Bloom Effect

10/07/2021

Bloom Effect has moved - to California!
We will continue with our mission, delivering complimentary bouquets to those in hospice and seniors who need a smile.
As we make roots in Martinez, we are looking for partners to supply us with flowers.
Do you know a Bay Area flower farmer or florist, a friend or neighbor with a bountiful garden?
Appreciate any connections you might be able to initiate!💐

08/23/2021

When I first started seeing patients, and would walk into their home, meeting them for the first time, I would always say, "How are you today?" The usual response was shrugged shoulders, a blank stare or an, "I'm fine," which I knew was not the case. One day, I received a response that changed things for me, a woman said to me, "how do you think I am doing, I am dying." I never asked that question again.

"How are you?" is so easy to ask, and something we all say, especially when we do not know what to say. I have been thinking about what to say to someone who is grieving, and I think "how are you?" might elicit that same response. "How do you think I am, I am feeling broken today."

I reached out to a woman yesterday (via text), who had walked the path of grief for three months, knowing she was not doing well, wanting so badly to say "the right thing" but having no idea what that might be... so I said, "I was thinking about your heart today, and thought it could use a hug." She responded back, "it could always use a hug." I asked if I could call her, she said yes, and I spent an hour on the phone with her, just listening and letting her share. It was good for her, and it was good for me.

I think most people want to let someone else know they are not alone and that they are cared about while navigating a difficult time. Whether it is illness or grief, think about what and how you say something to someone... and imagine the difference it could make if you really put some thought into it.

And if you can't think of "the right thing" to say, which is often my own struggle, simply say, "I am thinking about you and I am here if you need me."

xo
Gabby

04/03/2021

Yesterday's bounty became today's celebration of life.

03/19/2021

I talk a lot about all the pesticides and fungicides hitching a ride on your imported flowers and their potential effects on the globe, climate, florists, and you. But what I haven't addressed yet is the effects these toxic chemicals have on the people who live in floriculture regions: children, in particular.

A study conducted in 2018 in areas of floriculture in Ecuador (the world's third largest producer of cut flowers) found that children experienced altered short-term neurological behaviors prior to peak Mother's Day flower production and up to 100 days following harvest. Even scarier, is that these effects were seen in children who did not work in agriculture themselves, but simply lived in floriculture regions. This illustrates the far-reaching and serious effects of the application of these chemicals for the populations around the areas of cut flower production.

Children studied immediately following flower harvest for Mother's Day exhibited lower performance on most neurological measures, including visuospatial processing and hand-eye coordination. So in addition to the long-term damaging effects of repeated exposure to these chemicals, including cancers, pesticide spray seasons also produce altered short-term mental functions in children, potentially affecting their learning and performance abilities in school.

Sourcing locally and in-season is always going to result in the flowers with the lowest carbon footprint and pesticide use (though you should check with your farmer about their use of chemicals in production, most local flower producers use minimal, if any, toxic chemicals in production)

🌸Buy directly from your farmer or ask your florist to source locally or to source Rainforest Alliance certified (working to develop sustainability requirements for flower farms in South America)
🌸Florists: Ask your wholesaler to start labeling and giving better information about where their products come from and to source more locally/sustainably
🌸Wholesalers: Make a better effort to source sustainably and provide better labeling

03/09/2021

Conscious Dying Institute Graduate Gabrielle Jimenez, End of Life Doula, shares her story of being with a friend's mother at the end of her life. They talk about end of life, the dying process, and a story that Gabrielle will never forget.

03/07/2021

This is why I’m trying to make Bloom Effect a sustainable organization, sourcing from local flower farmers like Blossom & Branch Farm, which ultimately supports a healthier world!💐

Garden roses. The showstoppers. The stunning blooms that you just can’t buy at the grocery store. Modern roses that are purchased in stores and sold in retail arrangements have been bred and modified for a long shelf life. This means their beautiful scent has been removed, and now what we get in a store-bought bouquet is stiff roses that never open beautifully as nature intended or fill our homes with that unmistakable rose scent. They are dipped in fungicides and pesticides, flown thousands of miles, shipped in refrigerated trucks, and carry a crazy high carbon footprint. This past November of 2020, the Society of American Florists lobbied to push through legislation to remove the 6.8% tariff on Ecuadorian roses, which means the US rose growers are being crushed with an influx of even cheaper roses. Not only is this difficult to compete with domestically (the wages in Ecuador are very low and workers are often exploited and exposed to massive amounts of toxic chemicals), but these roses also now have an even greater negative impact on global climate change, impacting our planet, the workers, florists, and the recipient of your roses (who then buried their face on a toxic bouquet of chemicals to inhale a scent that doesn’t even exist. which then make their way to your vase)

There’s a better way. Here is how you can help reduce the eco footprint of imported roses:
🌹support your local flower farmer and buy them direct from the grower, seasonally
🌹tell your local florist that you want local, chemical-free roses, even if it means a shorter vase life
🌹grow them yourself!

We will cover all the details of growing great roses and dahlias in our April 10th Romantic Flowers Workshop here at the farm. Attendees of this workshop will also get exclusive first access to our dahlia tuber supply for purchase following the class, including the prized Cafe au Lait, Fleurel, Breakout, and Sweet Nathalie varieties, plus many more.

Link in bio to register. Now get out there and grow some flowers!

03/03/2021

These gorgeous flowers and the sunshine today are everything!
Now off to deliver and spread the smiles! Thanks to for the donation of the flowers today!

02/28/2021

For any of you out there providing care for someone else... please, take time out for YOU! It took me a long time before I realized just how important this is. Burnout is a very real thing, and if you do not practice self care, you will wear down and you won't be of any good to anyone.

Whether you are professionally providing care or you are taking care of a family member, friend or neighbor... first of all, THANK YOU for the work you are doing... and now listen to me... PRACTICE SELF CARE. This is me getting all up in your grill because I care about YOU.

Phew... really glad we had this conversation :)
xo
Gabby
❤

02/14/2021

There may be fresh snow out there, but it’s not too early to start thinking about spring. Bloom Effect is looking to collect all your jars, old vases, ribbon (neutral, no holiday themed), twine, and burlap. So next time you finish that pickle jar or whip out a jar of pasta sauce, think of us and start saving them. Did you get ambitious with plans of canning but never got around to it? We would love your canning jars! All these vases and jars will become our vessels for creating bouquets of love to deliver to Denver area hospice and senior homes. Please help spread the word around your Denver neighborhood so we can spread smiles to more faces.