Jose Cabada is obsessed with bees!

Listening to the 52-year-old businessman talk about them—especially the indigenous, stingless varieties belonging to the melipona genus—it’s hard not to become infected with his enthusiasm.

To learn more about his eco-tourism private reserve in Costa Rica, which utilizes the native bees as remarkable pollinators,  please read more in March 7, 2011 issue of Garden Design.

This informative article by Daniel DiClerico in the March issue of Garden Design explains the diversity and complexity of  the Rhododendrons genus.

def: Rhododendron (from Ancient Greek rhódon “rose”, and déndron “tree”) is a genus of over 1000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers. It includes the plants known to gardeners as azaeleas.

Member Loasis, www.loasisfloraldesign.com , was recently featured in the flagship store windows of one-of-a-kind Custom Couture Cleaner Madame Paulette®, www.madamepaulette.com.

This gorgeous and unique  Cleopatra inspired headpiece is a  tribute to Elizabeth Taylor.  Both headpiece and the accompanying 8 feet long train were created for the recent Tulips & Pansies: The Headdress Affair runway show.  The designs include over 500 orchids, fishtail and feathers!

Floral designers  sometimes employ a design technique using gravel in clear glass to create a Modern  or Urban style floral arrangement.  We commonly refer to the ingredient used by the generic term “river rock”.

If you have ever been curious about the “river rock” used in your gift, check out this informative article from March 7, 2011 issue of Garden Design,  www.gardendesign.com.

Gardens and Grandeur: Porcelains and Paintings by Franz A. Bischoff

JUNE 25, 2011 – OCTOBER 23, 2011

Franz Bischoff (1864–1929) began his career as a china painter in Austria but immigrated to the United States in 1885 and became one of the foremost porcelain painters of his day. He won numerous awards and ultimately earned the title “King of the Rose Painters.” Moving from Dearborn, Michigan, to Southern California in 1906, he began to paint still life as well as landscapes throughout the Western United States, including the coastal areas of Monterey and Laguna Beach, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and desert regions. This exhibition features approximately 40 examples of Bischoff’s work.

For more information please see:   http://crockerartmuseum.org

San Francisco Bay Area member based in Walnut Creek, www.florali.com, is featured in the May 2011 issue of Martha Steward Weddings Bride’s Guide.

See more >

British Painter Dan Bennett is interviewed in flowermag.com issue Spring 2011.

As a teenager, British painter Dan Bennett found himself weeding flowerbeds for pocket money. These days, at just 36 years of age, he carefully tends canvasses bursting in floral forms, where a similar ideal of edited restraint allows his graphic and energetic visions to shine forth. They capture the attention of gallery directors and art collectors in both the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as stationers, fabric designers, and product designers worldwide.

To read the full article go to, flowermag.com

“In order to keep a planet that’s worth living on, we have to change our methods,” says Gertjan Meeuws, of PlantLab, a private research company.

To learn more about Meeuws plans to help cure this problem read more here.

A long-time customer received this beautiful sketch of the flowers they sent as a thank you gift from their recipient.  Now, those are two lovely sets of people I would love to meet!

Thank you for a wonderful Mother’s Day week. Please note this offer expired on Monday, May 2nd.

For a limited time, we are excited to offer customers who place a Mother’s Day order with a value over $150, a complimentary annual subscription to
flower, the nation’s only floral lifestyle magazine.

If you do not wish to receive the magazine, or prefer it to go to your recipient, please mention this in the ‘Order Description’ section of your order form.