White Elegance

There is something about an all white bouquet of flowers that seems so pure and unspoiled. The way the blossoms are framed by only greenery and no other colors gives it a clean look. The below bouquet was created as a sympathy display but could easily be universal for any occasion. It is what we would call a Homestyle Sympathy piece because it is perfect for a memorial and the home. This particular bouquet features rose oriental lilies that are quite unique because they are shaped like a rose but have many petal within the blossoms like a rose. They are paired with white roses and accented with white hypericum berries. Flowing from the edges of the vase are eucalyptus leaves and bear grass. This give the bouquet a bit of an elegant flowing effect. Because this was for a service I include a mixed white bow of satin ribbon and sheer ribbon. It adds a bit more drama to the piece. Other options for an elegant bouquet could be white hydrangea, white snapdragons or even carnations. I chose not to add any filler like gyp because I wanted to keep it clean looking, however you could add some for a bit more texture. Visit your Florists and they can help with your design and floral selection!

Fall Transition

It is that time of year that we must start the transition into fall. Technically it will be fall in 5 days! Summer did go by quickly. Summer and Fall both create the brightest colors of flowers. Below is an example of how to hold onto summer while dipping your toe into fall. There is a nice mixture of daisys, roses, stock, status, hydrangea, mini carnations, sunflowers and status. The colors are summery with whites and pinks and yet the addition of the sunflowers and purple stock. The ferns also bring a lacy yet transitional bold feel to the design. This particular design was done in oasis in inside of a plum cube base. A touch of natural raffia would also look pretty in this bouquet. I love all the different textures as well. Soft petals and more broad leaf greenery. It is an all around design so it can be enjoyed from all sides. Visit your local Florists and they can help you select the perfect mixture of florals and greenery. Happy end of summer.

Creating Floral Personality

Bridal bouquets can be made fun with a little accent. Some accents have sentimental meanings life a scarf or a ring and some feature fun accents. Years back we did one with big peacock feathers that was paired well with the flowers in the bouquet which were deep purple and whites. Below is a fun little handheld bouquet we did where the bride brought in little cotton ball pics. What a unique and neat little idea. I particularly liked it because the cotton balls were surrounded by soft colors like light pinks and ivorys. Poking in and out around the bouquet was dusty miller which adds another dimension of fuzziness! A few white berry springs and this bouquet was both whimsical and playful. The textures together were like a little cloud of love on the horizon. Florals do not have to be all about the flowers, sometimes a little added element can bring a whole new personality to the event or gift. Next time you are trying to create a mood, ask your Florists from some help to create something memorable and unique.

Rose Lily

The Rose Lily has become one of my new favorites. It is an oriental lily that is loaded with petals as the blossoms open. I feel like it is a bonus flower because it has the scent of an oriental lily, the shape of an oriental lily and many petal within it like a rose – thus the Rose Lily. So far I have had these in the shop in white and hot pink/white. Both are truly beautiful. Nice thing about an oriental lily is that it is hardier and last longer than the similar asiatic lily. Now they do cost more money, but you get your moneys worth. They are very splashy for sympathy bouquets and elegant enough to use in an everyday arrangement. Paired with Roses, like below, they are an exquisite gift for your Sweetheart. This particular design is in a vase with seeded eucalyptus on the edges and calcinia tucked in between the stems. This display with the large mixed lace and satin bow ties this entire arrangement. Next time you want a beautiful bloom that makes a big statement, consider the Rose Lily! It has the sweetness of a gardenia and a powerful scent, but magnified.

Training Time!

The Shop is training a new Designer and shop employee. Alot goes into training. Trainees need to learn about selling, learning product, designing bouquets, delivering, product care and much more. Let’s focus on designing. Some tips for a beginner and common pitfalls are: Always remember to tape oasis into containers, trim greens down to good scale based on the arrangement, when designing remember to work items into the sides, remember to give the base of the design good coverage and not jut focus on the top of the design, evenly disburse flowers so the design is balanced properly/ for mixed designs select flowers of different texture and shape to give a mixed design some character, try a little filler to add some lace to the design and always use a mixture a greens. These are some basics and there is much to learn as experience grows. With a good eye, good ears for learning and lots of practice a new designer can begin to work with confidence in no time. No matter the design it is most important to listen to the customer to be sure the finished product is what they asked for. The design below has all the elements of good composition and coverage with a variety of florals  Happy Designing!

A Rose Shortage 2020

June/July of 2020 has brought in Rose prices higher than Valentine’s Day for the Floral Industry. Why you may wonder? There is a Rose Shortage. Approximately 3 weeks ago I was notified by my suppliers of a Rose Shortage. It was creating quite a price bump in prices. In some cases we are paying at the retail level, at times, 80% more per stem. During the early days of COVID Floral Growers were forced to destroy much fresh product due to cancelled events and businesses closing/pausing. Many Rose Growers who were away from production for a week or more were forced to cut their Rose Bushes down in order to prevent disease and further waste. This has created a shortage in the supply chain as the plants grow anew. Good news is this is all temporary and I have been told that hopefully within the next couple of weeks supply should be plentiful again and prices should be begin to fall back. This is another challenge to Florist’s who don’t want to discourage flower buying by rising prices during these economic times of hardship. At our Shop we are holding our prices at regular pricing for now and as long as we can in anticipation that prices will go back to normal soon. The effects of COVID does have roots & legs and has effected the supply chain from the “ground up”.

A Traditional Basket of Posies

Sometimes a person or occasion requires a bright vibrant mix of flowers and other times a pretty mix of pastels is more appropriate. Maybe the recipient is very traditional or perhaps it is for a sympathy and a quieter design is more appropriate for the circumstances. This basket below can be used for either occasion. It is a mid size design with a higher price point because it features many roses, both full size and spray roses. Also included in the design are some green hydrangeas, white alstromeria lilies and carnations in shades of pink. There is no filler in this design and does not require it because the spray roses are enough of a delicate touch. Framing the design is baker fern and isreali ruscus. The wicker basket has an accent of green satin around the handle which is a nice touch instead of a bow. This particular design is more traditional and does not feature any gardeny or linear flowers which helps to keep the design round and compact. This style of bouquet could also work if you were intending a bolder color scheme. This could be done by using yellow roses and purple alstormeria and red carnations. Ask your local Florist for help and they will be happy to help select the perfect posies for your basket.

Lily Of The Valley

This is a most interesting flower because it is widely cherished, but not widely available. I have never had the pleasure of working with this particular blossom in the shop over my time here. Reason being that it is very expensive to purchase and many customers can not afford it. Another reason that I have found in the past is the suppliers do not like to offer it because it is a very temperamental and delicate flower. They do not travel well to the wholesaler because they are so delicate and the lifespan of the blossom is short. So many times by the time it travels to the wholesaler onto the retailer and then to the customer the blossoms are fading. So I was presently surprised when one of the Designers here had some growing in her yard a brought me in a handful freshly picked. Oh they smelled so good and were so pretty. I would say they lasted about 4-5 days in my vase. The vase life is generally 2-6 days so I did well. Lily Of The Valley are bulb plants which are not the longest lasting blossoms, but beautiful non the less. This experience inspired me to purchase some bulbs. When they come in they will require a shady spot and hopefully next year I will have started my own patch. Even an Old Dog like me can learn some new tricks. If you see a floral or foliage you find interesting, give it a try because you may find a new favorite!

Spider Plant

Talk about a plant with legs. This beauty is so full and is loaded with little babies. It is called a Spider Plant because it fills in and clusters like a Web. Spider Plants are very easy to grow. They require only indirect sunlight and well drained soil kept watered. They can take it a little coolish. It is OK to let them dry out a bit in between watering once in a while. If the plant gets too moist it could get root rot.  Roots on the Spider Plant are tuberous. The most popular varieties are ones with variegated leaves. Many people will hang these plants because of the drape, however a nice pedestal stand also works nicely.  The plant will sprout forth other plants that will start as little white blossoms. When the plant gets over loaded with little baby plants simply trim or snap them off and place them in some water for a bit of rooting. Once the roots are established pot the roots in soil and watch a new plants grow. This is a fun plant that can be shared with friends and family as a little keepsake.

Mother’s Day 2020 Lessons

I will never forget Mother’s Day 2020 at The Flower Shop. We had to do alot of out of the box thinking to handle the volume within the perimeters of staffing that we were aloud by COVID restrictions. But we fulfilled what we committed to. We were able to exceed prior years volumes with only 2 of us working at a time.. gathering orders and creating designs. Normally I have 3-4 people at a time. We did the best we could. Carrie and Heather are awesome! As my one Supplier put it WOW, the story we had rang true for all Florists….. those that decided to open this Mother’s Day knowing it would be a challenge. The outpouring of love for Moms’ was unprecedented 💕. In my 20 years this was the first time we ever had to cut off orders. It did make me sad because I know many were loyal customers. I hope we never have to do that again, just another casualty of COVID. What I experienced this week and a half proved that families need each other and the void is real. Right down to the phone messages people left me, willing to give me anything if I please would send their Moms something at The Villages because the situation is so sad and they can not even visit their Moms…some of whom had COVID. They could not comfort them, they could only send flowers. How could I say no to that even though is was after our cutoff. I couldn’t and I didn’t. Truth be told…every person that left me a message I called back and tried to work something out for flowers for Mom. Or the gentlemen that called at Noon today because they needed funeral flowers for their Mom who had passed this Mother’s Day weekend. I had only enough flowers left to fill this order, so we stayed late and they will be ready for Monday AM. This holiday, for This Florist will go down as the most memorable and heart tugging.