>> "J Schwanke's Life In Bloom" is brought to you by the following.

♪♪ >> At home... ♪♪ ...at work... ♪♪ ...or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... ♪♪ >> Today, I'll show you how flowers can improve your life in many ways, from assisting with finding to stress reduction... to fewer arguments in the home.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life In Bloom."

I frequently refer to the health and wellness benefits flowers have to offer.

The ability of flowers to lift your mood is something that most of us have experienced in life, hopefully many times.

While this concept seems simple to prove out in everyday living, scientists have taken such observations many steps further through the years.

As I have stated since our very first episode, scientific studies have been made to prove the effects flowers have on us.

Jeannette Haviland-Jones, PhD, professor of psychology at Rutgers University, was one of the first to scientifically study the effects flowers have on us.

Of one of these studies, Dr.

Haviland-Jones said, "Common sense tells us that flowers make us happy.

Now science shows that not only do flowers make us happier than we know, they have strong, positive effects on our emotional well-being."

Scientific studies on the effects of flowers have been undertaken at Rutgers University, Harvard University and Medical School, Texas A&M University just to name a few.

of these studies on the uBloom website.

Search uBloom.com/research to learn more.

Today, I'll explore more of these findings and ways to activate positive effects through arranging and gifting flowers.

♪♪ Many of us still spend plenty of time in the workplace, and office flexibility is not always possible for many.

As such, it's good to keep in mind that flowers or plants in the workplace can make a difference not only in our mood, but also productivity on the job.

My guest might be considered a workaholic by some standards.

Shelley Irwin is the host and producer of "The Shelley Irwin Show" on WGVU Public Media Radio in West Michigan.

Shelley hosts "Kalamazoo Lively Arts" on WGVU Television.

Shelley is also a co-host of "Living West Michigan."

Shelley has also served on numerous boards both past and present in West Michigan, including Meals on Wheels Western Michigan, Circle Theatre, University Club of G.R., Hope Network, Kent County Parks Foundation, Girl Scouts Michigan Shore to Shore, Cherry Health Foundation, Paws With A Cause, YMCA DDH, G.R.

Lions, and others.

Shelley is also a motivational speaker and workshop instructor specializing in how to talk to the media.

Shelley has also been recognized with numerous awards, including a five-time Gracie Allen recipient, Fred Meijer Service Above Self Award, 50 Most Influential, 200 Most Powerful West Michigan Business Leaders, Michigan Women's Forward Courage and Achievement Award, and the 2016 ATHENA Award, among others.

Shelley, I'm a little bit exhausted.

>> Oops.

>> [ Laughs ] You are one busy lady.

>> Is it okay if I respond with a #moretodo?

>> Absolutely.

I mean, you are involved in so many productive and positive and empowering things in our community.

>> It's because I can, and I'm able to, uh, and I get a lot from giving, as they often say.

Um, but, uh, this community offers these opportunities.

And I'm also known for saying yes.

>> That's awesome.

That's awesome.

>> Yes.

>> So, you have been a part of my world with our Flower Power Challenge that we have featured on our show before, and you've played for many great charities who were named earlier today.

So we're gonna arrange flowers for the fun of it.

>> Really?

We don't have to "work"?

>> There is no contest.

There is no prize money.

There is -- This is for the fun of it.

I typically start with a couple pieces of greenery, and I cut them, and I drop them in in a triangle.

And you can do the same thing.

You have a little -- You have a little red -- a red cutter there.

>> And do I cut it on an angle?

>> You do.

>> Okay.

I think I learned that from you, but that's okay.

How did I do?

I did a three for one.

>> I love it.

I love it.

You're a time-saver.

>> I'm a time commitment.

See?

>> It's so true.

It is so true.

>> Am I continuing to do this?

>> Now, you have a couple of big flowers.

>> Big flowers.

>> Yeah, you had your hand on them.

>> Roses?

No.

>> This is called... >> Is this a flower?

>> ...Agapanthus.

And you're probably gonna want to cut it right about there.

Okay?

>> I'm so glad that you're leading me through this because now -- >> I'm always here to help.

>> Appreciate it.

Now down we go.

>> Uh-huh.

See?

You know what I love?

>> I just like this.

All done!

>> Exact-- Exactly.

And you know what?

You could be.

>> Well, I say that in jest, but look at just the comparison.

>> But look at -- And because you know how much work Mother Nature does for us ahead of time.

>> Lots.

>> Yeah, she does.

And so it's beautiful.

And those three pieces of -- of the Ruscus, the two amaranth, you're already started on your road to a beautiful bouquet, right?

>> Yes.

>> One of the things that I wanted to talk to you about, and I think that this is interesting, is there was a study that was done about flowers in the workplace.

And what they discovered was that when there were flowers in the workplace, people were more apt to come up with a creative solution.

They were more apt to -- Especially women... >> Really?

>> ...problem solve much better.

>> Oh, my gosh.

>> And would exceed men's -- men in those expectations.

>> So is it the smell?

Is it the look?

Which sense is... >> It's -- It's seeing them.

Because the other thing that's really important is that being in the presence of flowers makes us feel less stress, makes us feel more, um... more calm, Zen like.

>> Now, do I ask, did they have to be fresh flowers?

>> No.

They can be permanent flowers.

They can be pictures of flowers.

They can be a floral print on your dress.

>> Okay.

♪♪ ♪♪ Okay.

>> This is your friend.

This is my friend.

We're gonna turn it towards them.

>> Oh, we have a finale, as they say.

>> Look at that.

Right?

So we have a tradition here at "Life in Bloom" for people who come to see me.

And it's a flower crown.

>> Oh, my gosh.

>> And it has some red and some pink in it.

>> You've done this?

>> Right, I have, I made it.

>> Oh, let me do the -- what they do in the world of queens.

>> Do you like it?

>> Do the wave.

I do like it.

Ooh.

>> And thanks for coming and joining me today.

>> You're quite welcome.

>> Yeah.

>> Can I wear the crown home?

>> You can.

You can wear it when you're mowing the lawn.

Yeah, you could wear it in your next marathon.

You could wear it to your next meeting.

You could wear it to your next award ceremony.

You could wear it to your radio show.

You could wear it on your next television show.

You have a whole bunch of things coming up, probably in the next day or so, that you could wear it for.

>> End of discussion.

I'll give you the credit.

Thanks for this opportunity.

>> You're welcome.

Thank you.

♪♪ One of the most important demographics in our society today is seniors.

There are more seniors than there ever have been before.

And that's wonderful news because people are living longer.

And flowers make such a difference when we're talking about seniors.

And it doesn't need to be something big or something elaborate.

It can be something simple and meaningful.

For example, the other day, a fan, her name's Ori, sent me this because she thought I would love this little tiny vase with a pansy on the outside.

Now that's wonderful.

And I could stick it on a shelf, or I could put it in a cupboard and then I'd forget about it.

And one of the things I think about is, as I get older, I know things are meaningful and there are memories that are actually sitting on shelves.

And so this is a memory I can get off a shelf, I can take one flower, and I can drop it in there.

The great part about this is that one flower is going to sit in that vase, and it's going to remind me of the memory.

This is a memory of my friend Ori, and I've got a flower inside it that's going to help improve my well-being, reduce depression, reduce my stress, increase happier thoughts.

It's a wonderful way that one little flower and one memory vase can brighten our world.

There's a couple of other easy things that we can do too, and these are especially easy for people who are seniors.

We might have a fruit jar like this, and a great way to recycle or re-purpose that fruit jar is to pop out that little lid, fill it with water, and maybe pick a few flowers in the garden and create a pretty little bouquet.

Or maybe we have one type of flower.

These are snapdragons.

They were grown by my friend Fran, and we can take those snapdragons and just put one bundle together in our hand and drop that into a vase.

And it gives us a wonderful little arrangement that we can look at and experience.

Those are easy ways that we can create some bouquets.

Let me show you how those two go together.

As I'm sure many viewers can attest to, every day, our senior population faces the challenges of growing older, including depression, memory loss, and social withdrawal.

Here's the good news -- a six-month behavioral study by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, on the health effects of flowers on senior citizens demonstrates that flowers ease depression, inspire social networking, and refresh memory as we age.

Isn't that amazing?

More than 100 seniors participated in the Rutgers research study, in which some received flowers and others did not.

The results shed new light on how nature's support systems can help seniors cope with the challenges of aging.

The results are as follows.

Flowers decrease depression.

Study participants showed a significant increase in happiness and positive moods when flowers were present.

Flowers refresh recent memory.

Seniors performed higher on everyday memory tasks and experienced enriched personal memories in the presence of flowers.

Flowers encourage companionship.

Seniors who receive flowers re-engaged with members of their communities and enlarged their social contacts to include more neighbors, religious support, and even medical personnel, said Dr.

Jeannette Haviland-Jones, professor of psychology and director of the Human Development Lab at Rutgers.

Instinct tells us that flowers lift our spirits, but their effects on seniors are especially profound, if not surprising, said Haviland-Jones.

The results are significant because as our nation grows older and life becomes more stressful, we look for easy and natural ways to enhance our lives and the lives of our aging parents.

Yet more evidence of great positive effects flowers provide for us.

Now, one of the things I think about too is after we've had flowers, we have an empty vase.

And sometimes it might be hard to go get more flowers, or we don't have an opportunity to have someone bringing flowers by, and we have an empty vase that we look at.

So I like to keep a few silk flowers or permanent flowers around that I've bundled up.

And so when I have an empty vase, I can reach in my drawer and pull out a little bouquet like this and drop it into that vase and it's there.

Even the silk and permanent flowers have the same health and wellness benefits as regular flowers.

Pictures of flowers or fabric that has flowers on them, all of those have those same benefits.

So seniors can have their lives filled with flowers in many ways all the time.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Many is the time I have been inspired to purchase a small bouquet at the farmers market.

Usually my main objective is to purchase flowers at a local market to arrange for my home.

However, there are almost always wonderful small bouquets available, even dried bouquets in colder months.

I love the chance to purchase them on the spot and then share them on the spot as well.

Farmers, whether of flowers or food, are always working hard for my benefit and I am delighted to be able to hand them a bouquet they might not get for themselves.

The concept of self-care is popular now, but I find many people are uplifted even more when I gift a small bouquet to let them know they and their hard work are seen.

Plus, it rewards me with a great feeling as well.

Try it sometime.

You'll love the results.

♪♪ One of my favorite studies about the health and wellness benefits of flowers is that when people are sick and they get flowers, they get better faster.

The other thing that's interesting about it, though, is it's specific to color.

And people who receive yellow flowers get better even faster.

So I think it's important for us to remember that when someone is sick or someone is healing, yellow flowers are that sunshine that will help them get better faster.

We'll be making a bouquet with yellow and green colors.

Yellow and green are analogous colors.

They're next to one another on the color wheel, and they're also perceived as very friendly.

So a friendly yellow and green bouquet that comes to your house when you're feeling ill will make you feel better faster and possibly make you feel thought of or more loved.

Let me show you how this goes together.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I often mention on "Life in Bloom" that when in the presence of flowers, people who are ill or in the hospital recover more quickly.

Over the years, there have been several scientific studies conducted and published by many researchers.

Decades ago, a groundbreaking study by Roger S. Ulrich at the University of Delaware became the foundation for our understanding of how flowers and plants influence outcomes.

The study found that surgical patients assigned to rooms with windows looking out on a natural scene had shorter postoperative hospital stays than those in rooms with windows that faced a brick wall.

Faster recovery wasn't the only benefit.

Patients in garden-view rooms took fewer analgesics and received fewer negative comments in nurses' notes, indicating that patients may have been more satisfied with their hospital experience than their brick wall counterparts.

Since that study, several others have emerged supporting the idea that people exposed to flowers and plants or a natural environment recover more quickly from stress, showing improved psychological, emotional, and cognitive health.

Yellow flowers have been found to be particularly effective in promoting relaxation, a significant component to recovery.

There was a study that went so far as to compare the effects of flowers by color.

White, red, and yellow flowers were all included in that study, as the study again confirmed the positive effect of flowers.

It also found that yellow flowers in particular were more capable of improving the participant's feelings of relaxation compared to the red and white flowers.

♪♪ ♪♪ This is a beautiful shades of yellow arrangement, but remember, making the yellow choice is easy even when you go to the flower seller.

If you're looking for a bouquet for someone who's ill, choose this one with yellow rather than the other.

♪♪ In reviewing all of the research about the positive effect of flowers, I've come to one conclusion that is especially compelling -- those in homes with flowers experience fewer arguments.

Now hear me out.

A study by Nancy Etcoff of Harvard Medical School found that when fresh flowers are present in the home, people feel more compassionate towards others, have less worry and anxiety, and feel less depressed.

We've long known that flowers make people happy when they receive them.

We now know that spending a few days with flowers in the home can affect a wide variety of feelings.

Some of the specific findings are heartening.

Study participants who lived with fresh-cut flowers for less than a week felt an increase in feelings of compassion and kindness for others.

Overall, people in the study simply felt less negative after being around flowers at home for just a few days.

Participants most frequently placed flowers in their kitchens, dining rooms, and living rooms where they spend a lot of time at home.

They reported wanting to see the blooms first thing in the morning.

All of this sounds like a formula for fewer arguments in the home to me.

So let me show you how easy it is.

Stop off at a flower seller and pick up a beautiful bouquet like this.

Grab a vase from your house.

Cut the banding on it.

Give it a quick clip at the bottom to fit the size of the vase you have.

Pull off any leaves that might fall below the water line, and drop it into the vase.

That's your recipe for fewer arguments in your home.

One more bit of good news.

Having flowers at home can have a positive carryover impact on our mood at work, too.

The study found that people were more likely to feel happier and have more enthusiasm and energy at work when flowers were in their home living environments.

And now it's time for my favorite part of the show flowers from you, the viewers.

Today I have a few arrangements from Karla Santi of Madrid, Iowa.

She watches the show on Iowa Public Television Create TV.

Karla writes, "I had Easter brunch for my siblings and their dogs on a cold, rainy day.

I brought in my geraniums last fall and one was blooming, so I picked one of the pink blooms and added it to a little cut glass vase that my mother gave us 35 years ago.

I put it on a doily and surrounded it with some of the garden critter rocks that I paint.

I got the homemade cinnamon rolls in the oven and ran out to the garden and cut a pink hyacinth and four daffodils.

I put them in this old green ceramic vase that was a thrift store find.

The bathroom smells amazing.

In the summer I do a little roadside self-service produce stand.

I put cups of herbs and flowers on the stand.

Many people take these now."

Karla, you are the hostess with the mostess.

Keep that flower power going, my friend.

You're making the world a better place with flowers.

Please send me pictures of your flower arrangements inspired by "Life in Bloom."

We call them Schwankes after a viewer's nickname.

Send them to J@uBloom.com.

That's the letter J at the letter U Bloom.com.

And watch for more Schwankes on upcoming shows.

I hope this episode of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" inspires you to enjoy more flowers more often, and especially to share them with others.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

It's kind of fun.

And a little bird told me that you love red.

>> I do.

>> Yeah, but you did tell me on one show yourself, "I like pink too."

>> Pink and there's this little pink purple.

>> Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

>> But the red is the power, is the -- is the flash, is -- you don't see -- you're in a room with 400 people and 3 of us have on red.

So you stand out.

>> And I will wear purple for protection.

>> Oh, I didn't realize that that was -- >> Yeah, purple is protective.

It's also a little mysterious.

It's also a little magical.

>> Okay.

>> And I think flowers are magic.

I think flowers are powerful.

So that's what we're gonna do.

So you have a collection of flowers.

I have a collection of flowers.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> J's flower-arranging tips, helpful hints, and arrangement recipes are available in J's two books, "Fun With Flower" for $25 and "Bloom 365" for $20 plus shipping.

To purchase these books and any visit uBloom.com/Store.

♪♪ To learn more about flower arranging and J, access to videos, and to get recipes, tips, techniques, and much more, visit us online at uBloom.com, follow J on Facebook and Instagram at "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom."

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... ♪♪ At home.

♪♪ At work.

♪♪ Or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... PassionRoses... ♪♪ Suntory Flowers.

♪♪ Closed-caption funding provided by fabulousflorals.com.

♪♪