Get to know our flowers this spring!

Our food feeds your body; our flowers feed your spirit.

Most people know us for our produce and cheeses.  We know some of you even confess to having developed a Sigona’s Marinara habit (don’t worry, we won’t tell).  We didn’t realize till recently that many of you didn’t know we have a floral department.   In fact, it’s been here 12 years!

Like our produce, the emphasis is on locally-grown flowers from smaller farmers.  We do, of course, carry traditional favorites like roses from Ecuador and Colombia.  (Want to know the difference?  The long-stem come to us from Ecuador; the shorter stems grow in Colombian soil.)

Back to the locals.

We source the majority of our flowers locally.  Most come from small family farms in Colma, Watsonville, and Half Moon Bay.  (By the way, have you ever been lucky enough when flying in or out of SFO to fly over the nurseries in Half Moon Bay?  Look down and you’ll see a gorgeous quilt of colors – green vegetables, of course, but also swatches of red and pink and orange and yellow flowers.  Some of them will end up at our market!)

Right now, spring flowers are both abundant and fragrant; the most popular choice is the tulip. We’ve got a smaller tulip, typical of what you see in Peninsula gardens; long-stem tulips; and the elegant French tulips.

If you want to fill a room with fragrance, consider lilacs, tuberose, or stargazer lilies.  If you’re not familiar with the scent of any of these flowers, just breathe deeply when you visit, and see if you like it.  The lilacs and stargazers will create a dramatic visual impression along with their fragrance; the tuberose – like paperwhite narcissus – is tiny in appearance but its fragrance is both heady and intoxicating.  For most people, it’s love it or hate it.  You’ll know right away.

If it’s a gift, please do pay attention to sensitivities:  some people are allergic to lilac pollen; stargazer lilies may be a better choice if you aren’t sure.  Another fragrant bloom we have is the delicately-scented freesia.   (The National Gardening Association offers this general guideline:  showy flowers that are pollinated by insects and birds produce less pollen than nondescript flowers, like those tiny florets that are about to pop on the birch tree in so many backyards right now).

Some local flowers we carry include other harbingers of spring:  daffodils and irises, for example.  And of course, we offer perennial favorites* such as alstroemeria, cheery gerbera daisies, asters, snapdragons, narcissus, and sunflowers.

Meet Maribel Mendoza, floral designer
I want to introduce you to Maribel Mendoza, who has a great eye for flowers.  She’s been working in our flower department for three years, and specializes in designing arrangements for any and all of life’s important events – whether it’s as important as a wedding or as simple as a small birthday dinner.  All you have to do is tell her what you want, along with any special requests.  She would love to take on the creative challenge of designing an arrangement just for you.   Make the most of Mother’s Day on May 10: it’s not too early to place your order with Maribel now.
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We’ve got a lot to celebrate and be grateful for, even in these uncertain economic times.  After you’ve shopped for the things you need to feed your body, why not take a moment and feed your spirit?

Pick up some flowers – or at least take a mini-break and breathe in their beautiful color, their fragrance, and even the extra O2 they breathe back into the air for you!

Enjoy! Paul Sigona

*a near-pun experience:  we mean ‘perennial’ in the literary sense, not the horticultural sense!