Floral

Michael Webb doesn’t necessarily like the title that media have given him, ‘The World’s Most Romantic Man.’ “First, I doubt if it is true and secondly, it gives the wrong impression that romance is about some sort of competition,” says Webb “but if the title gives me a platform to correct some misconceptions about romance, I’ll gladly embrace it.” …

SAF reported this week that overall retail florists haven’t moved the increased marketing efforts in the last six months. Just a little more than half (54%) the florists increased their marketing, 11% “significantly” in the second quarter, according to SAF’s Economic Outlook Survey. The survey was e-mailed in May. …

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s merchandising division had revenue of $11.8 million, up from $9 million. That included the results of an additional $2.2 million in revenue received from the early termination of the company’s agreement with 1-800 Flowers.com. Excluding this revenue, but including Kmart revenue in the prior year, merchandising revenue rose 7 percent over the year-ago period. …

Flower-arranging classes are on the upswing. Established institutions have long offered programs in traditional arranging, but newer schools, with a natural, free-form aesthetic, have begun popping up across the country, part of a swell of enthusiasm for things homemade. …

Dutch bulb breeders have shifted their intense focus from spring-blooming tulips to lilies, a genus whose bloom times span early spring to late summer. The first fruits of their efforts are available in goodly supply from specialty retailers, whose fall catalogs are showing up now in mailboxes and online. …