An Easter Calla Lily

When you think of Easter Plants your mind goes straight to the Easter Lily with it’s large trumpet shaped blossoms atop a sturdy stem. But another great choice is a Calla Lily Plant. This bulbus plant has many stems and blossoms coming from it’s pot. The leaves are very similar to the Peace Lily Plant and sometime they are spotted. They come in a wide variety of colors such as yellow, lavender, white, pink, purple, red, and the below is orange. The florets are the most interesting shape, similar to a fluted challis. To enjoy this plant you either leave the blossoms on the plant or cut them and put them into a cut bouquet. Cut Callas will last a good amount of time before fading when properly cared for. When purchasing individual Callas cut, they can be quite pricey. An alternative would be to purchase a plant that has many blossoms on it and then you can plant it outdoors during the warm season and watch it rebloom. Making it multi-purpose. This is a great spring blooming plant as a gift especially at Easter or even Mother’s Day. We dressed this plant up with some spring foil and topped it with with a mix bow for Easter. So next time you are looking for a unique gift for a unique person at Easter, consider the Calla.

Build Your Luck !

Display your St. Patty’s day luck in a big way! Get creative with a sheet of foamboard and fresh product. First get some foamboard and cut it in the shape of a lucky clover. I got a black foam so that it will blend in better with the moss. If you want to go further you could get a white one then paint it dark green. Next I used sheet moss because it has better coverage than spanish moss, but you could use spanish moss too. I adhered it with spray adhesive. If your moss is brown you can then spray it with some green moss paint to green it up a bit. Another option if your feeling really creative and have time, would be to hot glue on some white daisy, green kermit poms and/or carnations sprayed green. Make sure to cut the blossoms off the stem flush so they are as flat as can be. For a fun mosaic you can mix the variety of flowers or you can go for a more uniform design. When you complete your art, you can prop this up on a table or even hang it on your door. So give it a try and maybe you will bring some luck your way.

Yummy Flowers!

Looks good enough to eat- this flower cake! But if you cut into it you might be surprised to see a big block of floral oasis under all of these pretty blossoms. This little cake is designed on a preformed oasis that is shaped like a cake and attached to a plastic cake pedestal. The form first needs to be fully soaked in water. The cake pictured below is very creative and colorful. We used lavender daisies, viking poms, kermit poms and touches of babys breath for the sides, with a few ribbon pics loops for a bit of flare. On the top we used white minis, little lavender buds and a single rose in the middle. It is all topped off with tiny candles. If you want your cake to look more realistic you can use all white cushion poms around the cake and decorate the top with any fun colors and different shaped blossoms. To keep this fresh, the recipient can give the foam a touch of water each day until it stops drinking. Next time you are looking for something festive yet less traditional, consider this unique option. Blossom Apatite.

Flower Lei’s

Nothing says I am dreaming of warm weather than a fresh flower lei. Soon warmer temps will be here, so get prepared on the method. Flower leis are not just for Hawaii! People wear them at their local luau’s, graduations, weddings and many events. These little beauties can be quite time consuming because each flower is thread in. When we have prepared them, we take a long needle with thread and create the garland like you would a popcorn garland for your Christmas Tree. Traditionally leis are made of orchids and similar tropical flowers. But you can create a lei with any flower buds that are delicate. I would not suggest large or heavy flowers because you want it to be comfortable around your neck and not be too heavy. When threading your buds be sure to thread were the bud has some substance so it will old onto the tread or line sufficiently. The below pictured lei is a mixture of vibrant colors, but you could do all white or perhaps something patriotic like red/white and blue. Whatever the event, this is a fun option over the standard corsage. So get your thread out and start dreaming of summertime and gatherings that you can wear this conversation adornment to.

Sweet Cuddles Valentine 2021

Valentine’s Day 2021 means 21 Valentine’s Days at The Flower Shop for this Florists. This year we were once again tasked with the process of creating special arrangements for our Local Clientele. Many Florists depend on wire service to create their features, but we found many years ago that people in our county like our designs better and they are more affordable for everyone. This year’s premium bouquet is in a keepsake long container that says love on it. My vision was for a cute design that looked like a little plush bear was sitting in the middle of a garden. To create the base of the garden we used mixed greenery to include flat fern, seeded eucalyptus and colored wax flower. This container has 3 compartments, so the middle one is on dry foam and the two ends are on wet foam. We decided to leave the plush in the box because it say “Happy Valentine’s Day” on it and it may help protect the plush from moisture. For fresh product we used spray roses, daisies, alstromeria, mini gerbera, pom poms and carnations. Weaved inside is some fun wired Valentine garland and the edge of the arrangement is topped with a natural burlap bow featuring glittery hearts. This Valentine Bouquet is perfect for the Sweetie that loves both Love and Cuddles! See your local Florists for their specialties. Nothing says romance like glitter and fresh flowers.

A Rainbow Wreath

The ROYGBIV Wreath. The Acronym for the colors of the Rainbow. This is a perfect sympathy wreath for someone who was a dreamer. Dreaming of things over the Rainbow. It features colors of the Rainbow, each stacked together to create a vibrant display of colors. Each block signifies a different color of the Rainbow complete, as in the circle of life. This is created on large floral oasis wreath and simply requires the creator to know their colors and group like colored palettes together. This wreath features Red Roses and Alstromeria, Blue Gyp, Purple Poms, Pink Roses, Green Kermits, Carnations and Hydrangea, Yellow Roses, Alstromeria and Sunflowers and a little Peach Roses as well. Because the Rainbow does not have any white in it we used a white satin bow to stand out against all the colors that had script on it. This particular item was quite pricey, however you could do a smaller one with like florals sprayed with floral paint to get the same effect. It sets on an easel at either the service or a gravesite. These designs are very heavy because the oasis needs to be soaked well with water in order to have enough moisture to support the life of the flowers for a couple days. Next time you are considering a sympathy bouquet this could be a perfect option. Visit your Florist, as always, they would love to assist you.

The Delivery

Twenty years of delivering and I have learned alot. Most obviously I have learned how to properly read the map using the house numbers for village vs. rural and I know every road in our county! With Valentine’s Day coming and the necessity to bring in people to help with deliveries, it is important to be somewhat strategic in our containers for this Holiday. Reason being no matter how hard you try, arrangement may shift a bit during delivery. The best way to minimize the odds of an arrangement tipping over or becoming unstable is to pick a container that has a flatter bottom and will be balanced in a way that it is not top heavy. Valentine’s Day is a holiday where a decent percentage of your yearly sales is delivered in 2-3 days. Normally I do run deliveries, so I know all the tricks. But for those that are kind enough to help me out, I want to make sure it is as easy and stress free as possible. No one wants to come back and tell us they spilled a delivery or one got disheveled … although I do encourage them to do this because the last thing you want is an unhappy customer, especially when you have worked so hard. This year’s selections are in route to us and they consist of containers that can be easily packed into a vehicle or pick-up by a customer. It is important that your customer can easily transport the arrangement too. We do offer vase boxes for such situations. During normal business we package all vases in boxes, but for Valentine’s Day when there is so much to go out the door and a small window of time, we rely on boxes that hold several vases for delivery purposes. A stable container is also easier to leave on a doorstep too if a recipient is not home. One year we did martini glass arrangements. They were clever and really pretty, but from a delivery stand point is was a bit challenging. Weather can also play a big role for February and windy days can place havoc on designs. So when you do not have the luxury to mess about with an unusually shaped container, flat bottomed and balanced containers are the best. Here is hoping for good weather this February 12-14 😉❤ Maybe you will get a special delivery.

The Holiday Rush

2020 is ending in a Holiday Rush. People unable to spend the Holidays with their loved ones has created a demand on Florists for Flower Deliveries. It started out busy and is ending with our Shop reaching capacity and our Suppliers as well. What were customers buying? Of course Holiday fresh arrangements, fresh wreaths, amaryllis, poinsettias, candy, fun mylars, dish gardens, fruit baskets and a few gifts thrown in. It has kept us on our toes for sure. The Grand Dame of our Holiday this year was the Holiday Elegance Bouquet. It is designed in a glass vase that is fanned out at the top, perfect for a flowing round, yet tall design. The top features gorgeous oriental lilies in white surrounded by red freedom roses nested in a bed of winter greens, mini gerbera, and green hydrangea. For a bit of sparkle and holiday feel we added a shiny glass ball, pine cone, shimmery ribbon, tiny pieces of silver curly ting, seeded eucalyptus and a little touch of babys breath. All together this vase is quite a large display and a sure eye catcher. And the lilies smell wonderful! This is a perfect design for someone who is a bit less traditional and likes florals that have flare. Merry Christmas to everyone and see you next year. As always, visit your local Florists for the latest in ideas and trends.

A Dollar Store Bouquet

At the last minute we need another Holiday Feature and it is too late to order containers for timely delivery. When you live in a small town there is but one option. Go to the local dollar store and find some creativity. It took a bit, but what we came up with was our 2020 Santa’s Sweet Treat Bouquet! We found a festive 10″ green basket with a black belt and gold buckle wrapped around it. Then we found some cute little candy bags with various Holiday images on them. Next isle down we grabbed up some chocolate coal candy and peppermint candies to put inside the little candy bags; something for the naughty and nice in all of us. At the store we had in stock some gold edged velvet ribbon that we created a nice big bow to attached the bag of candy to. To create, we first used assorted evergreens for our base and then added fresh florals in the colors of the season. Such as roses, peppermint mini carnations, green kermit poms, white cushion poms and babys breath. Add the bow/bag, white sprayed pine cone and little shinny balls. The result was a nice sized all around bouquet. Next time you need a creative floral display know that you don’t have to spend alot on the hardware. The prefect greenery, florals and accents are the key to creating magic for the Holidays and every day. Visit your local Florists we love the help with fun ideas! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Thankful 2020

It is that time of the year to reflect and see what there is to be thankful for this year. Many might say not much in 2020, however here at The Flower Shop it has been just the opposite. We have no complaints. Sure we had to close up for one month in the spring, but when we came back the community support has been amazing. The Flower Shop has been not only a refuge for me and my staff, but a place for those looking for some uplifting blossoms for themselves and the ones they love get through this year. Our first day back after shutdown we were flooded with orders from people wanting to support this little 85 year old shop and that continues until this day. I call The Shop my happy place because I work with wonderful ladies and each day we are honored to see all the smiles that not only delivering flowers brings, but helping those that want to send flowers! Next year will be a year of transition as The Shop looks for a new owner because we are moving to Tennessee. However my time here is ending full of love and warmth. May everyone have a blessed Thanksgiving and Holiday Season and may 2021 bring in new reasons to be Thankful. Below is one my favorite Thanksgiving traditions, the Cornucopia full of a mixture of colors and textures it encapsulates the spirit of the world.