Snow will cause problems for florists trying to deliver Valentine's Day flowers tomorrow in many parts of the country. Snow is also delaying deliveries, especially in Washington D.C. and the rest of the Mid-Atlantic. One florist says flowers could end up getting stuck on runways. Dallas, Texas was added to long list of cities with snow cover yesterday after receiving a record 12.5 inches of snow. Take a look:
1-800-Flowers Sells Home and Children's Gifts Business
1-800-Flowers reported today that it has signed a definitive letter of agreement to sell its home and children's gifts business to PH International, LLC for around $17 million. The sales includes the following properties: Plow and Hearth, Problem Solvers, Wind and Weather, HearthSong and Magic Cabin brands. The division's offices and warehouse facility in Madison, VA and a warehouse distribution center located in Vandalia, OH are also included in the sale. The sale is expected to close near the end of January, 2010.
Jim McCann, CEO of 1-800-Flowers.com, said, "We're very pleased to have concluded this agreement and believe this will enable us to focus all of our efforts and investments on the business categories that we believe offer the best opportunities for growth and profitability, including our 1-800-Flowers.com consumer floral business, our BloomNet wire service and our Gourmet Food and Gifts Baskets segment - which includes our recently launched 1-800-Baskets.com brand."
Internet Retailersays 1-800-Flowers.com began downsizing its home and children's gifts business earlier this year.
ShoeBuy.com Launches Online Flower Delivery Service
Shoebuy.com has decided to step into the flower business with a new website called FloraFlora.com. Internet Retailerreports that the new site offers 10% off by reporting hidden costs charged by competitors. FloraFlora.com is also offering a freshness guarantee.
Consumers looking to buy flowers at a competitor's site who discover hidden costs, and instead buy on FloraFlora can send an e-mail to hiddenfees@floraflora.com and receive 10% off their purchase. FloraFlora defines hidden fees as any fees that appear in the shopping cart that are not the actual price of the flowers, required taxes, or cost of advertised shipping. They would include, for example, handling fees, service fees, and previously unspecified delivery charges.
FloraFlora also is guaranteeing the freshness of its products, and is backing up its promise with a 25% refund for shoppers who feel their flowers are not as fresh as those they have purchased from other retailers. To claim the refund shoppers can e-mail freshness@floraflora.com.
Like ShoeBuy.com, FloraFlora.com also offers free shipping. ShoeBuy.com and FloraFlora.com are both owned by IAC, which operates over 50 online brands. You can see a list here.
Suntory's Blue Roses Will Soon Go on Sale in Japan
Japan Todayreports that Suntory Flowers Ltd unit will begin selling its genetically engineered blue roses called Applause in Japan on November 3rd. The blue rose was developed in 2004 by using a blue gene from pansies. You can read more about the rose here.
The price for a single blue rose will range from 2000 to 3000 yen, which is about $22 to $33. The Japan Today article does not mention whether Suntory has plans to sell the blue roses outside of Japan.
Burpee Chairman Argues Sunflower Should Be National Flower
George Ball, chairman of home gardening company W. Atlee Burpee & Co., thinks the sunflower should be elevated to America's top flower. The rose was named number one flower in the 1980's, by President Reagan, as the result of efforts by a "huge lobby which has since disappeared into the Colombian Jungle" states Mr. Ball, in a June 15th blog post.
"The rose is an unworthy national symbol," Mr. Ball says. "Strictly on patriotic grounds, the U.S. should have nothing to do with the rose as its national symbol," he states. Roses are "all foreign from breeding to production to wholesale distribution," Mr. Ball explains, and "the lion's share of their profits go abroad."
Mr. Ball says we should go with the native sunflower instead for many reasons, including its sunny personality.
Botanically, the sunflower is technically not a single flower, like the rose, but an amalgam, or "head" of about 1,000 florets, each in a spiral display across its dish-like face. E Pluribus Unum, "Out of many, one,” our nation’s motto, aptly describes the sunflower. It's the USA of the botanical world.
Most of all, it is the sunflower’s sunny personality that renders it such an apt icon for our country. Throughout our history, visitors to this country, including Tocqueville and Mrs. Trollope, have remarked on Americans’ cheerfulness and optimism. This upbeat outlook is a key ingredient in American exceptionalism. We don't do "ennui" or "weltschmerz": we even have to import the words.
The sunflower is dynamic, too. The heliocentric sunflower's radiant face follows the sun's course through the day, a fitting tribute to the origin of life on earth. Helen Keller wrote, “Keep your face to the sunrise and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do".
You can read more of George Ball's support for the sunflower here in his post titled, "Salute the Sunflower."
Dian Malouf Hopes New Jewelry Line Will Draw Attention to Water Conservation
Jewelry designer Dian Malouf is concerned that water - Earth's most precious resource - is becoming endangered. Her latest jewelry line, Flowers, Ferns and Rainforests - in sterling and 14k gold - makes an environmental fashion statement. A portion from the sale of Dian Malouf's new jewelry line will go to the American Ground Water Trust, a non-profit water education organization. Each piece also come with a small card enlightening its wearer on how they personally can preserve our planet's water.
CBS tested five online flower delivery services to see if what you see in the online pictures is what actually gets delivered. They were happiest wtih FromYouFlowers.com, FTD and Teleflora and least happiest with ProFlowers.com and Zeze Flowers. You can read the complete report here. CBS also offers some tips here. The biggest tip is to order your flowers early because the prices will go up as Valentine's Day approaches.
The Telegraphreports that a Japenese company has succeeded in the once thought impossible task of creating a blue rose.
The blooms are genetically modified and have been implanted with a gene that simulates the synthesis of blue pigment in pansies.
The flowers, which were displayed at the International Flower Expo Tokyo, will go on sale commercially next Autumn.
Megumi Mitsunaga, a spokeswoman for IFEX, said: "This is the first time that these blue roses have been put on display in public.
"They are attracting lots of attention here because they are so unusual."
The Mail Online has a couple other photographs of the blue roses in this news story. Suntory - the company that genetically engineered the roses - released this brief history and timeline of the blue roses. They plan to begin selling them in 2009.
The rose boasts a long history, with horticulturalists developing tens of thousands of varieties in an extensive palette including red, white, pink, and yellow. This palette has never included blue because rose does not have the blue pigment, and past attempts to breed this color rose have gone nowhere. With so many disappointments, the term blue rose has become synonymous with the impossible - until 2004, when Suntory and Florigene biotechnology proved successful in developing the "impossible" blue rose. In the process of pursuing the blue rose, Suntory and Florigene also created Moondust, the world's first blue carnation.
1990 Suntory launches joint venture with Australian company Florigene Ltd. to focus on developing blue roses
1995 World's first blue carnations successfully developed
1997 Suntory launches sales of the first blue carnations, named Moondust, in Japan
2004 Blue roses successfully developed
2008 Blue roses granted approval under Cartagena Law
2009 Suntory launches sales of blue roses (planned)
CBS has pulledThe Ex-List from its Friday line-up. Seven episodes of the show remain unaired. The ratings for the show were not very good and CBS should have kept Moonlight instead.
CBS partnered with 1-800-Flowers.com to create special day called "Ex Day" (October 16th) that tied-in with The Ex-List tv show. The idea was that Ex Day would be a day when people would send flowers like this bouquet to their exes.
Just one week ahead of disclosing its quarterly earnings, 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. on Tuesday announced a partnership with CBS Corp. to create "Ex Day," a holiday to "let love bloom again" and bring new life to old relationships by sending a special "Ex Day" bouquet.
The holiday, to be celebrated on Thursday, is in partnership with CBS show The Ex List, about a florist who learns from a psychic that she has already dated and dumped her future husband, but has only one year to reconnect with him. The bouquets, made with carnations, daisies and lilies, say "How have you been?" and can be purchased on 1-800-Flowers' Web site for $39.99.
Past Deadline also has an article about Ex Day. The question is if The Ex List is gone does that mean the Ex Day holiday is history as well? We may have to wait until next October to see if anyone remembers it or if 1-800-Flowers tries to sell its special Ex Bouquet again.
The BBC reports that a scientific study has found that sweet smells can help people have more pleasant dreams.
When the smell of roses had been wafted under the noses of slumbering volunteers they reported experiencing pleasant emotions in their dreams.
An odour of rotten eggs had the opposite effect on the 15 sleeping women, the German scientists found.
They told a Chicago meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology that they now plan to study people who suffer from nightmares.
This study is a plus for aromatherapy. It also reinforces why girls love flowers - for the sweat dreams they may inspire. We feel sorrow for the poor souls who are going to have to undergo that nightmare study. One can only imagine what horrible smells they will be subjected to in order to induce nightmares.
Professor Tim Jacob, a smell and taste at Cardiff University, had a good explanation for why smells can influence dreams. It's the only sense that stays awake during sleep.
"Smell is the only sense that doesn't 'sleep'. Information continues to reach the limbic system of the brain and that includes the hippocampus, or memory area and the amygdala, that is involved with emotional response.
"Other senses have to pass through the 'gate' of the thalamus, which is closed when we sleep."
What does the color of the roses you get for Valentine's Day say about the intentions of the sender? Here is the complicated Rosetta Stone of rose colors:
Red -- The red rose tells your valentine without a doubt, "I love you." A vibrant and dramatic color, it stands for romance and passion. It's the perfect choice for your true love, the love of a lifetime or someone you want to get the message it's time to "get serious."
White -- Tells your angel of a valentine that they're simply "heavenly," and is a great color for the romantic in your life! White roses also stand for innocence, which makes it a perfect color choice for dads to give daughters.
Red & White Together -- By themselves these red and white roses are gorgeous, but together, they symbolize unity. What a great surprise for the newlywed valentine, loving partner or to send to your parents to say "Thanks for being such a great symbol of love through the years!"
Pink -- Send deep pink roses and you're telling that someone special you appreciate their sense of grace, style and their gentle nature. Send them light pink roses and you're saying "I really admire you!" This rose color is just the right pick to send to someone you want to become your special valentine and sign the card, "Love, your secret admirer."
Yellow -- Could there be any other color but bright, sunny yellow to symbolize friendship, affection and joy? Send your best friend a bunch of these stunning blooms with a card that says, "You'll be my best friend forever!"
It's get more complicated: Coral means passion, Dark Burgundy means he thinks you're gorgeous and shy and Violet roses mean it was love at first site.
But before you get out your secret decoder ring and study that Valentine's bouquet, consider this: in all our years of observing the male of the species we have yet to meet one who was aware of the fact that the color of the roses had any kind of meaning at all. So, remember: if a clueless man gives you yellow, it may mean true love and violet may mean that the roses are really for your male roomate. You just never know. Unless he's a florist, of course.
Though consumers will be spending less on average, more people will be celebrating Valentine's Day this year. A survey conducted by BIGresearch for NRF, found that the average consumer will spend $97.27 on Valentine's Day, down slightly from $99.24 last year. However, 61.8 percent of consumers plan to celebrate the holiday, up from 59.8 percent one year ago. In all, 2005 Valentine's Day spending is expected to reach $13.19 billion. Greeting cards remain the most popular Valentine's Day gift this year, with nearly two-thirds (66.9%) of consumers planning to purchase at least one card
for the holiday. Nearly half of consumers will celebrate by buying candy (49.4%) or treating themselves to an evening out (47.4%). Additionally, more than half of men (57.8%) plan to buy flowers and one in five (18.1%) plan to purchase jewelry. Last year consumers purchased more than 175 million roses for Valentine's Day, according to the Society of American Florists.
Everyone knows the typical Valentine's Day gifts like chocolate, flowers, romantic outings and jewelry, but what if you're in the mood for a less traditional Valentine gift ideas? Some more cutting-edge suggestions include combining
Valentine's Day with the latest new spa trend or hiring a personal chef from the United States Personal Chef Association to cook you and your Valentine a terrific gourmet meal. Gifts involving relaxation and/or gourmet treats are likely to go over well. If you want to combine both, why not wrap your Valentine in chocolate with the Chocolate and
Roses Decadence Package at Aquae Sulis Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada? For the more unusual Valentine's Day present you could try the Chicago Zoo's Adopt a Black Widow plan for $25. If your Valentine is afraid of spiders, the Sun Timesreports that naked mole-rats and poison dart frogs are also available as Valentine's Day adoptions. If you'd prefer an unusual stuffed toy gift, the straight-jacket wearing Crazy for You teddy bear from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company has caused quite a controversy. The BBC reports that the teddy bear will remain available, despite complaints the bear insults people with mental illness. Then again, if you're feeling vicious this Valentine's Day, go with it.
Reuters reports that British scients have come up with a new cell phone cover that can bloom into a flower when it is discarded. The cover is made from a special polymer designed by the scientists that is biodegradable. So far only sunflower biodegradable covers have been designed and the covers won't be out until next year at the earliest. But Kerry Kirwan, one of the scientists, held out hopes for other types of flower covers. Kirwan told Reuters, "We put sunflower seeds into the prototype covers, but we are working with horticultural researchers to identify which other flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put poppies or roses next time."
We all know Mom is priceless, but a recent survey tells us how much we spend thanking her on Mother's Day.
According to a new National Retail Federation (NRF) survey the average consumer plans to spend about $100 on
Mother's Day gifts with total purchases exceeding $10 billion. Some consumers also buy gifts for daughters, wives, and grandmothers on Mother's Day, so the $100 average is not all spent on Mom. Some of the most frequented stores
on Mother's Day include florists, jewelers, and greeting card stores. Mother’s Day is the third most-popular holiday for sending greeting cards, behind Christmas and Valentine’s
Day, according to the Greeting Card Association. According to the NRF survey, 59.6 percent of consumers will purchase at least one greeting card for Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is the second biggest day after Christmas
for purchasing flowers. About 15% percent plan to shop for their Mother’s Day gift online this year.
1-800-Flowers reported today that it has signed a definitive letter of agreement to sell its home and children's gifts business to PH International, LLC for around $17 million. The sales includes the following properties: Plow and Hearth, Problem Solvers, Wind and Weather, HearthSong and Magic Cabin brands. The division's offices and warehouse facility in Madison, VA and a warehouse distribution center located in Vandalia, OH are also included in the sale. The sale is expected to close near the end of January, 2010.
CBS 
What does the color of the roses you get for Valentine's Day say about the intentions of the sender? Here is the complicated 
Everyone knows the typical Valentine's Day gifts like chocolate, flowers, romantic outings and jewelry, but what if you're in the mood for a less traditional Valentine gift ideas? Some more cutting-edge suggestions include combining
Valentine's Day with the latest new spa trend or hiring a personal chef from the 
