The colors a bride chooses for her wedding are a personal choice. Yellow has been a fantastic color lately and we wanted to share some photos of this wedding with you. Maybe yellow might be in your future….
The photos are courtesy of Josh Elliott Photography.
On March 4, 2010, Joe Lizura from KUSI interviewed Nancy Clarke, former White House Chief Floral Designer. Nancy Clarke along with Kate Adams of the Village Garden Club of La Jolla fielded some questions from KUSI about the upcoming lecture and demonstration. The event benefited the VGCLJ Schoolyard Gardening Project. More information can be obtained about their project from their website: http://villagegardencluboflajolla.com.
Here are some photos from that interview.
Here’s another one with Nancy Clarke and Joe Lizura, KUSI.
And here’s a group picture after the interview:
While no flowers are considered hypoallergenic, there are varieties that are less potent to people who have allergies. The rule is usually if the bee has to climb into the flower to get to the pollen it is more likely that pollen won’t have as much freedom to contaminate the air that can cause those allergies to bloom. Although most allergens are from the pollen, some are also triggered by fragrances which can come from pollen.
These flowers are the least likely to cause allergic reactions:
Hydrangea
Lilies, asiatic only (anthers have been pulled)
Roses
Orchids – dendrobium, phalaenopsis, mokara, oncidium
Hypericum (coffee, non-blooming varieties)
Carnation
Dahlia
Iris
Tropical flowers – anthurium, heleconia
These flowers have some pollen/fragrance:
Tulips
Daffodils
Chrsanthemums – the double varieties
Gypsophillia – double varieties
Some of the worst culprits are tree pollen and grass pollen.
Here’s a link for some more information: http://ezinearticles.com/?Flowers-For-the-Allergic&id=1857795
Gifts:
We are carrying unique glass hearts from a local artisan, Cindy McQuade, Blown Glass Artist. She has studied internationally as well as locally. Her hearts are beautiful and unique.
In a nutshell, here’s how she makes them. The pictures are amazing. First you gather molten glass – 2150 degrees. Roll into colored glass chips and powder. Melt the chips and powder into the glass. Gather more glass over the first gather of glass and colored chips, this magnifies the colors underneath. Then you shape the glass. After the heart if finished it goes into an annealing oven, – 920 degrees – where at the end of the day the temperature will be brought down slowly to keep the glass from cracking.
Here are some pictures. The one on the end is an assortment of hearts we have for sale.
Flowers:
Our Flower of the month is the unusual Hellebore. It is in the ranunculus family but that’s where the similarity ends. There are so many kinds of hellebores. The plants are typically grown as perennials in shade gardens. Hellebores come in shades of white, green, rose, purple and violet. They will last up to 10 days with the correct care. When you receive your Hellebore, trim a bit off the stems and immediately plunge the stem ends (1/2”) into hot water containing a floral preservative for about 15 seconds. Then put the flowers up to their necks in cool water for a few hours or overnight before arranging.
Some hellebores are named for the time of the year in which they bloom. For example, there’s the Christmas-rose, and the Lenten-rose. In fact, both of these will typically be in bloom well into late spring. If given winter protection, the Christmas-rose will bloom throughout the winter months. Our hellebores come from Northern California.
Plants:
How are your phalaenopsis orchids looking? We have some photos to guide you in the proper way of trimming your orchids.
We are going to show you what to do with a not so looking plant. This plant needs help. The first picture shows you an orchid plant with a dead stem (see the color – it’s beige, not green) as well as a green one, except as you can see in the second photo the green stem has a top that is dead. Also note all the roots growing out of the top of the pot. The smaller dark brown branches are birch that is used to support the blooming stem. We are going to trim the dead branches off and also the plant needs to be re-potted.
In the 3rd picture, you can see the node and our hands on either side of this node. We are going to “snap” the branch into two. We could use scissors or a knife but please clean them first with rubbing alcohol before using them to cut off the dead stem. In the 4th and 5th pictures you can see the clean end of the stem.
The 6th picture shows the potted orchid in it’s new pot. The original orchid was planted in moss. When repotting, we remove all the moss and re-plant it in bark.
In the next series of photos, we show a new orchid plant. Notice that there is one bloom open and the others are just buds. This is why in the second photo you see the bloom on the left is dead. This is not a problem, it’s just been around the longest. Just remove that bloom. The others will continue to bloom.
If you have any questions on orchid care, just send us an email: plants@adelaidesflowers.com.
Now that the lazy, hazy days of summer are gone and the nights are getting longer, here at Adelaide’s we have changed the way our fresh flowers look out on our patio. Cassandra in our flower department has created blocks of color with all our beautiful flowers. Customers are often stymied when making decisions on what flowers to purchase. With our new display, it makes it so much easier. Come in and check out the color display, you’ll be glad you did. In case you can’t, here are some photos (the real thing is so much better).
color blocking
Here are some more distinct areas.
And another close-up shot.
We have decided to carry some Fair Trade Gifts from www.exoticworldgifts.com This company strives to reduce poverty, restore balance in nature, and promote peace by giving artisans around the world a chance to earn fair wages and improve their lives and communities.
Here are some photos of some of the items we are carrying. Each has its own fabulous story.
Soapstone hearts and animals from Kenya, also a pine needle basket from Central America.
Shopping bags from the tsunami victims.
Beautiful and fragrant cinnamon and mahogany bowls from Bali. Check out the “chain” dragon from Vietnam on the left side.
Bamboo and coconut bowls also from Bali.
Harry Walter Phillips, Jr.
August 5, 1924 – July 22, 2009
A longtime La Jolla resident and businessman, Harry Walter Phillips was born at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, where his father was a park ranger. His family moved to California when he was young and he grew up in the then small community of Encinitas, graduating from San Dieguito High school in 1942. He entered the US Army Air Corps as a Second Lieutenant in 1943, became a P-51 pilot, and served his nation proudly during the war years.
Harry attended UCLA, where he received his Bachelors degree in Engineering in 1949.
Growing up, Harry had never expected to become a florist, however, his mother Adelaide had started a flower business in 1936 along highway 101 in Encinitas and when the town of La Jolla ask her to open a shop in the small enclave by the sea, she jump at the chance. Adelaide asked her son Harry to open the business and in 1949, that was the beginning of the second Flowers by Adelaide. Over time, the entire operation was moved to La Jolla and Harry bought out his Mother’s share in the business in 1974, he leased the space next door and modernized the look of the store in order to grow Adelaide’s into the successful small business model it is today. Creative with a sharp sense of business skills, Harry was a trendsetter in the floral industry, always on the cutting edge. The family is now carrying on with the wishes of their father, and Adelaide’s is now a third generation family business.
A family man active in community affairs, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, Harry was the recipient of numerous awards honoring his philanthropy, most notably to the Rotary Foundation.
His wife and children surrounded Harry at home when he left to be with God. He passed peacefully after a four year battle with Lewy Body Dementia.
A celebration of his life will be held at Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 7713 Girard Avenue in La Jolla on Sunday, August 2, 2009, at 3:30 pm.
Donations may be made in memory of Harry Phillips to the San Diego Hospice c/o Foundation at 4311 Third Avenue. San Diego, CA 92103.
One of the most effective and creative ways to add drama to your event is through the use of ambient lighting. The right lighting can direct your guests attention away from an otherwise unappealing wall, drapes or carpet. It is one of the most effective design tools used by many designers and event planners. “Wall washes” in warm colors can transform a cold community hall into a romantic reception venue. Colored wall washes can also reinforce the color theme of the event. To add a romantic touch, “pinspot” the florals on your centerpieces. Lighting your florals in combination with votive candles can create a truly magical setting.
See the difference lighting makes in the photos below. The first photo has room lights only. The second has pin lighting and the last is the pin lighting at night.
Check back later for some more tips from Adelaide’s Events Department.
Flowers:
July starts out with a bang with the Fourth of July!
Try our Flower Confetti to sparkle the table.
*2 bags red rose petals
*12 white carnations
*10 stems delphinium (or agapanthus) blossoms
Pull carnation petals apart. Take delphinium blossoms off main stems. Scatter rose petals, carnation petals and delphinium blossoms on your party table!
July is also when the horses come to Del Mar. We will be designing the flowers for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club again this year so remember to look at our incredible designs. Here’s a photo of one of them from last year. Check out our “What’s New” and our blog for more pictures when the racing season opens.
If you are planning a party at the Club, remember to have us design your table and or buffet arrangements. Here is the link for the Thoroughbred Club: http://www.dmtc.com/
Plants:
The beginning of July is a good time to re-visit poinsettias. If you put your poinsettia plant outdoors after the holidays, I’m sure it has grown. Now is a good time to prune the plant to keep it bushy and compact. For more information on poinsettia plant care, check out Ecke’s website at http://www.ecke.com/html/h_corp/corp_pntcare.html.
Have you seen our new succulent terrariums? Our designers have been busy. Here’s a sample of one, something unique.
Terrarium Care Instructions:
The succulent garden terrarium is planted in a porous potting mix, to allow for some drainage. The plants require bright light, but not hot, direct sun. Succulents store water in their thick stems. For best results, maintain a moderately dry soil. Water sparingly, approximately 3 teaspoons of water every 7-10 days.
Specials:
WOW! Our beautiful phalaenopsis orchids are on sale! We were able to negotiate a great deal on them and want to pass it on. For the month of July, all the phalaenopsis orchids will be 15% off. Our orchid gardens with phalaenopsis will not be on sale but will be less expensive using these beautiful orchids.