J Schwanke’s Life In Bloom

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... That flower feeling.

At home.

At work.

Or anytime.

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

Innovation in the world of flowers is our theme for this episode of "Life in Bloom."

We'll learn about the different ways new flowers and flowering plants are developed and show some of the often creative arrangements that use innovative mechanics.

Let's learn more about these blooming new flower innovations.

I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

Typically, when we see a flower that really excites us, we might think, "Oh, they're so beautiful," or, "I've never seen a flower like that before."

And I think we can all agree that flowers make us happy.

We also understand that flowers help reduce stress and even make us more creative.

But do you ever think about how certain flowers, that one that really grabs your attention, whether it's in a garden or in a vase, how was the color achieved?

How did the bloom come to look like that?

Where did they find a plant like that, or where was it grown and how did it get here?

All those questions are lurking inside each bloom, and every flower has a story to tell, whether it's about new technology, transportation, sustainable practices, or creative ingenuity -- all of the processes that helped create that flower and get it to us, which in turn makes us so happy.

Today on "Life in Bloom," we'll share some of the innovations that bloom in the world of flowers.

I'm here with my flower friend, Natalie Carmolli.

So, you are the PR person for Proven Winners.

And we're here at the private gardens, which are your trial gardens, which is amazing.

Yeah.

It's really a wonderful thing to be able to have if you want to really test the plants that you're putting on the market and make sure that they are performing in a home garden the same way they perform for us.

You toured us through the facility.

And there's a nursery here that creates liners for the nursery and greenhouse and garden center industry.

Can you tell us about a liner first.

Let's talk about what's a liner.

Okay.

So, our nursery in West Michigan is a wholesale nursery, as you said.

And we only create liners which are small, little plants.

So they come in like a 2 1/4"-size container or a 4" container or basically a quart-size container.

Those are the largest plants we sell.

And then we sell those to what we call a "finish grower."

And what they do is they finish them to a larger size to sell to greenhouses and then to the consumer.

So we're kind of three steps away from the consumer.

So, when we were in the facility, you were showing with these little plants.

Mm-hmm.

It's amazing the things that you do, because they're not on benches.

They're on the floor, and there's robots, and -- So tell us a little bit about that, about what goes into those little liners.

Right.

It's funny that you said that they're on the floor, because the reason they're called liners is because they are in trays lined up on the floor of the greenhouse.

Hence the name liners.

Okay.

And we stick -- that's just the greenhouse term that we use for sticking a plant in a tray -- millions and millions of liners a year.

Wow!

And we couldn't do that with just people.

That takes a lot of manpower, and we just don't have that kind of manpower, although we have a pretty big seasonal staff.

So we use a lot of technology to help make up for that.

Right.

So the other interesting thing you told me about this -- and this was fascinating -- was these robots don't eliminate people.

Right.

And they care for your people, as well, because they're doing a job that would be too tedious or too strenuous for a person to do.

Right.

It really, truly is an amazing operation.

And, "A," thank you for sharing that with us.

Mm-hmm.

Now let's talk about we're here with your famous hedge, the hydrangea hedge.

Mm-hmm.

And let's talk a little bit about hydrangeas, 'cause people love them.

Yes.

People are crazy about hydrangeas.

Yeah.

We're famous for Limelight Hydrangea, which is that green, panicle hydrangea that everybody loves.

Blooms on new wood, so it's super easy to grow.

If it gets browsed or pruned incorrectly, you know, it'll bloom for you no matter what happens, panicle hydrangea.

So, a lot of people are familiar with Annabelle Hydrangea -- big, white, fluffy flowers.

Right.

Another super easy to grow hydrangea because it blooms on new wood.

You can trim it down by half or a third, and it's just gonna give you big, fancy flowers all season long.

The problem with Annabelle was when it rained or even if the flowers got too big, they droop.

Okay.

So they end up with these big, beautiful, white flowers all laying on the ground.

And that's not super fun, so they have to, like, try to put strings around them or, you know, shore them up in some way.

But Incrediball's different.

Incrediball has superstrong stems, because we're not growing hydrangeas for foliage, and we're not growing them for, you know, big flowers that lay on the ground.

So they have to have strong stems, because we want these great, big flowers that are held high above the plant.

And that's what Incrediball does.

So we have the famous hedge here that you can see that's just this line of beautiful, white flowers.

It's gorgeous.

And they're all held up nice.

Natalie, this has been so much fun.

I jokingly say I'm the cut-flower guy.

I am the cut-flower guy.

But you are the plant queen.

You are.

That's wonderful.

Shucks.

So, will you do me a favor and let's -- will you come back, and let's make a little mocktail together in the garden?

Ooh.

That sounds fun.

Should we do that?

Yeah.

Historically, purple or lavender carnations were hard to come by, and they didn't have optimum quality, nor good longevity.

In 1987, scientists began work on developing a purple or lavender carnation that had a natural-looking color that would provide a quality flower with long-lasting attributes.

Enter the moon series of carnations -- a carnation that has a natural purple that is borrowed from a petunia.

You might ask, how can that be?

The answer -- the delphinidin.

A blue pigment producing blue gene was extracted from the petunia and then placed into the carnation to provide the natural colors you see here today in both standard carnations and spray carnations.

Careful to choose the best variety to engineer, it quickly became evident that when the color gene was placed into the carnation, not only were beautiful flower colors generated, but the vase life was excellent, too.

So we have a new carnation with a natural purple or lavender color that is also very, very long-lasting.

We'll create an ombr effect with our arrangement, starting with the darker colors at one end and working our way to the lighter colors at the other end.

I'm also doing a waterfall technique where the flowers are layered over the top of one another.

In their quest for a better, more colorful carnation, the same scientists began to attempt the world's first blue rose.

May I introduce the Applause Rose, a rose that's been genetically modified to enhance its colors?

You may have seen these both, the Applause Rose and the Moon Series Carnation, decorating the 2022 Grammy Awards.

So, today's featured flower is Novelty Chrysanthemums.

I love these, because there are so many different, interesting varieties, and I wanted to share them with you so you can see how technology has helped transform chrysanthemums to have new shapes and forms and even colors.

This one, Rosanna Charlotte -- look at how it's different as it starts to open.

It's got lavender backsides that also can be brown, and as it opens up, it transforms to a different color.

That's really a great transformation.

Another fun thing is that they've taken different varieties of chrysanthemums to try and make them look like dahlias.

Look at this one.

It'd be so much longer-lasting than a Caf Au Lait Dahlia, but this beautiful chrysanthemum has the same coloration and is extremely durable.

Another fun innovation are ball-shaped chrysanthemums.

Again, because dahlias have a ball shape, the chrysanthemums now are desirable with that ball shape.

I like how they look like a little powder puff.

This one is called Couture.

Look at how it looks like a big mum, but yet, it has a center inside there, like a daisy.

Here's one of my favorites -- Etrusco.

These white, yellow, and purple mums have a special petal that's laciniated.

What that means is it's like lace on the end or looks like it's shredded.

And I love those, because they give so much texture to the bouquet.

All sorts of different kinds of novelty mums are available, and that's thanks to the innovations that happen in hybridization.

This is the first time that I've got to see alstroemeria in production.

No way.

Yeah.

And it's such a popular flower.

We started with this brand 12 years ago, looking for the perfect flower, the perfect alstroemeria at the very beginning.

So, we've found that choosing the right varieties and giving the right treatment in the crop and then in the packaging, we could have the perfect alstroemeria.

We found a way to give the flowers ready to use to the final consumer.

So as soon as they receive the flowers, they can have it wide-open in three days, which is perfect.

For example, for even planters -- Right, right.

You know that people that need the flowers to get ready.

And the size of the flowers or the ones that almost form a whole bouquet on the stem.

Absolutely.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, they're amazing.

We're very, very excited because it has been very hard work with the crop and with the brand to get the right variety, to get the right size.

And I think our workers has done a really good job.

So you do so many things here on the farm for sustainability.

Yes.

You capture rainwater.

Yeah.

We're capturing 80% of the water we use in our daily operations come from the rain.

And then you work with the city nearby and bring the gray water over.

Exactly.

And treat it.

We try to recycle all the water that comes from the nearby community.

So we treat it, and we use it in our daily operation.

Water conservation even goes down to when we walk, we see the rice hulls and around the alstroemeria, too, so that you're not overusing water.

No, we're not overusing.

We are always trying to use the right amount of water.

So we need to follow the good practices and the sustainable practices.

Well, thank you so much for showing us today and inviting us here.

It was amazing to see all the things that you're doing to make it right for the flowers but, also, for the people and for the environment.

Here's our "Bloom 365" tip.

You were telling me about deadheading or not deadheading hydrangeas.

People often ask should they deadhead their hydrangea at the end of the season.

And the truth is, you don't have to.

I like to leave my flowers on my hydrangea.

It provides beautiful winter interest and food for the birds.

So unnecessary to deadhead your hydrangeas in the fall.

You can wait until spring when you're doing the rest of your garden cleanup.

Awesome.

Thanks, Natalie.

Have you ever thought about how some flowers are transported and how they arrive to you in such pristine condition?

I wanted to show you an example of how carefully thought out packaging needs for transport are.

This innovative packaging was borne out of the necessity to more successfully transport Gerbera daisies as a cut flower.

Gerbera daisies are beautiful flowers.

They have a big head like this, and they have a tapering stem that needs to be supported.

They also can dry out pretty quickly.

So allowing them to travel in water is extremely smart.

So enter my friend Rene Van Wingerden.

We toured his farm on our show featuring chrysanthemums.

However, they grow a lot of Gerberas, too.

Rene and his family developed this incredible packaging.

Let me show you how it works.

The first time that I saw it, I just thought it was a regular cut-flower box.

I wasn't really sure what was gonna go on.

So, I cut the straps... and I noticed that the box says on the end, "Up.

Contains water."

So then once I cut those straps, I realized that this whole piece lifts off.

And then, we have these trays inside.

There's our Gerbera daisies.

Look at that.

You're also gonna notice that there's holes in the side so that they have ventilation.

That's really important, too.

So, then, our trays pick up out of this container.

Now, that's the other interesting part.

There's water down inside there for our flowers.

Then, we have our box over here, and we've got our Gerbera daisies inside.

The cellophane slides out, and then we can remove the flowers individually out of the tray.

When I saw this the first time, I thought it was like Jetsons technology, all of these things unfolding to make sure that these flowers were cared for perfectly.

So I called Rene, and I said, "Hey, I love that new technology."

And of course he told me they'd been doing it for years.

That truly shows the passion that Rene has for his flowers, making sure that every single bloom is delivered to its place properly and taken care of all along the way.

That's innovation and wonderful technology that's truly flower power.

I just loved this recipe when I found it, because it's a mocktail.

Perfect.

And so what we do is we start with some mint.

And I grow mint in my garden 'cause I just love it.

And I love it for flower arrangements, as well as cocktails.

So, we got a little bit of mint in there.

We're gonna throw a little bit of lemon.

And we're gonna put a little bit of honey in there.

Ooh, sweet.

That's a local honey, too.

So, then, we're gonna muddle this insight here to get that mint out -- Alright.

And you know what?

I'll let you do ice.

How about that?

I'm very good at ice.

Alright.

[ Laughs ] Perfect.

Okay, so, then we do half a glass of coconut water.

Yummy.

And then we top it off with sparkling water.

And let's see.

We'll stir.

I have a little tradition.

Okay.

'Cause you're my guest.

Mm-hmm.

I make you a flower crown.

Oh!

That's so beautiful.

That looks like this, right?

I love it.

It's even got some of your flowers in it that you brought.

Yes!

So I cut everything in my yard.

Oh, wonderful.

Beautiful.

Well, you've helped us, and how you've helped us be so wonderful.

Thank you.

That's good, yeah.

So that's for you.

I'm gonna put it right on.

How do I look?

You look great.

Okay.

Okay, so now, here.

Well, cheers.

Thank you so much.

And to you.

And this is a propagation.

Here is a few that -- Oh, that you're grafting?

Plus some new cultivars.

Uh-huh.

But there isn't a grafting because I want to make sure that those are gonna work, the ones that there has roots.

So we move it outside.

And it's warm and humid in there.

Exactly, yes.

Yeah.

So that's what makes all those roots grow nice inside.

Yeah.

At this time of the year, we can get the roots in about a month.

Uh-huh.

And the wintertime takes six months.

See, like this one.

So this is the root stock.

Okay.

And this is the new one on top.

And it's already growing.

Yeah.

So, this has some of the genetics of this and some of the genetics of that?

Yeah.

So that this one -- And by next year, I can get two blooms.

Oh.

When that ones in propagation is gonna take two years before they show any blooms.

Okay.

So by the time I get the blooms and the other one, I've gonna be harvest, cutting the flowers out of this one right here.

So that's gonna be a Mel Resendiz original.

Yes.

That's right.

You see that mountain up there?

Uh-huh.

That is a protea farm.

There's about 10 acres that I manage.

Wow.

That's very steep there.

That's the perfect spot.

Exactly, yes.

[ Laughs ] You know, Mel, we don't appreciate that when we have that flower in the wholesale house that we're seeing that we're getting for a special event or something, that it's been grown on a hillside like that, that your people have taken care of it, that you've watered it, that you've cared for it, that you took that little graft, and you made that graft and propagated it and kept it for three years down below and then shaded it and everything and then bring it up here and plant it.

And then you come and pick it for us, too.

You're taking care of those and nurturing them and you truly are a farmer with an expertise for an amazing area.

I love flowers, and I like to keep playing with the flowers to get new bloom ideas, and sometimes they're at night, some time zone.

I don't think we think about this.

We think about the greenhouses.

We think about the flat spaces.

But we don't think about these beautiful, mountainous terrains with beautiful protea growing on them.

And thank you for showing it to us.

Today, I have some photos of arrangements to share with you from viewers Brad and Kelly Gomez of Florida.

Brad and Kelly send me their arrangements from what they call their Finer Things Sunday -- a time they have chosen to set aside for relaxing pursuits, which include arranging flowers.

Brad writes, "On Sundays, we pull out the crystal, the china, and the silver.

We spend the day with no phones and little to no TV at all.

We spend the day cooking, enjoying perhaps an at-home spa day, certainly an adult beverage and what we now consider the finishing touch of a wonderful and beautiful day.

We call them Schwankes.

We go to the local grocer and buy fresh flowers and make arrangements together to place around the house on Sundays.

These carry us through the week ahead and remind us it's the simple things and that things we have learned on your program contribute to that.

Please allow me to share the photos of today's Schwankes, and thank you for your wonderful program and making us stop to smell the flowers.

Did you put fresh water in the Schwankes in the kitchen?

Yes, dear."

Thanks to Brad and Kelly for sharing their creations.

I love to see what you make.

Send your Schwankes to [email protected].

That's the letter "J," @, the letter "U," bloom.com.

And watch for your arrangements on upcoming shows.

Thanks for watching this innovative episode of "Life in Bloom."

Remember, your own ideas can be an inspiration for enjoying flowers in creative, new ways For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

The best tip I can give you about fertilizing hydrangeas is fertilize once in the early spring.

Again, you can fertilize again later in the spring, but stop after July.

If you start fertilizing after July, it causes your plant to push a lot of new growth that can't harden off for the winter when your shrub needs to take its winter's nap.

This is a local honey, too -- local wildflower honey.

It's about a mile from our house.

And I understand local honey is good if you have allergies.

Correct.

So, interestingly enough, I have allergies to flowers.

[ Both laugh ] I have my whole life.

But it's okay.

Yeah.

It's okay.

Sometimes when you really love something, you can't let that keep you down.

That's right.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Visit J's website, ubloom.com, for flower projects and crafts, complete recipes, behind-the-scenes videos, J's blog, flower cocktails, and more.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... That flower feeling.

At home.

At work.

Or anytime.

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

Closed-caption funding provided by Holland America Flowers.