Flowers by Julia joins nationwide effort to ‘Petal It Forward’

PRINCETON — Flowers by Julia will join dozens of floral industry businesses nationwide on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to surprise unsuspecting passersby in Princeton and surrounding areas with two free flower bouquets each — one to keep and one to give to a friend, family member, colleague or even a stranger.

The random-acts-of-kindness effort — called Petal It Forward and organized by the Society of American Florists (SAF), of which Flowers by Julia is a member — is designed to help people start their day with more smiles and less stress. The effort illustrates research from the University of North Florida that shows living with flowers reduces stress.

“Petal It Forward is the floral industry’s way of giving back,” said Jenny Scala, SAF’s director of marketing and communications, citing the effort was purposefully planned for a Wednesday to help the mid-week slump.

Flowers by Julia wanted to be a part of the mood-boosting effort, and make a difference in the community.

“A flower for you and a flower for someone who is feeling blue. Petal It Forward can change their mood,” said Julia Cain, owner of Flowers by Julia. “Through the positive effects of flowers, we hope to make someone’s day brighter, and provide a much-needed moment of calm amidst the hectic pace of life.”

The research findings on flowers and stress relief, and the need for mood-boosting gestures, seem timely: A survey by Wakefield Research in July showed that 68% of Americans experience stress weekly, and 32% report feeling stressed daily. Women are even more affected, with 25% reporting feeling stress multiple times a day.

Cain says the original idea behind Petal It Forward’s ‘keep one, share one’ concept, which started in 2015, came after looking at statistics that showed while 80% of people reported receiving flowers makes them happy, even more (88%) said that giving flowers makes them happy.

“We want to give people the chance to experience both,” said Cain. “Spread some cheer today, by ‘Petaling It Forward.’”