"You know there's a sun up there because there's an orange glowing orb," Merilee Just, owner of San Marcos Florist, in San Marcos, Calif., says from her shop on Wednesday afternoon, as she witnessed the effects of the fires blazing though southern California.

Two of St. Louis' biggest florists — Walter Knoll Florist and Nettie's Flower Garden — merged recently.

Industry members are experiencing varying levels of concern about what Reuters news service reports is Georgia's "worst drought in decades," as well as droughts in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and North and South Carolina.

A Wisconsin newspaper is the latest media outlet to report that flowers in the workplace improve employees' moods and productivity.

Watch out coffee, consumers have a natural morning pick-me-up: flowers — that's the message, proven by recent research, that's driving SAF's and the Flower Promotion Organization's (FPO) latest PR effort.

Dating a co-worker is no longer seen as "taboo" in many office settings, according to a recent New York Times article. 

Anyone who reads the paper or online news or watches the Today Show likely heard about the bride who’s suing a florist for more than $400,000 over the choice and selection of her centerpiece flowers for her New York wedding, held in August.

The Do-It-Yourself trend knows no bounds when it comes to weddings — even the jewelers aren’t spared.

On Feb. 28, 2008, after a hard day's work learning to lobby industry issues, Congressional Action Days' SAFPAC Dinner attendees will be treated to a performance by the Capitol Steps, a "group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them," according to the group's Web site.

The holidays will be here before you know it — get prepped for the busiest times of the year with SAF's Valentine's Day Playbook: A Retail Florists' Guide to a Winning Valentine's Day.

Fifty-two percent of florists responding to the previous week's e-poll said they do stock their coolers with pre-made arrangements for Bosses Day. The rest said they do not.

On SAF's Increasing Walk-In Traffic discussion one member says she would like to hire a floral designer as a private contractor, just for weddings, but is wondering how to set up the contract and payment.

Online sales for the Thanksgiving holiday at retail florists in 2006 were unchanged from the previous year at 39 percent of florists, according to SAF's post-Thanksgiving survey.