Author: Jill Brooke
The Sunflower Ties Us All to the Ukrainian People and Peace
By Jill Brooke It says something about a culture when their national flower is the sunflower. Ukraine is also the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower seeds and sunflower oil. Turns out that because of the Orthodox Church restricting butter during lent, sunflower oil took off in the 1800s when the flower seeds were …
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Jeff Leatham’s “Kaleidoscope” Vision for NYBG’s Orchid Show
By Jill Brooke How many people get to do a redo? Few, of course, but for famed event planner and florist Jeff Leatham, he has the distinction of creating not one but TWO New York Botanical Garden Orchid Shows. Luckily, the one he launched in 2020 at the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory right before the …
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5 Sustainable AND Floral-Infused Wines from Famed Lodi Wine Region
By Jill Brooke In honor of National Wine Day this week, we are visiting the floral-inspired wines of the Lodi wine region. Yes, of course, you have heard about Napa but there are so many other areas to visit and enjoy. A historic wine-growing region since the 1850s, Lodi is situated 40 miles south of …
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Fine China Finding Fans Again Because of Pandemic
By Jill Brooke Here’s some great news about table settings and fine china in the home. A New York Times report shared that there’s a huge upswing for fine china and more creative and fancier tableware since so many have had to eat so many meals at home during the pandemic. In order to shake …
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Super Bowl Flower Arrangements for Rams vs. Bengals
By Jill Brooke With the big Super Bowl game coming up between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnatti Bengals, here are FIVE fun party decor ideas that you can tackle to bring out the team spirit. After all, flowers always add color and fun to any event and are much less fattening than chips and …
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Instead of Friends with Benefits, Why Not Plants?
By Jill Brooke You’ve heard of friends with benefits right – well now Costa Farms introduced “Plants with Benefits.” Maybe because WebMD elevated flowers and plants as a category for wellness and the pandemic has raised awareness on how this natural decor enhances your everyday environment as well as lifts your spirits, but flowers and …
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The Unassuming Tree that Gives Life to Other Trees in Forest
By Jill Brooke Like with humans, it is often the unassuming tree or flower that holds the strength in a family and keeps it together. Researchers at The Morton Arboretum say in many forests which date back centuries, there are a small number of trees that provide genetic and evolutionary benefits to the rest of …
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Study Reveals How Florists Manage Unrealistic Brides
By Jill Brooke Here’s something that florists around the world are loving. Because the pandemic has unexpectedly created so much work, florists are getting to pick and choose what weddings they want to participate in, giving them leverage unlike any time before. Now finally they can say bye-bye to the Bridezilla brides with lists a …
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Year of the Tiger Floral Ideas for Chinese New Year
By Jill Brooke It’s now the Year of the Tiger for the Chinese New Year which is a two-week celebration of cultural traditions. This week’s celebration marked the end of the Year of the Ox and the start of the Year of the Tiger. It hasn’t been the Year of the Tiger since 2010. Experts say …
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Uncovering the Ancient Origins of Flowers
By Jill Brooke How old are flowers? As we reported earlier, a report in New Scientist reveals that flowers may have existed over “250 million years ago, more than 100 million years earlier than the oldest fossilized flowers so far found.” But now a new study has found preserved flowers that are 99 million years …
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