Renwick Wachenfeld of West Hollywood, CA, floral designer for Gelson’s Markets, a 17-store upscale chain with headquarters in Encino, CA, won the Iron Designer contest June 22 at the International Floriculture Expo. He led a field of seven designers from the United States and the Netherlands who had only 20 minutes, a surprise package of flowers, a vase and other ingredients, and the theme of “Romantic Love” to guide them.

Among the 140 education sessions at the OFA Short Course in Columbus, OH, July 14-17, will be 30 for garden centers. The show is expected to draw 10,000 growers, suppliers, wholesalers and retailers and offer 1,500 exhibits at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Sessions on topics such as water scarcity, wildlife control, post-harvest care, social media and how to hold on to the family tree farm are on the minds of Christmas tree growers and on the agenda when they meet in Sacramento, CA, Aug. 8-11 for the National Christmas Tree Association Convention & Trade Show.

For a flower grower, the outlook for the California flower industry depends on whether you are a pessimist or an optimist. A few weekends ago I attended bookend events that explained a lot about the current situation.

Membership meetings will be held in three major flower-growing areas of California next month in a new effort to reach out to its 600 members by NORCAL, the California Association of Flower Growers & Shippers. Dates have changed from those announced in March.

The daylong meetings will be held Aug. 21 at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort by Hilton in Santa Barbara, Aug. 22 at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa in Carlsbad and Aug. 29 at the Monterey Hyatt in Monterey.

California, home of the Gold Rush in 1849, the hula hoop in 1958 and Silicon Valley’s high-tech firms in the 1970s, is also the birthplace of the United States’ commercial cut-flower industry, starting with a woman who began raising and selling lilies in Ventura, CA, in the late 1870s.