LAX is the New Flower Hub

The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is getting a new refrigeration facility that will greatly benefit the local flower trade and make LAX the new western hub for the flower trade. It will be the largest of any West Coast ariport, accomodating 8,500 tons of perishable product annually. The new flowers will come from Bogotá, Colombia, and Quito, Ecuador, and will now be shipped to LAX instead of previously entering the U.S. at Miami International Airport.

According to local flower distributors, when shipping flowers from Bogota to Carlsbad, California, a major floral distribution point for the West Coast, the trip takes 59.5 hours total travel time via Miami. When shipping via LAX, total travel time is 15 hours -- a time savings of 75 percent.

The new refrigeration facility will not only accommodate the storage of large amounts of flowers, but soon, workers also will be able to separate the flower shipments within the 35-degree Fahrenheit storage environment and prepare them for direct distribution from LAX to flower shops and supermarkets throughout California and the western U.S.

Checking local flower retailers, airport officials report that the local cost of a single rose shipped to LAX can drop to as low as $2, compared to $6 when shipped via Miami and then transported by truck to Los Angeles.

See more about this here.

Easter Flowers

Here's a nice video showing Easter flowers blooming before our eyes using the magic of time-lapse. Watch the tulips, lilies and daffodils bloom in less than thirty seconds.

Flowers in Hospital Rooms

A recent study found that hospital patients who have flowers or potted plants in their hospital rooms need fewer pain killers, have a lower heart rate and blood pressure and are better off. They feel less anxious and less tired.

See more from the study here.

Photo of roses in a hospital room by studentofrhythym

You Don't Send Me Flowers Anymore

Shari used to work at a flower store in Los Angeles. That was a long time ago. Since then, she has dated a few guys but none of them ever bought her flowers until her latest date. They were going out for two months, he bought her flowers but then he broke up with her and described her as 'crystalline'. See her story here.

The crystalline flowers pictured here are via SRGC

Gardeners in Los Angeles

The Wall Street Journal has an article recently about the immigrant gardeners and landscapers who work in Los Angeles. They say the economic downturn has not had much of an impact on them yet. They note this is a good living for many immigrants who move on to create their own landscaping firms and hire several employees. Check out their story here.

Photo of LA house and garden by Alan Light

Floral Art

Here's a beautiful photo by tanakawho. It's called "Dessert for your eyes."

Wholesale Organic Flowers in LA

Are you a Los Angeles florist who is experiencing increased demand and queries for organic flowers?

If so, the Organic Bouquet Wholesale people would like you to know they provide retail florists with wholesale prices for a very large selection of organic flowers including roses, calla lilies, Veriflora fragnant garden roses, hybrid tea roses - and all in the latest colors and varieties. Also in Veriflora they have alstro, veronica, hypericum and some filler flowers.

Call Don Mayfield, their national manager for B2B at 877 899 0015 to talk about their great selection of organic flowers.

A Tropical Flower Arrangement

Here´s a video of how to create a beautiful tropical flower arrangement using Ginger Haliconia Dendrobium Orchids Tiger Lilies Bells Of Ireland Liatris And Curly Willow.

This is one of the videos available from Everyday Flowers, a new YouTube channel specializing in demonstrating the art of floral arrangements.

Ikebana Flower Arranging Ideas

Here are some incredibly beautiful Ikebana flower arrangements. Ikebana is the Japanese art of arranging flowers in a vase.

Couture Florists at Tic-Tock

Here's a couple of examples of the beautiful couture floral arrangements you will find at Tic-Tock Couture Florals at 1603 N. La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. They are one of the most in-demand 'celebrity florists' in Los Angeles. Manifesting visually stunning floral arrangements is the key for their creative director Eddie Zaratsian.

Buy Organic Roses for Mother's Day

The OrganicBouquet.com is promoting these two dozen pink roses as a thoughtful gift for Mother's Day. Not only are these roses organically grown but 5% of the price will be donated to the Mercy Corps charity.

These roses have stylized striping that took years to achieve. See a closeup of the Pink Perfection roses here.

Giant Organic Roses are a Hit in Hollywood

Organic Bouquet is selling the world's tallest roses. They are between five and six feet tall. A dozen will cost you $250.00. They are grown organically near the equator by the Andes mountains. These 'extreme roses' are a hit in Hollywood these days. They are turning up in a lot of celebrity homes. These roses last much longer than the typical rose. They are called "Forever Young".

How To Make an Origami Rose

Here's an excellent instructional video detailing all the steps of how to make an origami Kawasaki rose in eight minutes. All you need is a square piece of colored paper.

Origami Flowers as a New Flower Trend?

As people become more concerned with the non-organic flower growing and harvesting practises worldwide and the costs of buying flowers in terms of globabl warming impacts, we predict there may be a surge of interest in origami flower making.

Origami has been a popular art form in Japan for over a thousand years. Origami flowers last a long time and bring beauty to any room. Here is a bouquet of origami flowers from Lisa's Handmade Origami Creations.

You can also buy books on how to create origami flowers. The book shown here is Origami Flowers: Popular Blossoms and Creative Bouquetsand it's recently available in English on Amazon.

White House Florist Does Valentine's

Laura Bush told Rachel Ray yesterday that the president is "Not very good" at remembering Valentine's Day, so the White House florist always sends up the flowers and George Bush signs the card. Last year the First Lady got a heart topiary fashioned by one of the White House gardeners.

The heart-shaped topiary of red roses in a clay pot you see here is by the Empty Vase Florist. It's three feet tall and about twenty inches across. Cost: $480.