uBloom

This was an amazing FLOWER-Tastic Day… Beginning with our First Stop at B & H Flowers!

Our Tour Guide Scott Fulton gave us a guided tour through the Gerbera Production… 

It was Breathtaking to see Thousands of Gerbera Daisies in the Greeenhouses at B & H… Scott gave me a few tips and let me harvest a few of the Glorious B & H Gerberas… 

We also got a glimpse of the NEW Texture Collection that includes the VERY Popular Explosion Grass and other Textural Flower Varieties

I Loved the HOT PINK B & H buckets… another great example of Branding on Flower Buckets… 

I interviewed Hans Brand the President of B & H… it was Entertaining to listen to Hans tell about this Great Multi-generational Family Flower Farm!

Then we were off to Ocean Breeze with my Afternoon with Rene Van Wingerden… What a WONDERFUL Host… Rene and his Wife June… made us feel right at home… 

It was our First Experience seeing Chrysanthemums in Production in CA… and it brought back great memories of my family chrysanthemum production back in Nebraska… 

Rene and I shared family stories all day… I love this GUY! What a PASSIONATE Flower Grower… 

And NOT To be OUTDONE… Rene Filled his Swimming Pool with Ocean Breeze Gerberas… You’ll Have to watch the webisode to See What we DID With That!

Kasey Cronquist, Ambassador to the Flower Industry for the California Cut Flower Commission… treated us to Dinner… 

which led to a NIGHT-Time Photo Opportunity… to FILM Ocean Breeze Lighted Chrysanthemum Fields… An Amazing 2nd MONDAY for the CA Grown Experience! 

We Completed Week ONE of the CA Grown Experience on uBloom! What an amazing week of Travel through the Flower Farms of California… and the Markets and Wholesalers that distribute the Flowers every day all over the US!

Our FOGUST Friday Morning started out on Ventura Beach as we headed to Carpinteria… to meet with Joost Bongaerts at Florabundance! Joost told me that he determined Carpinteria would be the best place for his wholesale operation because over 70% of the CA Grown Productions happens very close to Carpinteria!

We filmed Joost and several of his staff members to show how Important Customer Service and Quality Product is to Florabundance and their customers!

We’ve been doing Interviews all week… So we wanted YOU to see what the INTERVIEWEE sees… That’s ME, Keith and Chris… staring down the Barrel to get you the BEST Interviews for the CA Grown Experience!

And I got my Hands on some of those California Flowers to create a Beautiful Hand Tied Bouquet… 

My LIFE is so amazing… being surrounded by Flowers… and having the privilege to Design with some of the Prettiest Flowers on Earth is Tremendous… and I LOVE it… It’s even better when Joost Approves!

 Joost treated to a quick bite at one of his favorite little spots on the Beach… 

And then we were on the road to capture some great California Footage for the Entire series… Last night we landed in LA … and we’ll got some Rest… It was a Treat to Get a FULL 8 Hours Sleep!

Tomorrow is our Blooming Magical Day at the Happiest Place on Earth… Stay Tuned to see what Suzanne Smith has in Store for us at Disneyland!

What an Amazing day… this morning we set out in the FOG for the First time this trip… (Although I heard that usually they call this FOG-gust in Central California) for Eufloria Flowers. I’ve been to this Amazing Rose Farm many times… but today I had the JTV Crew accompanying me!

First stop was checking in with my Friend Chad… and getting a tour with Andy Koch and Lily Garcia… to see how they grow some of the Prettiest Roses on the Planet.

 I also got to catch up with the girls in Grading and Packaging… that make sure all the Roses from Eufloria are Packaged to Perfection!

 Chad, Lily and the Eufloria Family Never Disappoint!

Then we headed down to Lompoc… the home of Ocean View Flowers! I’ve never had the privilege (UNTIL TODAY)… although John Donati and Dan Vordale have been Great Flower Industry Friends for years… I’ve never been to the FLOWER Fields at Ocean View!

John met the JTV Tahoe with his own "FILM CREW" as he and Dan filmed us with his FLIP video… watch for those clips coming soon to the Ocean View Facebook Fan Page!

It was more so amazing to see Fields of Larkspur and Stock! This has been such an education and emotional journey with my Fantastic Crew… and today… Standing in Lompoc California as the fog rolled in.. surrounded by Gorgeous Purple Stock… that scented the air surrounding me… I was Moved to Tears!

John Has the Video to prove it… Today was a VERY Special Day… and the JTV Crew was there to capture it all for you… Stay Tuned… as we move into Carpinteria Tomorrow to visit Florabundance and Joost Bongaerts! 

Let Me just Say… Janet Louie is An Amazing Flower Farmer and Ambassador and Toni Hackamack is a born Spokesperson!

Day Three of The CA Grown Experience was Incredible. Our First Stop was Green Valley Floral Co in Salinas CA. Janet and the Green Valley Crew were ready and raring to go!

After seeing Janet at SAF Conventions and Half Way around the world at Horti-Fair in Amsterdam… It was great to Visit her Flower Farm in Salinas!

Award Winning Gerbera, Lilies and Roses were the Topic of the day… and we followed the Green Valley Flowers through Cutting, Processing, Packaging, and Delivery!

We even got to watch Janet’s California Flowers follow the Cold Chain into an Armellini Truck and head out across the USA!

Our Second Stop was Schubert Nursery… Toni and I have worked together for about a year… When Toni and Theresa heard Kelly and I were coming they  hosted us to a MOON LIT Dining experience on Monterey Bay!

Toni is a Born Spokesperson… and she assured me that the trip to Schubert would be Tremendous… but actually it was TREMENDOUS and SPECTACULAR…

Seeing Lemon Cypress by the Thousands…

and 7 Foot Ivy Cone Topiary…

the Schubert Gang made sure we saw it all…

Including the NEW Libby the Labrador Ivy Topiary!

We’re heading to Santa Maria tonight… to hook up with Eufloria Flowers and Ocean Viewe Flowers Tomorrow… Stay Tuned….

We started off today at KB Farms in Watsonville… We had an amazing tour of the Kitayama Brothers Farm… and the interesting variety of Flowers they grow in North Central California….

These Amazing Hydrangeas had just arrived… now that’s a BIG Bunch of Hydrangea… 

It was so great catching up with my Childhood Friend Robert Kitayama and Seeing His Big Brother Stuart and Dave Kitayama again.. we had a great interview this Next Generation of Kitayama Flower Farmers…

Then we made three stops to see all the operations and production locations for CallaCo…. Here’s a stack of their amazing Calla-fornia Callas ready for delivery! What a Great LOGO!!

I also got the chance to meet up with my friend Frank Siri… and see what he’s up to at CallaCo… Frank is one busy guy and he was a great host for us today at CallaCo!

Frank had asked a local designer to create some wonderful Flower Arrangements using CallaCo Product. This amazing Arrangement of CallaCo Callas and Explosion Grass is featured in the CallaCo CA Grown Experience Webisode… so Stay tuned…. 

Hundreds of Colored California Callas… awaiting bunching, and packaging and delivery…. 

And Frank Showed me their latest discovery at CallaCo… the Exotica Calla… note the leaf that is half calla attached to a Small Calla blossom.. each one is unique and different… It’s only just got started… and it just keeps getting better…. 

Day 2… Started with my 11:30 PM Wake up call… that’s right… up a little before Midnight… and into Makeup and down to the San Francisco Flower Mart to meet Barbara Schnur at Brannan Street by 12:30am… they get Started EARLY on Monday Mornings… processing Hundreds of Boxes of Flowers and setting up the Flowers for their customers that come in around 4am…

It’s always amazing to see the wide variety of Flowers and Foliage that Brannan Street Makes available to their customers… We enjoyed Lunch at 3am at the Paradise Cafe… Tamales and Papuses…and the traditional 4:30 am Starbucks run… 

I enjoyed visiting with ROY at Brannan Street… a wonderful Friend and TRUE Flower Industry Treasure! 

The Hydranges coming into Brannan Street were Magnificent… 

Not to mention the Oranges and Lemons on a Stem…  

and the Succulents lined up in baker shelves…  If they don’t have it at Brannan Street it’s probably not Available… 

After Several Tours, a dozen or so interviews… and about 3 hours of B-roll… we headed out… Our gear had all arrived in San Francisco… but so did we… with our luggage… it seems that the JTV Crew and all our Gear was just a little too big for the JTV Chevy Tahoe… so Keith and Chris made great use of our Luggage Rack and got us ready roll… 

YEP… Rolling on down to that Great SF Icon the Golden Gate Bridge… thanks to our Gal Pay Barbara… she shared her Little Known "SECRET" VENUE… so we could film an intro for "THE CA Grown Experience on uBloom"… and then a 5 Star Lobster Sandwich at Sam’s Chowder House and we headed on down Highway 1 to Watsonville… 

Tomorrow Morning… our 6am crew call seems alot less EARLY… as we take on KB Farms and CallaCo in Watsonville and Moss Landing… Stay Tuned! 

Our Four and 1/2 Hour Flight from Detroit to San Francisco was uneventful… I love the Little Delta Travel TVs that allow you to track your trip…and we FLEW right over my Home Town… FREMONT Ne… so I waved to my Sister, Mom and Dad… On the Way By… 

We arrived in San Francisco on Friday…. and headed directly up to Santa Rosa to see our Friend Carol. She had been SO SWEET (As she always IS!) To accept our Gear at her store! So we shot up there and got it all loaded up in our NEW Chevy Tahoe… Our Transportation for the Next TWO Weeks!

Kelly outfitted the Truck with some great signs… promoting THE CA GROWN Experience on uBloom! We look great moving down the Road!

Carol and Todd fixed us an Amazing Italian Dinner… complete with Olives, Roasted Tomatoes, Cheese… and Wine from the J Winery… I even had my OWN Glass with a J On it! Carol is ALWAYS the Best Host! Carol Completed the Table with Fresh Flowers Cut and Arranged from her Garden… GORGEOUS!

I even popped into a Antique Store in Santa Rosa and captured this Great Pic of these Vintage LADY Head Vases (we used to carry these in our Store back in Nebraska in the 60s..) I often wonder what happened to all those heads we sold?

We journeyed back down to San Francisco and stopped along the way to catch a Few Iconic Shot of Kelly and I and the Golden Gate Bridge… It’s an incredible view… from the Marin Side!  We’ll post a Flip of the drive across the Bridge on Facebook and Youtube!

 Last night we had dinner with Barbara Schnur from Brannan Street…and her Friend Lisa… we had a ball… Some Wine, Amazing Italian Food… (perhaps this is a Trend?) and then a stroll through town and down under the Bay Bridge for a Nightcap!

The JTV Crew Arrives today and we head over to Brannan Street and the San Francisco Flower Market for a Walk through before we beginning Filming Tomorrow morning… at 1AM… Who’s IDEA Was this…1AM Call Time… I think I better get some shut eye!!!

Thanks for your overwhelming comments about our upcoming JTV Fantastic Flower Expose’ " THE CA Grown Experience on uBloom!"

The Number one Question… What’s the Schedule? and what Flowers,  farms, markets and wholesalers will we be filming! Well…  I’m Glad you Asked… 

We have an Amazing Adventure Planned… Literally a WHO’s WHO’s of California Flower Farms, A World Famous Flower Market and 2 Very Spectacular California Flower Wholesalers!

The JTV Crew begins filming at Brannan Street Wholesale and The Famous San Francisco Flower Market in San Francisco California! 

We catch up later in our trip to Florabundance , A Fabulous Flower Wholesaler in Carpinteria CA!  You’ll remember that Florabundance has been featured on JTV before… in  "The CA Grown Experience"… we’ll be taking you inside to see it first hand.

Our CA Grown Flower Farms include, KB Farms in Watsonville… (the CO-Stars of this week’s JTV Webisode starring TOM JONES !) and CallaCo in  Moss Landing CA… Their Callas were featured earlier this season on JTV, you;ll remember! 

Green Valley Floral Co . growers of the Famous David Austin Roses and Schubert Nurseries … the Creators of Amazing Ivy Topiary will both be stops in Salinas CA!

Followed by Eufloria Flowers , Hydroponic Rose and Spray Rose Growers in Nipomo CA, you’ve seen them features dozens of times on JTV and uBloom!   Ocean View Flowers … Stock, Larkspur and Delphinium Experts promises to be an Amazing Adventure in Lompoc, CA

Next we roll into B & H Flowers and Ocean Breeze International in Carpinteria Ca! Oxnard CA is home to the Southern Division of SunValley Group and their Amazing Matsumoto Production, a must see on our 2010 Tour.

Moving down to San Diego County we’re excited to Visit Mellano & Company , in Oceanside CA and the Proteacea (and Much MORE)  Farms of Resendiz Brothers in Fallbrook CA!

 We’ll also touch base with the California Cut Flower Commission and hear from Kasey Cronquist…CEO and Ambassador at CCFC. Kasey helped me put together this Flower-tastic CA Grown Project!

It’s going to be a FANTASTIC TWO Week Flower Filled Adventure… we’ll be sharing the Highlights… looking behind the scenes and filming a typical day in the LIFE of the California Flower Farmer. It’s going to be a FUN Journey with the JTV Crew… Down the Coast of California… sharing my Trademark "FUN with Flowers  and J" and features the FLOWERS that are the CA GROWN part of our Great Flower Industry!!! 

PS… We’ve even arranged a SPECIAL Magical Meet and Greet for uBloomers at the Happiest Place on Earth… scheduled by our Own uBloom Special Event Expert Suzanne Smith … More on that Tomorrow!

The JTV Crew is getting ready to Head to California for our first ever JTV/uBloom FLOWER EXPOSE’! A Series of 16 JTV Location Webisodes featuring Calfiornia Flower Farmers, Markets and Wholesalers.

This Special JTV Expose’ is called "The CA GROWN Experience on uBloom" and will air in September, October and November of 2010. JTV will ramp up our Show Production premiering TWO Webisodes a week! We’ll air a webisode Every Monday … AND THURSDAY starting on September 13 through October 4! A Second Series of 8 "CA Grown" Location JTV Webisodes will air October 18 through November 8th… TWO Per week… Monday and Thursday!

This ‘CA Grown" Expose is Organized and Endorsed by the California Cut Flower Commission! The Mission:  To Showcase the Flower Farmers, and Fantastic Flower Resources available throughout the State of California! I’ve visited many of the Flower Farms, The San Francisco Flower Market and Amazing Wholesalers in California… and ALWAYS wished I could share it with YOU! Now.. with the help of the CCFC and the JTV CREW… we’ll bring it HOME to YOU!

The JTV Crew and I will begin in San Francisco California and travel through the Flower Farms, Markets and Wholesalers throughout the State of California… working our way down to San Diego! It gives us the Opportunity to Share this FUN Flower-filled Journey and UNIQUE Experiences inside these Diverse Flower Growing and Selling Locations throughout California.

I’ll take you on tour of each location, talking to the Flower Farmers, showing you what they do best, and of course… SHARING THE FLOWERS! (The Flowers are Always the STARS On JTV)! Get Ready, Coming this Fall… you’ll be Traveling WITH Me… Together we’ll Experiencing the "California Grown Experience" right here on JTV and uBloom!

P.S.  We’ll be sure to include Behind the scenes updates from my FLIP Camera, BackStage Blogs, and even a few BLOOPERS! So Stay Tuned!

It’s NOT THAT Tom Jones! It’s the FLORIST Tom Jones… Today on JTV. .. the Greenleaf Spend your Seasons Contest Winner! TOM JONES visits our JTV Studios! Tom is From Carson City Florist in Carson City NEVADA!

All Participants in the SPEND YOUR SEASONS Standing Order program at Greenleaf were entered in this Contest! Greenleaf drew TOM JONES as the Lucky Winner and sent him to Grand Rapids Michigan for our Studio Production this past May! 

We had a great time… We hit the BLUE WATER GRILL for a Nice Dinner on the Lake and I got to learn a whole lot from Tom and how he operates his successful business in Nevada! Of course when Tom and I hit the design floor we recap alot of our dinner conversation and Tom Shares his favorite secrets and tips for Running a Successful Flower Business with a Great Wholesale Supplier Like Greenleaf Wholesale!

 Tom and I also get the chance to create a Special Event Centerpiece with Flowers from KB Farms… (You’ll be learning more about KB Farms this fall on JTV as we VISIT KB on Location during our "CA GROWN Experience" on JTV… more about that TOMORROW)… The Flowers from KB are Beautiful and Tom shares some of his Trade Secrets this week on JTV!

KB Farms and Greenleaf ALSO Make a Special OFFER for FREE LILIES This week on JTV … So You HAVE to Watch to FIND out HOW to get yours! So don’t Miss J and TOM JONES… this Week on JTV!