J.Keith White, AIFD, led the FTD team that decked 11 VIP vehicles with 10,000 fresh flowers. He said a particular challenge this year involved 20-mule team wagon replicas from The Death Valley Conservancy, which ferried the president of the Tournament of Roses through the parade.
The 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena was a day late this year, but it wasn’t short on flowers.
This year’s event was held Jan. 2, instead of Jan. 1, to accommodate a 124-year-old “Never on Sunday” tradition. The rule, instituted in 1893, was put in place because organizers did not want to frighten horses hitched outside local churches.
FTD again this year served as the Official Floral Partner of the parade. An FTD design team, led by J. Keith White, AIFD, decorated 11 antique cars and carriages that transported parade VIPs down the parade route with 10,000 flowers from the FTD Flower Exchange.
White said he took particular joy this year in designing for 20-mule team wagon replicas from The Death Valley Conservancy, which ferried the president of the Tournament of Roses through the parade.
“These were a challenge due to their size,” he said. “The design featured was a simple garland style, which included over three thousand stems. The floral design complemented the craftsmanship of the wagons.”
The theme of this year’s parade was “Echoes of Success” and the grand marshals were Olympians Janet Evans, Allyson Felix and Greg Louganis.
For some California growers, the event meant a continued push to make the annual parade a more homegrown affair.
Last year, parade organizers estimated that more than 80 percent of the 2016 Rose Parade float flowers were purchased from international farms in Colombia, Ecuador and the countries of Southeast Asia. (In the same 2016 story, several float company representatives said they source flowers from abroad to save on costs. At press time, organizers were note available for comment on this year’s event.)
For the past six years, the California Grown Certification Program has “certified” groups that rely on California growers for more than 85 percent of their cut flowers greens. This year, the group certified four participants, FTD, and three of roughly 40 floats in the parade: California Polytechnic Universities, Miracle-Gro and Real California Milk. (All four groups also were certified last year.)
Miracle-Gro’s “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” float won the parade’s Queen’s award for “most effective use and display of roses in concept, design and presentation.” The company sourced 32,000 roses for its float this year, according to CCFC.
“It’s a real honor to have our flowers in the Rose Parade,” said Bill Prescott, whose Sun Valley Floral Farms donated 16,000 green ball dianthus, 500 irises, 500 lilies and 300 tulips to the Cal Poly float.
That float, themed “A New Leaf,” won the Founders’ award, which recognizes the “most beautiful float built and decorated by volunteers from a community or organization.” Miracle-Gro’s “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” float won the Queen’s award for “most effective use and display of roses in concept, design and presentation.” The company sourced 32,000 roses for its float this year, according to CCFC.
The groups received the certification during a Jan. 1 ceremony, which was officiated by California Secretary of the Department of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross and spearheaded by the Buy California Marketing Agreement and the California Cut Flower Commission.
See a complete list of the winning floats.
California Polytechnic Universities’ float, themed “A New Leaf,” won the Founders’ award, which recognizes the “most beautiful float built and decorated by volunteers from a community or organization.” Sun Valley Floral Farms donated 16,000 green ball dianthus, 500 irises, 500 lilies and 300 tulips to the float.
Check out behind-the-scenes coverage on CCFC’s Facebook page and blog.