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'Almost Mothers Day' - a new promotion in Europe this year!

This year, The Flower Council of Holland are fronting a new sales promotion called 'Almost Mothers Day', targeted at ladies who are soon to have a baby!

The collective promotion is aimed towards Mothers Days in Holland, Germany & Belgium, together with French Mothers Day.

In many busy shopping centres machines have been installed for pregnant woman to stand in front of and look at themselves in a mirror. The machine then surprises them with a lovely bunch of flowers!

Although a nice idea, do we really need another big flower event in Europe that increases demand for cut flowers, having the effect of hiking up market prices in the UK? Maybe they will have a marketing campaign that lets the UK buy flowers at half the market price one day? - I think not!!

How The Cool Spring Weather is Effecting Cut Flower Prices

The weather in most parts of Europe, including Holland has been relatively cool & rainy of late. This fact, combined with the demand created by the Orthodox Easter in Russia & Eastern Europe and weak Euro against the Ruble and British Pound, has had the effect of keeping wholesale flower auction prices high.

The same period last year was extemely hot in Europe and prices were much lower.

The forcast over the next week or two in Holland is for more rain and low temperatures so wholesale cut flower prices are expected to remain fairly steep.

You can know add the big European Mothers Day of May 13th to this! Demand is huge for this event, so please don't expect a dramatic drop in prices until the end of May 2012.

Please call us at Triangle Nursery for quotations on your wholesale cut flower project and we will be only too pleased to help - 01255 861263

Flower & Plants Days for April & May 2012

Here are a few dates that may or may not effect supply & demand in the wholesale flower auctions in April & May 2012:

APRIL

April 1st - Palm Sunday

April 6th - Good Friday

April 8th - Easter Sunday

April 15th -  Orthodox (Russia, Ukraine, Greece)

April 19th - Secretary Day (France, Belgium, Holland)

April 23rd - St George (UK, Spain, Romania)

April 25th - Liberation Day (Italy, Portugal)

April 29th - Liberation Day (Slovenia)

April 30th - The Japanese Emperors Birthday

MAY

May 1st - International Labour Day

May 5th - Liberation Day (Holland)

May 5th - Childs Day (Japan)

May 6th - Mothers Day (Hungaria, Spain, Portugal)

May 8th - Liberation Day (France)

May 8th - Teachers Day (USA)

May 9th - Victory Day (Russia)

May 13th - Mothers Day (Austria, Italy, USA, Belgium, Demark, Holland, Greece, Japan, China, Finland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Czech Republic)

French Tulips are Back in Season!

It's always a joy to see French Tulips back in season again - they really are the best tulips in the world!

With their robust colours, tall stems and long vase life, they really can take your breath away.

French Tulips have stem lengths of up to 70cm, (more than 2 foot), and can grow another  5 inches when cut & put in water!

Because French tulips are a high end cut flower, the blooms are protected by a plastic net.

These stunning tulips cannot be compared with the short 35cm Dutch Tulips seen in most supermarkets & florist shops these days.

They are available between January and the end of April in many beautiful varieties, including some wonderful parrott varieties.

To Condition Your French Tulips:

• Trim the stems with a sharp knife
• Add flower food to a bucket of deep water
• Leave the French Tulips in the wrappers & put into the water
• Let the tulips drink in the bucket, in a cool place, for 24 hours
• Remove after 24 hours and arrange in a vase that contains fresh water & flower food
• Replemish the water regularly
• Display in a cool place for a longer vase life

TIP: French Tulips, (as with all tulips), will bend towards the light - turn the vase regularly so they don't bend right over.

Flower of the Month for March 2012 - Alliums

According to the Summer Flowers Calendar of PurE Summer Flowers Campaign, the flower for the month of March 2012 is the Allium. Every month The Flower Calendar is dedicated to another variety of cut flower - The flower for February 2012 was Trachelium.

Alliums, (otherwise known as Ornimental Onions), are available as a cut flower in many different varieties and shades of colour. Usually all alliums will have elegant, long stems with a globe shaped flower head made up of numerous small blooms.

Alliums are available on the wholesale flower markets in abundance between March and the end of June. The bloom colours range from whites through lilacs, blues and purple.

Alliums are related to onions, chives and garlic - to minimise the odour of onions - plunge into water immediately after cutting the stems!

Up & Coming Special Flower Days

February
19-21th  Carnivals in Germany, Holland & Portugal
20th  President's Day in the USA
22nd  Ashe Wednesday
23rd  Mens Day in Russia
28th  Andalucia Day in Spain

March
1st  Saint Davids Day in Wales
3rd Dolls / Girls Day in Japan
4th Grandmothers Day in Belgium & France
8th International Lady's Day - celebrated especially in Russia and Eastern Europe
14th  White Day in Japan
15th  National Day in Hungary
17th  Saint Patrick's Day in Ireland
18th  Mothers Day in the UK and Ireland
19th  Fathers Day in Italy, Portugal & Spain
21st  Spring Equinox Day in Japan
25th  Mothers Day in Slovenia

April
1st  Palm Sunday
6th  Good Friday
8th  Easter Sunday

The 2 dates that will effect the UK wholesale flower market the most are International Lady's Day in Russia on March 8th and UK Mothers Day on March 18th.

Well Organised Production of Gentiana in Japan Proves a Big Success

A farmers co-operative in Northern Japan has found a new way to prosper by growing Gentiana, a highly prized cut flower in Buddhist Japan - it is common practice for families to place Gentiana on ancestors graves.

In 1971, beginning with wild varieties, Mr Kudo and other farmers tried growing a different crop instead of rice - Blue Gentiana, (otherwise known as 'Gentians').

From these humble beginnings the co-operative have created an industry of cut flowers and pot plants worth more than 13 million USD and the products are now sold world wide.

The ten most popular varieties of Gentiana are now licensed to growers as far away as Chile and New Zealand and the varieties are registered to protect the breeding rights - a practice that should secure the next generation of Japanese breeders.

Please sit back and enjoy the video below that explains the story in much greater detail:

Frost Forcast Threatens Colombian Flowers Before Valentines Day

In 2011 the 'La Nina' phenomenon caused severe floods and effected the temperature dramatically in Colombia. These conditions carried on well into January 2012 and some rose and carnation growers have been effected. Dark and damp weather conditions delay flowers from maturing at their usual rate and this may possibly have an impact on Valentines Day supply into the UK.

The rains have now subsided and the weather is back to the typical bright sunny days expected in the Bogota Savannah - (this is where most cut flowers are grown in Colombia). Dry weather is forcast but with a possibility of frost which can badly damage flowers, especially roses. Reports of temperatures of -3 degrees were forcast.

Here at Triangle Nursery, we have not been advised of any shortages of roses, carnations, spray carnations or hypericum, (produce that we import on a weekly basis from Colombia), so we are expecting business as usual for Valentines Day and are looking forward to supplying the superior grades of Colombian cut flowers as we do every year.

New Passwords for our Online Wholesale Flower Shop

As of today, (13th January 2012), the 'Demonstration' password for our online Wholesale Flower Web-Shop has changed. This means that if you have been using: triatest / demo this will no longer work.

To retrieve the latest passwords you will have to re-register on our web site and an email with the new information will be sent to your inbox by return.

From now on the passwords will change every second Friday of the month.

To re-register for new passwords please go to the Registration Page of our web site by CLICKING HERE

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