“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.

Surfing the net I was looking for Fourth of July ideas to share with Tulips Talk readers and I found an excellent article on the Southern Living Magazine website. Here’s an excerpt:

Independence Day stirs the heart with red, white, and blue. While you’re planning for the holiday, include a pot of patriotic posies for your table or set one by your front door. Better yet, jazz up your window boxes with stars-and-stripes colors. There are numerous flower combinations to consider, whether you have sun or shade.

To read the rest of the article visit: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3676/is_200007/ai_n8924612

Another article I found on Fourth of July Flowers by Wesley Berry, AAF  begins like this:

Your Fourth of July celebration could begin and end with a real bang when you use flowers to accent and decorate the day. If you’re thinking you need to stick with the traditional red, white, and blue carnation arrangements you normally see on Independence Day, think again! Flowers come in so many varieties and they’re so easy to customize to the occasion that the possibilities are endless.

If you’re planning on throwing a Fourth of July celebration, contact your local florist for help in choosing the perfect floral arrangements and other accents to make your party memorable and your guests feel special. When you decorate with fresh flowers, it shows your guests that you’ve taken the time to think about how you can make the surroundings beautiful and enjoyable for them. Your florist can make doing so easier than you ever thought possible.

To read the rest of the article, visit: http://www.thephantomwriters.com/free_content/db/b/fourth-of-july-flowers.shtml

For some great Patriotic Desserts, be sure and check out the Martha Stewart site.

I also found this article from the New York Times Archives (dated 1914) - “How to Use Flowers Effectively in Fourth of July Decorations — Attractive Souvenirs of the Day Which May Be Easily Made at Home.” You can read it here: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9905EEDC143AE633A2575BC2A9609C946596D6CF

Be sure and check out EDEN FLORIST to honor and celebrate Fourth of JULY with your family and friends.

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 

More on Edible Flowers

Nasturtium ~ This flower has a pepper scent and its colorful yellow, orange and red petals can be tossed in a salad. The whole blossoms can be stuffed with savory mousse; the petals can be shredded and added to risotto or mixed with olive oil and combined with cooked pasta; the leaves taste similar to watercress. 

For more ideas on cooking with flowers, check out the following books, “Flower Cookery - The Art of Cooking with Flowers” by Mary MacNichol or “Edible Flowers from Garden to Palate” by Cathy Wilkinson

When you have time, read this great post at About.com - Edible Flowers History

In celebration of Rose Month, why not try the Rose-Glazed Brie Recipe?

He … saw the dark tangled curls of his bush floating, floating hair of the stream around the limp father of thousands, a languid flatong flower. - James Joyce

Father’s Day is one of the many events famously celebrated with much fun and frolic throughout the world every year. Many countries across the globe has taken up a day—the Father’s Day—to celebrate fatherhood and honor the fathers or father-figures in every corner of the world.

Another tradition of Father’s Day is that of the Flowers, Red roses are worn on Father’s Day to signify that one’s father is living. White roses mean one’s father has died. (source: fathers.net and 123greetings.com)

Order Dad Flowers Today!

In honor of Father’s Day, I’d like to share some “Dad” Stories - the first one is one I wrote last year in honor of my father.

A Tribute to Fathers by Heidi Richards

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
Jim Valvano

Father’s Day has special meaning to me and so I am posting a tribute to all the men in my life that mean a great deal to me and truly represent what fatherhood is all about.

In 1993 my mother died and I was left an orphan (sort of). You see I had never met my birth father and was not sure I wanted to. My mother had been married four times and none of these men were exactly the epitomy of good fathers.

However, in 1999 I was on a spiritual journey and decided to look for him. I picked up the phone and contacted Lee, a local private investigator who was a member of one of the Chambers of Commerce to which I belong. The only information I had about my father was his name, date and place of birth and that he lived in NYC in the 50’s. In less than an hour Lee called me back with his address and phone number.

 

To read the rest of my story, visit: Heidi’s Blog

 

That’s What Dads Do By Dee Hanshaw

 I don’t know how you get the nominees for Dad of the Month, but I would sure like to put my husband, Vesper Hanshaw, in the running! He’s gone way above the line of duty, so to speak! We raised one family, and are starting on another, not by plan, but by having no choice.

He was disabled in 1987, but continued to do all he was able – and a lot he wasn’t – to raise our two kids. He took care of them when I had to go to work. Now that our children are 24 and 25, we’re raising our grandbaby, 3, and an 18-year-old that doesn’t even belong to us at all!

To read the rest of this story visit: iParenting Stories

My Dad by Tom Krause

“In every person’s life there needs to be a caring, nurturing, encouraging friend.”

The earliest memory I have of my father is one of me as a young boy holding his hand by his two last fingers as we walked together. His hands seemed so large that his fingers were all I could actually grip. He always took me with him to ball games even at my young age. I will never forget that.

To read the rest of this story, visit Fatherhood.about.com

Somebody Special

 

A teenage boy lived alone with his father. The two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always “warming the bench,” his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a football game.

This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school.

But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn’t want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there.

The son was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior.

All through high school he never missed a practice but still remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful father always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a “walk-on.” Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice and, at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.

The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games.

To read the rest of this story, visit Men’s Stuff

Happy Father’s Day to Dads Everywhere!

My father always used to say that when you die, if you’ve got five real friends, then you’ve had a great life.
Lee Iacocca

A father is a guy who has snapshots in his
wallet where his money used to be.
Author Unknown

New Testament: St John ch.14 v.2
In my Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you.
The Bible

“Fathers send their sons to college either because they went to college, or because they didn’t.”
 L.L. Hendren

Our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
 Abraham Lincoln

  What a father says to his children is not heard by the world, but it will be heard by posterity.
Jean Paul Richter

Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers- and fathering is a very important stage in their development.
 David M. Gottesman.

For more quotes, visit http://www.edenflorist.com/FathersDayQuotes.asp

Download our Father’s Day Coloring Book

Order Flowers for that special man in your life!