Many consumers only receive flowers once a year…on Valentine’s Day…and are challenged to know how to properly care for them to maximize their enjoyment. The Flower Promotion Organization (FPO) is launching a national public relations campaign in an effort to further educate flower novices about fresh cut flower care and handling. Throughout the month of February, consumers can receive answers to cut-flower care and handling questions by simply logging onto www.FLOWRMD.com, or calling the 1-888-FLOWRMD hotline, both hosted by the FPO.

In addition to flower care tips and design ideas, the FPO is offering personal advice from Bridget Behe, Ph.D. As an expert in horticulture, she will respond to each of the FLOWRMD.com inquiries via email and, together with her team of flower experts, will answer calls at 1-888-FLOWRMD – [1-888-356-9763] – on February 13 and 14 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST.

“Each month we receive numerous care and handling questions on our www.flowerpossibilities.com website,” said Stan Pohmer, Executive Director of the Flower Promotion Organization. “This campaign will fill a void for flower care information and help to create a positive flower experience for consumers.”

Dr. Bridget Behe

Throughout the year, Dr. Behe hosts a question and answer section on www.flowerpossibilities.com called “Ask Bridget” where she assisted consumers with flower-care dilemmas. She is a professor in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University where she teaches floriculture courses. She also is a member of the OFA, an association of floriculture professionals, the Michigan Nursery & Landscape Association and is a Michigan certified florist. 

Positive PR

For the past five years, the Flower Promotion Organization has built a solid reputation among consumers, media and industry leaders as an authoritative resource for flower information and design ideas. In 2005, FPO spokesperson, Jill Slater, was featured in the December issue of Good Housekeeping offering care and handling tips for holiday flower arrangements. As a result of the article, Slater traveled to the Good Housekeeping Institute in New York, where she demonstrated the flower care tips for a television package distributed to stations nationwide. The response was overwhelming with more than 38 television stations broadcasting the segment nationwide.

“As evident in our past success, consumers and media want to learn more about flowers,” said William Carlson, Managing Director of the FPO. “We developed this new initiative as a creative way to deliver valuable information during a peak cut flower season.”

Flower Promotion Organization

The Flower Promotion Organization, an alliance between Colombian and U.S. flower growers, was created to expand the US market for all cut flowers. The FPO is committed to increasing short-term and long-term consumer demand for fresh cut flowers.

MEDIA CONTACT:
William R. Carlson
Flower Promotion Organization
will@flowerpossibilities.com
989/834-1322