Grower News

Floral designer Ed Glenn, CEO of New Growth Designs, has collaborated with horticulturalist and founder of Weston Farms, Erin Weston, to introduce an archival quality three-dimensional magnolia bloom. It’s the first collaboration of its kind, pairing a permanent floral brand with a fresh floral grower. The Weston Farms Magnolia Bloom by New Growth Designs is an exceptional quality permanent flower, exacting in detail and meticulous in craftsmanship, from veins on the petals to an accurate petal design. The ephemeral nature of real magnolia blooms, lasting only one day, prompted Weston to seek out an alternative floral to pair with the farm’s fresh foliage, which dries beautifully and lasts for years. “Most botanical replicas of magnolia are full of inaccuracies and flights of the imagination,” says Erin Weston. “What we tried to do is go back to nature and study the bloom.” The Weston Farms Magnolia Bloom by New Growth Designs features thick, milky-white, rounded petals with natural veining. It will be available in two sizes: an 8-inch bloom and a 5-inch bloom. Both will have an 8-inch stem with a removable clip—called a Fastenator—that can be used to attach the bloom to other stems in an arrangement, or to fasten it to a wreath or garland. “Our goal was to replicate this fleeting flower at its most beautiful stage, after it has just opened in the morning, and to create a bloom with botanical accuracy,” said Ed Glenn. In May 2019 when the bloom season started at Weston Farms, Weston and Glenn began collaborating on a southern magnolia bloom, examining every detail to replicate nature in its peak beauty. Hundreds of flowers were collected, dissected and photographed at the farm and sent to Ed in China. There he worked with artisans to create an archive of the Weston Farms Flower. Samples were made by hand and each round became a step closer to capturing this bloom. Using nature’s design as the model is no easy task. The bloom season is short and the bloom itself only lasts a day. It is probably why faux blooms have little or no […]