For Women’s History Month, Kalamazoo’s premier florist, VanderSalm’s Flowershop & Garden Center, has turned the spotlight on ourselves and found one woman in our shop’s history who made a huge impact on the success and growth of our business. Then, we also rounded up a list of female celebrities and list their favorite flowers.
Aunt Jennie (Adrianna VanderSalm Hinga), the founder’s daughter, was born in 1893. She worked here until she was 92 years old. She ran the retail outlet and could sell you anything. She almost had a second sense. She wouldn’t ask the customer what they wanted, she would tell them what they needed. This sometimes made her relatives a little uneasy but she new the business. She developed quite a following and people still talk about her.
She was known as ‘Miss Total Quality Control,’ before an arrangement left the building she would inspect every order. She was widowed in 1918 when her husband died of influenza when it swept the country. In 1940 when the present store was built she had an apartment built upstairs where she lived until she was 98 years old. She never missed a trick in the business which sometimes made the help a little angry but that was the way it was going to be.
Jennifer Lopez – White Lilies and Roses
J-Lo’s favorite flowers are white roses and lilies. This superstar woman has not only mastered dancing and singing but acting and composing as well. So, what is it that draws her to white roses and lilies? Perhaps the perfection of the white rose and its meaning of purity and honesty. For the lily, it could be the magnificence this flower exudes along with its pleasant fragrance and symbolism of strength, productiveness, and majesty. Both of these flowers represent traits J-lo possesses in abundance.
Lady Bird Johnson – Lavender Bluebell
Lady Bird Johnson loved flowers, particularly wildflowers. While in her role at the White House as First Lady, she made it a point to make cities across America more beautiful by planting flowers along roadsides and adding more park benches. Her hard work and devotion eventually led to the passing of the Highway Beautification Act in the mid-’60s. Lady Bird Johnson’s favorite flower was the lavender bluebell, a wildflower with a beautiful regal lavender color and blooms that form into the shape of bells. The bluebell symbolizes devotion, humility, and gratitude – characteristic Lady Bird Johnson also had.
Michelle Obama – Hydrangeas and Pink Roses
Elegant, refined, graceful, sweet, and feminine are the traits represented by the pink rose, and can also be used to describe former First Lady Michelle Obama, who’s favorite flower is the pink rose. An accomplished author and lawyer, Michelle has also become a national role model and spokeswoman for living a healthy lifestyle and eating healthy. It was her initiative during her tenure at the White House to improve school lunches, so children start their day eating better. Michelle’s other favorite flower is the hydrangea, which represents deep understanding and heartfelt emotion.
Wrapped In Love
