Ask the Expert: What is this flower?

Cockscomb - Celosia

It grows along my driveway among a ton of wildflowers….just moved into this place in East Tennessee and have never seen these before. Jan

Plant Expert Reply:
This interesting pink flower is commonly called cockscomb because it resembles the comb of a rooster. The genus name is Celosia. The perennial cockscomb is Celosia argentea and the annual types fall under Celosia spicata. The perennial cultivars of this plant will have either the crested, coral-like heads of tightly clustered flowers (combs) or open, feathery, pyramidal flowerheads. The annual cultivars will display open, compact, erect, cylindrical flower spikes. I am assuming by the look of the flower in the picture it is a Celosia argentea.

An interesting addition to the garden, Celosia is also a versatile flower for decorating. Florists use it both as a cut flower in fresh arrangements and as a dried flower in permanent arrangements.  So enjoy this wonderful flower while you can - a killing frost will put them to rest for the winter.

Flower Shop Network’s Fall 2009 edition of The Networker is hitting  post offices this week.  This edition is chalked full of handy tips, ideas from florists across the nation, a look at Generation Y, noteworthy kudos, holiday advertising ideas and exciting 2010 wedding color trends.  If you just can’t wait for the postman, you can check out The Networker Fall 2009 here online.

Anniversary Flower Arrangement

Two thumbs up to Corinne Galarneau and the florists of Artistic Petals & Scents for winning this week’s Flower Shop Network Facebook photo contest!

Artistic Petals & Scents, a flower shop in Hanna Alberta Canada, is constantly pushing the envelope with their unique designs. If it’s not new, special or exciting, it just doesn’t come from Artistic Petals & Scents! If you want fresh floral design and great customer service, you’re in good hands here.

Corinne recently submitted a floral arrangement photo featuring a mixed vase of flowers with an interesting design. Everything about this arrangement, from color to movement, strikes a chord with the heart of viewers. The arrangement was created by Sam to celebrate the one year anniversary of Artistic Petals & Scents under new ownership. It’s a beautiful vase of flowers and worthy of the coveted “FSN photo of the week” title.

Flower Shop Network’s Facebook photo of the week contest is open to all participants with a fun floral industry related photo. Read the official rules then join us on Flower Shop Network’s Facebook page. Maybe you will see your name in next week’s post.

Want to buy flowers like these from a local florist? Flower Shop Network connects you directly with a florist in your area.

Ask the Expert: Where can I purchase Texas Blue Bells.
I want to have Texas Blubells (Blue Bells?) delivered to my cousin in Amarillo, Texas.
Please help me locate a florist. Lynda

Flower Expert Reply:
I would be happy to help you find some Texas Bluebells (Eustoma grandiflora). Flower Shop Network has several Amarillo Florists who carry an assortment of popular and regional flowers.  However, Texas Bluebells are not a stock flower items for most florists.  You will want to make arrangements for these flowers well in advance of the day you need them. Advanced notice will give the florist time to contact their wholesaler to determine availability and confirm a ship dated.  My suggestion is to try Sweet Creations Floral Design. Although they don’t carry Texas Bluebells, they will call their wholesaler and check the availability.

Please let me know how your search goes and if I can help with anything else.

Ask the Expert: Lucky Bamboo

Yellowing Lucky Bamboo

I have a Lucky Bamboo and it was doing fine. All of a sudden the leaves have turned brown and are limp. It has stopped growing in height also. I have made sure that it doesn’t dry out. We have well water here and I was wondering if there could be something in that, and this is why the plant is now this way, or is it possible that it has outgrown its container?
Any suggestions???? BARB

Plant Expert Reply:

Do you keep the jar filled with water?  If you are only watering evey few days, the lack of water would be the porblem.  Lucky bamboo grown in water needs at least 3inches of water at all times.  The problem is more likely a fluoride problem. Believe it or not private well water oftem contains fluoride which can cause yellowing in lucky bamboo.  I suggests you pour some of your well water into a container with a wide mouth and let it set over night.  The fluoride will evaporate during this period.  You can then use it to water your lucky bamboo.   I also suggest cutting the tops opf your lucky bamboo off  - the stalks will create new leaves.

There are many occasions where hospital flowers are the gift of choice. The birth of a baby, a friend’s surgery, or perhaps a loved one’s near passing create the desire to send flowers to a local hospital. With many rules and regulations to protect patient safety, there are several things that your florist must know before your flowers can be delivered.

When a baby has been delivered, many list the name of the family member that they know the best. In the event that this person is the father, remember that the mother is the one listed on the room rather than the baby or the father. If you do not know the mother’s name, ask someone if possible as this will make delivery go much smoother.

Another very helpful piece of information is the room number. If you received a text or call from the doting father or mother with “come visit us in room X”, use this to your advantage. Florists delivering new baby flowers to a hospital will need this information in the event that the occupant’s last name is not known. It also makes it easier on hospital staff who are juggling patients in many rooms. Once you have these helpful tidbits lined out, your flower delivery will be as smooth as the new baby’s bottom.

The room number is helpful when delivering flowers to a hospital for any occasion, not just the birth of a child. The room number is not generally given out by the hospital nor is any other patient information. They can give the delivering florist a hard time if they do not have this information which leaves your gift without a recipient. If you are sending flowers to someone in a hospital across the country, it is helpful to have as much information about the patient as possible. Room number and patient’s name will help your florist deliver your gift with efficiency and a smile.

For more flower sending tips when buying flowers online from a local florist, visit Flower Shop Network.

Need to strengthen your sympathy and funeral flowers business? There are a few key strategies that florists can use to make sure they are regarded as the #1 choice by local funeral homes, funeral directors, and people sending sympathy flowers. To reach this important niche, use these strategies.

Strengthen Your Relationship With Area Funeral Homes –

First and foremost, develop a relationship with the people at the forefront of the sympathy industry - the funeral directors and their staff. Developing a strong relationship by helping them meet the needs of their customers. To do this, offer a selection guide that includes photos of and explanations of available flower arrangements.

Funeral Flower Selection Guide

Another way to strengthen your relationship with local funeral homes is to let them know that you’re there in a pinch when they need you - yesterday.

Many flower shops, such as McAdams Floral in Victoria Texas, offer sets of high-quality silk boutonnieres for pallbearers. This “just in case” attitude will be a boon to funeral home directors who are responsible for tying up any loose ends with the ceremonies while easing the burden of their customers.

One thing is certain with sympathy business. If you make the funeral home look good, they will do the same for you. This can be something as simple as providing a fresh arrangement for their entrance and/or lobby weekly. Most funeral homes will allow you to place your contact information in or near the arrangement.

Develop A Relationship With Senior Citizens —

Sympathy Flowers Or Entrance Flowers

Many senior citizens now make their own funeral arrangements prior to death. It may not be something they readily discuss or have formally written, but seniors are becoming more prepared for this occasion. The well prepared group usually passes their information on to family and loved ones so that someone knows of the arrangements prior to their death. There are many ways to develop a relationship with this core group.

Your flower shop could provide nursing homes with entrance flowers. Becoming acquainted with the staff can be helpful. When family members and friends call to make arrangements for the delivery, they often ask for a recommended florist. If the staff knows your flower shop and you know their policies on flower delivery, you will receive their recommendation.

Many senior citizen groups have monthly functions or annual events. While you may not choose to donate flowers to these events, donating flowers to the main location of the group will be beneficial. Places such as the Red Hat Society (50 years +) location, AARP offices, and local senior citizen hall are great places to reach senior citizens.

Keep Up With Current Trends

Traditional casket sprays and standing sprays will not fade any time soon, but there are other popular options that are turning heads and showing up in funeral homes and grave sites.

Personalized Funeral Flowers

Remember to incorporate sympathy flower options into your portfolio that reflect personalization. The desire for a unique and personalized sympathy arrangement is growing tremendously.

Epitaphs are not the only place for creativity. Offer unique spray shapes, various types of grave blankets, eco friendly arrangements that reflect an appreciation of nature, as well as seasonal arrangements and wreaths for the graves. Compact bouquets are also popular for headstones with vases or a unique display for the grave site.

Offer advanced planning options. Again, many are planning ahead for their funeral services. This takes the burden off of loved ones. Offering plan-ahead services can range from pre-payment options to flower request sheets.

Cremation is performed often. Offer memorial arrangements that compliment cremation urns, pew flowers for memorial services, et al. Sometimes burial plots are purchased for the deceased who had requested to be cremated. Offering unique arrangements for the grave site after the scattering is helpful.

Promote Your Sympathy Business – To gain business, people must know that your flower shop provides the service that they need. To announce this, offer funeral directors a tasteful marketing piece to give to families. Your flower shop can also target sympathy advertising with ads like FSN Funeral Home banner ads.

Implement these strategies in a respectful, tasteful way to promote your flower shop’s sympathy business. With these strategies, along with class and empathy, you will watch your sympathy business grow.

**** Flower Shop Network has created a funeral flower brochure that you can distributed to your area funeral homes that includes your flower shop name, address and contact information.  All you have to do is log into FSNf2.com and select the direct mail templates option.  From the direct mail templates option page, you can choose the funeral flower brochure to print your own branded funeral flower brochure.****

***Dad Flower Arrangement was created using a floral foam Fram from Oasis Floral Products***

With “budget savvy” consumers on the rise, the floral industry is presented with an opportunity to benefit from the DIY (do it yourself) consumer trend. Did you know that DIY consumers is a growing niche for florists? That’s right! Here are some tips for reaching this growing niche with the same flair and flavor for which you’re known.

Get Down And Dirty With Them

DIY brides and consumers are willing to get their hands dirty. Whether it’s to save a few bucks or express creativity, DIY’ers love to be involved in the projects ahead of them. This means learning how to make their own corsages, boutonnieres, bouquets and more. Don’t get down in the dumps about this though. Get down and dirty with them! Show DIY consumers that your flower shop is still the best place to come to find the freshest, most unique flowers around. Plus, where better to go for expert advice? Even the most independent DIY’er will welcome a little of that.

Give Them What They Want

DIY brides want to have a hand in making their wedding flowers but they still need to buy fresh flowers. By offering stems and unique flowers at a reasonable price, you’ve just given them exactly what they want. This provides Do It Yourself brides with a feeling of independence and a chance to express their creativity. The next time they help plan a wedding or need flowers for their home, they’ll remember your flower shop first.

Give Them What They Need

Not many DIY’ers start off with everything they need to know to create their own flower arrangements. That’s where your flower shop comes in. When the DIY crowd comes to your flower shop for fresh flowers, offer them expert advice.

Want to really draw them in by the droves? Try these:

• Host a DIY brides bouquet day and teach them to create beautiful wedding bouquets
• Host DIY workshops for various kinds of arrangements and floral design
• Create a weekly DIY bouquet special such as X number of stems of a popular flower at a special price
• Offer DIY specials, advice, and fresh flowers as an additional service
• Offer weekly specials on unique flowers (ex: sunflower) with design tips for using them (i.e. fall flowers design featuring sunflowers)

Read the rest of this entry »

What do costumes, apples and ghouls have in common? Halloween. I know. I gave you that one. In any case, Halloween is a very festive time when even the most straight-laced folks get to let loose and enjoy the evening. It’s the only time of year when no one thinks twice about seeing Batman walk down the street beside an angel and a skeleton. Kind of creepy, yes, but Halloween is a popular holiday for a reason—the gifts! Halloween gifts range from gag gifts to Halloween flower arrangements. When boo-tiful blossoms are the gift of choice, the hard part becomes figuring out what clever lines to leave on the enclosure card. I’ll help you out again.

Local florists spend Halloween like everyone else except they get to deliver their best Halloween flower arrangements and watch how happy this type of celebration makes people. They are always coming across new and clever card messages to accompany their arrangements, so it seemed only natural to ask for some of their favorite Halloween card messages.

Top 10 Eerily Awesome Halloween Enclosure Card Messages:

1)       A happy Halloween wish just for grins!

2)       As the sky grows dark and the moon glows bright, as strange creatures and critters appear in the night, as the goblins growl and the werewolves whine, hope that Halloween sends a chill up your spine!

3)       At this special time of year when jack-o’-lanterns glow, it gives a welcome chance to send a warm “Hello!” Happy Halloween.

4)       This is no Trick just a Treat for a special someone. Happy Halloween.

5)       Time for shivers, scares, and thrills, for pumpkin grins in windowsills, for black cats in the full moon’s glow, and a happy Halloween hello!

6)       A Merry Halloween. Wishing you a Halloween filled with good old-fashioned fun.

7)       Hope your Halloween is so happy, it makes you glow inside.

Surprise! That’s only 7! Find all 10 Halloween enclosure card messages. Feel free to share this frighteningly funny list with your customers. Let us know who BOO!-hooed and who laughed hysterically. Brought to you by Flower Shop Network.

If you’re not really the green thumb but want a houseplant anyway, try Chinese Evergreen. It grows best in a tropical environment (i.e. humid) so a little extra water isn’t going to cause you a world of headaches.

Chinese Evergreen Houseplant

Chinese Evergreen plants love areas with high humidity, partial light, and moist soil. That makes Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema vittata) perfect for people who live in humid tropical climates. Even if they live in a dryer area, Chinese Evergreen is the perfect plant for a large bathroom, decorations in a spa, rainy climates like the Pacific Northwest, or someone who just tends to overwater things. These plants cannot tolerate dry air so be careful to avoid areas with a draft.

Chinese Evergreen plant care isn’t especially difficult. However, it does require some attention. This plant can be grown as a houseplant or in a shady outdoor garden. Wherever grown, the soil around the Chinese Evergreen must be kept evenly moist with a small drying time between watering to avoid fungal problems.

Chinese Evergreen thrives in areas with no frost and partial sunlight. They do not perform well in direct sunlight as moisture is more quickly removed from the environment under these conditions. Areas of the home like the kitchen or bath are perfect for Chinese Evergreen as the evenly moist climate will stimulate growth.

Need an eco-friendly gift for someone? The greenest gift of all is a houseplant like Chinese Evergreen. When you buy a Chinese Evergreen houseplant, you know that your eco-friendly friend will love the gift. It’s beautiful, easy and a constant reminder of the need for a green lifestyle.

More than just the eco-friendly niche, Chinese Evergreen houseplants are great gifts for a wide range of people. Anyone who remains in their home at length will enjoy the touch of nature that Chinese Evergreen provides. As it requires only a fair amount of attention, this will provide homebodies with something fresh to nurture and love. As a garden plant, Chinese Evergreen exists as part of a beautiful landscape for outdoor parties and garden visits. Know someone who keeps their home on the warm side and tends to overwater plants? This is the houseplant for them.