The Memorial Day Flowers Program, a private, nonprofit foundation, organized the donation and distribution of 240,000 roses at Arlington National Cemetery and 207 other Memorial Day events across the country in 27 states.

A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture summary found that the total wholesale value of floriculture crops sold by operations with $100,000 or more in sales in the 15 key states for floriculture was $3.99 billion for 2012, up one percent from the 2011 total.

George Staby said he hoped the Chain of Life Network website and related resources would be taken over by a consortium of three universities and a floral trade group in the next month. Final negotiations are under way now, he said in a recent interview.

“Hotel rooms are sold out, we’ve already got 225 registered with more than a month to go, the sign-ups for the grower tours are already near capacity, and we have more than 40 exhibitors lined up.” With those words by Monnaie Castillo on June 11, it sounds like the 2013 NORCAL Sun ‘N Fun Weekend is in full bloom.

About 250 exhibitors, using all available floor space, an expected crowd of 1,200 attendees, the 2013 Floral Achievement Award, a floral design contest and a keynote address by Joe Theismann, former star quarterback in the National Football League-these are on tap for the Southern California Expo in Anaheim, CA, July 16, the year’s biggest event for the Fresh Produce & Floral Council.

More glow-in-the-dark plants are on the way, and roses may be next. Among projects seeking funding on the Internet in June was a plant-engineering idea which uses synthetic biology to endow a small, leafy plant with green-blue light via genetic circuitry from fire-flies. Thale cress, or “mouse ear cress,” is a small flowering plant native to Europe, Asia and Africa.

The Glowing Plant project seeks to breed a variety of Thale cress which would emit weak, green-blue light. Funders would get seeds to plant the hardy weed wherever they wish.