Home Shop Flowers Bloomin' Blog Find Florists About FSN Contact FSN Florists Only!
Find Your Local Florist:
Home Shop Flowers Bloomin' Blog Find Florists About FSN Contact FSN Florists Only!

Archives for October 2010

Flower Shop Network Celebrates Halloween 2010

Flower Shop Network's Costumed Heros

Halloween at Flower Shop Network

Today at Flower Shop Network, was our annual costume contest. We had quite a few people to go all out and get creative with their costumes.

The winners of our Halloween Costume Contest – Josh, our creative director won 1st place and Jason, head of maintenance, took home the 2nd place prize.
Josh was Lestat from Interview With The Vampire and Jason is a rescued Chilean miner.

FROM ALL OF US AT FLOWER SHOP NETWORK: HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

View all of our Halloween pictures here:

Caring For Indoor Azaleas

Ask the Expert: How to care for new azalea over winter?
My azalea was from a floral shop (a gift)When is stopped blooming in the house I planted it outside. It remains a beautiful green leafy plant. Being in northern Illinois I don’t expect it to live over the winter so I brought it inside. How should I care for it so I can put it outside and bloom again in the spring?


Flower Shop Network
Plant Expert reply:
If you want to care for your azalea as a houseplant during the winter, but use it as an outdoor plant in the summer, you need to pot it in a container that can work both inside and outside.

Pink Azalea in Basket For IndoorsThe container will need ample room for the azalea plant to expand as it grows. It will need a nutrient rich acidic soil containing organic matter with the ability to drain well. The soil PH is best at a range of 5.0 to 5.5. Should you need to increase the acidity of the soil you can add a soil amendment before you pot the azalea.

Azalea Care For Indoors

Place the azalea in an area with bright indirect light and an ambient temperature of no more that 68 degrees during the day and no lower than 45 degrees at night. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Depending on your heating and cooling system, you may need to create a more humid environment by misting the plant every so often.

Be sure to remove dead leaves or blooms that fall on the soil. These can cause disease. Fertilize the azalea in late winter and again in early summer with a water soluble fertilizer.

Azalea Care For Outdoors

When you place the pot outside during the warm months, find a spot that is shaded some what from the hot mid-day sun. Direct sun during the early morning and late afternoon will work well for the azalea when it is outside. Keep the plant moist, but make sure the roots are not sitting in water. Once the plant has bloomed, prune it to keep the shape.  Pruning should occur immediately after the final blooms are spent. This will ensure the next seasons blooms are not damaged.

This post is brought to you by local Charleston SC florists.
No where near Charleston? Not a problem, use Flower Shop Network’s handy directory of florists to find a local florist near you!

Entertain Your Guests With Beautiful Floral Decorations

A beautiful arrangement placed on your kitchen table is simply stunning for your everyday life, but what if you’re hosting a dinner party? There is a variety of unique ideas that you can use flowers to compliment your party. Here are a few tips and ideas to make your dinner party absolutely amazing with flowers!

Use Flowers For Fabulous Table Decor

Beautiful Floral Centerpiece

Beautiful Floral Centerpiece

First thing’s first, what is the style of your party? Are you planning a themed party? Is it more casual, elegant or a true, fine dining affair? Once you’ve figured that out, go to your local florist and they will help you with what flowers are in season. Then, you can get creative by mixing and matching the flowers and creating a beautiful color palette.

Beautiful Centerpiece: Of course, you can do the traditional floral centerpiece in the middle of your table. A more elegant feel can be created with a larger centerpiece, while a more casual dinner party would have a smaller centerpiece.When thinking about your table centerpiece, keep your dinner style in mind. Plus, a centerpiece is something you’ll be able to enjoy for days to come and keep you reminded of what a great night you shared with close friends and family.

Party Place Card Holder

Party Place Card Holder

Place Settings: Think of individual place settings using flowers. A simple flower in a small vase, glass or teacup would be ideal. Just attach a tag with your guest’s name on it and they’ll know exactly where to sit. A bonus is that you can send beautiful flowers home with your guests as a thank you for coming gift. They’ll have something to take home and continue to enjoy your fabulous party. Floral place settings are a great personal touch that lets your guests know you’re thinking of them.

Table Runner: Want to create something unique? Instead of a floral centerpiece that can sometimes block conversation, focus on a floral table runner. Your expert florist will have tons of ideas for this arrangement. Picture beautiful flowers running across your table. They’ll make for a great conversation starter as well as be a visual treat. Think garland or branches, and then place your flowers along them with beautiful ribbon as an accent. You can also place small tea light candles around the floral table runner for a more elegant feel. Your table setting will set the style and theme of your great dinner party!

Tying It All Together

Easy Floral Design For Parties

Easy Floral Design For Parties

A beautiful table scape is the ideal place to set your flowers, but don’t forget to place them around the house in other rooms. This helps tie your style and theme altogether. Plus, it adds nice fragrances and creates beautiful focal points. Welcome your guests at your front door with a beautiful flower arrangement as soon as they walk in. It’s a great personal touch and helps your friends feel welcomed.

Set a smaller vase out in your living room or create an arrangement for your fireplace. This may seem like a lot, but remember it ties it altogether and can be used to create a beautiful home decor setting, especially around the holidays. One place, you may not think to place a small bud vase is the restroom. Again, powder room arrangements add that personal touch and ties your dinner party altogether. Simple floral arrangements also add a sense of style.

These are just helpful tips on how you can use basic floral arrangements to create an elegant setting for your next dinner party. Table arrangements, place settings and beautiful flowers around the house are great personal touches that will provide a beautiful setting and make it feel more personable for your guests. Remember, using these floral decoration ideas for your next dinner party is great, but using these all year round will have your house looking simply stunning.

Contact your local florist and ask about flowers for entertaining. Decorating your home is their specialty and they might have even more great ideas not mentioned here! Even if you are a DIYer, your florist will have a great selection of fresh flowers to work with.

This post is brought to you by local St. Louis MO florists.
No where near St. Louis? Not a problem, use Flower Shop Network’s handy directory of florists to find a local florist near you!

We’ve Got Halloween Spirit, How ’bout You?

When you think Halloween, your local florist is probably not the first thing that comes to mind, but that is all about to change! Florists everywhere are really sinking their fangs into the spirit of Halloween.

Your local florist is a great place to turn for unique Halloween gifts and decorations. Many offer a huge selection of festive gift items that go far beyond Halloween flowers. If you are hosting a spooky party, turn to your florist for more Halloween decorating tips and ideas.  Probably a favorite trend this 2010 Halloween are handcrafted gifts and decorations. Visit your local florist now to see what great holiday items they have available.

Check out these pics of Halloween displays posted to our Facebook page by local florists all across the nation:

Light Up Jack-o-Lantern Decoration

This amazing light up pumpkin sits in the window of Frey Florist in Providence RI.

Unique Halloween Gifts Halloween Window Display

Check out the cool Halloween gifts they have on display at Every Blooming Thing in Akron OH. If you look closely in his Halloween window display you can see his shop mascot, Iris, pretending to be spooky.

Halloween Ghost Window Display

Lisa says, “This ghost wasn’t there when I took this picture. I noticed it after downloading it from my camera. I think we’re haunted… We lured folks with candy to stop by, if they dared…” Haunted window display by Banda’s Bouquets in Longview WA.

Creative Halloween Wreath Frankenstien Decoration

These fun Halloween decorations were sent in by Blossom Shop in Strasburg CO. Watch out Kitties! Frankenstein is after you, (with candy!)

Halloween Piñata

Halloween piñata? What better way for kids to get candy than inside piñata? Great ideas from Venus Flower & Gift in Denver CO.

Fun Halloween Decorations

Fun Halloween decor from Sea Mist Flowers in Cambridge, MD.

This post is brought to you by local Salt Lake City UT florists.
No where near Salt Lake City? No worries! Use Flower Shop Network to find a real local florist near you.

Celebrando El Dia de Los Muertos

Cada año la comunidad hispana se junta para celebrar un dia muy famoso! Este dia es celebrado alrededor del mundo tambien, pero en cada pais la celebracion es muy diferente. En los Estados Unidos, este dia es celebrado el dia 31 de Octubre. Para ese dia los niños de las comunidades se visten como sus favoritos monstruos o caracteres dela television, des-pues van de casa a casa para recibir dulces. Ya se puede imaginar cuantos dulces son comidos en esa sola noche! Ademas de vestir se y conseguir muchos dulces, en este tiempo algo que ve mucho son las decoraciones. Por todas las casas y por todos los negocios hay decoraciones de esta celebracion llamado Halloween. Ve calabazas, esqueletos, fantasmas y miles de otros tipos de cosas espantosas. Esto es solo para que la comunidad celebre aun mas este dia tan popular!

Canasta de Comida Para El Dia de Los Muertos

Ademas de que este dia sea celebrado en los Estados Unidos, este dia es muy especial en el pais de Mexico. En el pais de Mexico esta celebracion es llamado El Dia de Los Muertos. Esta celebracion no solo comiensa a la medianoche del 31 de Octubre, pero no termina hasta el 2 de Noviembre. Esto es porque El dia de Los Muertos tiene un significado muy importante. Estos dias son para celebrarla reunion de los familiares difuntos con los familiares en este mundo.  Muchas de las veces los familiares van a las tumbas de estos familiares y las decoran con flores, esqueletos y otras cosas pequeñas. En unas ocasiones las familias le traen lo que era el trago y la comida favorita del difunto. Cada familia tiene sus tradiciones, pueden ver muchas cosas simulares o muchas cosas diferentes. Lo unico que en verdad importa es tomar este dia para demostrar amor y felicidad para esos familiares difuntos. Musica, comida, velas y decoraciones solo son unas de las cosas que hace la comunidad hispana tradicionalmente.

Ademas de tener tiempo solo para familia en este dia festivo, hay cosas fuera de la familia que son hechas para celebrar este dia tan popular. En muchas de las ciudades en Mexico, hay celebraciones muy grandes dentro de la cuidad. Estas celebraciones consistan fiestas, comidas y hasta bailes. Ya puede ver que esta celebracion es algo bien importante para las comunidades hispanas. Muchas de las familias hacen nada pero esperar que este dia llegue para poder celebrar con los familiares difuntos.

Arreglo Con Fantasmas Para El Dia de Los Muertos

Enviando regalos es una manera nuy especial para celebrar cualquier dia festivo. Un regalo que se esta haciendo mas y mas popular atravez de cada añoes enviando flores. Si, es cierto enviando flores  es una manera muyespecial para demonstrar le a alguien el amor o la felicidad que quires dar.  Envie un ramo de flores o una canasta de regalo para celebrar este Dia de Los Muertos! Ordene un ramo de flores con colores de verano para que sea puesto en la tumba de uno de sus familiares difuntos. Las posibilidades no se caban!

Llame a un florista local para ver que arreglo vas a enviar este Dia de Los Muertos!

Spruce Up Your Spring: It’s Bulb-Planting Season!

Now’s the time to spruce up your spring! If you want more spring color in your garden, plant spring bulbs today! It may sound strange… planting in fall for spring flowers, but bulbous plants need the winter dormant season to grow roots to support their big, beautiful blooms in the spring.

Popular Bulbs For Spring:

  • Daffodils
  • Hyacinths
  • Crocus
  • Ornamental Alliums
  • Tulips
  • Grape Hyacinths
  • Amaryllis
  • Fritillaria
  • Scilla

There are lots of other spring bulbs that you could also plant, but these are the most popular and available ones. Select bulbs that are firm and free of mold. Generally the bigger the bulb, the bigger the flowers.

The best time to plant bulbs is just before the first frost, or just before you know it’s going to turn cold. This really depends on the climate zone you live in and can be different for different plants. Check with your local nursery or garden center for exact planting times for your specific location.

Planting Spring Bulbs

When planting spring bulbs, make sure you have carefully chosen your planting location. Consider the needs of your plants: full or partial sun? (Tip: Remember, for early spring bloomers, your trees will still be bare and you may have more sun than you have now.)

Select rich, well-drained soil for your new bulbs. You will need to talk to your garden center or nursery about the exactly planting requirements for your bulbs, but as a general rule, a depth of about 2-3 times the width of your bulb will suffice.

Add fertilizer into the bottom of your hole and mix it in with the returning soil. Be sure to plant your bulb with the roots down. Push on your soil to ensure the bulb is firmly in place and that there are no air pockets. Water thoroughly. Plant your bulbs the recommended distances from each other to allow them enough room to grow.

Tip: If you live in an area where the temperature regularly drops below zero, pile a layer of mulch on top, about a foot high. Then, in the spring, remove this layer. Otherwise, spring flowers are fairly hardy and can take regularly cold, winter temperatures.

Planting Indoor Spring Bulbs

If you can’t wait until spring for a dose spring color, plant amaryllis or paperwhite daffodils in containers now! Both are great, blooming plants for indoors. Select a decorative container and cover your bulbs about half way with soil. Keep them watered and soon you will see tiny shoots of green peeping out of the top of the bulb and will have gorgeous blooms by Christmas! (*fingers crossed*)

Planting bulbs differs from location to location. Before planting your bulbs, consult your local garden store or nursery for exact planting instructions.

This post is brought to you by local Cedar Rapids Iowa florists.
Not in Cedar Rapids? Use Flower Shop Network’s handy directory of real local florists to find a florist near you.

Hanakotoba: The Japanese Language of Flowers

"Noble Wealth"

"Noble Wealth"

In the Victorian Era, flowers were used as a means of communication. Each flower had it’s own, particular meaning and bouquets were used to send coded messages. People today still send flowers chosen specifically for their flower meanings.

Not only did the Western world have its own coded, flower language, the East had one as well— Hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers. Although, obviously not as popular today as it once was, Hanakotoba is still used in many Japanese movies and animations.

Kanji

English

Meaning

アマリリス Amaryllis Shy
アネモネ Anemone (white) Sincere
椿 Camellia (red) In Love
椿 Camellia (yellow) Longing
椿 Camellia (white) Waiting
カーネーション Carnation Passion
Cherry Blossom Kind/Gentle
黄菊 Chrysanthemum (yellow) Imperial/Elegant
白菊 Chrysanthemum (white) Truth/Self-Esteem
水仙 Daffodil Respect
天竺牡丹 Dahlia Good Taste
雛菊 Daisy Faith
勿忘草 Forget-Me-Not True Love
フリージア Freesia Immaculate
梔子 Gardenia Secret Love/Pure
紫陽花 Hydrangea Pride
アイリス / 菖蒲 Iris Noble Heart/Good News
白百合 Lily (white) Purity
百合 Lily of the Valley Sweet/Promise of Happiness
鬼百合 Tiger Lily Wealth
マグノリア Magnolia Natural/Love For Nature
雛芥子 Poppy Comfort
紅薔薇 Rose (red) Love/In Love
薔薇 Rose (white) Innocence/Devotion
桃色薔薇 Rose (pink) Trust/Confidence
黄色薔薇 Rose (yellow) Noble
チューリップ Tulip Charity/Trust

Contact your local florist today and ask for an arrangement using your favorite Hanakotoba flower meanings.

This post is brought to you by local Honolulu Hawaii Florists.
Not in Honolulu? No worries, use Flower Shop Network’s handy directory of local florists to find a florist near you!

Peace Lily Blooms Are Green Not White – What’s UP?

Ask the Expert: Re: Peace Lilly
My Peace Lilly’s blossoms are/stay green and never turn white. Wazzzzupppp? Glenn

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:It depends on a few things. First we need to know what constitutes a bloom on a Spathiphyllum (peace lily). What most people call the the bloom is actually called a spathe. This structure is similar in shape to a leaf and surrounds the spadix which support the actual flowers of the plant. The Spathes can range in color from a pure white to a pale whitish green depending on the hybrid.

So to determine what is happening with your plant, I need to know a couple of things. Are the Spathes a pale green or a dark green? Do the spathe’s have any white on them? What color is the spadix?

Factors you can work with to achieve better blooms: humidity, water light and fertilizer. Giving the plant the humidity and proper water will help make the formation of leaves, spathes and flowers stronger. The right fertilizer and light will help with strength the color and structure of the plant. So, follow the care instructions for Peace Lilies. Hopefully this will change future spathes from green to white

This plant care post was brought to you by Raleigh florists. Not in Raleigh NC? Use Flower Shop Network’s handy directory of real local florists to find a florist near you!

Fall 2010 Networker: Sneak Preview

Flower Shop Network’s Networker Fall 2010 will be hitting your door steps this week. The Networker is chocked full of great ideas for florists to use, including: marketing tips, social media information, add-on sales ideas, and much, much more!

Can’t wait!? Here’s a sneak peak of Networker Fall 2010.

Are there topics you would like to see in The Networker? Email your suggestions to TheNetworker@FlowerShopNetwork.com and we’ll send you a Flower Shop Network bag.

What To Do: Plant Leaf Is Dripping Sap From A Tear

Ask the Expert: i have a green plant and the leave got tore

the leaves got tore and its dripping white fluid … what do i do …. Sindra

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:
Cut the leaf off at the base – where the leaf stem and the plant stalk meet. Then leave it alone. The sap will eventually stop dripping.

This plant care question is brought to you by local Columbia Florists.  Not in Columbia MO? Use Flower Shop Network’s handy directory of real local florists to find a florist near you!