Bloomin' Blog

Identification of an Interesting Red Seed Pod

September 27, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams Leave a Comment

Ask The Plant Expert: Can you help me ID this
Recent trip to a nature center here in Conyers, GA I photographed this plant/flower and would like to know its name.
Thanks very much. Russ

: Euonymus americanus seed pod

: Strawberry Bush Seed Pod & Leaves

Plant Expert Reply: I believe the plant is an Euonymus americanus (Strawberry Bush). Native to the United States, this perennial shrub can grow from 6-12ft in height. If you want to grow a Strawberry Bush in your own yard you will need the following:

A part-shade exposure – grows best in light shade
A moist soil – although with proper watering can be grown in dry soils
Needs high amount of water – can be used in swampy areas

Strawberry Bush grows well in the following states – AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV.

This plant, also, goes by Brook euonymus, Hearts-a-burstin, Bursting-heart, Wahoo and is in the bittersweet family.

I hope this information was helpful.

Did you know that a local Conyers GA Florist can create an arrangement that simulates the unique elements of the seed pod?

Leave The Flowers To Us! — Benefits of Local Florists

September 26, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

I know around here we are always repeating “local local local!” but just what is the importance of using a local florist when ordering flowers?

Best Deal In Flowers is Local

Did you know by finding and using a real local florist you could ADD as much as 30% MORE to your flower order? Many websites online promise flowers, but take a large percentage of your order for their own pockets before they send it to a florist to be created. (Not FSN of course!) This is not a good deal for you OR your florist.

How to tell if a florist is local:

Local Physical Address
Phone Number To The Shop Directly

Flower Shop Network makes it easy for you to buy online from a real local florist. When you select a flower arrangement from our Flower Gallery, you will be instantly connected to a REAL local florist in your community. You can also visit our directory and choose your own florist anywhere in the US & Canada!

Best Quality Flowers & Flower Delivery

Your local florist will have the freshest and best selection of flowers, hands-down. When you send a friend flowers from a local florist, you know they will be fresh and beautiful. A local florist would never dream of delivering your flowers in a box for your friend to put together themselves. (Yes, it happens!) Also, a local flower shop in your city will know the area and won’t get lost when delivering your important order.

Local Quality

Florists in your area will have expert knowledge of what flowers work best and last the longest in your area. Some florists even use locally grown flowers when available. If you host a lot of outdoor events, a florist local to the area is going to know the ins and outs of keeping your flowers looking their best throughout the entire occasion. You just can’t go wrong with a good local florist.

What if I want to send flowers to a friend who is not in my city? How do I find a local florist?

This is exactly where FSN’s local florist directory comes in handy! Here you can find real florists, as well as reviews, maps, and more!

So remember, for the best quality, service and freshest flowers — when you think flowers, think local!

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Florist Directory, Flower Shop Network, Local Florists, Local Flower Shops

Garden Reminder: It’s Spring Bulb Planting Time

September 23, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

As we move into the cooler seasons of winter and fall, we all will miss the beauty of nature’s colorful canvas, painting our landscapes and gardens. Yes, flowers will be gone soon, but by acting now, you can ensure your garden flowers will be first to show their flashy heads next spring!

So this is a reminder for those of you looking to enhance your garden for 2012 or are just starting from scratch, now is the time to get to planting your spring bulb plants. These include: daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses, and many more! To learn more about bulb flowers, check out our article about planting spring bulbs.

Of course, colder months don’t have to be totally bleak. Order a cheery bouquet of colorful flowers from your favorite florist to enjoy inside while we wait for our bulbs to spring up next year!

If you have any questions, don’t forget our wonderful Ask The Plant Expert resource.

Filed Under: Seasonal Flowers Tagged With: Garden Flowers, Garden Plants, Gardening, Home Gardening, Plant & Flower Bulbs, Spring Bulbs

How to Care for Jerusalem Thorn

September 22, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask the Expert: Care of Jerusalem Thorn ?

It’s a plant that is usual grown in the hot climate. It has many thorns. Has a yellow or red small flower. Gloria

Plant Expert Reply:
Please take a look at the first picture shown below. Since common names like Jerusalem Thorn can be used for more than one and often different plants, I am assuming that the plant you have is a Parkinsonia aculeata and not a Euphorbia milii var. splendens (shown in the second picture)

: Jerusalem Thorn Tree

: Crown of Thorns

Jerusalem Thorn (Parkinsonia aculeata) is grown as an ornamental tree for its attractive flowers and delicate foliage.

Location preferences: Jerusalem Thorn is a drought tolerant plant preferring a full sun location and sandy or gravelly soils. It tolerates chalky or alkaline soils. It thrives in hot climates and is susceptible to severe damage in climates that see temperatures below 18 degrees Fahrenheit or -7.8 degrees Celsius.

Water preferences: In the spring and summer, water this plant moderately and once a month apply a balanced fertilizer (something where the percentage of the primary nutrients are all the same. ie 13-13-13). During the winter water it sparingly.

Pruning needs: Jerusalem Thorn is a small ornamental tree that can reach heights of 25ft and a spread of 20ft. Prune it only if you need to restrict growth.

Pests & Diseases: Jerusalem Thorn is susceptible to galls, spider mites, mushroom root rot, dieback and some types of leaf spot.

Hope this information is helpful.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Plant Identification

Happy Birthday Jason!

September 22, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

If you’ve kept up with FSN’s blog much at all, you KNOW how much we love cake and parties around here! Today we are celebrating the birthday of a man who we could not live without — Jason! He is everyone’s favorite handyman, a true jack-of-all-trades. If something goes wrong in the office, Jason is who we call, not ghost busters! He keeps our building looking new and in working order. (He is also really good at fixing broken cellphones, a skill we are ALL thankful for.)

You might remember Jason from last year’s Halloween pictures — he was a rescued Chilean miner. As you can easily see, Jason is known for keeping us laughing and keeping it fun here at the office. I’m not sure what we’d do without him. So,

Happy Birthday Jason!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: FSN Announcements Tagged With: Flower Shop Network

Spotlight on Solidago AKA Golden Rod

September 21, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

On a recent road trip, I couldn’t help but notice the colors of fall already starting to show. One fall flower that really caught my attention was the golden rod or, as most florists call it, solidago. Our Arkansas landscape is currently covered in this bright yellow flower. We aren’t the only ones who enjoy seeing solidago on the horizon, this flower has been adopted as the state flower by Nebraska and Kentucky as well as the state wildflower for South Carolina. While solidago is considered a wildflower or even weed by those in North America, it is actually a favorite garden flower in Europe.

Golden Rod Allergy Myth

Many people shy away from this particular flower because of it’s bad reputation of causing hay fever and other allergies, but actually ragweed is the culprit with a similar blooming time to solidago (golden rod). Actually the pollen of solidago is too heavy to be wind-pollinated and must be carried by insects from plant to plant. Handling solidago may still cause problems to those with allergies, however.

Use In Floral Design

Did you know golden rods (solidago) are a common filler flower used by florists? That’s right, in many designs florists use a hybrid version of the common golden rod to add bright yellow color and interest to a flower arrangement. They have been hybridized to bring out all the best qualities of solidago. This fall-bloomer is a great addition to your seasonal decor.

Here are a few favorite flower arrangements that feature solidago from our Flower Gallery:

Filed Under: Seasonal Flowers Tagged With: Flower Suggestions, Goldenrod, Seasonal Flowers, Solidago

It’s Mum Time!

September 20, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

It’s Mum time!

With fall just over the horizon, it’s time for beautiful mum house plants to adorn our homes, porches and patios. Let the spirit of fall greet your house guests at the front door! Choose from an array of festive fall colored blooms that will last the whole season long! For the best selection, stop by your local flower shop!

Filed Under: Flower Suggestions, Plant Suggestions, Seasonal Flowers Tagged With: Chrysanthemum, Fall Blooming Plants, Fall Flowers, Fall Plants

Feeling Fall-ish?

September 19, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

Fall is the wonderful transition from the sizzling summer to ice cold winter; the time when the weather is just perfect. It’s almost like a second spring that’s even more beautiful: with flowers blooming and colorful trees turning their autumn colors. Overall, it’s just a wonderful season to be celebrated while it lasts.

Fall History

Before the 16th century, harvest was the term used to refer to the season. However, as more people moved away from farming to living in towns, the word harvest lost its reference and came to refer to only the actual activity of reaping, and autumn, as well as fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season. Although we do not call it harvest anymore, we still use many references from harvesting in our fall decor: cornucopias, wheat, gourds and pumpkins, corn, hay, etc.

Why We Love Fall

Fall is arguably the favorite of all seasons. Everyone loves the colors of fall and seasonal decor during this time is a MUST in most homes. You will see hay, pumpkins scarecrows as yard decor all season. Some of our favorite holiday parties happen during fall: Halloween & Thanksgiving. Halloween pumpkin carving is a favorite fall activity that dates back to the 1700s and Thanksgiving is all about celebrating the bounty of fall. American Football also gets everyone together for a party. Long fall nights are made for spending time indoors with family and friends.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Seasonal Flowers Tagged With: Autumn Flowers, Fall, Fall Color, Fall Decorations, Fall Flowers, Fall Inspiration, Fall Party, Fall Trends

Say, ‘Goodbye Sniffles, Hello Sunshine’

September 16, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever had to spend time in the hospital, you know how gloomy it can be, especially if it’s an overnight trip or longer. There is an easy way to beat the glum: you know I’m going to say with flowers, but let me tell you why…

You’re In Our Hearts

Flowers are an instant reminder that someone is thinking of you. If your friend or family member is sick, whether in the hospital or stuck in bed at home, flowers sitting at their bedside will always bring a smile to their face. Because they were sent from you and your family, get well soon flowers are an instant reminder that the sick friend is well-loved and their friends want them to get better.

Hospital Flower Suggestions:

The Healing Powers of Flowers

Believe it or not, flowers have healing powers. Think about it scientifically: color is simply light, and light is energy, that means color = energy! Color is simply light vibrating at different frequencies, and just like food, our bodies need light (the sunshine vitamin) to grow and get better. Colors are known to be therapeutic, this is called, chromotherapy. There are colors for relaxation, spirituality, peace, warmth, energy, happiness. Try sending a monochromatic (one color) bouquet of flowers to your friend feeling under the weather, or mix the colors to create your own chromotherapy arrangement. For a list of colors and their effects, check out this article: Get Well Flowers Have Healing Powers.

Chromotherapy Flower Suggestions:

Yellow: gives feelings of warmth. Uplifting, re-activator, activates memory, purifies the body.
Green: feelings of harmony, self-control, and relaxation. Relieves tension, lowers blood pressure.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Flower Suggestions, Gift Ideas Tagged With: Get Well Soon Flowers, Gift Ideas, Just Because Flowers

Florist Stories: Memories From Design Competitions

September 15, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

We are excited to share with you our very first Florist Story submitted by Lori Mudge of De’Vine Floral Design & Gifts in Granville, IL.

For the past 3 years, Lori and her team at De’Vine Floral Design & Gifts have taken the floral design contest at Bonnett’s Wholesale’s by storm.

Lori tells us all about it here:

“Floral supplier, Bonnett’s Wholesale in Milan, IL always has there annual open house in August. They host a big design contest for all of their mid-west customers, guest designers and floral professionals, which we enter every year.

Bonnett’s Design Contest has three design categories to enter:

Anything Goes (anything you want in fresh, silk or whatever, with a wholesale price of $50.00)

Corsage + Boutonniere

Surprise Box

Florists are able to enter all three categories. The winner of the competition is determined by votes from Bonnett’s staff, as well as florists and industry professionals from all across the mid-west. I feel it is more of an honor to win here because it is judged by florists from Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa.”

Lori shared these photos with us of her winning entries for the past 3 years in a row:

The first year, Lori received two 1st place awards in the Anything Goes and Corsage + Boutonniere categories. Her out-of-the-box designs set her apart from her competition.

Best Deal In Flowers is Local

Best Quality Flowers & Flower Delivery

Happy Birthday Jason!

Golden Rod Allergy Myth

Use In Floral Design

It’s Mum time!

Fall History

Why We Love Fall

You’re In Our Hearts

The Healing Powers of Flowers

Follow Us