It's back to school time again! For freshmen, and even returning students, this can be a stressful time. And let's not for get those poor mamas, who's little chicks are leaving the nest for the first time. Make this time easier on everyone with flowers! Science and research has shown, there is something about flowers that never fails to lift our spirits. Flowers entice almost all our senses at once — the color, the fragrance, the textures — there is just nothing like it!

Dorm Room Flowers

Match Your College Style

Flowers do more than just enhance our mood, their presence in a new place can really make it feel like home. Choose flowers in colors that will match your dorms furnishings. No matter what your colors or style, flowers are the perfect accent to any decor.

• Bright and Cheery? Try a bouquet of Gerbera daisies in an array of fun summer colors.
• Vintage Chic? Go for dusty pink roses, old-fashioned baby's breath, and unique garden-flower accents.
• Going Green? Choose an all-green floral design, with natural branches or willow
• Pretty in Pink? Choose a variety of flowers all in bright shades of pink, accent with touches of tiny white flowers.

No matter what your style, your local florist will be able to create something specifically-YOU to bring your new home-away-from-home together.
Continue reading "Cut College Stress – Relax With Dorm Room Flowers!" »

PERIDOT GREEN FLOWERS

August's favorite flower color is Peridot green. This year, we are spotlighting unique flower colors for you to use in custom flower arrangements, wedding bouquets, centerpieces and anywhere else you might need great-looking flowers. To make the chosen colors a little more interesting, we are starting with birthstone colors. This month it's Peridot, or bright green. (Click here for all of our color of the month posts)

Peridot is one of the few gemstones that only occurs in one color, green. The intensity and tint of the green, however, depends on how much iron is contained in the crystal structure. The color of individual peridot gems can vary from yellow- to olive- to brownish-green. The most valued color is a dark olive-green.

Flowers in green are just as unique and striking as the gem, this guide to green flowers will help you when choosing flowers for your events or just for fun!

When creating your wedding bouquet,

When creating a color scheme using Peridot green, use the color wheel as your guide! Above you see three examples. The first is the complementary color of Peridot green — brilliant purple, which is sure to balance out the bright green. The second is a triad (3) of color complements to light green. Electric blues and hot pinks are sure to add some fun to this combination. You could also go with  tetrad (4) of complement colors. So Peridot green, mixed with a close neighbor, aqua, and balanced with purple and hot pink.

Of course, green looks wonderful all on it's own. Mix different shades and textures of greens together to create a unique and gorgeous flower bouquet.

This is a great flower guide for brides looking for unique color palettes and unusual flowers for their wedding. Continue reading "Peridot – Lime Green Flower Guide" »

Hooray For Summer!

This month's favorite flower arrangement is called Hooray For Summer because it is one of our favorite seasons and we want to shout HOORAY!

I know summer is drawing to an end, but let's continue to celebrate the spender of the season while it's still around. Hooray For Summer bouquet is filled with lush greens and beautiful bold colors that instantly transport you to a tropical oasis state of mind. If you need a pick-me-up from this heat, Hooray for Summer is sure to do the trick! Daydream about tropical forests and cool pouring waterfalls as you lounge on a beach and listen to the birds of paradise. It doesn't get much better than this!

Click the picture above and enter your zip to send this arrangement from a real local florist in your city! (Or order it for yourself!)

Sending flowers to someone on their birthday is always a special surprise! Gazing at beautiful flowers will create birthday memories to hold close to heart, especially if your recipient works at a desk job. There's nothing better than having your beautiful birthday gift greet you with it's bright and cheery colors every morning as you walk into your office. It's like celebrating a birthday week instead of just a birth day!

For an August birthday, bright summer flowers are especially sweet. Just because it's hot outside, doesn't mean they can't enjoy beautiful blooms inside. Office flowers are an instant mood changer, and summer flowers always do the trick!

How do you send flowers for a August birthday?

August's Flower

The official birthday flower for August is the gladiolus. They come in lots and lots of colors so you should have no trouble sending gladiolus in your friend's favorite colors! Below are examples of beautiful gladiolus arrangements you can send from your local florist.

(Simply click an arrangement above and add a sending zip code. Flower Shop Network will connect you to a real local florist to send the order. It's that simple!)

August's Birthstone Color

If gladiolus aren't your style, choose flowers in August's birthstone color — Peridot green. Flowers designed in an all-green color scheme give a natural, earthy impression and are incredibly lovely for summer. Continue reading "Perfect Flowers For August Birthdays" »

YELLOW was definitely the hottest trend for floral designs at the Texas State Florist Convention just a couple of weeks ago. So many designs used the color, and why not? Yellow is the perfect color for summer! Sunflowers were one of the most popular flowers used.

Hottest Floral Trends For Summer 2011:

Continue reading "Yellow – The Hottest Flower Trend For Summer" »

Ask The Expert: What is this huge purple bell flower? It came 2 years after I sowed an area with a seed mix called "Grandma's Cutting Garden." It grows in rich, composted soil with other flowers. I live on an island off the coast of Maine,  Zone 5. – Marina

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply: Marina,
I believe the flowering plant is Canterbury Bells (Campanula medium) which is one of the 300 species of the genus Campanula. This biennial species is slow-growing and clump-forming. It is hardy in zone 5-8, and produces bell-shaped flowers in white, pink, purple or blue colors.  Florists use this species of Campanula (also called Canterbury Bells, Chimney Bells or Bellflower) in mixed flower arrangements typically in April, May, June and July.  This flower was one of the first imported flowers grown in colonial gardens. In fact, Thomas Jefferson sowed this particular flower at Monticello.

It can be grown in part shade to full sun, and need rich, moist soil to thrive. They are great additions to summer perennial gardens, since they natural blooming period is Junish through August.

I hope this information was helpful. Please let me know if you need any other information about this plant.

Have A Good Day
Jamie Jamison Adams

For most gals, nothing is more romantic that fiery red roses. Just the sight of a florist bringing a bouquet of red roses into the door is enough to get every lady in the office's heart pumping! Of course, when they finally sit the roses on one lucky girl's desk, everybody's there waiting for the scoop. "What's the occasion?", "I didn't know it was your anniversary!?"

Of course the BEST response is when your honey sent you roses JUST BECAUSE! Romance does not need an occasion. Spontaneously getting roses is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts anyone can give.

Roses come in MANY styles and varieties. Choose a style that fits her personality. Typically red roses are the most romantic, but if your lady has a favorite color, choosing that color for her roses can add a personal touch that would mean the world to her.

Here are just a few examples of red rose arrangement styles. Be romantic, send one today!

Click the flowers above and enter your zip code on the following page to connect to a REAL local florist in your area to send these rose arrangements.

The world famous Tour de France 2011 competition is going on now! Running from Saturday July 2^nd to Sunday July 24^th, the 98^th Tour de France will consist of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,430.5 kilometers.

Our cycling fans here at FSN are just itching to get home to see more of the race! If you, or someone you know are glued to the tube watching race results, this custom flower idea is just the thing for you!

Winners Wear

For those out of the loop (like me), there are different types of winners at the Tour de France signified by what jersey they wear:

YELLOW JERSEY – the over-all winner

GREEN JERSEY – fastest sprinter

WHITE & RED POLKA DOT JERSEY – best mountain climber

WHITE JERSEY – competition for young riders

The thing about the Tour de France we love is how they incorporate colors with their award bouquets. For each stage, a new winner is given the appropriate colored jersey (as mentioned above) to wear in the next round, and also a matching bouquet!

3rd Stage Winners: Mountain: Gilbert Philippe (Germany) Young Rider: Geraint Thomas (G.Britain) Sprinter: Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spain) Over-all Winner: Tyler Farrar (American)

Need Gifts For A Cyclist?

Choose flowers in the colors above to match your cyclist's favorite player or their style!

Continue reading "Celebrate Tour De France With Flowers For Your Cyclist" »

Send A Summer Sizzler!

Send a summer sizzler with this stunning flower arrangement. Brilliant oranges and vivid yellows will put a bright and cheery smile on even the gloomiest of faces.

Looking for a great gift? Don't sweat it, your local florist has the perfect gift for any of this season's occasions — sizzling summer flowers! Are you attending a block party or BBQ? Fresh flowers make fantastic hostess gifts! How about summer birthdays? Who wouldn't instantly perk up with a peak at these bold colors? Maybe you just want to update your home decor; do it with summer flowers!

So, if you're shopping for hot summer gifts, or looking to give your drab room decor an upgrade, look no further than this summer sizzler!

RED is ROSES

When we think roses, our mind almost instantly pictures RED! Red roses are synonymous with passion, and what better emotion captures feelings during the celebration of the birth of our great nation?

Add roses to your 4th of July decor, either mixed with other flowers, or all on their own. Red roses are strong, proud flowers and look impressive no matter how they are used.

BLUE is LARKSPUR

Larkspur, or delphinium is the official flower for July, and it's true-blue variation is perfect for our 4th of July list! The delicate blue spurs of this flower stalk are some of the richest blues you'll find in the flower world.

You can pair larkspur to compliment your flower mix, or use them alone as a true-blue stunner. As you can see by the arrangement to the right, larkspur looks absolutely gorgeous when paired with white flowers.

WHITE is LILIES

The lily is definitely a favorite among garden flowers, and flowers in general. Everyone loves the giant blooms. White lilies are perfect for our theme, (although we almost picked calla lilies!)

Lilies made the list because their star-like blooms make the perfect Fourth of July flowers. They also remind us of bursting fireworks! Again, they look stunning on their own, but mix them with other flowers and you've got a fantastic flower display!

Mixing it Up — The Perfect 4th of July Flowers

Why not take all 3 of our favorite red, white and blue flowers and create a perfect flower bouquet for the Fourth!? I can see it now: the tall larkspur shooting out of the base of red roses and white lilies. Who wouldn't want it as their 4th of July centerpiece?

Contact your local florist and see just what all they've got in mind for the 4th! Find your own favorite red, white and blue flowers!