

The Spiraled Stem is currently taking orders for deliveries on Friday the 13th in north/central Orange, western Riverside, and southern Los Angeles counties. Call us at 714-632-6885 or email us to place your order today! We are not delivering on Saturday, we will be doing the flowers for a wedding in San Diego that day – congrats Carly and DJ – and Darrell and I will be having a little Valentine’s love of our own.

Get your office buddies together and place three or more orders for delivery to the same location and we will waive the delivery fee for all of you! This way you can take roses home with you Friday night and be a hero without fighting the crowds at the stores and flower shops.
 
Want to send roses to a sweetheart out of this area? Click here to order online through Organic Bouquet. 

Share on Facebook

Announcement One: FlowerDIYvas!

I have partnered with Dawn Hansen from Lavender Hill to offer FlowerDIYvas, DIY wedding floral design workshops for brides who are considering doing their own flowers. I did my own flowers back in 2003, and even with the experience of 7 years in the floral business and having done several weddings, there were things that I did/didn’t do that made my life a lot more difficult than it had to be during those days surrounding our wedding. I’ll tell you the full story some other time. In the meantime, brides who are thinking about doing their own flowers to save money can learn from our years of experience – we will help you have a gorgeous, polished, and reduced stress wedding for less! Visit www.FlowerDIYvas.com for all of the details and to register!

If through the workshop experience a bride realizes that she will be in over her head and that DIY flowers are not for her, she can apply a portion of her workshop fees to full service wedding flowers. Or for brides who know they don’t want to do their own flowers but are still looking for a great low price for their flowers, The Spiraled Stem is now offering a lower priced collection. This leads me to… 

Announcement Two: the e collection!

Wedding flower collections that are easy on the environment and your budget.

I designed the e collection for the bride who is looking for uncomplicated design, a personalized touch, and a great value for her wedding flowers. The bride chooses her color scheme and preferred accent flower, and our designers do the rest – we select the freshest VeriFlora-certified sustainably grown flowers available and create a perfectly coordinated collection for the bride’s special day.

All collections feature VeriFlora-certified roses with the bride’s choice of accent flower and color scheme. Standard accent flowers are spray roses, tulips, freesia or rununculus (as seasonally available); premium accent flowers are mini callas, cymbidium orchids, or dahlias (as seasonally available). Prices are the same for standard vs. premium accent flowers, there are just less of the premium accent flowers in the arrangements.

All collections range between $1900 to $2300 and are based on four attendants for each the bride and groom and ten reception tables (100 guests). Choose from three options for the ceremony setup – a gazebo, an arch, or two pedestal pieces – and three price points for the centerpiece – $30, $40, or $50. Visit the e collection page on our website for all of the details!

With both FlowerDIYvas and the e collection, brides with all ranges in budgets will be able to have The Spiraled Stem touch on their wedding flowers. Please help us spread the news by posting about FlowerDIYvas and the e collection on your blog or website, and Contact us today for a consultation!

Share on Facebook