Boise Florist Spreads Joy on Petal It Forward Day with 10,000 Flowers.
BOISE, Idaho — October 16 marks Petal It Forward Day, a nationwide initiative designed to spread joy and kindness through flowers. Local business Fifty Flowers, headquartered in Boise, took the lead in the city’s celebrations, distributing 10,000 flowers across town to brighten people’s day.
The concept behind Petal It Forward is simple: each recipient is handed two flowers—one to keep for themselves, and one to pass along to someone else, promoting acts of kindness.
“We hope to create just a moment of happiness, a small smile for someone who might need that special feeling,” said Liza Roeser, CEO and founder of Fifty Flowers.
Roeser founded the company in Boise in 2000. It was the first online wholesale flower business, shipping blooms directly from flower farms to customers’ doorsteps.
“Who would have thought that a girl from Texas could create an internationally recognized business right here in Boise, Idaho?” Roeser remarked.
The Petal It Forward initiative was launched ten years ago by the Society of American Florists, of which Roeser is a member. The goal is to encourage small acts of kindness and spread positivity through the simple act of giving flowers.
“We’re just one of thousands of florists across the nation out here today, sharing joy,” Roeser said.
The idea is to inspire people to perform acts of kindness by holding onto one flower they receive and passing the other along to someone else. Regardless of what someone might be going through, this small gesture is meant to serve as a reminder that joy can be found in even the smallest moments.
“It’s a reminder that everything will be okay, and that life is beautiful,” Roeser added.
Flowers, according to Roeser, have been scientifically shown to reduce stress, making them an easy way to uplift one’s mood. For Petal It Forward, her goal is to spread that message as far as possible.
“Seeing the barista’s smile from a distance when she spotted the bucket of flowers—that’s the kind of joy we’re spreading all around Boise today,” Roeser shared.
The day served as a testament to the power of small gestures, bringing beauty and a sense of connection to the Boise community through the gift of flowers.
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