It’s hard to lose someone who has been a regular part of your life, which is why funerals are usually somber occasions. This is exactly why flowers for funerals are so important. Words are sometimes hard to find when a friend or loved one passes. Often, flowers better express the sympathy we feel for the family and our lost friend.

Flowers do so much more during a funeral than just be beautiful:

• It’s proven that color has the power to change and enhance moods.
• Flowers give guests cheerful conversation alternatives.
• Flowers can be pressed or preserved in other ways as keepsakes.
• Potted plants can be kept for years to come as a memorial to the lost friend.

Types of Funeral Flowers Available

Flowers also set the tone of the occasion. Instead of ordering traditional white sympathy flowers, order what you think the departed would have enjoy the most.

• Beautiful sympathy tribute in all their favorite colors, either in an urn, vase or easel.
• Custom funeral tribute themed for their favorite hobbies or occupations.
• Patriotic themed flowers for passionate patriots or military veterans.

No matter what you choose to send, always use a real local florist when placing your order.

Ask The Plant Expert:

Will my lucky bamboo yellowing get better or do i need to cut it as not to kill the entire plant? – Mo

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Mo, yellowing in lucky bamboo happens when stem cells to burst, causing irreparable damage. This can be caused by: over fertilization or chlorine and other chemicals in the water or too much light.

Because your bamboo shoot is still slightly green for now, try changing the water to distilled and making sure it is getting proper lighting. If the plant’s health does not improve in about a week, you will need to remove the shoot. (If it gets worse, go ahead and cut it.)

Removing the shoot: When you cut your bamboo (if necessary) you will cut the lucky bamboo about an inch from the next healthy node. (A node is the brown ring around the stalk) In this case, it would be the node close to the bottom. Your plant may be a little short, but it will make it! Refer to Not Always Lucky With Lucky Bamboo for better examples of cutting off yellow stalks.

Spring is just around the corner and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait! Nothing is better than warm weather and being outdoors! If you want to get a jump start on spring, order a big bouquet of spring blooms — either for yourself, or as a gift! Here are some great spring flower inspirations based on color to get you started:

Yellow

• Yellow is the cheerful color of sunshine; the color of bees and many spring flowers.
• Yellow spring flowers include: Tulips, Daffodils, Alstroemeria, Callas, Freesia
• It’s color compliment is purple.

Pink

• Pink, sometimes referred to as “the color of love,” is associated with youth and femininity.
• Pink spring flowers include: Gerbera daisies, Anemones, Asters, Tulips, Heather, Lilies
• The name pink actually is from the name of a flower, pinks, a type of dianthus.
• It’s color compliment is bright green.

Continue reading “The Colors of Spring” »

I am so excited about the new changes that were added to the Bloomin Blog yesterday, I had to share with you guys.

First of all, the blog is a massive collection of articles all about flowers, taking care of flowers, ideas for florists, local florist spotlights and so much more. Because of it’s size, it’s become very hard to navigate around to your favorite subjects. Well, we’ve added a few things to make it even easier to find what you’re looking for.

As you are browsing posts on the main pages of the blog, you will see them all end with this:

This little box shows you what tags were added, where it was filed and how many comments it has.

• Tags

I’ve been tagging blog posts for years, but they’ve never really been accessible for you the reader. Now they are, and I am very excited about it.

Now, for instance, if you are looking for information on Red Roses, but find a post about Valentines Day, you can now click the Red Roses tag at the bottom of the post to see every single post we’ve ever written about Red Roses.

This is great because we don’t have a Red Roses blog category and it’s almost impossible to find them all any other way. Continue reading “Blog Announcement: New Features” »

A new baby and the celebration of birth is always a delightful occasion. Friends and family come from all over just to pinch those new little cheeks. If you’re going to meet and greet a new little life, don’t show up empty handed — bring flowers! Flowers have been used in celebrations for centuries and are a great representation of growing life. They are also an especially great gift when you are too far to welcome new baby in person, you can trust a local florist to deliver them right to the new mom and dad.

Choosing The Best Flowers For New Baby

Colors

Traditionally, flower colors for baby girls are pastel pinks and for little boys, baby blue. Although these colors are still loved and accepted,  these days you can choose almost any color for new baby. Many new parents are choosing out-of-the-box colors for baby showers and nurseries. If you know what color the nursery is, or just want to send something different, don’t hesitate!

Trendy Baby Colors Include:

• Lime Green
• White
• Pastel Purple
• Bright Purple
• Pastel Yellow
• Bright Yellow
• Cream
• Teal

Flowers for Baby

Traditionally, new baby flowers are mostly roses, daisies and carnations. Again, now you can pretty much choose any type of flower. It may be a good idea to choose flowers that don’t cause allergic reactions and don’t have a strong smell. Choose flowers with heavy, large pollens, since it’s unlikely that such big, heavy pollens will find their way into anyone’s eyes, mouth or nose, such as: hydrangeas, roses, daisies, snapdragons, sunflowers, and daffodils. Talk to your florist about any concerns you may have.

Continue reading “Delivering Good Cheer Isn’t Just For The Stork” »

Everyone could use a new friend in their lives. It’s not always easy to meet new people, and pets are a big commitment, that’s where house plants come in! These green plants do so much for us: boost energy levels, fresh air and caring for them makes us feel so good.

Maybe you know someone who lives alone, with assisted living or a hospice? A house plant will make an excellent friend for them to love and take care of.

Where to find the very best house plants

Your local florists, that’s where! For the best selection and best quality of  house plants, check out your local flower shop. Your florist will be able to guide you as to which plants are easier for beginners and experts. This will help you choose just the right plant for you, your friend or a loved one.

By getting your house plant from a local florist, you can rest assured it has been well-cared for. Some local florists also go the extra mile to tastefully decorate the plant’s container or even the plant itself.

Quick Tips For House Plant Care

The level of care needed for your house plant really depends upon the plant itself. Your florist will be able to help you choose a plant for your level of commitment. Here are some general plant care tips, but be sure to ask your florist for a more exact care plan.

• Keep Them Watered – generally, plants like to be in moist, but not wet soil. Stick your finger into the soil to the first knuckle, if it is dry to the touch, it’s time for water. Watering could be every day to once a week.
• Keep Them Hydrated – A lot of house plants originate from very humid conditions. Most house plants enjoy a good misting once a day or every other day.
• Lighting Is Important – Light is very important to house plants, and for this every plant is different. Check with your florist on how much light is required for your new companion. Most house plants prefer filtered light, such as through a thin curtain, instead of full-blown direct sunlight.
• Plants Need To Eat Too – Fertilizing is also important for your plant’s health. Find out what fertilizer your plant likes best. Start with low doses to make sure the plant doesn’t have a bad reaction to the plant food. Remember to follow all fertilizing instructions very carefully.

Got pets? Check out: Top 5 House Plants For Fido

Ask The Expert:

Does anyone know were I can get the green wire easels shipped to the UK? None of the florist suppliers in the UK stock them and I’ve been asked a few times for tribute flowers on them lately. I can get them shipped from China, but minimum order is 4000 I don’t think I will need that many.

Regards
Daiseychains

Flower Shop Network Reply:

One of the best places to turn when looking for any type of floral supply is our sister site, FGmarket. It is an invaluable resource to find trusted vendors for florists all over the US. (Some ship internationally, for our UK and other far-away friends.) Each company provides great resources just for florists and gift shops.

I have called the wholesalers who ship easels and Johnsen Wholesale Florist was willing to ship to the UK. They have a large selection on easels and hopefully you won’t have to buy 4,000 of them! Good luck!
Continue reading “Help! Where Can A UK Florist Find Floral Easels?” »

Ask The Plant Expert: I got a baby anthurium as a Christmas gift, and I have been watering about 300ml of water every second day. Most of the leaves have like brown, dead patches on them, and the flowers are turning brown slowly as well. What do I do?? Please help.

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply: Anthuriums are a tropical plant originating in Central and South America. That means they need a lot of water and humidity. It is a good idea to mist your anthurium every day and keep watering every other day. You can also keep your anthurium on a tray of pebbles with water to increase moisture and humidity.

• The Water Test

The best rule of thumb is to do the soil squeeze test. Stick your finger down in the soil up to your first joint. Pull a small amount of soil out. If you can roll the soil into a ball and squeeze out water or if the ball stays together, you don’t need to give the plant anymore water. If you can’t roll the soil into a ball and it is powdery, give it some water.

The plant will tend to need more water during the spring and summer even if kept inside. During the fall and winter, you can reduce your watering depending on your specific environmental conditions.

• Sunlight

Sunlight could also be a factor for the browning of your anthurium. While, they do enjoy long sunny days, they prefer it to be filtered. Do not put your anthurium in direct sunlight. If you are unable to give your plant filtered sunlight, you can use artificial light. It’s best to give your anthurium at least 9 hours of light a day.

Continue reading “Help! How Do I Save My Anthurium?” »

One of our awesome florists made someone’s day in a big way here at Flower Shop Network! Yesterday, Leslie Cox, one of our reps here at FSN, was surprised with beautiful flowers from one of the florists in her territory!

Terry Wagner and “The Grumpy Old Man” (as the card message read) from Wagner’s Flower Shop in Torrington, WY, sent flowers to Leslie after Valentines Day to thank her for her part in the success of Valentines Day!

This is so exciting for everyone on our team. We have received great feedback from local florists everywhere and are proud to have been a part of their success in anyway. We hope to continue to help florists promote themselves and know the success of Valentines Day is just a warm up for Mothers Day.

I can’t end this post without mentioning Alvin Taylor’s Flowers here in Paragould AR. They are the shop that filled the order from Wagner’s in Wyoming and delivered it to Leslie at FSN Headquarters. It was absolutely stunning and stylish (and smelled amazing!).

Last but not least, I want to thank ALL of our shops who worked so hard this Valentines Day to make such an impact on the lives of others! You guys ROCK!

Continue reading “Florist Says Thank You To FSN Team Member” »

Valentines Day is truly one of the biggest holidays of the year for florists, and this year’s has come and gone with great success. We are so proud to see more people turning to their real local florist when they need flowers, and even more proud of how well these florists were able to take care of their customers with good service and quality products.

On the day after Valentines Day, we asked florists to share their favorite memories of the holiday and were answered with overwhelming response. As you are reading these, consider how much these florists care for each and every customer.

All Flowers & Charm, New Hamburg, ON

My favourite customer of the day happened to be one of my last. 2 little boys about 12 and 9 came in and dumped a bunch of change on my counter, and asked “What can we get for this for our step mom?” I made sure they left with a lovely bunch of flowers that had her favourite colour in it and enough left over for a chocolate bar each. Its amazing how far 1 .79 goes!

The Flower Shoppe, Alexandria, PA

Best part of Valentine’s Day today was delivering an arrangement to a daughter from her Dad. Her Dad passed away two days ago. It brought tears to her and our eyes.

The Enchanted Florist Asheville, Asheville NC

From recipient of flowers to florist: “My husband Troy Dill was your mailman for a long time and was killed back in July. He used you to make all our flower arrangements. Thank you Emily for creating the flower arrangements that he would have picked out for his 3 girls this morning. You were a blessing to wake up to!

Glendale Flowers & Gifts, Glendale AZ

We made a small, hand-tied bouquet of 4 roses and some babies breath, cut short and taped tightly for our landscaper… This is the 2nd year we had to make his wife’s roses in this fashion, for they now grace her crypt at the mausoleum. Previously, she got a standard dozen, but the little cup on the wall only holds a tiny handful of flowers. As I carefully made the flowers look as pretty as possible, given the circumstances, the man stood before me sobbing genuine tears of loss. How lucky was he to have loved someone this much? How lucky was I to get to make his love gift?

True Colors Floral Artistry, Springfield Illinois

Jane Lindley got flowers from her daughter and granddaughter at work today… She is one of my designers… Boy was she surprised! Flowers from FSN florist!

Continue reading “How Local Florists Made Valentines Day A Success” »