FIELD TO VASE DINNERS

Elsewhere out of the gardens Rose Ranglers have been on the roads and in the skies.  

Rose Ranglers have traveled to two Field to Vase dinners this year. 

"Field to Vase" dinners are held monthly around the county to gather American flower growers,
floral designers, florists and those who love them.

         Their aim is to raise the publics awareness of the source of the cut flowers that they purchase.

The dinners are held on a flower farm and help networking and promotion of flowers grown in America.

Usually these dinners are out in the fields, though that weekend due to threat of thunderstorms, 

it was moved into the beautiful "Blue Barn".

  These are some of the great photos taken at the Field to Vase dinner at the 
Arnosky Family Farms in Blanco, Texas.  

And Yes!  She is out standing in the fields!

In addition to the local flowers the food, wine, beer and entertainment are all local at
these delightful evenings.  

Singing, Dancing, Eating, Drinking all amidst the flowers!  Does it get any better that this?!

The thunderstorms passed early and the day was as sunny as this field of sunflowers

Tours of the farms are included so remember to wear appropriate shoes.  Due to earlier rains making it impossible to walk the fields, a barrier was laid to protect the soil and the walkers at this farm.

If you like great food, paired with local beverages, memorable people and supporting local flower growers and farmers then you can't miss with the "Field to Vase" dinner reservations.  It's slow food paired with Slow Flowers!  More on Slow Flowers in our next post.

Check out the website  http://www.americangrownflowers.org  to make reservations for a dinner that you may live near or be near your travels.

Many Field to Vase dinners are held in areas that make for a great travel itinerary.  This dinner was located in Texas Hill Country midway between Austin and San Antonio.  So go ahead.
Be a bit adventurous and make your reservations for a Field to Vase dinner soon!

SO MANY FLOWERS, SO MANY PLACES, SO LITTLE TIME

What's in Season Now

This must be the best season for the flowers we grow on our farm.  ROSES of course are abundant.  

The blossoms are soo big this year, because of the cool nights, we think.  

But additional stars are two annual blooms…LAVENDER 

Kiyah Loves flowers and fragrances but especially lavender.  She reminds us of the lovely bees who visit our farm.  They too bury themselves in the lavender.

At The Linen Tree Kiyah, Kendra and Greg can assist you in finding the perfect linens, table top,  bedding or gift …for you …or not.  

Say "Hi from the farm!" to the rose, lavender or jasmine girls that may be waving to you from the desk.

https://www.thelinentree.com/bedding.html

AND JASMINE .   

The Tre Soli Sons love Chinese Jasmine Tea.  We thought this photo of a jasmine bouquet a nice tribute to fond dinner memories. 

For those of you familiar with lavender and jasmine, you know that these two put out one big burst of blooms in the Spring and may toss a few more through the year.  Unlike our roses which bloom year round except when we prune them in the Winter dormancy.  

The lavender is renown for it's fresh and dried fragrance and beauty.  You can put it in drinks, foods, baths, beds, pillow, sachets, closets, drawers, flower crowns, scented candles,  perennial wreathes and perfumes,.  The versatility of lavender is perhaps unmatched in the flower and herb world.  

The jasmine on the other hand is usually left outside to it's climbing structures.   Not any more!  We have managed to work around their penchant for drooping as soon as they are cut off of their vines.  This is thrilling to us because now we can share their magnificent yet delicate perfume with each of you.  In years past only those fortunate enough to grow jasmine, and those they invited to come enjoy it with them, were lucky enough to relax with a crisp ice tea under the influence of jasmine wafts as Spring warms into Summer.  

https://www.facebook.com/SavaleFlowersAntiques

Here's a peek at a lush bouquet of jasmine with roses.  Perhaps adding the roses was gilding the lilly but we just had to see how they got along.  There may only be 1-3 weeks left of jasmine bloom so contact us soon if you want some for yourself. 

So we've just toured the gardens at Tre Soli to see where all of these lovelies grew and to Savale Flowers and Antiques as well as The Linen Tree where some of our garden girls have traveled to.



Last Saturday we were excited to see so many of you come visit us at Berridge Nursery for Art in the Garden.  Berridge is where our rose growing was fist nurtured with antique roses we purchased back in 1990.  The Sombreuil rose featured at the top of our blog was purchased at Berridge.  Nine of them still grow in the Gardens at Tre Soli.  Much thanks to Christine Fortman and all of the staff who worked so hard to accommodate vendors and customers at the event.

http://www.berridgenursery.com

We made a number of new friends and buckets of girls went home with old and new friends at the event.  One of our delightful new customers was Ana of UrbAna.  She posted her desk bouquet to Instagram and low and behold some of her followers showed up at Berridge Nursery's Art in the Garden to claim some rose girls for their own.  Thanks, everyone!  So after the event we just had to go to thank Ana.  WOW! Do we love UrbAna!  A darling yet classy shop all about entertaining at home…our favorite thing to do.  It is warmly open, and well stocked with a mix of simple, sublime, modern, chic, romantic.  And since a son of Tre Soli now has a son we were tickled to find some baby items.   check them out! 

https://www.instagram.com/urbanaphoenix/

We have to thank Jill from Sweet Life Garden for helping to get the girls ready on Friday as well as help set up and introduce visitors to the girls and how to garden.  Jill knows how to love the roses and fruit trees and chickens and goats and family like nobody we know.  She and her ever gracious and capable husband Hal can help you get your garden going.  Thanks to Hal also for lending to us his hands and his wife on Saturday.

http://www.sweetlifegarden.com

Jill is not only "outstanding in her field" but one of the loveliest flowers we have the pleasure of knowing.  She invites you to experience the semi-annual Arcadia's Edible Tour on May 7.  This is the tour you may have been on a couple of years ago when The Gardens At Tre Soli were on the tour.

http://ediblegardentour.com

"Edible" is a most unique tour and opportunity to meet edible landscape owners and pick their brains.   The tour travels West to the revitalizing downtown urban farmers for some very special gardens this year.  This tour always sells out so get your tickets soon.  Weather permitting we will have some flower girls available at the Edible Tour Market for you to take home.  Do not miss the market either way because some of the best edibles in the Valley of the Sun are only available at this market!  (I'm talking about you Rebecca's vinaigrette).  Rebecca is one-third of the partners of My Farmyard who are the cosponsors of the Edible tour.  

http://www.myfarmyard.com/about-us.html

Another "desktop bouquet".   This one at Savale Flowers and Antiques, where you can pop in to pick up our flowers to take to your desk top or gift to a co-worker or boss.  You may want to call ahead to assure they have what you want.  You can special order from us and pick at Savale
in Old Town Scottsdale.

Once a year Fresh Jasmine with Seasonal Roses 

https://www.instagram.com/savaleflowersantiques/

BERRIDGE ART IN THE GARDEN

Girls Who Are All Dressed Up With Someplace to Go

BERRIDGE ART IN THE GARDEN

9a-3p

SATURDAY 

APRIL 9

4647 E Camelback

Please continue to the April 6 post below for details

SEE YOU SOON!

P.S. We're still looking for "Smell-a-Vision"!  Let us know if you know where we can get it!

Berridge Nursery Art in the Garden, Saturday April 9, 9a.m.-3p.m.

Aaah!  The weather is cooling at this very moment and we may even be treated to a bit of rain.   So don't just sit there plant something then go to an outdoor art, food and farmers market.  The Chief Rose Rangler, Roxie the Rose Rangler and "The Girls" will all look forward to seeing you there.

We'll have some new roses for you to meet.  And you can take some home with you or purchase the perfect bouquet for someone who deserves a little giftie.  Of course loved ones, family, friend make great recipients.  We also know of folks who have treated their physical therapists, lawyers, doctors, neighbors, nurses, masseuse, hair stylists, clients, colleagues, travel agents, accountants, ministers, Rabi, and priest with a surprise bouquets and everyone has been pleased.  So go ahead.  Make your list, check it twice then gift a bouquet to those naughty or nice.

See you there?

THE AMERICAN GROWN FLOWERS STORY

As you enjoy your Saturday cuppa while reading your newspaper with your favorite music in the background please take some time to read this excellent article about why we are so passionate about the flowers we grow.   By accident we've always grown flowers with our food, 'cause we like to!   Now because of our understanding of the interconnection between our plant, people, animals, earth we are committed to continuing or omni culture.  And because we are what we eat we've always grown without chemicals.

Now that we understand the international side of flowers we are so proud that we stumbled in to growing our flowers as we do.  The article below combines political, drug traffic and agricultural history along with international flower trade history.

http://slowflowers.com/article/modern-farmer-a-cut-above.html

Now that you have the big picture read or listen to what happened to all of those wonderful japanese flower gardens that used to be on Baseline Road at the foot of the South Mountain.  We are among the many who for years were sad to see one-by-one those farms be developed.  It was said by many that the land just became too valuable but there's more to that story.

http://kjzz.org/content/12425/did-you-know-japanese-flower-gardens-once-south-phoenix-tourist-
attraction

If you like supporting the local businesses and the small business people of our Valley of the Sun then be sure to ask your florist for local flowers.  Support the farmers that offer flowers at the markets.

Consider supporting Maya Dailey of Maya's Farm.  She started as a flower farmer and continues to farm with an abundance of bloomers to feed the pollinators and you and I!  She is a rare breed of small local farmers; a CCOF certified organic female farmer!  You can feel really good about your food and flowers when you buy from Maya.  https://www.facebook.com/mayasfarmaz  She has completed her move just South of where she used to be at The Farm at South Mountain.  Maya still has a CSA and can be found at farmers market and restaurants around the valley.  Tomorrow, Saturday morning you will find her fabulous produce at the Open Air Market at the Phoenix Public Market http://phxpublicmarket.com/openair/

Don't be fooled, buy fresh, buy local!

POP UP

TOMORROW

SATURDAY

APRIL 2

NOON until 4

SCOTTSDALE MARKETPLACE

6310 N SCOTTSDALE RD

Just North of The Borgata

SW Corner of  Scottsdale Rd and Lincoln Dr

Look for our Flags with the red pick up truck with Sunflowers in the back bed.

So now you know the Who, What, When and Where but here is some of the Why and How.

Why buy from us?

If you love Slow Food, being a locavore, chowing local, buying local then you will like buying your flowers Slow Flower style.  We're a local farm - five minutes from the Scottsdale Marketplace.  We grow without insecticides or herbicides or green houses.  We grow in soil under the Sun.  

Doesn't get more local and green unless you are the grower.  But then you knew that 

AND

  Our roses are renown for their sumptuous fragrances.  Send a link to a friend who doesn't know why to buy their roses from Anne E.

How to get "The Girls" home?

In style of course! 

   Go on a treasure hunt and find it tomorrow.  

We can hold your flowers in cool water while you shop.  These are some of our favorites found on sojourn through the shop today.

Your style?

Your mother's style?

 Groom's style?                                    

                   

Best friend's style?

Your daughter's style?

                         Francophile?

Sharing the bounty?

Mid Century milk delivery?

 
 Bucket of blooms?

              

                Bud vase on the desk?

Bitty Posie Pot?

Blue and White?

Timeless?

                      Timeless too?

Your green friend who loves French Country?

                                                                                               Double your pleasure?

   More blue?

      

                                           More White?

More precious?

                                                  

 No matter your style Scottsdale Marketplace, with 38 showrooms,  

is likely to have just the right container for you.  

One stop bouquet & vase shopping!  

And we are tickled we get to spend the afternoon with them.

But please, just don't buy the ones of which we're dreaming.