Rocket Farms in Salinas, CA, donated potted orchids on Mother’s Day to mothers living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities through the I Remember Mama program of the Monterey County Alliance on Aging. About 50 mothers in facilities in the county received orchid plants, a company official said.

At Sunflower Farmers Markets, floral sales for Mother’s Day 2012 were termed “a big success” by floral specialist Courtney Young. He attributed a big part of that to advance preparation that began a year ago with the booking of spring product. “In addition to bouquets and indoor blooming plants, we launch an outdoor program for Colorado and New Mexico,” he said.

Syngenta Flowers Inc. announced May 14 from its offices in Greensboro, NC, that it will offer 123 new and improved varieties in 2012-13 from Goldsmith Seeds and GoldFisch Vegetative.

In a news release, the company said it is adding more color, choices and versatility to every growing season to better meet the diverse needs of its customers.

The news release quoted Keelan Pulliam, head of Syngenta Flowers, noting, “In developing the new varieties, we really focused on our customers’ core needs within the growing seasons to maximize their profitability.”

The Chain of Life Network, a website specializing in post-harvest research on plants and flowers is up and running again as founder George Staby negotiates with several individuals, companies and organizations interested in taking over its operations as Dr. Staby retires, he told The Produce News in early May.

The website went dark in April because of uncertainty about its continuation after Dr. Staby retired, but with the recent interest shown by several entities, the site has been reopened.

This industry is all about relationships and nothing illustrates that better than the entry of Ciruli Bros. LLC in Nogales, AZ, into a red fruit mango deal this summer.

Like the Three Tenors of musical fame, the three gurus of horticulture will perform at a four-hour summit on how retailers can position their firms for the future at the OFA Short Course July 14-17 in Columbus, OH.