The calls come in sometimes quicker than Jan Goodman can answer them. Sitting inside her Pembroke, Massachusetts home, this life-long florist has suddenly found herself juggling a small army of volunteers, all in an effort to bring hope to hospitals across the region. Goodman is the owner of CityScapes in Boston, a locally-owned floral and landscaping business that would typically be inundated with business this time of year. While many orders are being put on hold, Goodman and her workers are still making deliveries. Not to customers, but instead, to those on the front lines of the novel coronavirus pandemic. “It’s a tough time, and we all recognize that, but we have to find silver linings,” she said. Over the last two weeks, Goodman and other florists across the Boston area have been coordinating efforts to bring thousands of flowers to hospitals across the city. Many landscapers and floral companies have flowers that are on the verge on being sent to compost piles, since demand has decreased dramatically. Instead, with the help of volunteers, those flowers are showing up outside of hospitals for doctors, nurses and staff to take home with them. “We want them to know we see what they’re doing,” Goodman said. “We do notice, and we appreciate it. If we can do anything to say, ‘thank you,’ that’s what the purpose is.” Many of the flowers being donated are daffodils. After the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, hundreds of thousands of the bright yellow flowers were planted along the marathon route as a symbol of hope. While the marathon was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the blossoming flowers were still finding a way to bring hope to those who need it most. The nonprofit Boston Marathon Daffodil gave thousands of their flowers to […]
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Travis Rigby is a publisher and entrepreneur focused on growing the floral industry through media, data, and product innovation. With a journalism background from the University of Utah, he founded and led PosterGarden.com for 27 years before transitioning into floral publishing. Today, Travis is the publisher of Florists’ Review, one of the industry’s most historic and influential titles, which he relaunched in 2026 with a focus on rebuilding its audience and transforming it into a modern data-driven platform for advertisers and readers alike. At Florists' Review Media, he oversees a portfolio of floral brands including Florists’ Review, SuperFloral, Canadian Florist, Flora (UK), Australian Florist, and LivingFlowers.com.
