Just as a prism of glass miters light and casts a colored braid, a garden sings sweet incantations the human heart strains to hear.  Hiding in every flower, in every leaf, in every twig and bough, are  reflections of the God who once walked with us in Eden. - Tonia Triebwasser, The Color of Grace

In honor of Summer, a time when many romances consumate in marriage, I thought it would be fun to share some romance trivia with you.  These are things I have collected over the years and unfortunately don’t remember the sources:

 Aphrodisiacs
Wild cabbage was traditionally recommended as an aphrodisiac.

Honeymoons
The word honeymoon first appeared in the 16th century. ‘Honey’ is a reference to the sweetness of a new marriage and ‘moon’ is a bitter acknowledgment that this sweetness, like a full moon, would quickly fade.

Marriage In Ancient Rome
In ancient Rome there was no legal ceremony by a priest, minister, or civil servant or any 3rd party to solemize a marriage and there were no formal records of the marriage. The couple agreed to live together and they became recognized as married by the fact they lived together, or by actions such as the man referring to the lady as his wife, or by evidence of a dowry, or by the general acceptance of their life-style as representing a husband-wife relationship. Divorce was by agreement or by simply leaving the household on the part of either partner.

Mating Birds
It was believed that birds chose their mates on February 14th and because doves mate for life, they have become a symbol of fidelity.

Stay tuned for part two…

Heidi

Be sure and visit Eden Florist for your wedding needs!

Wondering where all the pretty spring flowers come from?  Most of them come from the Dutch Flower Auctions and are shipped all over the world. Here’s a little bit about the Dutch Flower Auctions:

The Dutch cut flower auctions form the distribution base for flowers and plants throughout the world. Their magnitude appeals to one’s imagination. The auctions have even become a major tourist attraction in Holland.

There is an endless stream of figures and facts designed to capture the magnitude of auctions. Here are interesting factual tidbits regarding the Dutch cut flower auctions in the world:

• According to the Guinness Book of Records, the auction in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands is the largest commercial building in the world, comprising one million square meters. For that matter, the total floor space of the Flora Holland outlets equals 1,500,000 square meters or 16,145,865 square feet.
  
• The Dutch auction at Naaldwijk has the largest floral cooling space in the world, measuring 43,000 square meters or 462,848 square feet - larger than 10 soccer fields combined. 
  
• Over three-quarters of flowers and plants supplied to Dutch auctions are exported.
  
• The auction clock was invented in Holland in 1902. The auction takes place by counting down from highest price to lowest price. The buyer stops the clock by pressing a button. If he is the first to press his button, he then purchases the flowers or plants being auctioned.
  
• The auction in Aalsmeer draws more than 100,000 visitors annually.
  
• At the auctions, the price of cut flowers is always a per stem price.
  
• In 2006, Dutch auctions had combined sales of 3,975,400,000 euro – of which 2,500,400,000 euro for cut flowers.
  
• Most Dutch cut flowers are exported to Germany, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Belgium.
  
• At Dutch auctions, the most popular cut flowers sold are roses, chrysanthemums and tulips (in that order).
  
• The export of cut flowers to Russia is the fastest growing (up 26% in 2006) export market for Dutch grown cut flowers.
  
• Each year, the Dutch ornamental flower sector develops between 1,200 and 1,500 new flowers and plants.
  
• Not all sales take place by the auction clock. The auctions also act as intermediary brokers between flower growers and buyers, without using the clock. This service started in 1972, and now makes up around one-fourth of total sales.
  
• Dutch flower auctions use 12 million flower buckets and 800,000 flower boxes annually to get its flowers safely from the grower to the wholesaler.
  
• Some 12,300 companies are involved in making deliveries to the Dutch auctions.

So next time you order spring flowers from your local florist, you have a little more insight into what goes into getting them from the earth to you!

Heidi

Be sure and order your next floral bouquet from Eden Florist.

Cancer June 22-July 22A romantic and a homebody, the cancer person is devoted to family.  Insightful and intuitive, you are cautiously optimistic. You tend to focus more on helping others and often forget to take care of yourself.Roses and Iris reflect the Cancer personality.Need to order flowers for the Cancer in your life?  Visit EDEN FLORIST 

Rose ~ The Flower of Love

Botanical Name ~ Roseceae “Rosa” Family

White ~ I am worthy of you

Pale Pink ~ Innocence

Hot Pink ~ Infatuation

Red ~ Love, Passion

Yellow ~ Friendship, Honor

Peach ~ Beauty, Grace

One of the oldest flowers known to mankind, and perhaps the most popular,

the rose represents love, magic, hope and the mystery of life.

Nebuchadnezzarused them to adorn his palace. In Persia, they were grown for the perfume oil,

and the petals filled the Sultan’s mattress. In Kashmir, the Emperors cultivated

elaborate rose gardens and the roses were strewn in the river to welcome them

home.

Emperors filled their sitting baths and fountains with rose-water and

sat on carpets of rose petals. The Greeks associated the rose with the blood of

Aphrodites (the Goddess of Love) beloved Adonis. The Roman’s used roses in

feasts and orgies. From an image of Pagan love, the rose was transformed into

an emblem of Christian spiritual love connected with the Virgin Mary, with

Christ’s blood and with the Crown of Thorns.

The rose was created by Chloris, the Greek Goddess of Flowers, out of the

lifeless body of a nymph found one day in a clearing in the woods. Asking

for Aphrodite’s help, she gave the nymph beauty, Dionysus (the God of Wine)

gave her a sweet scent, and the three Graces gave her joy, charm and

brightness. Zephyr (the West Wind) blew the clouds away so that Apollo

(The Sun God) could shine upon her and make the flower bloom. The rose

was born and crowned the “Queen of All Flowers.”

To order Roses for someone you love and admire, visit: Eden Florist

Memorial Day Flower Trivia

Our cheer goes back to them, the valiant dead!
Laurels and roses on their graves to-day,
Lilies and laurels over them we lay,
And violets o’er each unforgotten head.
~Richard Hovey

What is the nationally recognized flower of Memorial Day?   Red Poppies are recognized as the Memorial Day flower. These small red flowers were first worn back in 1915 to honor fallen soldiers. Here’s the story:

In 1915, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” Moina Michael replied with her own poem:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

Ms. Michael then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms.Michael and when she returned to France, made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women.

This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children’s League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans’ organization to nationally sell poppies.

Two years later their “Buddy” Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.

If you’d like to order a patriotic centerpiece, visit Eden Florist Today!

Gemini - May 21-June 21

You are drawn to the sound of applause - never explain your secrets of all the adulation. You are quite the charmer.

The Lily will make you feel like a true celebrity.

Need to order flowers for the Gemini in your life?  Visit EDEN FLORIST

 The daisy flower opens its petals during the day and at night the petals shut. When you look at the petals they resemble an eye’s lashes. So they were called day’s eyes which over time was corrupted to daisy.

Want to send Daisies to someone special? Visit www.EdenFlorist.com or call 800-966-3336 today!

How Did Daisies Get Their Name? - Where The Word Daisy Came From…

Stay tuned for the answer tomorrow!

Mother’s Day means sending flowers and cards and gifts to moms and wives for all the love they give all year. Finding just the right flowers or saying just the right words to tell a mom how special she is can be a challenge.

A WONDERFUL MOTHER  

God made a wonderful mother,

A mother who never grows old;

He made her smile of the sunshine,

And He moulded her heart of pure gold;

In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,

In her cheeks fair roses you see;

God made a wonderful mother,

And He gave that dear mother to me

Words written by Pat O’Reiley

Let us help you say “Thanks Mom, I love You” with flowers.

Give us a call us  954-981-5515 or 800-966-3336. Be sure to order early for best selection and preferred delivery times.

You can also visit us online at www.EdenFlorist.com for a look at our latest floral giftware collections.

Did you know how Mother’s Day is celebrated in different parts of the world?  Read below to find out some interesting facts about Mom’s the world over.  And remember to order your special Mom FLOWERS early!  You can order online or in person and you can us at:  954-981-5515 or 800-966-3336. Be sure to order early for best selection and preferred delivery times. 

• Chinese family names are often formed (begin) with a sign that means “mother”. It’s a nice way of honoring their moms long past. 

• The ancient Greeks celebrated Mother’s Day in spring, like we do. They used to honor Rhea, “mother of the gods” with honey-cakes and fine drinks and flowers at dawn. Sounds like the beginnings of the Mother’s Day tradition of breakfast in bed! 

• Mother Shipton was a Prophetess in Britain 500 years ago. She could see the future, and predicted that another Queen Elizabeth would sit on the throne of England. (QE II) 

• Japan’s Imperial family trace their descent from Omikami Amaterasu, the Mother of the World. 

• Julia Ward Howe wrote the Battle Hymm of the Republic and was a staunch fighter for women’s rights. She staged an unusual protest for peace in Boston, by celebrating a special day for mothers. Julia wanted to call attention to the need for peace by pointing out mothers who were left alone in the world without their sons and husbands after the bloody Franco-Prussian War. 

• Hindu scripture credits the Great Mother, Kali Ma, with the invention of writing through alphabets, pictographs and beautiful sacred images. 

Mother’s Week is May 5-11 and Mother’s Day is May 11th. Remember Mom with flowers!  Call Eden Florist at 954-981-5515 or visit our website at www.EdenFlorist.com. Order Early!