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The Southern California farm synonymous with breathtaking blooms and gorgeous flowers and foliage is celebrating its 100th year in business this year. Founded by Giovanni Mellano in 1925, Mellano & Company is embarking on “Blooming into a New Era,” a year-long celebration highlighting the generations of families and faces who have played an integral role in the company’s success throughout the years, while also looking ahead to its next century of leadership in the floral industry. I sat down with 3^rd generation flower farmer Mike A. Mellano to reflect on this huge accomplishment and to discuss both memories and highlights of this influential, family-owned American floral enterprise.

We all know that successful flower farming requires passion, grit, and endurance. It’s so rare that any U.S. flower farm can sustain those traits for a century, but Mellano & Co., is one of the few.

From their humble beginnings in the bustling Los Angeles Flower Market to becoming a trusted name in the floral industry, Mellano & Co.’s flowers and foliage are present in every niche of the floral marketplace. They are based in Southern California, but their botanicals can be found in all 50 states, from wholesale to mass market outlets.

Today, I’m sharing a wonderful conversation with Mike A. Mellano, a third-generation family farmer, longtime CEO, and new Chief Science Officer. We’ll reflect on the past and look to the future of domestic floral agriculture.

https://youtu.be/9s3VxbOMgp8?si=68mNhXErwK6CmXzM

ABOVE: Watch the inspiring 15-minute documentary that Mellano & Co. produced to celebrate their centennial.

LISTEN: Mike Mellano’s first appearance on the Slow Flowers Podcast, when he was a guest on Episode 244 in 2016. I know you’ll enjoy learning more about the company whose flowers and foliage is widely used and loved.

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Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.

Thank you to The Gardener’s Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.

Thank you to A-ROO Company, your one-stop shop for in-stock floral packaging. From sleeves and wraps to labels and tags, visit www.a-roo.com for their full selection of eco-friendly items or to start the process of developing a look that is uniquely yours. Learn more at www.a-roo.com.

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Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com.

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I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!

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Music Credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; Pull Beyond Pull
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Still Life With Flowers

Ingredients:

10 stems lilac (Syringa vulgaris), grown by Oregon Coastal Flowers

12 stems Ranunculus asiaticus, including ‘La Belle’ and ‘Super Green’ varieties, grown by Everyday Flowers

Vase:

5-inch tall x 5-inch wide x 3-inch deep vase (overall height is 5½ inches)

From the Farmer

Extending the vase life: For decades, it’s been the conventional wisdom of florists that woody shrubs, such as lilacs and hydrangeas, benefit from a second cut, a vertical slice up the center of the stem, to increase the surface area that can absorb water. But according to professors Lane Greer and John M. Dole, authors of Woody Cut Stems for Growers and Florists, a research-based reference, the practice “has never been proven to extend vase life.” The best thing you can do is to use clean, sharp pruners and refresh the vase water every day or so.

 

I came home Sunday from a weekend in Portland, where I lectured about “Slow Flowers” and demonstrated eco-floral design techniques at the Yard, Garden and Patio Show. It was a great way to kick off the 2013 flower & garden show season, thanks to the very warm and supportive welcome of the Portland community.

I enjoyed a very special treat because some longtime family friends, including Donna Davey and her husband Bill Davey came to the event. In 1984, Donna designed the flowers for Bruce’s and my wedding. Pretty amazing for both Donna and me to reminisce about her influence on me . . . 28-plus years later! The bridal bouquet she designed used gardenias and I will always associate that wonderful fragrance with our marriage.

Live demos always have their surprises and this one was no different. My tulips had very floppy stems and they did not cooperate. It was my intention to recreate the bouquet on the cover of Slow Flowers, but the tulips I procured from a local Oregon grower the day before didn’t play nicely with my scheme.

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