Tripping… on flowers

I took a trip.

A long trip on multiple planes. First to Seattle, WA then on to Sacramento, CA.  I am not a fan of flying; Downright dislike it… however, it is the most efficient way to get to where I wanted to go, and I pray a lot along the way.

I left Dorelle in charge of Brides N Blooms, Wholesale & Designs. She is the most capable person I know… (She also  likes being in charge.)  However, she does NOT like being left behind! That’s alright though, she gets to turn the tables on me soon enough.

So…. what did I see on this trip? I saw flowers. LOTS of em’. What I found so interesting is how very much of the same kind there are to what we have here in Florida, but how different they look!

I was surprised to see sunflowers in Seattle. Anything to do with sun is not something you expect to see in the Pacific Northwest. (Though don’t let them fool you…. on the days where they have alot of sun, it is gorgeous there) The average temperature while I was there was in the 55 degrees and cloudy pretty much all the time, though usually this time of year it’s closer to 60-70.

While there I saw Impatiens, which grow there like crazy here, and Daisies, as well as Azaelea and Jasmine. I think the most interesting flower I saw there was a particularly large type of Begonia. Here we have them growing all over and they look like this:

This crazy blooming one I found is called “Pin Up Flame Begonia” in a local nursery on Vashon Island. These were gorgeously colored, large flowering begonias that I wished dearly would grow at home:

One of my all time favorite flowers which I saw in bloom everywhere there, was Fuschia, and yes, the plant is called Fuschia! Seattle’s cooler temps and moist climate make it a perfect environment for these lovelies. In Florida, they need to be babied with lots of shade, watering and misting during the hotter days… they will bloom mostly in the mornings and close up or dry out during the heat of the day if you’re not careful with them here.

In the pacific northwest, they just flower like crazy!

 

On my next stop to Sacramento, I did see a local flower that we have here in florida as well, but I was pretty excited to see how different they are there. Hibiscus! We have all sorts of bright vibrant colors here in Florida. Yellow, Orange, Red, Pinks.. like these

 

Out west I saw some very different Hibiscus. Some were smaller in size, and very different in color. Like these!

   

It’s always fun to go visiting flower shops too. Just to see their designs and ideas. One woman was selling her shop and asked if I’d like to buy it. I explained as much as it is a beautiful shop, and I’d love to… Dorelle would be very upset with me if I chose to leave and move out to the west coast, so I’d have to decline..

She would look kinda like this at me:

Now go out and have yourself a fun, fresh, and colorful, wholesale flower-filled day!