Valleflor Eryngium Amethystinum

This is the third of several stories describing his journeys. If you missed the first two articles, take a look at Flowers with Love and Roses from Living Soil.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost

Flowers grow abundantly throughout Ecuador. Yet the country’s cut flower-growing community is most well-known within the floral trade for focusing on and producing incredible roses — large blossoms, thick, long stems and an amazing assortment of varieties and colors. But one flower farm, Valleflor (Puembo, Ecuador), chose a different path from other farms in nurturing the growth of some different blossoms. And that, as in Frost’s poem, has made all the difference.

Valleflor Delphiniums

Rather than focusing on roses, Valleflor produces what are called “summer flowers.” Its offerings include delphinium, bouvardia, statice, limonium and many other varieties. First on my list of favorites is the aforementioned delphinium. Magnificent, long, spiked flowers of blues and pinks, this blossom’s name comes from the Latin word for “dolphin,” referring to the shape of the nectar-producing part of the flower, or “nectary.”

Valleflor’s Delphinium Royal varieties of flowers grow into blossoms with deeply intense, vivid colors and have more blooms per stem than other cut flower varieties. They were also developed for longer vase life so people can enjoy their colorful displays of flowers for many more days.

Second on my list of favorites is a far-lesser-known flower: eryngium (air-RIN-jee-um). Eryngium is in the family of Apiaceae, a family that features hairless and usually spiny leaves and dome-shaped flowers (actually flower clusters or umbels) that remind me of thistles.

Valleflor Limonium

Valleflor describes its eryngium as a “New Age” flower. I don’t know about that, but I know what I like — something different with a long, long vase life. The longer, the better. And eryngium certainly has both distinctiveness and vase-life longevity.

Valleflor prides itself on ensuring its flowers grow in harmony with society and the environment, while also protecting the well-being of its more than 220 employees. All employee meals are prepared and served in a stunning, red building with a spotless interior and a terra-cotta-tiled floor and wooden tables and chairs. The monthly cost for those meals is about what we would pay for a cup of premium coffee in the United States.

Taking a road less-traveled with a mission of producing the newest varieties of excellent-quality summer cut flowers has not only resulted in some of the finest summer flowers I have ever seen, but it has paid off with many Valleflor customers beating a path to its door.

Written by

Terry Johnson

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Related posts:

1. Roses from Living Soil
2. Ecuador Rose Grower Nurtures Flowers With Love
3. Where Do Cut Flowers Grow & How Do They Reach Me?

“I had to essentially throw the book away on growing roses”

Fausto Falconi sincerely believed his many years as an agronomist (soil and plant scientist) would have prepared him well for the challenges of starting his own organic farming and rose production business in Cayambe, Ecuador just North of the capital city of Quito. He was so wrong.

“I had to essentially throw the book away on growing roses,” Fausto revealed.”I really had to start from scratch when it came to growing organically.” Fresh Cut emerged from that beginning as one of the best organic rose growers in the world, a difficult task in the extreme, yet here they are doing what many have said could not be done: growing roses 98% free of normal chemical controls. Their goal is to be using 100% natural controls in the very near future.

The Ecuadorian flower grower community has long recognized the importance of only using approved chemical controls in their growing operations, minimizing their use, and taking great care to protect their workers from exposure to these chemicals. Why then go to so much trouble to grow roses without chemicals, when no one will be eating them?

…a leader in Organic Rose Production.

“We wanted to not only be a leader in quality roses, we also wanted to become a leader in the production of organic roses,” explained Fausto. “Taking care of human beings and nature comes hand in hand with the development and wellness of our main resource: people, which guarantees an optimum product with the highest productivity level.”

That decision to grow the best organic roses resulted in Fresh Cut literally having to start from the ground up, because they realized the first step toward their goal was with the growing medium, the material in which their roses would be grown. In other words, they believed in order to grow the finest roses, they had to start with the finest possible soil – soil in balance, as it occurs naturally in nearby forests.

It took years of trial and error to find which combinations of growing materials worked best. And that work is on-going. “Take this soil in your hand,” Fausto suggested. “Can you feel the life it contains?” I scooped up a handful of the nearly black growing medium and, having spent serious time in the garden, could understand why his roses loved this stuff.

Between the rows of rose plants, vegetation is literally composting before my eyes, much like would take place in a natural setting. And, these roses! Beautiful, intense colors and straight stems with healthy foliage which will be cut, bunched and then bathed in natural solutions to prevent molds and other things from damaging the flowers.

Fausto made his point once again: “Taking care of nature and human beings guarantees highly productive plants that produce these gorgeous, healthy roses.”

And it all starts with living soil.

Episode 3: The Road Less Traveled

Written by

Terry Johnson

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like,” “Tweet,” “+1” buttons or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe and get our articles sent directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Related posts:

1. Ecuador Rose Grower Nurtures Flowers With Love
2. Valleflor: The Road Less Traveled
3. Organic Flowers: The Greener Way

I travel quite a lot. During flights from one city to another, invariably, a fellow passenger strikes up a conversation, which leads him or her to ask what business I’m in. When I say I’m in the floral industry, many times they ask, “Are you a florist?”

White Roses With Huge Blooms | Image: FlowerChat.com

No, I tell them; I’m involved in helping to improve the methods by which flowers are handled from farms to their arrival in markets in North America. Then I explain that most flowers sold here come from countries in South America. My fellow passengers are almost always surprised. “I had no idea” is a common reply.

Ecuador Rose Insider View: Greenrose Flower Farm

My most recent trip had an envious destination: Ecuador rose farms. I joined a small group of people who specialize in handling, importing and selling fresh flowers who were traveling to this South American country, a representative democratic republic bordered by Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. After a four-hour flight from Miami, we landed in Quito, the capital, at an elevation of 9,350 feet — the highest capital city in the world. Quito is positioned in the northern central part of the country.

Red Roses Freshly Harvested | Image: FlowerChat.com

First thing in the morning, we headed north from Quito toward the Cayambe flower-growing region, which gets its name from the very prominent Cayambe volcano. Permanently capped with snow, the volcano — at 15,387 feet — is the highest point in the world crossed by the equator and the only point on the equator with snow cover. The 60-mile drive took us over mountain passes with scarce vegetation down into fertile valleys with tree-lined roads. Many of the trees were eucalyptus, said to have been brought from Australia by an Ecuadorian president about 150 years ago.

As we approached the Ecuador rose farms, we were informed that the surrounding villages are growing and prosperous because of the flower-growing industry. The flower industry represents a major export of Ecuador, totaling about $680 million annually, which is nearly one-quarter of all agricultural exports. The flower business is also a sizable employer, especially of women, who make up more than half of all flower-industry workers.

Fresh Roses Ready for Shipping to Florists | Image: FlowerChat.com

Ecuador Rose Grower Has Heart

As we pulled into Greenroses’s organic growing facilities, it was obvious that it was as impressive as any flower farm I had ever seen. The setting, with the Cayambe volcano in the background, was truly spectacular.

We were greeted by the owner, Jose Javier Pallares, who explained that his farm was the best possible place to grow flowers in the world. “At 10,000 feet, there is the right kind of light, moderate temperatures and, most importantly, a great water supply from the mountains and the volcano,” he explained. He mentioned that he had a great view of the Cayambe Volcano from his office window. I made a mental note, remembering that I had a similarly great view of Mt. St. Helens from my office window in Portland, Ore., in 1980. It was quite a shock when it erupted and sent ash everywhere. Of course, the Cayambe Volcano’s last eruption was in 1786.

As with all of the Ecuador rose and flower farms today, worker’s well-being, their safety, the environment and the surrounding community are very important to Greenrose. Javier is noticeably proud of his workers (many of whom have been with the farm since its beginning 16 years ago) and of the gorgeous roses they produce. And why shouldn’t he be? Every rose is a natural jewel with full blossoms, straight stems and lush, dark-green foliage wrapped in beautiful, protective packaging for markets in North America and countries as far away as Russia.

Fresh Cut Roses Being Processed on Farm | Image: FlowerChat.com

And each carefully grown rose comes with a sincere message: From Cayambe with love to you.

Episode two: Roses from Living Soil.

Written by

Terry Johnson

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like,” “Tweet,” “+1” buttons or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe and get our articles sent directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Related posts:

1. Roses from Living Soil
2. Flower Grower to Consumer in 24 hours: FloraHolland
3. Valleflor: The Road Less Traveled

Holland is a primary grower of flowers.

Flowers Grow in Three Main Places

About 90 percent of all flowers sold in the U.S. and Canada come from just three places: Colombia (70 percent), Ecuador (10 percent) and California (10 percent.) The sources of the remaining 10 percent include countries such as Canada, Holland, Mexico, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and Thailand.

How a Cut Flower Is Shipped

Flowers grow mostly in warm countries.

Step 1: Preparation

With some exceptions, most flowers are cut, bunched, wrapped and then packed in large corrugated boxes for shipping. Those flower boxes coming from other countries (with the exception of Canada and Mexico) are placed on pallets and flown to the United States.

Miami is by far the largest destination for those flower boxes, but Los Angeles Airport and New York’s JFK Airport receive flowers, as well.

Step 2: Inspection

When boxes arrive in the U.S. from where the flowers grow around the world, they are inspected by the Department of Agriculture to make sure they are bug-free and also checked by U.S. Customs. Flower boxes are then delivered to flower importers who load the boxes on refrigerated trucks that deliver the flowers to local markets across the U.S. and Canada.

Step 3: Refrigerated Transportation

In the case of Californian-, Canadian- and Mexican-grown product, boxes of cut flowers are loaded onto refrigerated trucks to be shipped to local North American markets.

Because flowers are a very perishable cargo, those in charge of shipping and distributing them keep the stems at low temperatures (ideally around 35 degrees Fahrenheit) through every step of the distribution logistics process. This procedure is called the “cool chain.” It is the same type of procedures used for shipping other perishables, such as fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat, fish and pharmaceuticals.

Flowers require great care during shipping.

All of these efforts are designed to increase the enjoyment of fresh flowers whenever and wherever they are purchased.

Written by

Terry Johnson

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Related posts:

1. Ecuador Rose Grower Nurtures Flowers With Love
2. Flower Grower to Consumer in 24 hours: FloraHolland
3. How to Make Sugar-Frosted Flowers

Ancient cultures certainly recognized the phenomena involving the connections between human experience and flowers, which explains the consistent presence of flowers at important societal ceremonies, such as births, marriages and funerals.

Bouquet of White Roses With Yellow Calla Lilies | Image: PhotoRack

Besides the symbolism flowers represent (the German philosopher Goethe claimed that when he looked at a flower with the naked eye, he could instinctively experience our whole cycle of existence), as well as the “meanings” associated with individual flower varieties or colors, there is certainly much more. Flowers truly do touch us profoundly and mysteriously.

Flowers, Feng Shui and Positive Welfare

Flowers help us achieve improved health, happiness and productivity. For instance, for those who practice Feng Shui, flowers help balance the energy between natural and manmade objects that is central to Feng Shui.

Rose Bridal Bouquet | Image: Magnus Rosendahl

Drawing from science, several universities have released similar studies finding solid links between flowers and human health, happiness and workplace productivity, confirming what many have observed intuitively — and seeming to verify what ancient cultures have emphasized for thousands of years.

For example, Rutgers University’s study revealed “the presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed,” according to Dr. Jeannette Haviland-Jones, professor of research at Rutgers and lead researcher on the study. “What’s most exciting about this study is that it challenges established scientific beliefs about how people can manage their day-to-day moods in a healthy and natural way,” explained Haviland-Jones.

Could it be science is finally catching up to this power that flowers possess, much like the medical field has come to accept acupuncture as a viable, mainstream solution to a wide range of human health problems?

Real-Life Affirmation

You don’t have to convince Dianne Morgado, Morgado Nursery (Keaau, Hawaii). Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991 and having left a career in banking and finance behind, Morgado was invited to help a friend with an orchid-growing operation he was starting up. Stressed out, feeling down and without much self-confidence, Morgado discovered that growing and just being around orchids was a “life-affirming and life-changing” experience.

She was so taken by the experience that she decided to start her own orchid farm in 2002. Today, it has three greenhouses and is still growing. Not surprisingly, Morgado credits orchids with helping make her a cancer survivor. Listening to her speak so lovingly of orchids is much like reading the noted 19th century French author Marcel Proust, who — when thinking of the silk-and-satin texture of orchids — spoke of “the passionate longing one feels sometimes for a particular flower.”

White Wedding Bouquet | Image: PhotoRack

Flowers’ Energetic, Magnetic Attraction

What seems to be the unifying theme here with acupuncture, Feng Shui and the therapeutic and uplifting effects of flowers, is energy. Perhaps the Ancients were right and the secrets of health, happiness and productivity is the flow of energy within us, within our environment and the recognition that flowers enhance connectivity between the two.

It is fitting that the flower industry is now in the position of offering consumers a range of products, not just for their beauty and artistry, but more importantly because they provide that valuable connection and balance between the natural world and our own stressed-out world.

This makes it even more important for anyone who cares about flowers to work toward supporting a goal of providing the freshest, longest-lasting flowers that will encourage everyone to make flowers part of their daily lives.

Written by

Terry Johnson

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Related posts:

1. Flower Power: Emotional Benefits of Fresh Flowers
2. Ecuador Rose Grower Nurtures Flowers With Love
3. How to Find a Florist & Save Money Sending Flowers