As  the Fall Wedding Season approaches we are asked what favors are best for fall weddings.

Question to ask:

1. What do you prefer, flower, tree or herb.

- for Flowers you can do Flower Bulb Favors, they are really beautiful and tulips, iris and daffodil are ONLY available in the fall so take advantage of the season.

Iris means “eye of heaven” which suggests that each of us carries a bit of heaven wherever we go.

- For Trees the best choice is Tree Seedlings, Fall is one of the best time to plant trees , they get a chance to establish themselves before winter sets |
if you would rather not deal with seedlings ( they arrive about a week before the wedding date) tree seed kits are also popular in the Fall. They can be planted and grown indoors for up to a year

Trees symbolize strength and your love

- For Herbs Fall is a wonderful time of year to plant herbs inside for some greenery and cooking . Choose Kits as you get everything you need to grow the herbs. Basil , Chives, Thyme

Give herb favors for fall weddings and they will created sweet smelling scents for your wedding guests long after the day.

2. What about the seed in eco box kits, will they work for Fall Weddings?

- The seed kits will work any time of year because you get everything you need to grow the seeds. Some of the seeds grow faster like the sunflower and would have to be re-potted when the seedlings get to be about 2 inches in height. You could always plant a few of the seeds in the fall ( there is alot of seed/packet) and store the rest in your refrigerator for spring planting.

3. Will the seeds last until the spring if we give them out in the fall?

- absolutely they will. seed packet  2 x 2″ (number of seeds vary with species – 5 – 10 grams)

• seed packets are presented in hermetically sealed foil packets to preserve freshness

We offer quality seed. Seed is packed frequently and stored in coolers on site. Store seed in your refrigerator, or cool, dry area prior to your event date for the best germination . Seed packets can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 1 year .

4 . For Seed Packet Favors what works?
- there is a tremdous selection in the seed packet favor category: colors, designs, formates: most of the seed packets can accomodate flower and herb seed: for flower seed to plant in the ground we recommend wildflowers . They are allperennials and will come back every year in your garden. They do not necessarily bloom the first year anyway so you are not missing much by planting them late in the season.

Flower Petals seed wedding favors are a popular choice for fall weddings, paired with tree, flower or herb seed their natural elegance makes a wonderful table decoration and unique wedding favor guest gift.

For a indoor grower we recommend gerber daisy in a seed packet or kit. They need warm conditions to grow so a sunny window in a warm area in your house works well.
This video may help understand their nature. They are beautiful but a slow growing flower, will grow slower in the fall and winter but could be good to move outdoors next summer for the flowering.

Tips on growing Gerber Daisy Seed:   

Gerber Daisy weddings are popular themes for a beautiful wedding favors choose plant gerber daisy favors for Wedding Day Memories when the flowers bloom

If you have any other question , please send them our way, we are pleased to offer suggestions as well. Decorative Wedding Favors are beautiful guest gifts, meaning wedding favors from the bride and groom are treasured gifts, make them last.
All for now: August 22, 2012.

Sheila, Robin & Amy

green living how are we doing?

In the Louisiana parish that was home to generations of my family, people lived hard lives as field hands or sharecroppers, laboring from “can see in the morning” to “can’t see at night.” They hoed and picked cotton, corn, peas and other crops; they understood the planting cycle; they ate locally grown fruits and vegetables without ever visiting a supermarket.

Long before the terms “eco-friendly” and “environmentalism” came into vogue, generations of Americans embraced the principles of recycle, reuse, reduce without ever naming them. Earth love was lived rather than proclaimed. And it was passed on naturally, without an advertising campaign or a smartphone app.

Arbor Day, first observed in 1872, seems like an appropriate time to celebrate these early adopters of green living.

My father was part of a generation that left the South en masse, though what they knew about the earth never left them. Even as a child in Los Angeles, I could spot them. They were like my dad who, in the 1980s, long before the “urban farming” trend, seemed intent on turning our South Los Angeles backyard into a Farmville. He grew greens, onions, okra, cucumber, tomatoes and, for a time, sunflowers. The practice wasn’t so strange; other people did it too. The neighbor a few doors down had chickens.

In the South, it is still easy to see the roots of this way of life. During a visit this month, I went to the old “colored” high school in Franklin parish. The school is shuttered; the bRichard building is in a state of disrepair. But the trees stand stately and resilient on the stretch of grass in front of the buildings.

“We planted those trees,” my dad says, as he pulls from the highway onto the dirt road in front of his former school.

The trees and the school were born in the mid-1950s when my dad was a teenager. In those days the color line divided everything, even earth love. On Arbor Day, white students planted over here, African Americans over there.

As Dad and his classmates planted, some of them knew that they would soon leave this place in search of something the South was unwilling to offer them: level ground on which to plant a life. Today, I see the trees Dad and his classmates planted as evidence of their young hope.

This must have been what the scientist and former slave George Washington Carver had in mind when he said, “Plant a tree.” Though best remembered for his innovative uses of the peanut and sweet potato, Carver “spoke for the trees” decades before Dr. Seuss created the Lorax. Carver, who taught at what was then known as Tuskegee Institute, saw the planting of trees as a way to mark the transitions of life: births and deaths and weddings. Each generation leaves the world an essential gift in the trees that it plants, marking the atmosphere with their signatures.

Today we have options that Carver and previous generations never had. In our high-tech world, soon anybody with a smartphone equipped with a tree identification app can stand in front of a tree and know it. Snap a photo of a leaf and the phone will function as an electronic field guide, providing vital information about the tree. Today, iPhone and iPad users in certain parts of the country already have this ability through the app known as Leafsnap. Imagine what Carver would say if he could see us now!

Whether new technology will make younger generations love trees (or anything else in nature) better than before is an open question. Today we can go bird watching, or we can pull out our smartphones and play Angry Birds. We can grow vegetable gardens in our backyards, or we can play Farmville on Facebook.

As of March, Leafsnap had been downloaded more than half a million times, a sign perhaps that the old message is sinking new roots.

Jocelyn Y. Stewart was a 2011 fellow at the Alicia Patterson Foundation.

From LA times article.  We just had to share. Sheila, Robin, Amy

At Plant a Memory Favors every day is Earth day. But once a year we honour our world and think about all the little things we can do to help our planet.
Most of us are aware but every little bit helps so we encourage you to do your part.
Happy Earth Day from All of us at Tree &  Floral Beginnings. Sheila, Robin, Amy & Allie

every little tree helps

Here is an excellent example of contributing to your community in a small way, even once a year on earth day makes a difference.

place and order, plant trees. simple but powerful

April 9, 2012: It is all about trees this month from us at the Farmhouse.
Celebrate your special occasions in life with lasting memories by giving your guests a special gift that will live on in their hearts.
Place your order in April and receive 2 free tree seedlings to Plant a Memory for a Greener Tomorrow!
Happy Earth Month. How is it going so far? Sheila, Robin & Amy

Most often, couples would want their wedding to be unique and to be memorable.

A wedding is a time for the couple to celebrate as their two hearts become one. They would want to share this celebration with people close to them, including family and friends. One way that a couple can show their appreciation to their wedding guests for celebrating their union with them and at the same time spice up the wedding themes in each tables, is by giving them wedding favors which they can bring home as keepsakes. This would serve as a remembrance for your guests which would allow them to reminisce the time when they were a part of your special day.

Why not have the memories grow with lasting guest gifts of seeds or trees.
Celebrate the Earth this year by giving your guests the strength of a Tree , the beauty of Flowers or the essence of herbs.
Choose from our selection of over 200 earth-friendly favors and create “growing memories ” of your Wedding Day .
April is Earth Month and April 22nd is Earth Day. If you purchase your favors in April we will give you  2 tree seedlings that will grow with your marriage and remind you of this spectacular time in you life.

give trees, create growing memories

advice from a Tree

Stand tall and proud
Sink your roots into the earth
Be content with your natural beauty
Go out on a limb
Drink plenty of water
Remember your roots
Enjoy the view!

March 29, 2012
Earth Day is almost here – Join us in Celebrating our natural world.
See our April Promotion Below. Plant a tree for a Greener Tomorrow!
From all of us at Tree & Floral Beginnings , Locke ,NY

free tree seedlings, place your order in April