Flower It Forward!

GOLD HILL, Ore.– Flower it forward. That’s what a Gold Hill winery is asking people to do during their annual flower picking event.

Since about 2015, Del Rio Vineyard’s owners have been planting zinnias on the vineyard’s property for anyone to pick for free! Midway through July, the flowers are blooming and people are flocking to the vineyard.

Owner Jolee Wallace says the only condition for picking is that you must pick a bouquet for someone else. People are also encouraged to write in the booklet near the fields sharing who the flowers are going to.

“From the VA to hospitals, a lot go to cemeteries of people that have passed away and they write those sweet notes in there about that,” said Wallace. “I mean, it just makes you want to do it again.”

The flowers keep flowering through the year, so you can keep picking until the first frost.

https://kobi5.com/news/flower-it-forward-at-del-rio-vineyards-2-107089/

The Flower Bridge at Shelburne Falls

The Flower Bridge at Shelburne Falls, a perfectly picturesque destination for a summer day trip!

It’s hot, it’s humid, it’s time to get out of the city. Where to, you ask? Why, the quaint little town of Shelburne Falls, of course! Ok, this won’t take all day, so first maybe stop by the Deerfield River, rent a floatie and drift in the cool water for a while. Next, we’ll head to downtown Shelburne Falls, grab a sandwich and walk over to the Flower Bridge to take in the gorgeous scenery. The bridge is lush and dripping with colorful flowers against a mountainous backdrop.

Originally, a trolley bridge built in 1908 used to haul heavy freight, local goods and passengers. By the late 1920’s the railway company had gone bankrupt, they were unable to keep up with the progress made by the more widespread use of automobiles and trucks. The bridge sat there as an eye sore. as demolition would have been immensely costly and it carried a water main across the river. The idea of a bridge of beauty was born thanks to Shelburne Falls residents Mr. and Mrs. Burnham and Clara Barnard. The bridge was purchased by the Shelburne Falls Fire District and with the help of the Shelburne Falls Women’s Club and other organizations in town, the funding and labor were raised to start the project of turning this eye sore into a floral destination. The bridge went through a huge restoration project in the 1980’s. During that time all of the original plants, trees and flowers were stored and cared for in private gardens. This piece of history is a must see for any flower lover!

How to water plants during heatwave!

1

Irrigate your plants deeply if extremely hot weather is predicted. Watering the plants ensures their roots have plenty of water. Even though morning watering is normally the best practice, water the night before predicted heat if you will not be able to water the morning of the day hot weather arrives.

2

Water established plants deeply once or twice each week. Gauge whether or not you watered plants deeply by measuring the depth of moist soil after watering; moist soil should reach about 1 inch deep.

3

Provide water to plants near your lawn more frequently than you water other plants. Plants near lawn become accustomed to irrigation a lawn receives and may have more shallow roots than plants farther away.

4

Water plants in morning so more water will go into the soil rather than evaporate in the hot air. Morning watering also allows leaves, stems and flowers to dry out quickly, making them less susceptible to fungal growth.

5

Irrigate slowly to decrease runoff and to allow the water to soak into the soil. Deep watering encourages deep root systems that will protect your plants against drought and hot weather. Consider installing a soaker hose or drip-irrigation system instead of watering with an overhead sprinkler or with a hose.

6

Examine your plants' leaves during extremely hot weather. Leaves that wilt during the day but appear fine the next morning receive enough water. If the leaves still droop the next morning, however, then the plants are either overwatered or need water.

7

Feel the soil around your plants if their leaves droop the morning after you water the plants. If the soil is still moist, you overwatered and need to let the plants recover and dry out. If the soil is dry, then water the plants again, even if you just watered them the previous day.

8

Spray the leaves of your plants with an antidesiccant product if you are unable to keep up with watering them. Antidesiccants slow the rate at which plants lose water and protect them during long periods of drought. The best time to apply the spray is when you are not able to water the plants right away.

Beat the heat with a splash of rosé!

White O’Hara Garden Roses

Come join us this afternoon for roses and rosé! Duck inside for refreshing rosé and escape this Boston heatwave! With excessive temps throughout the city be sure to keep all your outdoor plants well watered and hidden from the intense direct sun this weekend! Soaring into near record-setting temperatures Beacon Hill is still alive with tourists and window-shoppers this morning, come visit!

Each week we make up a different rose featured bouquet. We have two stunners today.

One is bright and bold. Orange asclepias, hot pink & purple varieties of celosia paired with Free Spirit roses. This bouquet is all about pop and texture.

The other is soft and romantic. Garden-y white flowers accent full, creamy Playa Blanca roses and fragrant, barely blush O’Hara garden roses.

Can’t wait to see you. Did I mention the AC is on?

Shasta Daisies

Leucanthemum aka Shasta Daisy

These are your quintessential daisies. They just kind of make you want to start gleefully running through a field or make a real flower child daisy crown. Personally, I may be found looking dreamy underneath the shade of a big tree playing a little “He-loves-me-he loves me not”:, can’t you just see the hearts shining in my eyes?

Shasta daisies, are simple, casual and a vision of summer. Guess what? We have some! New to Rouvalis this week, leucanthemum bunches are in stock.

Join Our Team!

Join Our Team!

We need: A full-time Shop Associate with focus on plant and floral design to join our team!

At Rouvalis Flowers & Gardens we hold ourselves to a high standard of design. Paying extra close attention to detail to fulfill our clients wants and needs. Whether a small intimate gift or a large scale wedding or corporate event our team makes sure anything we put our name on is spectacular and one of a kind. We thrive ourselves on customer service, distinctive floral and plant design, and the highest quality of product available.

You are: An experienced floral or plant designer with expertise in both design and sales. Candidate must be highly motivated, enthusiastic, show great organizational skills, as well as excellent interpersonal skills with customers and coworkers. 

Daily Duties:

-Floral and Plant Design

-Processing Flowers, maintaining plant and store displays

-Shop Merchandising

-Assisting clients with custom designs and sales in person and over the phone

Details + Benefits:

-This Position is Full Time. 40 hours per week

-Paid Vacation & Sick Days

-Health Insurance & Retirement Options

-Disability Insurance

-Compensation based on experience

-Generous employee discount

-During the Holiday season we do require extended work days.

Job Type: Full-time

If interested in this position and joining our team: Please fill out the form below and  email us a copy of your resume, cover letter and brief description of yourself and your background!

Email: Emily@RouvalisFlowers.com

They're back! Dried flower bouquets

Dried flower bouquets are back at Rouvalis!

Dried flowers seemed to have faded into the background. I remember back in my youth, playing hide and seek in one of my grandmother’s closets and getting a rather stern talking to after bumping into the delicate hydrangea stems she had hanging to dry in the back.

However, very recently, dried flowers have started making a comeback. We’re so glad they did. A couple weeks ago we put together some bouquets in the color scheme shown above, and they flew out the door! We got the hint and made more. A lovely, semi permanent way to bring in a little color and texture.

There are a few different ways to dry flowers at home, but I have always been pretty casual in my flower drying.

Remove all the foliage from any flower stems, leaving only the blossom. Bundle together and hang upside-down in a cool, dry, dark location (like the back of grandma’s closet). Then let nature do its work. Some flowers dry more nicely than others. Hydrangea, craspedia, roses, heather, most seed pods, and eucalyptus are a few easy go to’s to get your flowers drying hobby started.

Calathea

Calathea ornata

Apartment living isn’t always forgiving for plants. Not all of us are blessed with big, sunny bay windows. Perhaps nothing more than a sliver into an alleyway. With so little light the selection can be somewhat limited.

Calathea is a great choice for these low light conditions. Unlike many other low light plants, calathea is a favorite for the varying colors and bold patterns on the leaves. The prefer high humidity, which makes them a great bathroom plant. They like the soil to be consistently moist but don’t want to be sitting in water.

Also, calathea leaves open and close depending on the time day. Sweet.

Calathea roseopicta

Summer Tropicals

OMG are those tiny bananas?!

With weather like this, it seems like the right time to bring in some bright, exotic flowers. They arrived fresh this morning, and I expect they’ll go quickly so better get in here! We have gorgeous mixed bouquets featuring an array of tropicals such as, heliconia, ginger, pandanus, fabulous greenery and yes… some of them DO have a bunch of tiny bananas.

There are arrangements designed in a coral color glass vase as well as wrapped bouquets. Come in and grab one. Set this tropical beauty on your coffee table and gaze at it while you enjoy the AC and the sight of the steamy city through your window.

Monstera Monday

This isn’t the first time we have mentioned these bold, showstopping leaves, but they are still at the forefront of the current design trends and certainly deserve their own post.

They are everywhere. High end design magazines, bargain + couture clothing stores and yes, your local florist. I can personally admit to having monstera earrings, a monstera jewelry box, and two monstera print dresses. Don’t judge me, get on board.

We will have large and small cut monstera leaves in store and are featuring them in a few of our summer collection arrangements. Come check them out, get a few stems for your space, and show how mod you are.

Meanwhile, let’s learn a few things about these trendy plants:

-Monstera deliciosa is also known as Ceriman, Swiss Cheese Plant, Mexican Breadfruit, Windowleaf and Delicious Monster

-Native to tropical forests of Southern Mexico and Central America but can become semi invasive in similar climates such as Hawaii and the Seychelles.

-Produces sweet edible fruit.

-Monstera is a semiepiphyte which means it can grow in soil but also use its roots to draw nutrients from the air.

-Wild seedlings grow towards the darkest area they can grow until they find a tree trunk, then start to grow up towards the light, creeping up the tree.

-The holes in monstera leaves are called fenestration.

-The older and healthier the plant, the more holes in the leaves.