EXPERIENCE COUNTS
Today at The Solace Center Gail (on the left) and I met up with Margaret Patton (photo to right), who joined in and clearly had some experience. Turns out that her husband, a patient at Hospice, has 60 rose bushes. Has been tending to them consistently for years. And she has been giving away roses for years as well.
After we made all our arrangements, we joined Margaret and her husband and we got to see a beautiful arrangement of roses from their gardens. Flowers today were from both The Fresh Market and EarthFare and were as beautiful as ever. Lots of roses, but none that compared with what we saw in the Patton’s room!
FLOWER EXTRAVAGANZA
The flowers from two weddings at the Biltmore Estate were both creations of Stacey at the Bloom Room. 
Totally spectacular! Just look at the photos of some of the flowers in the truck. I picked up from a wedding at the Conservatory on Saturday morning, but kept most of those for Sunday morning, to be added to another wedding from Deerpark. Two huge buckets of flowers from Saturday made their way to Brooks-Howell and they were stunned by the beauty of them - I love doing that! I walk in with buckets full of beautiful flowers, get lots of kudos for it when all I did was go pick them up and drive them over. This is a job you gotta love!
Flowers from both weddings, and more even from The Fresh Market, were distributed to Care Partners Rehab Hospital (shown here), as well as the Solace Center, McCune Assisted Living Center and The Laurels of Summit Ridge. At Rehab we had a Hands On Asheville project and Clare and Leslie showed up to help. Clare and I did the pick up and managed to get them all in the pickup. And you can see some of the arrangements on the cart as Leslie wheels them around to the rooms at Rehab. They give the patients and the staff a real boost. To see more photos and to find out who are new hairy volunteer is, click here.
FLOWERS A PLENTY
I received a call Saturday afternoon from Asheville Event Company about a wedding they were having at the Inn On Biltmore. Becca said there would be plenty of flowers left fo
r Second Bloom. And she wasn’t kidding. The room was full of arrangements and within a short time everything was loaded in the truck, filling the inside and out.
Sunday morning proved to be a delight for five facilities! Flowers went to Deerfield, McCune, 
Shadybrook, Golden Living and Highland Farms. Above on the right is a photo of the flowers with Loretta and one of her trusty BLT volunteers. They took in 4 of the large arrangements and rearranged them into small bouquets for the entire assisted living section of Deerfield Retirement Community.
On the left is a picture of Rose at Highland Farms making some beautiful arrangements for the tables and nurses’ stations. All these flowers were from Clements and they were spectacular!
A NOD FROM A PRO
Today some beautiful roses from Fresh Market found their way to the Solace Center. It was a mild day outside and Joan, a patient, was out for some fresh air. She rested and watched as Jackie, Richard and I made small arrangements for the patients and staff. Joan used to be an interior designer and she loved to work with flowers, winning awards for her work.
It was a sweet visit with Joan, chatting about her life. She was ‘itching to help out’ but not quite able to. At one point she told me I was doing a great job. I loved that she said that because it was so real. And in that moment she was so thoroughly enjoying seeing all the flowers that even mine looked beautiful to her!
APRIL FLOWERS FOR SOLACE
Every time Second Bloom went to Hospice in April it was gorgeous weather for working outside on the patio. Linda volunteered each week Second Bloom was there, right up until the time she took a vacation to Italy!
With beautiful flowers from The Fresh Market, we spread joy and comfort to all the patients, family and friends. You could see it on their faces as we handed them the overflowing arrangements.
HELP AT HOSPICE
This is Lizzie, a florist who volunteers with Second Bloom. She brought some beautiful flowers from The Fresh Market and I picked some up from The Biltmore House. We were in business. I’ve learned a thing or two by watching Lizzie. So the next time I went to Hospice with beautiful flowers from a wedding at the Biltmore Estate, I tried out what I had learned. And I must say, I made some mighty fine arrangements. And yes, it helps when you’ve got beautiful flowers.
The flowers from the wedding at Lioncrest were gorgeous, made by the Flower Gallery. I was expecting one large arrangement and so was quite surprised to find that there were two huge round tables full of flowers in beautiful glass vases. It was a truckload by the time I finished. So Hospice got covered with the spring flowers and Deerfield got the rest of them. I only heard compliments!
THE WARMTH OF HOSPICE
Care Partners Solace Center was a warm place to be today - and not just because it was 75 degrees. Everyone is so outgoing and friendly. We were able to work outside with beautiful flowers from The Fresh Market. Several people came over to chat, flowers have a way of doing that. Got another great picture of Michelle being a good sport by posing for 
yes, one more picture. What great smiles on all the staff. Wakeena and Doris are in the right photo! What a difference they all make.
BRIGHTENING UP A RAINY DAY
It was rainy and foggy as we packed up the buckets of flowers to head out to Hospice. We had beautiful flowers donated by Ray and Allen’s, and we worked them into some g
orgeous arrangements for all the patients to have. It was creativity at it’s finest……well, sort of. The beauty of it is that when the flowers are as bright and fresh as these were, it doesn’t take much to make a beautiful arrangement.
It was a Saturday so we got to be with the weekend staff. And of course we went for the photos. We love being at Hospice because everyone that works there is smiling just like Wakeena on the left and Michelle on the right.
VALENTINE’S DAY AT THE SOLACE CENTER
Here’s a photo of our creative volunteers, Melinda and Judy, in the midst of making arrangements for all the patients at Hospice. We had plenty of flowers, barely enough vases, but look at what they created! Incredible talent! All these flowers came from The Fresh Market. And sometimes nice to not have 100 arrangements to make. It allows for a more relaxed creative endeavor.
And that’s what this Valentine’s Day afternoon was for our volunteers. Turns out that Judy and Melinda actually knew each other a bit and became better acquainted as they sifted through the flowers.
A lot of families were visiting The Care Partners Solace Center today and they enjoyed both the conversation and the flowers. The flowers are so appreciated and provide such pleasure to the families and the patients. They truly lift everyone’s spirit.
WARM SUNSHINE AT HOSPICE
Who would have thought that three days after sub-zero wind chills, we’d be out on the back patio at Hospice making bouquets in the bright sunshine. But you can see from our photos that that was precisely what occurred. It was a gorgeous day, many people out and about. Cassie, who was here visiting a loved one, joined us and made a spectacular arrangement. It was 
her first one and you can see she has some natural talent.
Then Danny, the Volunteer Coordinator, came out to say hello and we got him engaged as well. He was hoping for some great floral tips but we didn’t have too many to offer. Nevertheless, he was able to put together a stunning orange mound of roses with the slightest amount of green to accent it. Very tasteful. We were duly impressed!
Every patient received a ‘double-stuffed’ cup full of flowers today. I spoke with one woman who loved them and wanted them near her bed so she could see them. Told me to put them on top of the chocolates that her son gave her. She then said, ‘I’m glad I have someone to love.’ Not ‘I’m glad someone loves me.’ And isn’t that the truth? It is the most natural thing for us to love others. It brings us joy, it makes us feel good to open our hearts. And from my perspective, there is no shortage of people to love. Just look around…..and don’t hold back!
TWIST AND FLOP
So after our morning at the Laurels, learning about how to twist flowers into small bouquets, we gave it a try at Hospice. Need I say more? Let me anyway….we chose our flowers carefully, building the arrangement first in our hand, a simple twist as we went. Placed it in the cup. It didn’t stand up, it flopped. We decided this new method was actually an advanced technique that we’d have to dedicate more time to in order to perfect. But bouquets were made and appreciated all the same. The flowers were fabulous, donated from Fresh Market and from Blossoms at Biltmore Park. We had a lot of flowers left after we made bouquets for the patients, so we made large arrangements for the nursing stations. They truly enjoy them. Look at the delight on their faces. Debra, Wanda and Sherry - smiling and on the Web!
SWEET ROSES FOR HOSPICE
It was an interesting day for us Bloomers, driving all over in search of flowers. We were in both Fresh Markets, thankfully, so we had a few buckets full. And we had a couple dozen roses that were stunning. So we went to Hospice and made the sweetest cupfuls of flowers. Actually, it was ‘cupfuls of flower’ - one large yellow or red rose with baby’s breath and other greens. They were definitely photo worthy but I forgot about taking pictures until right after we’d handed out all the bouquets. So you won’t be able to see our delicate handiwork, but the photo on the left shows you the beauty we had to work with.
BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS FOR HOSPICE
This was a banner day for flowers! We started out with over 14 buckets, from both Fresh Market in Asheville as well as Hendersonville. The Prius was overflowing with blooms and the truck had a fair number as well. We started by bringing a couple of buckets to Hospice where we made small 
arrangements for all the rooms. We had so many flowers today that we also made bouquets for the nurses’ stations and the front desk. It’s always interesting when we ask to take photos of the staff - suddenly everyone thinks someone else looks better than they do. But we always manage to get someone to agree. Today it was Melody, in the photo to the left, and Brenda, to the right. Care Partners Hospice is a treat to go to. They see us pull in with flowers and race out with a cart for us. There is a warm, welcoming feel from everyone we meet there. And the patients and their families truly appreciate the beauty of the flowers we bring them.
THE LONE REA-RANGER RIDES AGAIN…….
Lisa was on her own again today, riding the streets of Asheville in search of flowers, desperate to arrange and rea-range…..After only a short time she found flowers at Fresh Market and Earth Fare, just enough for the patients at Hospice. Lisa claims she did just fine on her own, keeping a nice relaxed pace for herself. She took her time making the arrangements, adding a flower here, some greens there - tweaking them until they felt complete. If you look closely at the cups you’ll be able to see our new labels. Yes, we are constantly innovating and improving. Now everyone will know who it is that’s providing all the flowers!
WHERE DID THAT BUCKET COME FROM?
We were at Hospice today with a few buckets of flowers and Judy Garry, our first professional to volunteer with us! It was a relaxing, easy time of arranging flowers. It seemed to go quickly though without any effort. We 
finished handing out flowers to the patients and staff, cleaned up and were ready to head out…..only to find we’d left a bucket of flowers by the front door. Ah, maybe that was why it seemed to go so quickly. There were too few flowers to take somewhere else, so back we went. We rounded up a few large vases and Judy had given us some bud vases, so we had at it again! As we finished up, I looked around for someone on the staff that wasn’t camera shy and was fortunate to find Dr. John Langlois, who’s been with Hospice for about a year.
BILTMORE HOUSE KEEPS ON GIVING
The Biltmore House is a smiling place. As we pull up to the back of the house to pick up flowers we’re greeted by Pam, who’s smiling and laughing as we are blown about trying to get in the door. Then Betsey rolls two carts full of flowers around the corner for us - gorgeous colors 
and variety. She’s also smiling. Just as we’re zipping up our coats to brave the elements outside, Cathy Barnhardt strolls in. Cathy started The Biltmore Estate Floral Displays Department over 30 years ago and is very happy to NOT be throwing out all these beautiful flowers. She said, ‘I’m glad these aren’t headed to the landfill.’ If you look closely at the photo, you can tell Cathy’s experienced and prepared for any scenario she might encounter - she’s smiling, and she’s carrying a camera and a pair of shears. What else could one need?
Before you know it we’re packed up with flowers and heading over to Hospice. As we’re making ‘double stuffed’ bouquets for the patients’ room, we meet Madison, who’s there to visit her Nana. Madison’s taking a break and having some pizza with her mom. She lights up when we suggest she pick out a bouquet to take in to her Nana. Flowers have such a way of bringing out the smiles and good feelings!
IT’S SECOND NATURE TO RECYCLE
Last week someone thought the name of our business was Second Nature, not Second Bloom. I thought that was a good second name for us. If it’s not now second nature for you to recycle, then it ’should’ be. If our donors didn’t believe in reycling, in greening up their businesses, Second Bloom wouldn’t be happening. Hundreds of residents would be missing out on beautiful, colorful flowers and not have as much to smile about. Check out
the fun that Vernelle’s having with her hydrangea pom poms! On this particular Sunday morning we totally maxed out the capacity of the truck, both inside and out. But it was worth it. These beautiful flowers from Blossoms at Biltmore Park found their way from the Crest Center to both Magnolia Health Care Center and Hospice.
BRILLIANCE AT HOSPICE AND SHADYBROOK
Fresh Market once again provided us with some gorgeous, brightly colored flowers. They are fast becoming one of our most consistent supporters, committed to recycling and not wasting all that beauty. These flowers we took both to Hospice and then to Shadybrook. This was our first time at Care Partners Hospice. Danny Johnson, the volunteer coordinator, is pictured here with the flowers we brought.
The Hospice was spacious, warm and supportive. It felt good to be there. We had plenty of flowers for everyone, with a few large bouquets for the nurses’ stations and the large, brightly lit gathering room.
We still had one more bucket of flowers to distribute so we headed back to Black Mountain and to Shadybrook. We had help with the flowers and more residents came in to visit us and to get their own flowers. We’ve been going to Shadybrook from our beginning days and the residents now recognize us. They wave as we come in, someone always rushes to the door to open it for us and they crowd the room where we’re making bouquets.