Past Newsletters

Vol 2 No 11

Flowers of Plenty

As the weather grows colder and our hearts and homes grow warmer with the anticipated holidays right around the windswept corner, C&H Clubs would like to take this opportunity to give thanks to our customers and show you our appreciation by bringing you our most bountiful bouquet ever. This virtual bundle of flowers, filled with an abundant 26 stems and flush with the hues of an Indian Summer, will bring a glow to any room in the house. Whether you use them as a crowning centerpiece to a festive table, or deliver them as a 'thank you' to someone meaningful in your own life, we hope our flowers add a touch of warmth and lasting holiday cheer to meaningful occasions as you gather 'round with family and friends.

Our Bountiful Selections

A rare and beautiful species we bring you this month is the spiky Red Rover. Extremely hard to come by and blooming only 2 months out of the year, this stunning flower is a favored autumn bloom because of the warm glow it adds to the cool fall season. A flower that down through the years has expressed "you're a wonderful friend" and has been given the meaning of "cheerfulness and rest," it is an extremely fitting Thanksgiving holiday bloom. Its striking color and similar radiance to that of the red sunflower adds a dazzling texture to the bouquet, harmoniously accenting its companions. Being of the genus Chrysanthemum, it hails from the Asteraceae (Aster) family, some cultivated in Asia for at least 2000 years. The Red Rover, however, is a fairly recent hybrid, with an extended vertical axis making it a strong, confident vase flower. Because of its exclusivity, it is rarely showcased in a bouquet. This gives a unique look to any arrangement fortunate enough to include it and one we hope you thoroughly enjoy.

Included in this splendid bouquet and adding the brilliance of the sun itself are the sparkling red and yellow Sunflowers, scientifically known as Helianthus. These large, field-grown flowers have the rich colors of autumn in their short, distinctive petals with the larger than life black-green discs that are so well known for their prolific seed production. Getting its name from Helios, meaning sun, and Anthos, meaning flower, it is a defining flower for this month's bouquet with its message of warmth and cheer. Accenting both the Sunflowers and Alstroemeria (or Red Rover) is variegated rhamnus, a two-toned green that adds a fitting splash of cool contrast to our incandescent flowers.

Bouquet Care!

This month's bouquet is such a plentiful and robust arrangement; you'll want to follow these helpful hints to get the most out of their bloom time and a longer-lasting display:

· Be sure to keep your vase filled with fresh water - sunflowers are a very thirsty breed and require much water to hold their weight and beauty!

· Place the sunflowers in tall containers to provide adequate support for their height.

Sunflowers

The Original Corn of the American Indian

In the spirit of this holiday season it's interesting to know that the cultivation and harvesting of sunflowers are much more a part of the cultural heritage of the American Indian than originally thought. Recent carbon dating of seeds found in North American clay has revealed that early American natives used the sunflower long before corn and beans were brought to America. They ate the seeds, ground the small kernels into flour, extracted oil from seeds for their hair, and used the seeds, flower petals, and pollen to make dyes for face paint, cloths and baskets. In Peru, the Aztec Indians literally worshiped sunflowers placing sunflower images made of gold in their temples and crowning princesses with the bright yellow flowers.

Making their way to Europe in the early 1500 s, they were used for gifts carried by Spanish settlers returning home from long voyages. The great Russian ruler, Peter the Great, liked sunflowers so much when he saw them in Holland he took seeds back to Russia with him. By the 1700's sunflower seeds were being eaten all over Russia. In present day parts of Europe, sunflowers provide leaves for smoking, flower buds for salads, flowers for dyes, and oil for cooking. Throughout the world folk medicine has depended on the sunflower for the oil in the seeds for coughs and teas made from stem parts.

As a native plant of North America, no other plant has had such a global impact as the sunflower. From its beginning as a prairie weed, the sunflower is now one of the worlds leading oilseed crops, second only to soybeans. In 1966, an open pollinated Russian sunflower was brought to the United States. The Russian sunflower, and others, began the first sustained U.S. production of oil seed sunflowers. Some of the states with the highest growth output include, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, and Texas. The former Soviet Union itself has the largest number of sunflower acres in the world second only to Argentina.

Commercial sunflower crops are of two types. One produces edible seeds and the other is the oilseed crop. The large grey-striped seeds used for eating make up about 25% of sunflower crops - the other 75% is for sunflower oil. Worldwide, more than five million metric tons of sunflower seeds are grown every year. The best varieties which were developed in Russia contain about 50% oil and are a superior quality for cooking. The oil from sunflower seeds is low in saturated fats and high in polyunsaturated fats.

With hybridizing technology far surpassing that during the time of the ancient North American Indians, the last 13 years has witnessed the development of three new types of sunflowers on the North American market. The first new type has a strong, sturdy central stem that produces multiple branches with many flowers. The result is a show garden plant that is excellent for cutting. The second type is a dwarf plant that reaches only 1 to 2 feet tall. These dwarf varieties are wonderful for use in small gardens and containers. The last is the "pollen-less" variety, bred for its use as a cut flower. The tallest sunflower grown on record was 25 feet tall and was grown in the Netherlands. The largest sunflower head on record measured 32 1/2 inches across its widest point and was grown in Canada. The shortest mature sunflower on record was just over 2 inches tall and was grown in Oregon using the Bonsai technique.

Though the sunflower has undergone extensive improvement and change through the ages, it remains as one of the lasting marks on North American culture and with its valuable crop will continue to endure into the future.

Celebrating the Holidays with Flowers

Appointed as a day to give thanks for the fruitful gifts of the land, Thanksgiving Day is one of the more meaningful holidays of the year. Rather than being surrounded by the whirlwind of shopping for gifts and endless obligations to attend office parties and holiday get-togethers, Thanksgiving is the meaningful "quiet before the storm," where friends and family take the time to gather together for good company, fine food and reflection on the important things in life - namely, each other. The first holiday officially proclaimed by George Washington was celebrated on November 26, 1789 and then, as now, flowers were an integral part of creating that warm atmosphere for such a special occasion. To show you how to create an inviting environment like only Martha could (Washington that is - not Stewart,) the following are helpful ideas that will make your guests feel as though they're the kings of your castle.

Accessorize a large table by placing a wicker horn of plenty filled with autumn flowers in the middle. Accent with candles on either side for added warmth and peaceful light around the table. Create a centerpiece using a treasured family vase or bowl and surround by colorful, dry corn cobs. To create a lot of drama and variety, use fall colored vegetables or fruits as accents in your floral arrangement. Garnish your serving trays with flowers and greens. Float flowers in crystal wine glasses. Place a single long-stem autumn colored flower on each plate to welcome your guests to the table. Decorate small desserts with flowers or make an ice ring with flowers to chill champagne or wine. Design the arrangements for your buffet table on several different levels to keep the eye flowing all along the table. Place a garland of fruit, flowers and fall foliage over your front door.

Let Flowers Do the Talking

A Universal Language

Not being able to say what you mean has the same effect as literally having your tongue tied - it's embarrassing and sometimes painful. Although some of us are more fluid with the spoken word than others, speaking in tongue is not the only option open to us when called upon to show others how much we care. There are many ways to communicate what one is trying to say. One way has always been a cut above the rest - saying it with flowers. Not only have specific flowers developed their own, individual meanings down through the ages, but generally speaking, delivering blooms to some one you care about lets them know you cared enough to send the very best.

Throughout history, ancient myths, biblical stories and fables all assigned meaning to flowers. In the early 1700's Charles II of Sweden introduced a new language to Europe when he brought the Persian petical art called "the language of flowers" to the west. Floral lexicons were published throughout the 18th century, allowing secrets to be exchanged with a lily or a lilac and an entire conversation to take place in a bouquet.

Quite in addition to the meaning that flowers connote, the positive impact they have on people have been known for years and has even recently been the subject of scientific research and documentation. The Society of American Florists partnered with world-renowned researcher Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, on a groundbreaking study to examine the effect of flowers on human emotion and well-being. After months of working closely with the Rutgers research team, SAF unveiled the results of the first-ever Emotional Impact of Flowers Study. In a captivating presentation by Dr. Haviland-Jones, convention attendees learned that flowers have an immediate impact on happiness. Study participants expressed "true" or "excited" smiles upon receiving flowers, demonstrating extraordinary delight and gratitude. This reaction was universal, occurring in all age groups. It was also found that flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods. Specifically, study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction. Flowers were seen to make intimate connections - the presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends. They were also found to be symbols for sharing. Once being received, arrangements were placed in areas of the home that were open to visitors - such as foyers, living rooms and dining rooms - suggesting that flowers make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere.

All of this quite proves what everybody probably already knew but maybe just needed reminders on - flowers are the perfect gift. During this holiday season when getting together with people who's continued well-being and prosperity is most important to you, remember to let them know how you feel.