It’s finally Veterans Day again; the day we honor our fallen, retired, and active soldiers and sailors for their heroic dedication to our country. Many have served in several wars, seen multiple overseas tours, and have dealt with separation from friends and family.

There is no soldier that is without a large measure of bravery, strength of character, pride and patriotism. For that and for showing us that “gallant” is still a relative term, Flower Shop Network would like to officially thank all servicemen in/of the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corp, United States Air Force, and United States Coast Guard. You are all deeply and warmly appreciated. Our very best wishes for you on this day and the days ahead.

These photos were sent by fans of Flower Shop Network who chose to allow us to honor their favorite soldier today. Please feel free to honor your favorite serviceman with photos and praises in the comment section below.

God bless America.

If you would like to honor someone with gift baskets or flowers for Veteran’s Day, Flower Shop Network makes it easy to contact a local florist. The florist you choose will create and deliver the perfect tribute.

Ask the Expert: Grave Blankets
I was wanting to make a grave blanket for my fathers grave, only I don’t have a clue how to do this , so I was wanting to ask if you could send me step by step directions on how to make one .   Thanks for your time  Michelle

Plant Expert Reply:

I would be glad to give you  step by step instructions for creating a grave blanket. Before you create the grave blanket, check with the cemetery association to make sure grave blankets are allowed and the size they will accept.

Grave blankets can be 6′ in length with a width of 3′ to 3.5′ for a single grave blanket or 8′ in length with a width of 4′ for double grave blankets.  Some cemeteries will not allow grave blankets but will accept grave pillows.  These pillows are much smaller - 4′ x 3′ or 20″ x 22″.

You will need the following:

• chicken wire
• wire cutters
• pruners
• floral knife
• greenery - evergreens (fir, pine etc.)
• floral foam
• floral tape
• floral wire
• hot glue
• outdoor ribbon
• fresh flowers
• pine cones or other accessories

Steps involved in Creating a Grave Blanket: Read the rest of How To Make Grave Blankets »

That’s right. Flower Shop Network is GIVING AWAY A FREE AUTUMN BOUQUET to one lucky person.

All you have to do to enter is retweet this post with the hashtag #FSNTHX. That’s it! Just retweet this post by midnight Monday, November 23th and you will be eligible to win an Autumn Bouquet from YOUR LOCAL FLORIST for delivery in the USA or Canada (valued up to $50).

Wanna play? Get tweeting.

6. Express Gratitude with Fall Flowers

Thanksgiving Day is the perfect time to brighten the season with fall flowers. The colors alone are enough to bring a smile to a loved one’s face or bring warmth to a cold November day with shades of red, gold, orange, brown and plum. Flowers communicate in ways that other decorations can’t. They say that the day is blessed and the guests or recipients are valued.When you add the natural beauty and aroma of a fall flower arrangement to the aromas associated with Thanksgiving…

Read More About “Expressing Gratitude with Fall Flowers” »

5. All About The Cornucopia - The Horn of Plenty

The cornucopia is a time-honored symbol of abundance, long associated with Thanksgiving. However, it was symbolic well before this holiday existed. The word ‘cornucopia’ actually dates back to the 5th century BC. It derives from two Latin words: “cornu,” meaning horn (as in the name of that one-horned creature, the “unicorn”) and “copia,” meaning plenty (a relative of such words as “copious” and “copy”). Thus, “cornucopia” literally means horn of plenty …

Read More “Cornucopia - The Horn of Plenty” »

4. Thanksgiving Card Snippets

18) (Funny) Hoping these will sway your answer to the most important question of the day–Do I have to wear one of those funny pilgrim hats to dinner?

19) Wishing you warm and heartfelt blessings this holiday season.

20) May the turkey be plump and your tummy full. Or is it the other way around? Happy Thanksgiving!

Read More “Thanksgiving Snippets” »

3. Say Hello To Falls Abundant Beauty

Need a gift for a Thanksgiving celebration? Throwing a festive fall party but need something to liven up the decorations? This fall flowers centerpiece is for you. Fall flowers add cheer faster than Uncle Bob’s silly jokes, so fall in love with the Abundant Beauty centerpiece this year. Don’t be surprised if your other decorations get jealous. Candle wreaths are very popular but the “Abundant Beauty” centerpiece adds a great deal to the traditional idea…

Read More about “Say Hello To Fall’s Abundant Beauty“»

2. Fresh Flower Decorating Tips For Fall

There are a lot of ways to decorate a home for fall. For starters, you’re going to need plenty of fresh flowers. Dried and preserved will work, of course, but there is something sensuous and inviting about fresh flowers. They just start the season off right. Besides, as the leaves begin to fall and the colors burst then fade, you’re going to like having the fresh flowers around as you welcome winter weather into your home.

Read More about “Fall Fresh Flower Decorating Tips” »

1. The Perfect Hostess Gift For Thanksgiving

Every year I’m invited to an elaborate Thanksgiving party, and must greet the occasion with an air of Southern hospitality. Many people have heard the common rule, “Never arrive to a party empty-handed.” It’s one of those understood rules of etiquette that can be a bit hard to carry out in a unique way for yearly occasions such as Thanksgiving gatherings. However, I recently learned of a very fun and festive gift for the hostess.

Read More About “The Perfect Hostess Gift For Thanksgiving” »

In case you haven’t met her, there’s a real sweetheart in Mount Vernon, Washington who is the creative face behind The Enchanted Florist.

When asked to do an anniversary arrangement for the local IHOP restaurant, Lori Manduchi (the sweetheart) created this unique pancakes flower arrangement as a special treat.

Lori recently shared these photos on the FSN Facebook page. Of course, everyone at Flower Shop Network was SO impressed that I had to ask the story behind them.

As explained by Lori of The Enchanted Florist, a flower shop in Mount Vernon Washington:

Just a customer who knew that we liked to do oddball things and was willing to pay the extra delivery charge to get it there. I did mention that the IHOP was about 20 miles away from us.
The pancake part was easy, copper cushion mums with a dusting of matte white design master to give them a toasted look.
The syrup took a lot longer but after trying out lots of different kinds of media from elmers glue to polyurethane, we settled on the tinted modpodge that we had puddled onto wax paper and left to dry. It stayed flexible enough so that we could drape it over the pancakes and and onto the plate.

We stay pretty busy with the day to day of birthdays, new babies, sympathy etc. It’s so much fun when we get an order for something that really makes us stop and think “Now how in the world am I going to do that?” It keeps us from falling into a floral rut.

Have a great day.

I knew it. You can ALWAYS count on florists to come through with something creative and fun. Be it a unique anniversary arrangement like Lori’s pancake flowers or a spiffy Jeep flower arrangement for a birthday, florists always come through in a pinch with something beautiful and special.

Thanks so much to Lori and everyone at The Enchanted Florist for sharing this delicious-looking arrangement with us!

To see what unique flower arrangements your local florist can create, call them up for your next fun occasion and watch what amazing flowers you receive.

Now I’ve seen a lot in my short lifetime but this arrangement beats them all. How cool is this? For those who can’t get the thumbnail to expand, it’s an arrangement of flowers coming out of a pair of fake female legs. The whole thing was placed in a shower and used as a fun decoration for an otherwise empty space. Leave it to Hope Floral to come up with something this fun.

I should probably let you in one why this photo was submitted for our viewing pleasure. Competition was dying down in the weekly FSN Facebook photo contest so we decided to ask a fun question instead. When asked “where’s the most creative place you’ve seen flowers used”, this photo was Hope Floral’s reply. We should’ve known. *wink*

Hope Floral, one of our favorite florists in Hope Arkansas, is always pushing the envelope. They know when to stick their toe in the water for a little test and when to jump in wholeheartedly. This sexy flower arrangement (can I say that?) proves it. Bitsy Carter and the rest of the awesome florists at Hope Floral are that kind of team. Need something fun to fill an empty space? Need something romantic to get her in the mood? They’re the florists to call.

Want to see the other photos that were submitted this week? They were all SO wonderful that it was hard to choose a winner. Check them all out at FSN’s Facebook page and tell us which you like the best. Don’t forget to vote for this week’s favorite and submit your own. Who knows? The winner next week could be YOU!

Just a little Jeep love from Wakulla Florist to brighten your day.

My family STILL teases me for my incessant love of Jeeps. Because I’m so infatuated, I wanted to share this Jeep themed flower arrangement with you. I’ll admit it. I swooned. I practically salivated over it. Seriously, I love Jeeps and flowers that much. To see them combined? Well, that was heavenly.

Here’s the story from the Crawfordville FL florist who created the arrangement, Wakulla Florist. It’s for all of the gals out there like me who love the off-roading lifestyle of a Jeep and the boys who love the girls like us. This is the story straight from the designer, Kristi Sanders.

Hi Brynn! Thanks for the swooning. We absolutely have the most creative and wonderful customers out there. This customer wanted to surprise his wife on her birthday in a big way. It’s always been her “birthday dream” to get flowers and a Jeep. He gave us total control over the design as long as we focused on the Jeep. We delivered to her office and on the card he made it sound like that was all she was getting and that her “dream” had come true. To her surprise, she had a brand new Jeep waiting for her at home! It’s nice to see that our flowers played such an important role in his big surprise.

The story is just as interesting as the arrangement. Such trickery, a little teasing, a little subterfuge. What Jeep-loving gal wouldn’t love that?

Ask the Expert: What is this flower?
It is a 2.5ft high plant with grey green leaves and cerise pink flowers with pendulous buds which straighten as the blooms open.  Joane

Plant Expert Reply:

This interesting flowers looks like a Papaver somniferum - an Opium poppy.  Most of these poppies have single blooms (meaning the flower has only a single row of petals).  This one is a double flowering poppy - multiple petals.  Blue-green seed pods will follow the flowers.  These seed pods can be dried and are fantastic additions to dried flower arrangements. Be careful not to ingest any part of this plant - it will cause stomach upset.

This question was sponsored by local flower shops across the U.S. and Canada.

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.  ~Seneca

It’s funny the holidays you come across when you spend the majority of your time googling flowers. Did you know that there is a World Kindness Day? Impressive.

World Kindness Day was started just over a decade ago at the first World Kindness Movement conference in Tokyo, Japan. Apparently, there was a 35 year tradition of participating in a day that celebrated small acts of kindness. (Sounds a lot like the American “Sweetest Day”, doesn’t it?)

The purpose of World Kindness Day is very communal and sweet. It’s a day established to encourage people to remember that we are not just a person of one race, country, creed or religion. We are a part of the world which is made up of wonderful, different people. Each and every person deserves love because of their humanity, not just something special they have done, said or are.

It’s a beautiful sentiment shared by millions which have caused the holiday to spread our way. This year, we celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13th.

You can read more about World Kindness Day (it’s all over the Internet), but here’s the story that caught my attention:

Get Beet Phang is a 60-year-old cleaner who clears tables at a Suntec food court in Singapore. This act was part of the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) which hopes to extend good tidings through World Kindness Day on the 13th.

Get Beet Phang received 35 bright yellow gerbera daisies on Tuesday, November 3rd, from colleagues who wanted to show their appreciation for how kind and helpful she has been all of these years. In the article from The Straits Times, the recipient goes on to say that she has been working for 13 years and has never received as many flowers. The look on her face in the photo that runs with the article is priceless. She looks elated to have received so much attention.

The SKM is prepared to donate more than 40,000 daisies to donate and will be celebrated in over 60 venues in Singapore alone. Imagine what kind of trademark we could leave on the world if we decided to send flowers or a card to someone that we value. The idea is mind-boggling and exhilarating.

It’s small acts of kindness like this that make it easy for people to be gracious to one another. Kindness is contagious. You almost feel obliged to be kind to someone who has been nice to you because you want to make them feel what you felt. Rather than spreading negativity, why don’t we do something of our own to take part in World Kindness Day?

What this world needs is a new kind of army - the army of the kind.  ~Cleveland Amory

Ask The Expert: Your plant-care guidelines for the Golden Pothos Ivy plant states that the plant needs a soil-based potting mix to prosperously flourish in, but at the Lowes, Home Depot, etc. nurseries, they have no potting mixes labeled “Soil-based” or even listing its soil contents, yet the stores claim that all of their potting mixes are soil-based?? I tried using Miracle Gro potting mix, but it rotted off (just above the top of the soil); 4 pots of Golden Pothos plants of mine, it did that time and time again as I would clip and replant them in the soil-and they got watered only once a week,(indoors): Could you kindly assist me in properly identifying good “Soil-based” potting mixes? thanks in advance: Sincerely,
Robert Campbell.

Plant Expert Reply:
It is kind of funny that the industry uses the terms soil-based and soil-less when referring to the type of potting mix in plant cultural information. Yet, they don’t use these terms when marketing the products for sale.

So here is a little guide to help you select the correct soil. Soil-based potting mixtures will contain things like peat, sand, vermiculite, or perlite. They generally weight more than soil-less mixtures. I like to think of soil-based potting mixtures as being a little “beefy” since they will clump together if you apply pressure. Soil-based potting mediums contain materials that naturally retain water and nutrients. Think of your soil particles - sand, silt and clay. Soil-based potting soils will have the same properties of these soil types.

Soil-less potting mixes are contain mostly peat, barks, pulmice type materials or a peat substitute like composted coconut husks. These airy and lighter weight materials allow water and nutrients a greater opportunity to evaporate or drain from the mixture. They “fluff” the soil but do not have any soil properties. Many soil-less potting mixes are specially labeled (referencing the plants that need this type of mix - like orchid soil or cactus soil).

Although Miracle Gro is an ok potting medium, it often contains a wetting agent and maybe the cause of your problems. In your case, I recommend Baccto potting soil - it is composed of reed sedge peat, perlite, sand, limestone and a few other ingredients.

I also recommend that you treat plants with established roots differently than the plants you are trying to root. With established plants wait until the soil is dry (at a 1″ depth) before you water and make sure your container has good drainage. On the plants that you are trying to root, keep the soil moist to the touch but not soggy. At the first sign of rooting pull back on your watering.

Please keep me posted. Good Luck.

This question was brought to you by the local florists from Flower Shop Network.