With a brand new year on the horizon, we've all started thinking about what we can do to make it better than the previous. We all have good intentions when creating New Years' resolutions, however, most of us never follow through. Why? We tend to make a lot of promises to ourselves we can't keep — Loose 20 lbs; stop smoking; read a book every month. While these are great goals to have, it can be extremely overwhelming to start these all at once on January 1st.

How To Keep Those New Year's Resolutions

Choose New Year's resolutions that aren't as hard to keep. Instead, make goals to yourself that are broad, fit into your routine and are also fun to do! Instead of focusing on drastically changing your habits, choose resolutions to enhance those aspects of your lifestyle.

Let Flowers Symbolize Your New Year

Each flower has a meaning that dates back as far as Victorian times. These meanings symbolize anything from 'love' to 'wealth & prosperity.' This New Years, let flowers symbolize what you want 2012 to mean to you. Symbolic flowers with specific meanings will help you visualize and empower your goals. Order flowers for yourself or to decorate your home for the new year, make it a new tradition. Use the flower meanings tool to find symbols of exactly what you want your new year to be for you and your family.

Best New Year's Resolutions To Keep

• Spend more time with family. (Aster, Lily, Statice)
• Go to lunch with friends more often. (Aster, Peony)
• Enjoy life more. (Gerbera Daisy, Peony, Statice)
• Find time to read more. (Iris, Protea, Heather)
• Learn something new. (Iris, Protea)
• Join a gym class you'll actually enjoy. (yoga, dancing?) (Gerbera Daisy, Protea)
• Save money. (Iris, Heather, Bells of Ireland)
• Find ways to recycle more. (Iris, Aster, Protea)
• Cut back on smoking. Find ways to commit to the quit. (Protea, Gerbera Daisy, Aster, Lily)
• Devote more time to hobbies and fun. Especially with the family. (Aster, Peony, Statice)
• Visit somewhere new. (Protea, Heather, Gerbera Daisy)
• Give or volunteer to help those in need. (Aster, Protea, Heather)

Here are a few good flower meanings to get you started: Continue reading "Let Flowers Symbolize Your New Year Resolutions" »

About a month ago, we asked our florist friends to submit their predictions for the Royal Wedding bouquet! We were blown away by the incredible submissions! Only about 1 more day left before we FINALLY get to see what we've all been waiting on!

The Royal Family has done an excellent job keeping the details of Kate's bouquet top secret! We do know they have chosen renounced London-based, floral designer Shane Connolly to head up their wedding flower team. He also holds a Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales, making him an official supplier of flowers for royal events, including Princes Charles's 2005 wedding.

According to the royal wedding website, he is known for his sustainable approach to floristry, using growing, rather than cut, plants and trees, and for producing "elegant and unique displays" using seasonal, natural and organic flowers.

While the bouquet is still a mystery, we know that the floral displays in Westminster Abbey feature a variety of seasonal growing and cut British flowers and trees sourced from Royal Estates and other growers around the country. The flowers and plants include blossoms, azaleas (rhododendron), euphorbias, beech, wisteria and lilac.

The floral displays in the Abbey itself will include eight 20 feet-high trees: six English Field Maple and two Hornbeam. All the trees will be growing in planters, which have also been designed by Mr. Connolly and which were made by craftsmen at Highgrove, The Prince of Wales's Residence in Gloucestershire.

Also, according to the Royal Wedding website, the couple has taken an interest in traditional Language of Flowers and are using these flower meanings to tell a story through their flowers. So far the flowers they've chosen mean:

• Azaleas (rhododendron) – "Take care of yourself for me, temperance, fragile passion"
• Lilac – youthful innocence
• Beech Trees - harmony, peace, balance and all that is good.
• Wisteria - honor, memory, patience

After the wedding, the flowers and plants will be left in position in Westminster Abbey for the public to view until Friday 6th May 2011. Following this, many of the trees will be taken to Highgrove Gardens, where they will be planted. The Couple's intention is that many of the cut plants and flowers and all the growing plants will be donated to charities or re-planted.

Now, take a look at the at the amazing designs created by real florists all across the US and Canada. Which one do you think will be the closest to the real design for the Royal Wedding Bouquet?? Let us know in the comments below! Continue reading "Florist Predictions For The Royal Wedding Bouquet" »

"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.

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!

This may sound strange to some, but I recently struggled alongside a friend who was having difficulty conceiving. She and her husband had anticipated children since the early stages of their relationship. However, her age and medical history made it a troublesome ordeal.

"Grace Under Pressure" Pink Roses Bouquet

It's hard to watch a close friend go through something like that. I wanted to help her so we would stay up late talking and praying about the situation. One day she called me in tears because the stress finally became overwhelming. I racked my brain for some way to console her when it finally hit me.

I called up June, my local florist, and discussed an arrangement specifically for my friend. I relied on my guide of flower meanings (I use the FSN flower meanings reference) and found the perfect flowers to express what I wanted to say to her but couldn't.

Though some of these were out of season, I discussed many flowers with my florist including apple blossom, azalea, peony, Queen Anne's lace, pink roses, Star of Bethlehem, stephanotis, pink tulips, violets, and yarrow.

I chose apple blossom because it means "promise" and through many nights of prayer we were reminded of the Biblical story of Abraham and Sarah who also struggled with bearing a child. They were promised abundance and were blessed so I wanted apple blossom for encouragement. Azalea means "abundance" so this also seemed fitting of the promise.

I chose the rest of the flowers based on their significance in her life, particularly her struggle with medical issues and a need for peace of mind. The flower meanings of the rest discussed with June are:

• Peony "Healing"
• Queen Anne's Lace "Delicate Femininity"
• Pink Roses "Friendship"
• Star of Bethlehem "Hope"
• Stephanotis "Good Luck"
• Pink Tulips "Caring"
• Violets (specifically blue violets)  "Faithfulness"
• Yarrow "Good Health"

And a year later a child arrived…

The flower bouquet had raised her spirits so much that I decided to send a new baby bouquet when her son was born. I again turned to the flower meanings guide and consulted my local florist, June, about using these flowers: Continue reading "Flower Meanings For Expectant Mothers & New Arrivals" »

"Magenta Sunset Urn" Funeral Flowers

Though no one likes to think about the moments for which we'd need sympathy flowers, it's best to be prepared for when the moment arrives. This means being prepared to discuss sympathy and funeral flower options with your local florist.

A few cut flowers have very significant meanings that will help convey your sympathies. When speaking with your local florist, discuss flowers such as poppy, cosmos, forget-me-nots, geraniums, larkspur, jasmine, lisianthus and zinnia. The flower meanings of each represents a very special sentiment. If desired, include a small statement about why these flowers were chosen.

The meanings of these flowers are:

• Poppy = Consolation
• Cosmos = Peaceful
• Forget-Me-Not = "Remember Me Forever"
• Geranium = Comfort
• Larkspur = Beautiful Spirit
• Jasmine = Grace and Elegance
• Lisianthus = Calming
• Zinnia = Thoughts of Friends

Your local florist will be able to discuss which flowers are appropriate, their seasonal availability, and other important details before sending a sympathy arrangement. Whichever flowers you choose, the recipient will know just how much you care.

Sometimes a little power of suggestion can do the trick. For those in the profession of mental health, the flower meanings of these blooms represent exactly the emotions you hope to see and express during a session.

It's proven in many clinical studies that flowers are a powerful part of a happy psyche.  When decorating your waiting room with fresh flowers (always a good idea), consider these flowers for their unique flower meanings. (Read more on flowers and mental health)

• The flower meaning of begonia is "deep thoughts."
• The flower meaning of black-eyed susan is "encouragement."
• The flower meaning of white chrysanthemum is "truth."
• The flower meaning of red chrysanthemum is "sharing."
• The flower meaning of peony is "healing."

When dealing with mental health, we could all use a little of these sentiments. Contact your local florist to discuss using these fresh flowers in your practice. You can also learn more flower meanings brought to you by Flower Shop Network.

As you know, every flower has a particular meaning. I was intrigued by the flower meaning of lilacs. "First love" took me by surprise and struck me as an excellent gift for my sweetheart. Of course, he's not as into flowers as I am but he does love things that have a significant meaning. He's just really sly about it. *grin*

A Lilac Bloom

By the by, lilac can also represent "youthful innocence" which I think really ties into first love. You can be 150 but the moment you fall for someone, you're right back to that giddy and excited feeling. That's why many "feel young again" when they fall in love with someone special.

Whether man or woman, your first love deserves to receive a few lilac blooms. It's a beautiful, fragrant flower. Even those features are significant as they speak of how you regard your partner. Does she always smell good no matter what she's been doing? Does his handsome face catch you off guard sometimes? It's ok. This tends to happen with everyone who is still very much in love with their first love. I know I am!

If you want a significant, romantic gift for your first love, choose lilac or an arrangement from your local florist that features lilac. The occasion can be special or "just because". Either way, it's a real treat for your sweetheart to know that you still get dreamy-eyed or never stopped seeing the world through rose-colored glasses because of them.

Interested in flower meanings? Contact your local florist for ideas on how to incorporate flower meanings into your gift of flowers.

I have to admit that I'm pretty much addicted to the new Flower Shop Network Flower Dictionary. It's awesome! It accompanies the FSN flower meanings page but enhances it. For people like me that want to know something quirky or trivial about everything, it's the cat's meow.

For starters, I love flower meanings. I know several of them by heart and can prattle them off to my friends. Whether they're listening or not, they'll remember the conversation when I send them flowers and put the meaning in the enclosure card message. It's fun to be the sender of a unique gift. Matching flower meanings to an arrangement? Well, that's cupid's arrow shot straight to the heart of quirk-lovers like me.

We all know how Generation Y loves to be unique. As it was mentioned to me yesterday, "your generation loves to be heard." We do. I have to agree. We also love stuff that stands out from the crowd. How can you be heard if your message sounds the same as everyone else's? Ya can't. So, flower meanings are a win-win because you get to send a traditional gift of flowers which everyone loves plus the added benefit of making it unique. Ta-da!

Here are a few of my favorite flower meanings to get you started:

• Ambrosia — "your love is reciprocated"
• Bouvardia — "enthusiasm"
• Mini Carnation — "pure love, my heart yearns for you"
• Orange Rose — "fascination"
• Red Rose –"love, I love you"

There are tons more on the FSN flower meanings page so check it out and see if any stand out to you. Florists–feel free to print these off and put them with your FSN Selection Guide. Watch what the unique twist will do when Generation Y visits your store.

To send flowers with special flower meanings, use Flower Shop Network to contact your local florist.

They'll flip when you send them a bouquet featuring lots of amaryllis.

So how did I get from dramatic to amaryllis? Easier than you'd think. The flower meaning of amaryllis is "dramatic". Now while I wouldn't recommend sending this to a drama queen as they may get offended and cause a storm of entertaining evenings, this is a really fun gift for someone who has been going through a rough or trying time and needs a pick me up.

The unique flower meaning of amaryllis also makes it easy to recognize that someone has been struggling to have an "even keel" day once in a while. Something always comes up or they never catch a break. I know plenty of people like that, my sweetheart and mother included. Both work their tails off to please and provide for other people with little gratitude in return. If I want them to know what I'm thinking, I'll make sure amaryllis helps me say it.

Other flowers with special flower meanings that will go well with amaryllis are:

"Melody of Flowers" with Alstroemeria

• Pink carnations (gratitude)
• Black-eyed Susan (encouragement)
• Cosmos (peaceful)
• Gardenia (joy)
• Gladioulus (strength of character)
• Lisianthus (calming)
• Pansy (loving thoughts)
• Star of Bethlehem (hope)
• Pink tulip (caring)

There are many other flower meanings as you might have imagined. These are just some of the beautiful flowers that represent a special sentiment that will help cheer up your friend or loved one. A sweet card message mentioning their meaning will be a sweet reward for someone very deserving of positive attention. When you contact your local florist for a pick-me-up treat for your friend, ask about using flowers with special meanings for an extra special, meaningful bouquet.

Celebrate Unity With Red & White Roses

Red and white roses are gorgeous. They are beautiful whether variegated in these colors or bunched together. Why not celebrate independence and unity at the same time with a red and white bouquet of roses?

The flower meaning of red and white roses is what drew me to them. With a patriotic spirit, I came across "unity" and knew that this flower meaning would be one of the most important yet. Political views aside, we can all agree that a very critical need in this country is the sense of unity.

Many of our forefathers declared "united we stand, divided we fall" and knew exactly what it meant. Having separated from a country once loved, the spirit of patriotism began with those brave people who knew that to be free we must be one force with one mind, one common goal, and one heart.

Patriotism will never be out of fashion. Unity will never go out of style. Celebrate patriotism, not just with fireworks and funnel cakes, but also with red and white roses. Let it be a symbol of the unity that keeps this country great and not the petty differences that divide people. Have a loved one in the military who is serving overseas? This Independence Day is especially important to them because they are fighting for our right to be unified and independent.

There are many ways to show appreciation for the troops. Wear a white rose next to a red rose on your shoulder or a rose corsage. Send a red rose to your loved one away from home. Even if it's a picture sent via email, you can still celebrate with them by wearing the same or complementing color on your shoulder. Later, send them a picture of  you with wearing your rose. What an excellent way to share a meaningful moment.

Have an idea for how to wear a red or white rose? Let us know how you plan to celebrate the holiday by commenting below!