Pantone® Color Floral Inspirations

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Pantone Color 2021

"It's a combination that speaks to the resilience, the optimism and hope and positivity that we need, as we reset, renew, reimagine and reinvent," said Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute,


I believe we were all surprised when Pantone’s Color of 2021 was revealed to include two colors. In the past 20 years, only one other time has Pantone® blended two shades (Rose Quartz and Serenity) to be their Color of the Year.

This year’s colors, Ultimate Gray and Illuminating truly reflect a unique voice of strength and hope as we enter 2021. Reflecting on the many events of last year, I believe the human heart continues to press forward through pain, suffering, and loss yet as much as it presses forward through the pain, the heart also rejoices in the hope of healing, togetherness, and growth.

 
Florals by @Ariellachezar | Image by Corbin Gurkin

Florals by @Ariellachezar | Image by Corbin Gurkin

 

Scouring my images, I have picked a few that I believe are reflections of this unique color combination. The longer I observe these colors and ponder the meaning or interpretation of these shades, the more I feel the connection between the bleak, cold, and cloudy gray and the vibrant, cheerful, warming yellow. One can almost picture a dreary day disappearing as the hope of the happy golden rays peak from behind the gloomy covering and the warmth of the sun changes the mood.

Florals by @bluejasminefloral
Florals by @amynicolefloral  |   Image by Laura Lam

Florals by @amynicolefloral | Image by Laura Lam

Florals by @maxowensdesigns | Image by @charlastorey

Florals by @maxowensdesigns | Image by @charlastorey

Florals by Mindy Rice

Florals by Mindy Rice

Florals by @bluejasminefloral
Florals by Mindy Rice | Image by Joel Serrato

Florals by Mindy Rice | Image by Joel Serrato

Scott’s Favorite Flowers for Pantone® Inspiration


Rose Gold Yellow

Rose Gold Yellow

Daffodil Yellow ‘Carlton’

Daffodil Yellow ‘Carlton’

Peony ‘Yellow Heaven’

Peony ‘Yellow Heaven’

Ranunculus Butterfly™

Ranunculus Butterfly™

Forsythia

Forsythia

Mimosa ‘Mirandole’ or Acacia

Mimosa ‘Mirandole’ or Acacia

Yellow Parrot Tulip

Yellow Parrot Tulip

Cosmos ‘Xantho’s

Cosmos ‘Xantho’s

Poppies

Poppies


Sunflowers: Exploring the Sunshine of the Summer

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It’s what the sunflowers do. – Helen Keller

Flowers and Photo by Basecamp Farms

Flowers and Photo by Basecamp Farms

Sunflowers have been a staple in the floral industry for as long as I can remember. They have been the shinning star of the summer season, the sunshine of flower field, and I can’t help but smile when I see a sunflower! Over 20 years ago I was asked by a customer if I thought sunflowers would be a fleeting fad or would they endure as a long lasting favorite. I thought back then, as I do now, that sunflowers were here to stay and stay they have. They have only grown in popularity which has led the breeders to develop more and more varieties and styles.

I hope to share some of the names and faces so you can ask for them by name. With every season there is a shift in certain types of flowers and colors. Why not include sunflowers in that transition from spring through fall. There is so much variety within this flower group, we will never have to look at sunflowers as a one trick pony.

This variety is Starburst Lemon Aura, grown by Sapelo Farms.

This variety is Starburst Lemon Aura, grown by Sapelo Farms.

As a grower, there are several determining factors when deciding to grow sunflowers and then which variety to grow. Do you have enough space to grow successions of sunflowers? Is your season long enough? (and most are.) How are you selling them and when are you selling them? Many of the varieties grown for cut production are single cut flowers/plants and the size of growing space and timing plays an important role in profitability.

When we write a blog post, especially about flowers, it’s usually to help you grow in awarenesses of all the varieties or choices that are out in the world of flowers. Well, the family of sunflowers is quite extensive so I hope to scale this information down to the top choices in the family of sunflowers.

I want to also add that all the varieties that I’ll be sharing are considered pollen-less. Your customers will appreciate this more than you’ll ever know. No matter if you make market bouquets or bridal bouquets, pollen gets messy. I’ve seen it happen several times, especially with new growers, if you don’t pay attention and check the varieties you’re going to grow, you may have unhappy customers with yellow stained dresses and tableclothes, or worse.

Vincent’s® Sunflower Series

I have to admit that I was surprised that these three sunflower varieties above are so popular. As I learned more about them, I can totally understand. This series meets all the regular criteria for growing sunflowers. They have a high germination rate and are pollenless. When growing a flower that only produces a single cut flower, days to maturity is key factor for turning the land and increasing your total production. Vincent’s® Sunflower Series is perfect for cut flower production and has become a favorite among flower farmers. Being day length neutral gives more flexibility and is a wonderful choice for succession planting to provide sunflowers through your seasons.  Vincent’s® Choice and Vincent’s® Deep Orange have traditional brown eye centers while Vincent’s®Fresh brings a refreshing pale green center. With its extra layering of golden petals, its appearance boasts a double flowered and fabulous look while also being perfect for bouquets with its bloom facing more upward.

ProCut® Sunflowers

If there is one series that I hear discussed time and time again, it is the tried and true ProCut® series of sunflowers. I’ve heard from several people that the first ProCut® Orange is one of the favorites for strength of stem and brightness of the traditional coloring we’ve all come to love in sunflowers. The second variety is ProCut® Gold. Again, great stems and with the absence of the brown center the brightness of color is bold and beautiful. Last, but not least, ProCut® Horizon has all of the great qualities of this series, however the flower tends to be directed more upward when compared to its cousins. Horizon, refers to the orientation of the flower, which by the way, only enhances this wonderful flowers curb appeal in bouquets or bunches.

I have heard it said that sometimes their flowers are too large. However, these varieties as many of them, are directly affected by temperature, day length, and especially spacing. If you want smaller size flowers with thinner stems, spacing them 6” x 6” or closer will accomplish this. For larger blooms and bigger stems, planting the sunflowers 9” x 9” or more will help give them the space and sun to produce more substantial flowers. You may be surprised that there is a market and uses for both sizes.

The Many colors of Sunflowers

When I read that it could take up to 6-10 years to hybridize a new variety of sunflower I was amazed. I don’t believe any of us will ever grow weary in anticipation of new colors or new varieties in any flower, but sunflower colors will always fascinate me. One of the reasons I get so excited about additional colors is the extension of the growing season providing us with seasonal palettes of beauty. For example, some of the yellow varieties with green centers are very popular in the early spring while the darker chocolates and plums are stunning in the fall. The traditional varieties with the yellow/orange petals and brown/dark centers are in demand year round.

One of my favorites is the first image, ProCut® Plum. Over the years of selling locally grown sunflowers, or for that matter any sunflower, the traditional coloring of the yellow/orange sunflower is always popular throughout the summer and the fall. This traditional flower however, isn’t always popular for weddings and events and tends to be more theme specific. . ProCut® Plum lends itself to bridging so many of the stunning color palettes of the fall wedding and event season and easy to incorporate with the more muted tones of cocoas, blush, and golds. This sunflower definitely makes its presence known.

ProCut® Red is nothing short of rich lushness. Over the years I’ve been asked for red varieties, and I have to admit that I would have never thought of this as “red,” but as this deep rust-colored flower opens, it unfurls to hints of red wine and crimson extending from a chocolate center. Not a traditional red, but a beautiful rustish red, perfect for the late summer into the fall season.

The third image is ProCut® White Nite, one of the newer varieties of “White” sunflowers. Haven’t we all longed for a white sunflower? Our wait is over. This lovely cream fades to ivory and continues to grow lighter and more beautiful. Be sure to check out the ProCut® White Lite as another option. The difference of two being their lovely centers. White Nite with its traditional brown center compared to the yellow honey colored center of White Lite . These varieties of ProCut® sunflowers have increased the marketability and range of colors within the world of sunflowers, and I am eagerly anticipating future varieties!

Branching Sunflowers

Branching sunflowers are something that I’ve recently started exploring. Many years ago, I would have local flower farmers bring me selections of branching sunflowers much to both of our disappointment. Their stems were too short and the shelf life was less than favorable. Recently, I visited a flower farm in North Georgia, Sapelo Farms. Gabe and B.A., a wonderful mother/daughter team have experienced a great level of success growing these varieties above and refreshed my interest to look at them again. We took these images while we were visiting, and I was very impressed. Gabe said the stem length and flower size work great for their market bouquets. The shelf life was greater than 7+ days, while each plant continues to produce several stems increasing the production in each row. All three provided clean pretty flowers on nice stems, of course shorter than single stem varieties, but still beautiful flowers for smaller spaces.

Fan Favorites

Recently we conducted a very informal survey through Instagram and many of the varieties above were included, however these three I felt needed to be mentioned.

The first image is of what many call the Teddybear Sunflower. With it’s apparent lack of a center and abundant petal count, there are now several hybridized varieties that fall into this category. I’ve seen Teddybear Sunflowers large and small, both have always been popular among the novelty sunflower connoisseurs.

The next two varieties have definitely paved the way to a pale lemon shade of yellow, Sunflower Jade and Sunflower Limoncello. Limoncello was a popular variety that we were able to source from California from time to time. It’s lighter yellow would sometimes clash with other yellow shades, but the novelty, size, and clarity of color, made it a true favorite for florists.

ProCut® Plum grown, designed, and photographed by Jennie Love, Love ‘N Fresh Flowers.

ProCut® Plum grown, designed, and photographed by Jennie Love, Love ‘N Fresh Flowers.

If you’re new to sunflower growing and processing, I might add that these pillars of the summer cutting garden need a good clean cut and LOTS of water. I was regularly accused of putting too much water in a sunflower bucket, only to return to it the next day half empty. These thirsty giants will perform well for you and your customers all summer long, so prepare to plant almost weekly successions.

Sunflowers are the main attraction of summer. If you’re part of a busy weekend farmers market and you sell sunflowers, I’m sure you’ve seen it time and time again… Someone across the crowded distance sees those big happy faces of yellow and brown smiling brilliantly and they make a bee line straight to your table or booth! These beauties ooze sunshine and spark a sense of joy and delight just waiting to be scooped up and taken home.

It’s so tempting to stick with the tried and true, but with all of the new varieties available now, I encourage you to explore these incredible selections. So whether you are the florist or the farmer, I believe you will be delighted with the new color innovations in the world of sunflowers.

This is but a taste of the world of sunflowers. With over 70+ cultivars of sunflowers, we’ve only scratched the surface of an ever-growing family of flowers that bring so much joy and happiness from a single bouquet to changing the face of a large event. There is sunflower for every occasion! If you haven’t grown sunflowers before now, it’s probably not too late to add this incredible addition to your garden or cut flower farm. Find your favorite variety, explore the offerings, and most importantly give your feedback to a local wholesaler or local flower source.

Laura Dowling: Floral Diplomacy

Laura Dowling shares her journey with flowers which lead her to become the Chief Floral Designer at the White House from 2009-2015. Laura and Scott chat about the many events and parties she created while the Obama's were in the White House.

Laura Dowling served as Chief Floral Designer at the White House for 6 years from 2009 until 2015. In this position, she planned and implemented decorations for major events at the White House, including the White House Christmas, state dinners, the presidential family quarters, the public tour route displays, and Camp David, an imposing portfolio of literally thousands of large and small events, floral arrangements, table settings and innovative volunteer projects.

Flowers: A Tool for Innovation and Change

Laura Dowling’s Ted Talk. Ted x Mid Atlantic

Inspired by President Obama’s message of hope and change, Laura created floral designs to reflect these sentiments and chats about using flowers as a strategic approach. Focus may be environmental, cultural traditions, symbolism, and much more.

Photo by Stichting Kunstboek

Photo by Stichting Kunstboek


Promise You a Rose Garden: Ex-White House Florist Tells All

New York Times

The former White House florist Laura Dowling, in New York City’s flower district.Credit Tawni Bannister for The New York TimesBy Katherine Rosman

The former White House florist Laura Dowling, in New York City’s flower district.

Credit Tawni Bannister for The New York Times

By Katherine Rosman


Laura Dowling’s garden style bouquets are exquisite gatherings of lush and vibrant seasonal blooms, poetic arrangements that evoke sentimental memories and inspire ethereal dreams. Highly original in concept and design, Laura’s bouquets weave layers of blooms, fruits and entwining vines with fabricated materials such as paper, ribbons and wool, blurring the lines of traditional floristry to fuse flowers with nature and handcrafts in new and unexpected presentations. At once fanciful and whimsical, refined and elegant, her colorful bouquets exude a friendly and approachable aesthetic that have inspired a First Lady, high-level dignitaries and legions of fans from around the world with their great charm and liveliness. She believes that flowers – the ephemeral but enduring mementos of special occasions and everyday life – convey a vast range of emotions and meanings that words alone cannot express, unlocking a powerful tool for uplifting spirits, telling stories and enriching our lives. In her new book “Bouquets,” due out later this year, Laura shares her secrets and insights for creating 75 innovative designs that focus on l’art du bouquet – the most personal and evocative form of floral artistry – including detailed step-by-step tips and techniques for crafting her unique, signature-style bouquets for all settings, seasons and occasions.


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“ I think we need more opportunities for thoughtful, collaborative problem-solving and creative expression vs. devolving into cliques and group think – a challenge in the social media era. The bottom line is that the appeal of flowers is timeless and enduring – and will continue to play an important role in our increasingly hectic and busy lives – creating new opportunities for everyone involved in the floral world.” Laura Dowling

New 2019 Holiday Wreath Stamp Collection will soon be available. Laura shared this wonderful news about her latest project years in the making. Antonio Alcalá served as the art director Laura Dowling designed the festive wreaths for the holiday stamps. Photographed by Kevin Allen.