I have some very lucky Lucky Bamboo. My neighbor gave me 4 little pots of the bamboo 5 years ago..now they are 5 pots. ALL I have ever done is keep them topped off with bottled water…they are in a garden window facing southwest. They are thriving..but the roots are growing out the top of the

Read the rest of Can lucky bamboo be repotted? »

Congratulations to The Bamboo Orchid (a FlowerShopNetwork member) for receiving the Civic Improvement Award from the Poteau Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce. It is nice to see all Glenda’s hard work and excellent customer service pay off.

Read Oklahoma Florist Wins Award

Oklahoma Florist Wins Civic Award

New businesses, take note: it’s not just the established florists that get local accolades.

Glenda Wise of The Bamboo Orchid recently received the Civic Improvement Award (in the Small Business — New Construction category), for Poteau, Okla., as well as citations of congratulations from her senator and congressional representative, only a year after opening her doors in January 2006.

“Her business was judged on … the overall appearance, inside and out,” says Bonnie Prigmore of the Poteau Chamber of Commerce.

Wise says of her open-plan interior: “I believe the al fresco designing lets customers see creativity at work.”

Wise, however, suspects her unique design style and excellent customer service contributed to her winning the award, which she received at the annual Chamber of Commerce dinner in February.

“I think that for people who aren’t necessarily exposed to a lot of different design styles, we offer them something else — something they wouldn’t normally get,” Wise says. “In crunch time we always make something work for the customers.”

She also hopes her award will prove to customers that she is in it for the long haul: “I feel like a lot of new things don’t stick around,” she says. “But this award shows that we are here to stay.”

–Vanessa Machir vmachir@safnow.org Reprinted courtesy of Society of American Florists E-Brief Newsletter

Ask the Expert

My husband and I recentley aquired a peace lilie follwing a funeral. Therefore there were no instructions and it is already quite large. I planted it outside and now I am a bit concerned that they are house plants only. Please help! It is very sentimental and was hoping someone could let me know if it can survive outside?
Amye

I recently moved and my lucky bamboo was in the back of a truck where I
think it got to much wind and sun. The leaves are yellow and splitting on
the ends. How to I make him healthy again Cissye

Ask the Expert: Can you identify this plant for me?

My wife found this in a bunch of flowers, it had a good root system on it so she planted it in a pot and it has started to grow! Thanking you in advance. Stephen Ward.

My daughter bought us several Peace Lilies. She was under the impression that they could be grown outside in the garden. Is this possible. We live in Manitoba, Canada where the winters are fairly severe.
Joel

I thought I would let everyone know that FSN has a special guest writer (Kate Collins the talented author of the Flower Shop Mystery series) for the April newsletter “The Language of Flowers”. Kate gives us insight to where flower meanings come from. For a sneak preview of “The Language of Flowers”

Read the rest of Language of Flowers Newsletter (Guest Writer Kate Collins) »

“The National Animal Poison Control Center says that certain types of lilies can cause renal failure in cats that have ingested any part of the lily. Flower Shop Network recommends keeping lilies out of the reach of cats. It is important to note that lilies do not pose a problem for other pets or humans.”

What is wrong with my Gerbera?
It sits on my desk and gets fluorescent lighting only. It was full of blooms only a few weeks ago. Can you help me? Here are some pictures of the plant.
Tracy