April 18 2023

Flower Club: Bloom Battle '23 Celebrity Surprise

Tags: Flower Club, At LoCoFlo

We had a surprise visitor at the 2023 Bloom Battle public display and judging event - flower OG Dave Dowling! Dave has done it all in the floral world including farming, designing, vending, teaching and national leadership as the ASCFG President. He can now add Bloom Battle judge to his resume. Not originally slated to the celebrity panel, we put his expertise to work when he showed up unexpectedly. Dave joined former contestants Jen Majewski, Ian Tresselt and Chris Vaeth to place these arrangements in Bloom Battle renown.

For the second straight year the people and the judges agreed. Amanda won the People's Choice and 1st prize.

Danielle, a former 1st place winner, picked up 2nd.

Jo, also a former 1st place winner, took 3rd this year.

This photogenic beauty by Adrienne won the Instagram Famous voting.

View all of the arrangements and more pictures from the event.

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March 15 2023

2023 LoCoFlo BookClub

Tags: BookClub, At LoCoFlo

Wow! Ten years of nerdy bookclub!

Meetings are Monday nights at 7:00PM at the shop (dates below).

New this year: BookClub on Zoom! I'll be hosting online meetings Tuesday nights at 7:00PM following the in-person Monday night meetings (join my email list for the zoom links).

• Feb 27 2023 The Home Place by J. Drew Lanham
• May 1 2023 (new date in studio | online - Apr 25) Silent Spring Revolution by Douglas Brinkley
• Jun 19 2023 Bet the Farm by Beth Hoffman
• Jul 31 2023 River of the Gods by Candice Millard
• Sep 18 2023 Demon Copperhead Barbara Kingsolver
• Nov 13 2023 A Darker Wilderness Edited by Erin Sharkey

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October 30 2022

Winter in a Jar

Tags: Stuff You Can Buy

OMG! Can you even? So festive. It's Winter in a Jar!

Enhance the season with these spirited arrangements. Quart mason jars are stuffed with local mixed evergreens, berry branches, foraged Lake Montebello pine cones, jingle bells and joy.

Also, wow, what a gift! Send some winter wonder to a loved one.

$55 for one jar. $100 for two jars. $45 each for three or more jars. Order using our order form.

Available seasonally.

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June 27 2022

Think Global, Buy Local Flowers

Tags: Farmers

Supply chain issues are widespread due to the pandemic. Flower imports are no exception. Additionally, a new problem is further disrupting the flower supply in the US - political protest in Ecuador.

Ecuador accounts for 10% of the world's flower exports with over $2 million shipped every day. Flower exports have been cut in half since protests began in mid June 2022.

Indigenous Ecuadorians have been "warming the streets" according to Eduardo Letort, CEO of Hoja Verde and President of Cayambe Association of Floraculture, in advance of elections next year. In a conversation on The Flower Podcast Letort described his experience trying to export flowers from Ecuador.

Protestors have blocked access to the airport and seized flower deliveries in their effort to lower gas prices, obtain assistance for small farms, and limit oil mining expansion, among other demands. Protestors have also been recruiting workers directly on the farms.

Letort has had to close operations when his workers leave to protest or to avoid potential violence. He has also resorted to paying bribes to pass blockades and delivering flowers to the airport by foot off-road and at night .

Wholesalers and florists in the US are noticing the disruption. Delays for orders and substitutions of varieties are increasingly common. Locally grown flowers have been one source to fill the need. Our growers have seen an increase in demand during the pandemic and again now with this additional supply disruption.

Flowers are an emotional and political product. Amy Stewart documented "the absurd arrangement" of the global flower market in her influential book, Flower Confidential. It is, for us, a maddening "intersection of nature and technology, of sentiment and commerce" and also climate concerns.

Buy local flowers! Viva Ecuador!

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June 21 2022

Farmer Fat Stacks

Tags: Classes, Farmers

Get ready to make some money! Ellen has launched her second online class with The Gardener's Workshop. Preparing to Sell to Florists is an on demand insider's workshop for flower growers who want to sell directly to florists.

Ellen shares what florists want from their flower providers and how to sell to them from over a decade of buying directly from the farm focusing on three topics:

• Finding The Right Florist Customers
• How to Price Your Product
• All About Availability Lists

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How It Works

Sign up anytime. It's an on demand workshop. Go at your own pace - it's about two hours. There's even a no questions asked money back guarantee. If you purchase the class before July 4 2022, you will be invited to a live Q&A with Ellen!

Learn More

This class is for anyone who wants to sell flowers directly to florists. You might be a big, multi-generation farm looking for a new sales outlet or a hobbyist aspiring to upgrade to a side hustle. You will learn how florists work, how to compete with wholesalers, how to define your value proposition, how to pitch your product, and how to build an ongoing successful business relationship.

Don't just believe this rando blog. Hear Ellen talk about this class on the Field and Garden podcast. Get your bag!

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