Nov 11, 2016

The Power of Flowers By Tim Hodson

Did you hear about the Society of American Florists (SAF) Petal It Forward event that took place last month?

On Oct. 19, “happiness ambassadors” nationwide randomly surprised people on the street with flowers. Lucky recipients received two bouquets — one to keep and one to share.

SAF spearheaded the initiative, which garnered industry-wide participation with more than 260 events in 234 cities in all 50 states.

Last week, SAF released a new two-minute Petal It Forward video that shows the emotional response that the flower recipients had when they were handed their bouquets.

You can view the SAF Petal It Forward video at https://youtu.be/kyJdnO0q8IA.

The SAF video is a great tool for growers, retailers, wholesalers and suppliers who are looking for ways to promote their businesses and the benefits that our industry’s products provide.

“This Petal It Forward video showcases the social experiment aspect of giving and receiving flowers,” said Jennifer Sparks, SAF’s vice president of marketing. “It captures the raw emotions of the day — from the early-morning commuters who are too busy to look our way to the magical moments when people realize this flower giveaway is a random act of kindness, to them and by them.”

She added, “It is especially touching to see their smiles and hear how excited they are to have the opportunity to give a bouquet to someone else. You can’t help but smile while watching this video. It really makes you to want to give flowers yourself, and that’s the message we want to leave with consumers.”

It’s that Time of Year

It’s poinsettia open house time.

Be sure to check out the GPN calendar page to find the latest dates and locations for many of this year’s poinsettia open houses.

If you are holding a poinsettia open house in the coming weeks, be sure to send me all of the pertinent details and we’ll be sure to include it in our calendar.

GPN’s PGR Webinar Approaching

Just a reminder … GPN’s second Plant Health Management webinar  on “Proper Use of Plant Growth Regulators,” will take place Nov. 29, at 2 p.m. eastern time.

The webinar is free, all you have to do is click here to go to the registration page.

— Tim