"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom"

is brought to you by the

following...

>> That flower feeling.

♪

At home.

♪

At work.

♪

Or anytime.

♪

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom,"

where flowers and wellness go

hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our

stores, from soups and steaks

and all things flour to all

things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements

florists at

Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from

the following...

Dollar Tree.

♪

>> Stock flowers -- also known

as gillyflower -- take center

stage in this episode of

"Life in Bloom."

We'll visit a farm where they

grow, show off all the colors,

and conjure a cocktail with a

similar spicy scent.

♪

I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

♪

One of the most memorable

experiences of my flower life

was the day I visited a field of

stock flowers in bloom.

Of course, the visual sensation

of the rows of flowers,

segregated by color, as far as

the eye could see was something

to behold.

But what what really got me was

the cool breezes blowing that

magnified the fragrance of the

stock fields in bloom.

I was overcome with emotion from

the experience.

It's so beautiful.

Truly, that's...

It makes me want to cry, John.

That's one of the prettiest

things I've ever seen.

It's hard to get J not to talk.

That's...

That's great.

It's so beautiful.

The experience elevated my

awareness and appreciation of

this amazing flower, and I'm

compelled to share more about

stock flowers with you today.

♪

Stock is a species of flowering

plant in the cabbage family.

The scientific name of stock is

Matthiola incana.

Common names include

Brompton stock, common stock,

hoary stock, ten-week stock,

gillyflower, and perfume plant.

Its scent is described as both

sweet and spicy, not to mention

incredibly pleasant.

Stock is a cool-weather flower

that blooms from early spring

into summer.

Summer heat stops stock from

blooming, as it needs

temperatures of 60 degrees

Fahrenheit or lower in order to

produce blossoms.

The flowers range in color from

basic shades of white, pink,

lavender and rose, as well as

coming in deeper jewel tones of

red and purple.

Not only do stock flowers look

excellent in a vase, the cut

blooms continue to relinquish an

amazing fragrance to enjoy

indoors.

♪

Stock is one of my favorite

flowers, mostly because of the

incredible fragrance.

But the other great thing about

stock is the tremendous amount

of colors that it comes in.

A 10-stem bunch like this is

perfect for several types of

design projects.

So let's take a look at what you

can do with a beautiful bunch of

stock.

♪

We'll cut this at a nice

45-degree angle.

The great reason that we want to

do that is because when we put

it into the vase, it's gonna

leave room for the water to

travel up inside the stem.

The other thing we want to do is

remove any foliage that might

fall below the waterline.

So pulling off those extra

pieces of foliage is important.

We want to leave some foliage at

the top too, because it's the

foliage that helps bring the

water up the stem and hydrate

the flower.

We'll cut that and place it into

the water.

Notice that my leaves are well

above the waterline and my

arrangement is sticking outside

of the vase.

Now, with a smaller vase like

this, we can add four or five or

six stems.

With the six that I have here,

that's very striking.

I could actually even add a

seventh right in the center, and

that's going to fill out the

vase perfectly.

The other stems that I have

could be used short in a vase

like this.

Again, we're gonna pull off the

leaves and give it a short cut.

You'll notice that I'm gonna

cross this vase with the flower

stems.

That way, the stem and the

flower help balance the flower

into the vase.

Or we could use an entire bunch

in a vase like this.

I look for vases like this that

have a narrow neck and a wider

bottom so that there's plenty of

room for water at the bottom,

and the flowers splay out

naturally.

♪

Now, that was really easy.

Let's look at a couple more

ideas that you can do with a

10-stem bunch of stock.

Our first one is created in

foam.

Now, a lot of people get scared

when we start to talk about

foam.

But this is a great little

container.

It already has a piece of foam

ready inside.

And there's room around the

outside to hold water.

It's the perfect thing for

making a quick little

arrangement for your table.

First, we soak it, and then we

bevel the foam.

So I laid this into a vase of

flower-nutrient water and

allowed it to soak.

It takes about a minute or so,

and then it's ready to go.

Don't hold it underwater.

Just allow it to float-soak

naturally.

So in this case, we're gonna cut

those stems very short.

And we're gonna go ahead and put

those directly into the foam.

So cutting that stem short and

then pushing it right down into

the foam is going to allow us to

create a wonderful little

centerpiece.

You'll notice that I'm just

gonna go back and forth with the

stems, filling in between.

♪

Now let's take a look at a cube

vase.

I wanted to share one more

secret with you about working

with a vase like this --

and it's clear cellophane tape.

We're using this clear,

waterproof tape to go over the

top of our vase, and we're

creating a gridwork.

♪

And I'm wrapping the cellophane

around the edges to make sure

everything stays secure.

So now we have nine separate

quadrants.

And then we just add our water.

Now we're ready to add our

flowers.

♪

That trick is really easy, and

it ensures professional results

every time.

You'll be arranging flowers

easily in no time using these

great tricks.

♪

Let's visit my flower friend

Joe Ortiz Sr. in Santa Paula,

California.

Joe and his family have a

reputation for growing beautiful

stock and many other incredible

flowers.

♪

How long have you been growing

flowers?

>> 52 years.

>> What do you like best?

Which flower do you like best

for growing?

>> The stock.

>> And you grow the stock in

Lompoc as opposed to here.

>> I grow in two different

places.

I grow in Lompoc, around

Santa Paula, and

Imperial Valley.

Imperial Valley is close to the

Mexicali borderline.

>> The stock goes in as seed,

and you keep them about 8 to 10

days apart.

>> Yes, mm-hmm.

>> And so we had one that's just

started, and as soon as it

starts to break the ground, then

you come in and plant the

next one.

>> Yes. Yes.

When I finish my stock crop, we

prepare the ground again, and we

plant the wheat.

Then we chop them down, disk it

under, and plow under.

>> Okay.

>> That is the way to prepare

the ground.

So you keep your ground rich all

the time.

♪

>> So, and with larkspur you

can't plant there again.

>> No, you need to plant on new

ground all the time.

You got to find new ground, new

ground, new ground.

>> So it's about rotating your

crops for the climate that you

have at the different time of

year.

>> Yes.

This is a bunch.

Ten stems.

>> Right.

>> Okay, the pickers, usually

they put the stems -- I mean

the Twist-Ems -- back on the

pocket, right here.

The pull out one of them, put it

right here, and twist it.

>> And spin it?

>> Yeah, twist it, twist it,

twist it to tie the bunch.

>> Okay.

>> When they're finished, they

put it right here, this way.

They go picking and picking and

picking and picking.

And when they finish the row,

the come in and -- you see the

way over there?

Same way.

>> Stack them on their shoulder.

>> Stack them on their

shoulders.

When the bunches, they get up

here to the head, they start

putting the bunch on top of

their head.

>> Okay.

>> See?

>> And you said you limit them

to 64 bunches.

>> No, this one is lighter.

>> Oh, this is lighter?

>> This is lighter.

>> So 64 bunches of stock.

>> They can carry 150 bunches,

no problem.

>> 150 bunches of this.

No problem.

>> They are not heavy.

>> It's beautiful.

Beautiful larkspur too, though.

>> It is.

>> Yeah.

>> Nice color.

>> That color.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> So, Tony, you are second

generation.

>> Yes.

>> What's it like being second

generation?

>> Oh, it's different.

[ Chuckles ]

>> Okay.

>> Technology has really changed

the way we grow flowers versus

my dad's old-school ways.

It's helped out a lot.

Keeps quality.

>> It's so clean.

I mean, the amazing thing is how

clean everything is, how you

take care of stuff.

And your dad said that you do

so much stuff by hand.

>> Yes.

>> And that's like your secret.

>> Right.

You kind of have to baby the

flowers and care for them in a

certain way that you make sure

that they come back fuller,

greener, thicker.

Again, for the quality.

>> You're always planting.

>> Yes.

>> And so these are being

prepped for the next crop.

>> Yes.

>> And you're always taking care

of the soil, you're always

getting it ready for the next

thing.

He shared with us about the

wheat and the other things you

do to help have the earth be --

to rejuvenate it

And you guys are caretakers of

the land.

I mean, I think that that's the

other thing that we don't

understand is -- and we don't

see as much.

>> Right.

>> So, now we're specifically in

snapdragons.

>> These are my favorite,

actually.

>> They are? Oh, awesome.

>> I love snapdragons.

>> And you plant them -- you

plant a section, so this section

is coming into color, and then

there's one next door that's

gonna be in color in like a week

or so?

>> Right.

>> And they're staggered every

week.

>> Yes.

That way we don't have

20 different houses bloomed up

and then we're just flushed with

product.

So we have a nice consistent

flow of snaps available.

>> Do the colors change?

Do you have them plotted that

way so that you're different

colors different times of year?

>> Right.

So the oranges will be coming up

soon for the fall, whites for

Christmas, reds for

Valentine's Day.

So they do change with the

season.

>> And so my grandpa, his name

was "Carnation" Joe Green, but

he was always telling stories,

and he would go through there.

But the thing that he taught us

was how, like, they can talk.

And so we would always get the

snapdragons and we'd have them

talk.

And then my sisters -- my

sisters put them on as earrings.

They could put them on as an

earring and do stuff like that.

But that's the other reason I

love them is they look like a

little talking, you know,

snapdragon.

So, in Spanish, what do they

call these?

>> They call these perritos.

>> What does that mean?

>> That means the plant is

barking.

So when you squeeze it together

like that, it's...

>> [ Barking ]

Barking. I like that!

Your dad built all this.

>> Right.

>> Yeah, I mean, he was just

cutting flowers for somebody

and one day said, "You know

what?

I'll just build this whole

thing."

>> Seeing his progression from a

field worker to the warehouse to

a tractor driver to supervisor

to the boss is -- it's something

to live up to.

>> It's amazing.

And you have so many crops.

You've got Delphinium, you've

got green ball dianthus, you've

got statice, you got snaps, you

got Gypsophila, you've got

Limonium.

It just kind of keeps going.

>> Mm-hmm. Yes.

♪

>> Joe, why do you think flowers

are important?

>> Flowers are very important

because there's a lot of people

that use them on weddings and

funerals, and sometimes it's

nice to take a bunch of flowers,

give it to your wife or your

family, to make parties.

I guess that's one of the most

important on flowers -- for the

people.

♪

>> The fragrance of stock

reminds me of cloves, so that's

a great ingredient for us to

include in our cocktail.

We'll start by pressing our

orange juice.

I love fresh-pressed orange

juice.

It really adds another dimension

to the cocktail.

We need about 4 to 6 ounces,

depending upon the size

of your glass.

♪

We'll fill our shaker with ice

and also our glass with ice.

♪

We use 2 ounces of vodka.

And then clove bitters.

I'll put in a few drops.

You can include as much clove as

you want.

If you want a stronger taste,

add more.

We'll add our orange juice, and

then we'll shake it up.

♪

We'll pour it over ice.

And you can garnish with an

orange wheel if you wish.

The clove screwdriver, a

refreshing cocktail, perfect for

"Flower Cocktail Hour."

♪

During my visit to

Joseph & Sons, I had the

privilege to arrange with their

beautiful flowers.

Let's start with this amazing

red hanging Amaranthus.

It naturally cascades over the

edge of the container.

And I'll highlight it with

cherry-red stock flowers.

I'll add vibrant chartreuse

green ball dianthus and accent

the arrangement with a

meadowlike flower -- Bupleurum.

♪

Then it's time for several

orange snapdragons, or perritos.

♪

It's a special treat knowing

that all of these flowers were

grown right here by Joe and his

wonderful family.

♪

Not all of us have the

opportunity to travel to

California and walk through

these amazing fields of stock.

But we can create an arrangement

that's reminiscent of that.

It still has the fragrance, it

will have the swaths of color,

and we can pretend that we're

there and bring a little piece

of those fields directly into

our home.

Let's make an arrangement with

these beautiful fragrant

flowers.

I've started by placing a layer

of soaked flower foam down

inside my container.

The foam sets about two inches

below the rim of the container.

I'm using flower foam so that I

can place the flowers exactly

where I want them.

We have three different

colors -- yellow, pink, and

peach.

We'll place them grouped

together because that's the way

we would see them in the field.

We'll start with our pink stock

blossoms.

We'll place them taller towards

the back of the container.

♪

We'll add our peach flowers in a

grouping off to the other side.

♪

Then we'll place our yellow

flowers.

Those will be shorter and

towards the front.

The yellow's a more dominant

color, so keeping it shorter and

in front creates a focal area

for our arrangement.

♪

I've reserved three of my peach

stock to put on the other side

of the pink ones.

This makes it look a little

serendipity, but it keeps the

flowers grouped together.

♪

I'll cover up my foam by using

fresh moss.

This is sheet moss that you can

buy at a craft store or a

florist.

I'm placing it in between the

stems to cover the soaked flower

foam.

♪

I like a green accent, and I

want to fill in, in between the

stock blossoms.

I'll use foxtail fern.

It's one of my favorites.

I like the apical shape.

It's shaped like a cone or a

fox's tail, and it gives a great

texture and contrast.

♪

I look at the way that those

stems form, too, so I can add

ones on the outside and also add

the taller ones in between the

other flowers.

♪

My final step is spraying an

antitranspirant on these stock

blossoms.

The flowers are like tissue

paper, and that added assurance

is gonna make sure they last a

long time.

Now we've got a lovely bowl that

looks like the stock fields in

California.

It's gonna give off great

fragrance.

♪

By removing the initial bloom

from a stock stem, you force

multiple smaller blooms to

emerge, creating what is known

as spray stock.

It's ideal for flower arranging.

Stem of spray stock has great

value, and a few stems easily

create a dynamic arrangement.

I've used curly willow for

structure in vases, and then I

slip the spray stock in between.

♪

Large chrysanthemums in

coordinating colors help create

a focal area and a textural

contrast to the delicate stock

blossoms.

♪

Low and lush or tall and

tapering, the colors of these

flowers combine for a perfect

pairing.

I hope you've enjoyed this

episode focused on the flower

known as stock.

And I hope you will seek it out

to experience its sweet and

spicy fragrance to enjoy

arranging in your home.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm

J Schwanke.

>> Por favor.

Oh, I do know por favor, yeah.

[ Laughs ]

>> And then they tell you

exactly where.

Tengo chile rellenos.

>> Okay, I got...

>> Tengo carnitas.

You know what means carnitas?

>> I know carnitas, yeah.

>> Okay.

Tengo...

>> So then I would choose one.

>> Yeah, choose one.

Tengo pescado.

>> Okay. Carnitas.

>> Carnitas.

You say, "Carnitas.

Yo quiero carnitas."

Then she's gonna bring you a

plate of carnitas con tortillas,

chiles.

And you want to ask for beer,

she's gonna bring you a beer.

>> Cerveza.

[ Laughter ]

>> I'm learning!

I want to take you along with

me, Joe.

>> Let's go. Let's go.

Right now.

>> [ Laughs ]

>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom"

is filmed in Grand Rapids,

Michigan.

>> Visit J's website,

ubloom.com, for flower projects

and crafts, complete recipes,

behind-the-scenes videos,

J's blog, flower cocktails,

and more.

♪

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom"

is brought to you by the

following...

>> That flower feeling.

♪

At home.

♪

At work.

♪

Or anytime.

♪

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom,"

where flowers and wellness go

hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our

stores, from soups and steaks

and all things flour to all

things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements

florists at

Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from

the following...

Dollar Tree.

♪

Closed-caption funding provided

by Holland America Flowers.

♪