Bloomin' Blog

Congratulations Matt & Meghan!

November 15, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

Yes, another party, woo! This time we are celebrating the marriage of one of our programmers, Matt to his wonderful fiance Meghan. Because they are both avid video gamers, their wedding actually had a gaming, 8-bit theme. We tried to continue this with the wedding shower decorations with 8-bit hearts and fonts.

You can see the hearts are kind of squared, this is what 8-bit means. Think of the graphics of Mario and old Nintendo games. What a neat idea for a themed party or wedding, and just perfect for Matt & Meghan.

So BIG congrats guys, from ALL of us at FSN!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: FSN Announcements Tagged With: Party Themes, Wedding Shower

Thanksgiving Flowers – A Style For Everyone

November 14, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

An easy way to take your Thanksgiving decor to the next level is by incorporating harvest-themed flowers. The colors, fragrances, and beauty of the flowers can make any buffet table look like it was composed by Ms. Martha Stewart herself. Let’s take a look at the different styles available; try to imagine each of these on your holiday table.

The Cornucopia – Holiday Decor

How gorgeous is this beautiful cornucopia design above? Wouldn’t you love it adorning your holiday buffet table, or even as a centerpiece? It’s rustic fall leaves mixed with deep red flowers and orange mums are enough to dazzle any Thanksgiving guest.

The cornucopia (or horn of plenty) has an incredibly interesting history itself, dating back long before our current Thanksgiving holiday. The word ‘cornucopia’ actually dates back to the 5th century BC. It derives from two Latin words: “cornu,” meaning horn (as in the name of that one-horned creature, the “unicorn”) and “copia,” meaning plenty (a relative of such words as “copious” and “copy”). Read all about the history of the cornucopia (horn of plenty).

More Examples of Cornucopias:

The Thanksgiving Centerpiece

You cannot go wrong with a beautifully designed centerpiece featuring flowers in all the colors of fall. A true feast is just not complete without the adornment of a beautiful, fall-colored centerpiece. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Flower Suggestions, Gift Ideas, Holiday Info Tagged With: Fall Flowers, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Centerpieces, Thanksgiving Flowers

What Are The Names Of The Flowers In My Floral Arrangement?

November 11, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

Ask the Plant Expert:

What is the name of this flower bought from a florist? The blossom has many many petals. – Earl

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply: Earl,

The big pink flowers are Protea neriiflora. The long bushy looking stems with flowers are Scotch Heather (Erica malathera). The large yellow flowers are Asiatic lilies, and the dark purple foliage-like flowers are leucadendron or safari sunset.

Do you need to know the name of anything else? Please let me know if you need more information about any of the flowers.

Here is a diagram to help identify your flower arrangement:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Floral Design, Flower Identification Tagged With: Flower Identification, Heather

Setting Up Your New Google+ Business Page

November 10, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

So, we all heard the buzz surrounding Google+ Plus when it came out a couple of months ago, however they weren’t allowing businesses to set up profiles back then. Well, as of this week, Google+ Business Pages can now be created. FSN is here to help you set up your own Google+ Business Page. Please read over this post carefully to make sure Google+ is right for you.

Advantages of Google+ (Plus) For Your Business

I know exactly what you’re thinking… “I have a Facebook Page, why on earth do I need a Google+ page too??”

To be honest… there aren’t a whole lot of reasons for florists to use this new social network, except for one big one: It’s Google. Google is by-far the main search engine people use when looking for something online. Listing your business information on Google+ very well could boost your rankings. There is currently no way to know for sure, but I could definitely see your Google profile and G+ Page being connected together in the future.

Remember: the key to social networking is being where your audience is; this is likely not Google+. While tons of people signed up for Google+ in the beginning, the activity level began sinking fast. With the addition of Business Pages, this may change, but for now Google+ is full of tumbleweeds.

Advice on Getting Started With Google+

My advice to you is to join Google+ as a user and see how many friends, family members and acquaintances add you to their circles. This will give you a good indication of how many people you know are using Google+.
Go ahead and set your business up on Google+ and see what sort of activity it generates. This will also tell you how much time to invest in this new social network. That way if Google+ does end up taking off as a network, you’ve already got a jump start and claimed your business’ name. (And who knows, it just may help to elevate your rankings! *fingers crossed*)

Setting Up A Google+ (Plus) Business Page

Setting up your business page is actually pretty simple, just follow along with the images below. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Florists Only, Marketing Tips Tagged With: Google Local, Marketing Tips, Search Engine Marketing

This Flower Was Part Of My Bouquet – What Is It?

November 9, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams Leave a Comment

Ask The Plant Expert:

This flower was part of a bouquet and dropped a lot of very small round black seeds. What is the name of this plant? – Shirley

Burgundy Cockscomb

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply: Shirley, the name of flower is Celosia.

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.

Celosia History

Celosia’s name is derived from the Greek word for “burning.” It grows widespread across Mexico, where it is known as “Velvet flower.” In northern South America, tropical Africa, the West Indies, South, East and Southeast Asia where it is grown as a native or naturalized wildflower, and is cultivated as a nutritious leafy green vegetable. It is traditional fare in the countries of Central and West Africa, and is one of the leading leafy green vegetables in Nigeria, where it is known as ‘soko yokoto’, meaning “make husbands fat and happy”.

Celosia Flower

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.

Celebrating Veterans Day

November 8, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

Veterans Day 2011

When we think November, giving thanks usually comes to mind. Sure, there’s Thanksgiving… but there is a holiday before then that deserves more ‘thanks’ than we can ever give — Veterans Day. (November 11, 2011)

Veterans Day is the official day set aside to thank and remember all of our selfless, heroic veterans for the sacrifices they made in their lives to protect our freedom. Unlike Memorial Day, where we remember our lost heros, Veteran’s Day is for us to thank and celebrate ALL veterans, living or dead, wartime and peacetime.

How To Celebrate Veterans Day

Attend a Veteran’s Day program, concert or parade.
Wear a red, white and blue corsage or boutonniere.
Take a moment of silence at noon, on November 11, to honorably remember those who served and died.
Place red flowers, such as roses or carnations, or a red, white and blue bouquet at your local military memorials and monuments.
Contribute to a Veteran’s Day ceremony in your community.
Place a Veteran’s Day ‘thank you’ ad in your local newspapers, community newsletters or church flyers. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Gift Ideas, Holiday Info Tagged With: Holiday, Holiday Info, Patriotic Flowers, Veterans Day

Happy Birthday Girls!

November 7, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GALS!

If you’ve been following us on the blog or Facebook for very long, you know we love any excuse to bring food to work and party! November is one of our favorite months for birthdays! It just so happens, all of our website admin’s birthdays fall in the first part of November! That’s right!

Jill & Brenda from Flower Shop Network, Judy from FGmarket, AND Lacey from Wedding And Party Network all have birthdays this month!

Each birthday girl got her own personalized cupcake, and there was a yummy snacks buffet with morning foods, like muffins! We have a ton of other birthdays this month, so it definitely called for a party!

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY from everyone here in the office and our friends online!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: FSN Announcements Tagged With: Flower Shop Network

The Time For Romance Is 11-11-11

November 7, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

It’s the biggest wedding day of the year, November 11th, 2011 (11-11-11)! But the romance doesn’t have to end at just weddings, why not make 11-11-11 your day of romance and send your sweetie 11 red roses!?

11-11-11 A Rare Date

11-11-11 only comes around once a century! The last time this date sequence occurred was in 1911, and won’t happen again until 2111! Chances are this is your last chance to celebrate, and what better way to celebrate than with romance? Your sweetheart won’t be expecting flowers, or anything on this rare date. Surprise them with a big bouquet of 11 roses.

Sure a dozen roses is the standard, romantic gift, but on Friday, November 11th, it’s all about the number 11! Check with your local florist about the possibility of delivering this gift at 11 a.m. for even more 11 fun!

Add Romance With Personalized Flowers

If you know your sweetie’s favorite flower, order 11 of those for a personalized touch. Roses are typically associated with romance, but knowing her favorite flower wins you big points! Who wouldn’t want to be surprised on 11-11-11 with 11 of their favorite flowers — you just can’t go wrong with flowers just because!

Order your flowers now, Friday will be here before you know it!

Why Are My Oxalis Plant Leggy

November 6, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Plant Expert:

I have an purple oxalis plant that is growing very well, but leggy. Is that natural or do I have to trim?

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply: You can prune the plant to encourage shorter new growth. I recommend selectively pruning, instead of a straight across the board pruning. This will leave some leaves in place while the plant produces new ones.

Hope this information helps.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Oxalis, Pruning

Why Is My Ficus Dropping Leaves?

November 4, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Plant Expert:

Me again. I also have a Ficus Benjamina which has shed most of its leaves since I bought it 4-5 months ago. It was in my porch which gets good light most of the day, but there is no new leaf growth. I’ve pruned the bare branches back some as I was advised by the garden center, but it remains bare, any suggestions to get it growing again, I realize it’s winter and its slowing down, but there should be some sign of growth. – Matthew

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Matthew,

Ficus can be temperamental and will drop leaves for a variety of reasons. I once had a Ficus I named Truman. I let it get too cold and it dropped all of its leaves. I up the heat, gave it the proper amount of water, (moist, but not soggy) and waited about 6 weeks. It finally put out new leaves.

So, it is important to know why the leaves dropped in the first place.

Loss of lower leaves is an indication that the plant needs to be pruned to allow light to reach the lower limbs.
Dry/shriveled leaves are a result of low relative humidity or too much sunlight.
Yellow leaves, or leaves that have red spot and drop off, are a result of too much water.
Green leaf drop can be a result of ethylene exposure or low light stress.

Correct the problem that caused the leaves to drop, and give it time to recover. To ensure that the plant energy is not wasted prune out any dead stems.

If you plant has been over watered, make sure the plant can drain off excess moisture.

If the air surrounding the plant has been too dry, misting the air every other day with lukewarm water.
If the plant is not receiving enough light move it into an area with more light.

Once you have corrected the problem, the plant should make a full recovery.

Hope This Helps.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Benjamin Fig (Ficus benjamina), Houseplant Care, Houseplants, Leaf Drop

The Cornucopia – Holiday Decor

More Examples of Cornucopias:

The Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Here is a diagram to help identify your flower arrangement:

Advantages of Google+ (Plus) For Your Business

Advice on Getting Started With Google+

Setting Up A Google+ (Plus) Business Page

Celosia History

Celosia Flower

How To Celebrate Veterans Day

11-11-11 A Rare Date

Add Romance With Personalized Flowers

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