“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.”  —Iris Murdoch, A Fairly Honourable

In honor of the newly engaged, newly weds and those celebrating a special anniversary, here’s another helping of romance trivia for you to enjoy.

Morning Kissing
Studies indicate that a man who kisses his wife good-bye when he leaves for work every morning averages a higher income than those who don’t. Husbands who exercise the rituals of affection tend to be more painstaking, more stable, more methodical, thus, higher earners. Studies also show that men who kiss their wives before leaving in the morning live 5 years longer than those who don’t.

On Bended Knee
One in 5 men proposes on one knee.

Phone Proposals
6% of men proposed to their girlfriends over the phone.

Roman Romance
Juno, queen of heaven and partner to Jupiter (a.k.a Zeus, the king of gods) rules over marriage, the hearth and childbirth. The month of June takes its name from her, making it most appropriate for weddings.

Sweetest Day
It began in Cleveland, Ohio during the depression years to give a “small token of friendship orphans, shut-ins, the underprivileged, and the homeless.” Today the holiday has expanded and become more commercialized as a romantic holiday.

Sweetest Day Origins
While sweetest day is not known in all parts of the country, it is extremely popular in others. Some speculate that it’s simply a Hallmark invented holiday to get more money out of our pockets. Do you know how it really came about?

The Longest Engagement
Sixty-seven years, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The happy couple finally wed at age 82!

Tying the Knot
The expression, “tying the knot” dates to Roman times, when the bride wore a girdle that was tied in knots - which the groom then had the fun of untying.

Know a couple celebrating an anniversary, newly wed or newly engaged?

Be sure to send your regards with flowers from EDEN FLORIST.

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.

Today I was surfing the net for some cool resources Tulips Talk readers might enjoy and found the Snapdragons blog with Jane Lindsey.

Jane has a wonderful flower tutorial with great instructions for putting flowers together.

Check it out here: http://snapdragongarden.co.uk/step%20by%20step_July.htm

While reading Jane’s blog I came across another blogger – Vintage Pretty.

VP wrote a great article called “Heaven Scent”  (tips to keeping your house smelling fab) which you can read here: http://vintagepretty.org/2005/06/21/heaven-scent/

I also found a blog post by Anna Spiro, Interior Designer in Brisbane Australia and author of Absolutely Beautiful things that is just pretty to look at http://absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com/ and even has some great flowers and things!

I just love surfing and sharing!

Happy reading….

Heidi

When you are finished reading the above, be sure and stop by Eden Florist and order someone special flowers.

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 

Father’s Day was first observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington . Sonora Smart Dodd (Mrs. John B. Dodd) of Washington State proposed the idea in 1909 after she had attended a Mother’s Day service. Mrs. Dodd wanted to honor her own father. William Smart, who had been a Civil War veteran, who raised six children after his wife died in childbirth.

President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father’s Day in 1924. It took until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson declared the 3rd Sunday of June Father’s Day officially in the United States of America , but this was only for one year. On April 24, 1972, Father’s Day was assured annual recognition by Presidential Proclamation. In Australia , Father’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in September.

Remember to order flowers for DAD!

Decorating/Design Tips and Trends

“He who wants a rose must respect the thorn.” - Persian Proverb -

To keep your roses longer, submerge the whole stem in a tub of warm water for 3 minutes. Cut the stem underwater and place in a vase of warm water.

This hydrates the rose and helps it bloom fully.

Be sure to order Roses during June (rose month).  Check out Eden Florist’s Specials!

Testimonial: Heidi – Just a note to thank you for that beautiful rose that we received at the recent GNI meeting at Neimans.  I have it in a vase with some tangerine colored gerber daisies and your rose is absolutely breathtaking.  Thanks for bringing joy to all of us that evening with your generosity of spirit! Kindest regards, Teri Karst

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