Mike Omler, floral procurement manager for Kroger Co. in the Sunshine Bouquet booth at the 2011 FPFC Southern California Expo, which set an attendance record.

Temkin International, the packaging manufacturer in Payson, UT, has launched two new products — laminated sheets for potted plants that lock in and protect the colors on potted plant sheets and heavy-duty sleeves for orchids and other upscale plants that need extra protection.

The world’s first flower food is rebranding itself with a product line designed to appeal to a worldwide market and a new generation of smartphone users. The new effort will embody the slogan, “think globally and act locally,” according to Jim Daly, vice president for Floralife global operations and head of corporate research for Smithers-Oasis Inc., which owns Floralife.

In Pierson, FL, it was leatherleaf fern; in Charleston, SC, peonies. In Carpinteria, CA, it was a whole lineup of lilies, tulips, gerbera and other flowers. In Southern California, in Fallbrook, it was waxflower.

Under the banner, “Seed to Shelf,” the International Floriculture Expo will offer a dozen education sessions on an array of topics, a treasure trove of some 200 exhibits, new products and iron designer competitions, a flower-naming ceremony and, a first, a Family Day when spouses and children are welcomed to the exhibit hall.

MONTE VISTA, CO — Rain in May delayed potato planting by a few days, but no one was complaining.

According to Jim Ehrlich, Colorado Potato Administrative executive director, some growers were slowed in their efforts to get spuds in the ground during the first and second weeks of May, but Mr. Ehrlich said the consensus was that the weather event was “really nice moisture.”