FTD Unveils New Internet Directory
FTD is pleased to introduce an exciting new Internet advertising program, FTDflorists.com, to help florists promote their web sites and drive orders straight to FTD Florists. FTDflorists.com was designed specifically to create the best search engine results for common consumer searches to locate local florists.
“FTDflorists.com is a natural step for FTD to help FTD Members compete in today’s ever-changing retail marketplace,” says Michael Soenen, chief executive officer, FTD. “With an increase in floral orders being sent over the Internet, it is our goal to assist FTD Member Florists in promoting their web sites and capturing these orders.”
FTD will be promoting FTDflorists.com to millions of consumers via traditional national advertising vehicles such as co-op print ads starting with the Valentine’s Day in Sports Illustrated magazine, and continuing through Easter and Mother’s Day. Plus, FTD will be conducting online advertising efforts with search engines like Yahoo!, MSN, and Google. Consumers who visit search engine sites will be able to search for their local FTD Florists by city/state and/or zip code.
For more information on FTDflorists.com, visit www.FTDi.com/ftd- floristsonline/promote.htm or call (800) 576-6721.
 ASCFG Announces 2005 Cut Flowers of the Year Fresh-Cut Flower
of the Year Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Red’
Top interior designers say that every room needs a splash of red. There is no easier way to introduce a little dazzling red to your home than with a few stems of Ilex ‘Winter Red.’ This winterberry’s brilliant colour coupled with the striking architecture of its bare branches will provide just the right amount of drama for any room.
Accolades are nothing new when it comes to ‘Winter Red.’ This multi-stemmed North American native is a winner of multiple awards. It is available anytime from October through January with a profusion of large 3/8 inch fruits covering the stems. Plants are cold hardy in Zones 3 to 9, and should be spaced 3 to 5 ft. or wider in the field and propagated by cuttings. Male and female flowers are on separate plants. Females are desired for berries but males are needed nearby for pollination. Generally requires five years to reach harvestable size.
Harvest when fruit are well coloured. Cut stems may last up to 12 weeks in water; however, as with many species the vase life in foam will be much shorter. Stems should be stored dry. Branches may be stored at 32˚F for 1 to 3 weeks in moisture-retentive boxes. Cut stems with dried berries persist in the home for months in a dry container.
Dried Cut Flower of the Year Nigella damascena ‘Cramers’ Plum’
‘Funky’ is the best way to describe the bright-purplish-bronze seed pods of nigella ‘Cramers’ Plum’. Dramatic arrangements can be made with just ‘Cramers’ Plum’ in a glass vase or combining it with a soft-textured dried grass to accentuate the strong lines of the nigella. These pods can be used either fresh or dried. Dried pods last for years if kept out of direct sun and dusted occasionally. The unusual flowers are occasionally harvested for fresh use.
This seed-propagated annual has narrow, highly dissected leaves, and grows 18 to 24 inches tall. The tallest plants are usually obtained with direct seeding which can occur either in the spring (cold climates) or fall (warm climates). Space plants 3 x 3 to 9 x 9 inches apart. Tight spacing encourages larger terminal flowers and fewer side branches.
Harvest pods when fully expanded and well coloured for fresh use and when firm to the touch for dried use. Nigella tends to reseed itself, so handle it accordingly.
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Top: Sri Chinmoy receives his birthday gift.
Bottom: Ashirta Furman in front of the largest flower bouquet.
Photos courtesy of Piyasi Morris.
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Largest Flower Bouquet in the Guinness Book
The Guinness Book of World Records has now acknowledged that the largest flower bouquet in the world is the achievement of New Yorker Ashrita Furman. Presented as a gift to Sri Chinmoy, Furman and 51 helpers worked non-stop for 24 hours to cut and arrange the 101,000 flowers, displayed in August 2004, in Jamaica, New York.
Roses, including 50 varieties in shades of red, orange, yellow and white were imported from Ecuador, Colombia and Guatemala. The flowers were set in plastic cups and positioned on a low, wooden platform that stretched 7.3 x 31 m across a lawn. The $10,000 U.S. bouquet was a gift from friends from 50 countries to Sri Chinmoy, a highly respected philosopher, musician and weightlifter based in New York.
Furman said a similar floral tribute arranged for Chinmoy’s 70th birthday set a record of 70,000 roses but was surpassed by a flower company in Holland with 88,000.
Longer Vase life Provides More Bang for the Buck
When consumers purchase fresh-cut flowers, long vase life is a major consideration. Thus, the American Floral Endowment has supported research by Dr. Terril Nell at the University of Florida at Gainesville to determine which fresh-cut carnation cultivars have superior vase life. With Columbia being the main supplier of cut carnations, 24 cultivars were grown and shipped by air to Miami. They were subsequently transported by refrigerated truck to Gainesville for evaluation using standard conditioning procedures. Dr. Nell found that vase life ranged from 10 to 34 days, with 22 cultivars lasting in excess of three weeks. In contrast, two cultivars lasted less than two weeks. These results indicate the need to select cultivars with long vase life qualities. The results of this study have been summarized in Special Research Report No. 414 and are available on the Endowment web site www.endowment.org. For additional information, Dr. Nell can be contacted at
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Source: American Floral Endowment
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