From the safety side of things, the only things I can think of are aggravating people with allergies and you have to be very careful about the soil. Beyond just the pests already mentioned, plants that aren't watered appropriately can leave standing water in the pots and eventually mold. Which loops back around to aggravating allergies. Since this is planned for a cafe space I would recommend checking with your local health department and/or state food safety requirements. They might have additional guidance on recommendations for plants around food.
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Jessica Ricchio
North & Northwest Program Leader Workforce Health and Safety
McHenry
United States
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-18-2025 13:20
From: Charlotte Ameringer
Subject: Guidelines for flowers in a museum cafe
Dear Colleagues,
Our museum is considering the regular display of flower arrangements in the museum cafe. I am very familiar with "Art in Bloom"-type events and the rules governing flower displays for such events. I'm wondering if any museums have differing rules they would be willing to share for floral arrangements in non-gallery museum spaces, specifically cafes or spaces where food is prepared and served. It seems that some of the "Art in Bloom" guidelines may be overly restrictive for such a space, e.g., requiring the use of floral foam.
thanks, Charlotte
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Charlotte Seifen Ameringer
Chief Conservator
Portland Art Museum
503-276-4216 | direct
portlandartmuseum.org
My pronouns are she/her
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