Chapter Summaries
Sending Flowers to America
Following are summaries of the chapters in the
Sending Flowers to America book. Please note: The chapters are
only the first HALF the book. The second half consists of the individual
(A) PROFILES
of flower growers, suppliers, shippers and
wholesalers and (B)
PROFILES of designers that provide the real meat of this
fascinating book.
Chapter 1
Discovering Southern California - the
1800 to 1899: When William Brewer came
to California with the U.S. Geological Survey in 1860, he saw plains and
hills covered with cattle, horses and sheep, men working in vineyards
and tending fruit trees. In the next 40 years, as miners from the big
strikes and people from the "states" joined immigrants from other
countries to discover the West, the landscape changed dramatically.
Chapter One describes the enormous change and the earliest indications
that the new residents yearned for fresh flowers on their tabletops.
Photos date back to 1885, including one of San Pedro
Street (in today's Flower District) in Los Angeles in 1896.
Download the flyer about the book (PDF),
including snippets and stories
Chapter 2
Planting the Seeds of California -
1900 to 1920: The railroad had arrived and Southern
Californians were experimenting with the shipping of locally grown
flowers to other states, icing them down in rail cars. Immigrants flowed
into the area in large numbers and many became flower growers. The
Japanese formed a wholesale flower market around 1912; the European
immigrants organized a market as well (it would incorporate as American
Florists' Exchange in January 1921). Florists flocked to downtown Los
Angeles to buy fresh locally grown blooms and greens and the public
could purchase bouquets from floral shops as well as vendors with flower
carts and stands along the downtown streets.
Early 1900s photos include: C.J. Groen and his
horse-and-wagon reading to leave the farm to deliver flowers to the
market; John and Chuck Bodger; Jerry Defterios at his Redondo Beach
flower field and storefront.
Chapter 3
Growing the American Florists'
Exchange - 1920 to 1939: A whole lot of flower industry
companies got their start during this era, including some, like
Moskatel's, Mayesh Wholesale Florist, Floral Supply Syndicate (FSS),
Mellano & Company, and others that continue in business today. It was an
exciting time of innovation, vision and anticipation as the early
entrepreneurs discovered their nationally expanding markets and grew
their local trade center, the American Florists' Exchange/Los Angeles
Flower Market. The Depression years are profiled as is the start of the
Southern California Floral Association.
Photos include farm and field pictures from the Ecke,
Prechtl, Gorini, Amling family operations; also - Southern California
Floral Association and American Florists' Exchange functions and
leaders.
Chapter 4
The Golden Years - 1940 to 1959:
The beauty of the flower industry seems to have peaked during these
golden years before imported flowers changed the industry landscape
forever. Sales were robust, even in wartime, and the horticulturists and
growers loved to cultivate new varieties and best-of-show blooms,
perfecting perfection. Many locals oversaw properties of their Japanese
friends who were forced into camps during World War II. The Southern
California Floral Association grew into a large, influential
organization and managed the Flower Market. The Bloomin' News got its
started in October 1949, and sales, pricing and news sheets were
distributed daily. Thousands traded at the Market, and there were
weekly, almost daily, social events including golf tournaments, bowling
and softball leagues and, the big attraction, seasonal annual Open
Houses. Friendships were formed and relationships cemented.
Photos - This is our largest photo chapter, featuring
many photos from events attended by Flower Market regulars, a red, white
and blue American flag field of flowers planted by Bodger Seed Company
in Lompoc, CA, and farm and field pictures from the Franciosi, Brevidoro,
Stimming, Hernlund, Ecke, Nakamura, Ghigo, Lugaro, Gandolfo, Mellano,
Shinoda, Vescio, Karavas, Yack, Dimas, Groen, Johnson families and more.
Chapter 5
The Years of Transition - 1960 to
1970: Expansion of the Flower Market in Los Angeles was
timely after 40 years in business and coincided or followed that of the
companion "Japanese" market (Southern California Flower Market) across
the street. Yet as the local flower industry expanded, in large part due
to increasing sales at a national level, local flower growers gave up
their land to developers. Many simply relocated their farms to towns in
the exurbs, while others left the flower business for good. On the heels
of urbanization came the arrival of imports, made possible by improved
transportation methods. Now flower wholesalers, who comprised the
membership and tenant list of the Flower Market, had to get out of
business or reinvent their strategies. The Market itself weighed the
option of moving out of the inner city.
Photos begin to show color in this chapter, including
those of the spectacular Las Floristas headdress models and the Flower
Fields at Carlsbad. Others include Las Floristas ladies shopping at the
Flower Market, Ray and Duane Winter, Danny Temkin and Eddie Battistessa,
Maria Ghigo, Frank Vescio and more.
Chapter 6
The New World of Flowers - 1980 to
1999: Retail florists adapted to their changing supply chain
admirably, as regional wholesale flower centers sprang up making it
possible for them to shop for product without fighting freeway traffic
to downtown. Many who were loyal to their downtown wholesalers because
of consistent quality and good service found those wholesalers now
operated delivery trucks and could come right to their shops. This era
welcomed many new entities and experiments including the Internet, the
new Fashion District designated by the City of Los Angeles, the forming
of he American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD), experimenting with
flower auctions, and conducting floral design classes at the Market. In
the 1990s, the Internet presented a formidable challenge to retailers,
stealing away the customers who had once picked up the phone or walked
into the shop. Imports and Internet impacted sales at the Flower Market
negatively, of course, so in late 1996, the Market opened its doors to
the public, ushering in a new era which has enjoyed healthy activity.
Photos, many in color, include the equestrian
competition at the Summer Olympics (1984), John Noon's gladiola counter,
The Bloomin' News, workers in the Mellano fields at Oceanside, Sylvia
Foltz in the Groen Rose Company cooling room, Charley Hum with Lawrence
Welk, and more.
Chapter 7
Changing Neighborhoods - 2000 to 2007:
The neighborhood around the Los Angeles Flower Market and Southern
California Growers Market, now in the city's Fashion District, was
changing. Spreading outward from the Market, non-member wholesalers and
floral retail shops sprang up. The area was now called the Los Angeles
Flower DISTRICT. (In 2008, a new sign was installed to differentiate the
established from the new. It reads: The Original Los Angeles Flower
Market.) Even those growers who had left the downtown area for San Diego
County began to experience the challenges of development and
urbanization there. Growers and those in the floral transport and
shipping business were challenged by steadily increasing fuel costs and
new regulations for operating "green." The major floral organizations
including the Society of American Florists and California Cut Flower
Commission had their jobs cut out for them, educating their members and
the public and somehow generating more sales.
Photos include one of Rich Salvaggio, AIFD, AAF, PFCI,
demonstrating at the "LA Fleur" design event, bougainvilla on a San
Diego county farm road, shoppers at the weekly farmers market on Fifth
Street, and the neighborhood and Flower District in 2007.
Chapter 8
Today's Los Angeles Flower Market:
Florists Review magazine predicted in 1944 that Southern
California would become the "flower basket of America." Although flowers
are no longer grown in the area, the wholesalers who embraced imports as
a way to expand their "inventory," making them valuable suppliers to
customers nationwide, and the suppliers who grew their storefront shops
to national catalog operations and others who flexed as times changed,
still support a strong floral-related industry in Southern California.
The Market is still a robust operation, valued by the public as well as
the retail florists who shop its vendors weekly.
Photos of today's Los Angeles Flower Market and the
people who make it work.
PROFILES IN PROGRESS
Stories of the families and companies of the early
flower industry in Southern California and their connections around the
nation, supplying the flowers that grew year-'round in California to
snowbound florists from New York to Texas to Chicago and parts in
between. This section also includes profiles of floral designers who
left their mark on the design of flowers.
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Stimming Flowers, 1946-1985 – “The
Stock King of the North.”
Groen Rose Company, 1917-1993 (C.J.
Groen) – “The Dutchman Who Grew Roses.”
Blue Hills Nursery, 1936-Present –
“From Frank and Asaye Nakamura’s Dream.”
Gorini Brothers, 1922-1949 – “A
Merger of Flower-Growing Families.”
E. H. Pearson Wholesale
Flowers, 1920s-1980 and Bert Johnson Wholesale, 1960-1970 –
“Eighty-plus Years of Swedish Persistence.”
Lewis Gardens, 1931-Present – “Hubert
and Helen Lewis - The Hobby That Grew into a Business.”
Weidners’ Gardens, 1947-Present –
“Embracing Trend, Opportunity and Love of Flowers.”
The Prechtl Family, Pre-1914 – “Three
Generations Supporting the American Florists’ Exchange.”
Floral Supply Syndicate, 1939-Present
– “From a Local Hardgoods Distributor to a National
Presence.”
Vander Bruggen Family, 1923-2003 –
“Building a Legacy with Birds of Paradise.”
Los Angeles Evergreen Company,
1919-1935 and Nick Gandolfo Wholesalers, 1933-1975 – “The
Flower Fields of Artesia.”
Mayesh Wholesale Florist,
1920s-Present – “From a Hollywood Flower Stand to
International Operations.”
Edgar Engert: “Supporting the Ecke Ranch and
Local and Floral Communities.”
Moskatels, Early 1930s – “Filling
Floral Supply Needs for 75 Years.”
The Stamis and Karavas
Families, 1946-Present – “Dan and Brown Stamis Were Flower
Market Staples.”
Harold Norman, Norman Seed Company,
1942-Present – “Carrying the Family Tradition Forward.”
Hollandia Flowers, Inc., 1978-1988 –
“A Decade in the American Florists’ Exchange.” |
“The Flower Families of Montebello –
Carnations, Birds and Sweet Peas in the Beautiful Hills.”
Brevidoro Lilac Ranch, 1935-Present –
“Imagination, Hard Work and a Whole Lot of Luck.”
Dos Pueblos Orchid Company, 1942-Present
– “Samuel Mosher and Kermit Hernlund: A Match Made in Orchid
Heaven.”
Ghigo Greens, 1924-1983 – “An Italian
Flower Market Family.”
Fred C. King Wholesale Florist,
1920s-1960s – “A Giant Among Los Angeles Growers.”
Soules Gladiolus Company, 1938-1982 –
“Tales of a Talented Gladiolus Hybridizer.”
Defterios Family / Delta Floral
Distributors, Inc., Early 1900s-Present – “From Growing/Selling
King Asters to Supermarket Bouquet Makers.”
Lugaro Family Growers, 1932-1962 – “An
Industrious Couple Returns to Their Farming Roots.”
Kermit (“Knute”) Hernlund, 1926-1974 – “A Master
Plantsman.”
G.A. Berlin Company, 1926-1986 – “An
Honest Man’s Work in Service to Flowers.”
Buford W. Hall Wholesale Florists,
1931-1987 – “One Family’s Journey in the Wholesale Flower
Trade.”
Paul Ecke Ranch, 1902 – “The
Christmas Flower Family.”
Franciosi Brothers, 1939-1960 – “A Family
of Farmers Displaced by Suburban Growth.”
Mellano & Company, 1925 – “It All Started
With Evergreens.”
Thornton Flower Growers, 1930-1990s and
John Noonan Wholesale Florist, 1948-1995 – “San Diego County’s
Glads and Visionaries.”
Edmund’s Wholesale Flowers Inc.,
1945-Present – “An Enduring Institution Selling Flowers.”
Amling Brothers, 1920-Present – “A Flower
Family With Deep Roots.” |
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FLORAL DESIGNERS' PROFILES |
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Silverio Casabar AIFD - ”A Child’s Talent
Inspires Many.”
Leo’s Flowers / Leo Alkana - ”The
Multi-Retail Concept a Key to Longevity.”
Kirk Kirkpatrick AIFD - ”Frequently
Featured Commentator/Designer.”
Broadway Florist / Stathatos
Family.
Bob Garren - ”A Lifetime Spent Pushing
the Envelope.”
Ray Tucker – “The Power of the Flower.”
Gordon Schmuhl AIFD - ”Designing for the
Floral Industry and Media.”
Phil Rulloda AAF, AIFD, PFCI - “The
Teacher’s Lessons Go Before Him.”
Natalie Sutton - “Wood Fiber Flowers were
Just the Start.”
Villa Florist / Ron Hasson - “The Flower
Shop with Deep Mid-Wilshire Roots”
Robert Taylor – “A Lifetime Love.”
Bob Berry AIFD – “Living Large in the
World of High-Style Flowers. |
Haley’s Flowers / Frank Haley - “Weathering
the Storms of Life.”
The Yack Family – “75 Shops, Nearly 100
Years.”
Bill Visser – “Growing Visser’s Florist.”
Erna Thurnher – “Sophisticated Floral Lady”
Mario Del Fante - “Floral Retailing, Italian
Family Style.”
Alhanati Family – “Still on Call.”
Jacob Maarse – “A Signature Look in European
Design.”
Jens (Jim) Knudsen’s Verdugo Hills - “From
Patient’s Therapy to Flowers.”
Rene van Rems AIFD - “Educating and Inspiring
a Worldwide Floral Community.”
Fred Gibbons - “Planning a World of Floral
Events.”
Other Featured Florists: Charley Hum, Emile
Bergez (Frenchie), Frank Fredenhagen, the Francis family, Ray Nottke,
Cedric Nelson, Don Wakefield, the Rolleri family, James Lynch AIFD.
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TIMELINES
Every chapter begins with a page devoted to the major and
significant events (related and unrelated to the flower industry) of the
era.
SIDEBARS
There are 29 little "of additional interest" stories
to spice up your reading of Sending Flowers to America. Here are a few:
A biographical profile of Captain Francis Edward Gray,
the first person to grow flowers under glass commercially
A biographical profile of Theodosia Shepherd, founder
of the flower seed industry in California, who started her business by
growing flowers in her backyard to help supplement the family income
Greenhouse growing through the decades
A floral industry associations guide
A history of the popular New Year's Day Tournament of
Roses
A profile of the Las Floristas charity ball event
which is known for its models bedecked in flowers head-to-toe, including
large, elaborate floral headdresses
History of The Flower Fields®, that
spectacular patchwork of colors at Carlsbad, California, which now also
features art shows and manicured gardens for thousands of visitors yearly
The Gladiolus Story provides unique insight into the
making of a 1950s documentary about the growing, cultivating and designing
of an enormously popular gladiola flower.
The Singing Flower Man, a little piece about a flower
vendor who sang his flowers into the hands of customers outside a local
shopping mall.
And a few others for your enjoyment.
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