Feeling Lucky? St. Patrick's Day Bouquets

Never iron a four-leaf clover, because you don't want to press your luck. ~Author Unknown


Are you feeling lucky? St. Patrick’s Day is coming this weekend, and believe it or not, but this has turned into a great floral holiday. Whether you are Irish or not, it seems everyone enjoys getting in the spirit. Did you know that 1 in 161 Americans are named “Patrick”; ironically St. Patrick’s real name was Maewyn Succat. This holiday has grown into more than just a Guinness and corned beef event, but a cultural celebration of all things Irish.

At our Sun Pacific Bouquet division we have been planning for St. Patrick’s Day all winter. We have an incredible collection of St. Patrick’s Day bouquets that are perfect for your customers, or to inspire your own creations. The green of St. Patrick’s Day is more relevant than ever, since it is a perfect match for this year’s Pantone of the Year, Emerald 17-5641. We wrote about this back in December when Pantone made the big announcement, and it has been great to see the fashion and floral industry explore all the possibilities of Emerald.

Irish Sun Bouquet            |            St. Patty's Sensation            |            St. Patty's Holiday

I recently caught up with Rodi Groot, the head of our Sun Pacific Bouquet Division at our Oxnard Farm to talk about our St. Patrick’s Day collection.

Lily: Sun Pacific has a wide variety of bouquets to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, are you seeing a large demand in the market for bouquets?

Rodi: Well, we actually see a lot of interest in these bouquets throughout the spring, because people love green and white bouquets. St. Patrick’s Day is a tricky holiday for many of our customers; this is why we offer a lot of different options.

Lily: Do you think the Pantone of the Year; Emerald 17-5641 is going to boost St. Patrick’s day sales.

Rodi: Yes, green is really hot right now, adding the fun, colorful celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, will only increase demand.

Lily: What’s your favorite Bouquet in your lineup this year?

Rodi: The Lucky Leprechaun bouquet is my favorite. When I was a young man I traveled to Ireland, and this bouquet reminds me of this experience. It also highlights many of the flowers we grow best, Asiatic Lilies, Tulips, Bells of Ireland and Sword Fern. The fern really freshens this bouquet up; if you go to Ireland you will see ferns growing everywhere.

Thanks Rodi.

Rodi's favorite, The Lucky Leprechaun Bouquet

This year for St. Patrick’s Day, we can add Pantone 17-5641 to our beers, and celebrate the shamrock. The shamrock is the unofficial flower of Ireland and even though it is more known for its shape, it has a beautiful little flower.

It also has many impersonators throughout the world with all sorts of clovers and sorrels trying to cash in on the fine reputation of the shamrock.

So why is the Shamrock attached to St. Patrick’s Day? Most people know that St. Patrick’s legacy of chasing the snakes out of Ireland is really a metaphor for chasing the Pagan and Druid beliefs out of Ireland, and replacing them with Christianity. The shamrock was a key element in St. Patrick’s explanation of Christianity to the Druids. The Druids actually held the shamrock as a sacred plant, so St. Patrick showed quite a bit of wisdom in using it to explain the Trinity of Christianity. The three leaves represent the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, yet the three leaves are all part of one plant, which is symbolic of the Christian God.

This great bit of history shows the power of plants in culture. In history, we see botanicals attached to religion, ancient myths, rises in power and playing a huge role in societies across the board. This reminds us that we are still closely tied to the earth, even living in a concrete and steel society. That sprig of grass or dandelion reaching up from the cracks is a constant reminder of our roots and our heritage.

As flower growers here at Sun Valley we also have another close tie to the Emerald Isle, as do most folks who like to work in the garden. Ireland was home to the patron saint of gardeners, Saint Fiacre, who lived in the sixth century.

If you are feeling lucky, try growing some shamrocks yourself, here is a great article from The Green Mountain Gardener on growing your own.
May the luck of the Irish
Lead to happiest heights
And the highway you travel
Be lined with green lights.
Wherever you go and whatever you do,
May the luck of the Irish be there with you.