This past Saturday, March 24^th, our very own Madelyn Ropner displayed several flower arrangements that she had designed for the San Luis Obispo Art Museum’s annual gala fundraiser. Madelyn’s beautiful pieces complemented the photography of Michael Childers. Michael Childers’ exhibit contained twenty-five black and white photographs of the famous artist, Andy Warhol. To coordinate with the theme, Madelyn sculpted unique flower arrangements that contained some of Andy Warhol’s most iconic symbols. To continue with the theme, Madelyn only used six bright colors: magenta, fuchsia, orange, blue, lime-green, and yellow. The arrangements are exquisite and what is even more amazing is that she designed and produced these pieces of art in less than a week. The arrangement can now be viewed at the Steynberg Gallery on Monterey St.

Visit our website for exclusive Albert’s florist designs!

Tulips were one of the first flowers to be cultivated solely for their beauty. They originated in Persia and Turkey in 1000 AD where they were very significant in art and culture. In Turkey, it was very popular to wear tulips in a turban. This is how Europeans mistakenly gave tulips their name, which comes from the Persian word meaning turban. In Persia, a legend depicts the origin of tulips. A young man was in love with a beautiful woman. One day the young man received news that his lover was dead. Filled with sadness, he jumped off a cliff. In the place where he landed, tulips began to grow.

In the 17^th century, Carolus Clusius, a famous biologist from Vienna, introduced tulips into Europe. They quickly made their way to the Netherlands. People became obsessed with tulips and prices soared. Some cost more than a house at the time. This period was called “Tulipmania.” However, they eventually became too abundant and tulip popularity decreased.

Although tulips in general symbolize perfected love, different colors represent different meanings. Red tulips are a sign of true love while yellow means hopeless loves as well as cheerful thoughts. Purple, like many things, is a sign of royalty. White tulips signify worthiness or forgiveness and variegated tulips are representation of beautiful eyes.

Check Out our Tulips!