Chiquita Brands International Inc. announced the appointment of Craig Stephen as senior vice oresident of sales and marketing for Fresh Express. Stephen will have responsibility for Fresh Express sales, marketing and customer service operations, as the company continues to provide expanded category offerings in retail value-added and private label salads.

Intergrow Greenhouses Inc., based in Albion, NY, has nearly completed its recent expansion and addition of growing lights in the greenhouse for winter production. The expansion will increase Intergrow's total acreage to approximately 80 acres of greenhouse under glass in the Northeast region.

Sunflowers are very hardy but they are thirsty flowers and drink a lot of water. When selecting sunflowers, look for strong, straight stems, perky flowers that look at you and good green foliage, as these are all signs of healthy flowers.

• Select a vase of sufficient size and depth to support the stems and the flower’s weighty heads.

• Remove the leaves that will fall below the waterline.

• Cut the flower stems under water, at an angle.

• Place flowers into cold water containing a fresh flower food solution.

• The most familiar sunflower is Helianthus annuus (from the Greek words helios, meaning “sun,” anthos, meaning “flower,” and annus, meaning “year”).

• The genus Helianthus contains about 67 species and is native to the Americas. More than 60 sunflower species grow in the United States.

• Sunflower plants were domesticated around 1,000 B.C. by western Native American tribes, who then carried them eastward and southward. The plants were used extensively for food, as oil, in bread, medical ointments, dyes and body paints.  

For more than 38 years sunflower geneticist Tom Heaton has been researching, testing and developing ornamental sunflowers. His breeding, production, and wholesale company, NuFlowers LLC in Woodland, CA, is one of the larger producers and suppliers of ornamental sunflower seeds in the United States. It is also the only company to offer the single-head, red-petal sunflower called ProCut Red, a real breeding breakthrough, according to Heaton..

“I am working with the enthusiasm of a man from Marseilles eating bouillabaisse, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to you because I am busy painting huge sunflowers.” — Vincent van Gogh

Sunflowers bear a striking resemblance to their namesake and they are considered one of the happiest of flowers. They exemplify sunshine, they uplift spirits, and they evoke feelings of cheerfulness, warmth and joy.