Bloomin' Blog

How To Prolong the Life of Cut Flowers

May 10, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams 2 Comments

Ask The Expert: just wondering, is there a way to prolong the life of cut flowers!!
thanks – bn

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:
Yes. The proper preparation will extend the life of cut flowers. There is some information on Flower Shop Network’s Blog that might be helpful to you.

Read Important Tips for Arranging Flowers at Home

Quick Tips For Prolonging The Life Of Cut Flowers:

Place stems or bouquets of fresh flowers in water as soon as possible.
Add preservative to the water. Preservative packets can be found at local flower shops.
Keep fresh flowers away from draft and extreme temperatures which can quickly dry the flowers and cause wilting.
Avoid placing flower arrangements in windowsills and other areas of full sun where flowers can wilt due to overheating.
All flower stems should be submerged in water. Decline of fresh flowers occurs much more quickly after stems have been removed from water.
To maintain fresh flowers longer, trim the stems and change to fresh water after a few days.
Immediately remove dead or wilting stems from fresh flower arrangements.

Hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if I can assist you with anything else.

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks Tagged With: arrang, Cut Flowers, Flower Arrangements, Fresh Cut Flowers, Fresh Flowers

May Newsletter – May Means Flowers!

May 10, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

bloomin-blog2

The Month of May Means Flowers!

Mother’s Day has passed, but May is still a GREAT time for sending flowers! There are many anniversaries in May and don’t forget the grads! Make Thank You, Congratulations and I Love You mean even more with the gift of flowers!

FSN’s Favorite Flower Arrangement For May

We picked Remembering You as our favorite flower arrangement of May because it’s so perfect for every type of Mom. Your mom, new moms, even your Mother-In-Law would appreciate this beautiful floral display. Mother’s Day may be over, but it’s never to late to send mom flowers!

Even if it’s not Mom you’re sending flowers to, anyone would be delighted to receive these beautiful blooms!

Flower Ideas For May Birthdays

You can never go wrong sending flowers to someone on their birthday. Gazing at beautiful flowers will create sweet 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 vibrant colors every morning when you walk into your office. It’s like celebrating a birthday week instead of just a birthday!

Read More About May Birthday Flowers…

Unique Emerald Green Flower Guide

May’s favorite flower color is emerald. 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. Last month’s was diamond-white, and this month it’s emerald green.

This is a great flower guide for brides looking for unique color palettes and unusual flowers for their wedding.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Newsletters Tagged With: Newsletters

Forget Mom On Mother’s Day? It’s Never Too Late To Send Mom Flowers!

May 9, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

If you somehow let Mother’s Day pass you by without sending Mom anything special, don’t fret — it’s never too late to send Mom flowers!

For all of the wonderful things Mom has done for you over the years, she deserves some recognition on her special day. Perhaps you were out of town or working too much last week and let Mother’s Day pass you by? Sending a gift to mom has never been easier! Simply give your local florist a call and have a spectacular bouquet delivered today, straight to her door — at work or at home!

Mother’s Day or not, she won’t care if they’re a day late, she will be overjoyed to receive a symbol of your love and admiration.

Here are a few arrangements to get you started!

This post is brought to you by local Columbia SC florists.
Not in South Carolina? No worries, use Flower Shop Network to find your real local florist!

Filed Under: Flower Etiquette, Flower Suggestions, Gift Ideas, Holiday Info Tagged With: Mothers Day, Mothers Day Flowers, Mothers Day Gifts

Flowers For Mom Style Guide

May 5, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 4 Comments

Style Guide For Mother's Day Flowers
When it comes to buying flowers for Mother’s Day, it can be a bit overwhelming deciding which one is perfect for mom. Don’t worry, Flower Shop Network is here to help! Our flower buying style guide is your source for the perfect gift for mom!

The Classy Mom

Sophisticated, stylish and always full of class.

Tips for classy moms: monochromatic color schemes, contemporary styles.
Flowers for classy moms: orchids, garden roses, calla lilies, anthurium.
Colors ideas: white, coral pinks, ruby red, deep purples

The Natural Mom

The mom who loves the outdoors — gardening, birdwatching, hiking, this mom is more at home outdoors than in.

Tips for natural moms: think garden flowers, terracotta containers, fresh fruit, houseplants, arrangements made on wood.
Flowers for natural moms: lilies, roses, tulips, asters, irises, peonies and carnations.
Colors: earth tones, emerald green, dusty pink, creams

Help! Bromeliad Is Growing Mushrooms

May 4, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Expert: We have a bermilliad in our office. Overnight it started growing mushrooms and we see baby ones coming up as well. It also has gnats. How do we get rid of both without killing the plant? -Sonja

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply: Sonja,
If you are having a gnat and fungus problem, your soil is too wet. You need to aerate the soil and make sure the container is letting excess water drain away from the Bromeliad houseplant. You can also rake the soil with a spoon to aerate the soil. Make sure not to go the other way and let the bromeliad get too dry. If the issue persist you will need a fungicide that is safe for Bromeliads. Your local garden center should carry a fungicide that will work.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Bromeliad, Bromeliad Plants

Tips On Tagging Pictures in Facebook For Business Pages

May 4, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

[UPDATE] Facebook has added more new tagging features
that are outlined in this post: Tagging For Business Pages

A lot of talk is going on right now about image tagging in Facebook. Unfortunately, as it is currently, you are unable to tag business Pages in personal Profiles.

That means, when Sally Prom-goer posts her prom corsage pictures to her profile, she CANNOT tag your business Page in them. It would be a really cool feature, and maybe Facebook will add this later, but as it stands, no go.

You may have seen ‘business Pages’ doing this, but it’s because they are using a personal Profile. Many small businesses incorrectly set up personal profiles for their businesses because they were unsure how to originally do it. Facebook now has a Profile to Page migration tool to encourage businesses to stop using personal Profiles. Although being able to tag your incorrect business profile is a great feature, you are missing out on MANY of the draws to having a business page:

Analytics Abilities – be able to track the number of interactions your page has with fans, view key demographics like sex, age, and location, and more.
Get Found – people usually look for Pages when searching for a business on Facebook.
Simplicity – instead of logging in from one account to the other, Facebook allows you to switch between your personal Profiles and business Pages with just one click.

Alas, you can still use tagging!

Individuals cannot tag your business Page in their pictures, BUT they can tag themselves in YOUR pictures.. So, create an album just for pictures of prom corsages you’ve made, and encourage girls to tag their corsages in YOUR pictures. Why? This adds the picture of your beautiful prom flowers to their page and shares it with all of their friends. Try the same thing with wedding flower albums. Events, holidays, the list goes on and on.. The more pictures you post, the more opportunity it is for your fans have to interact with your Page.

This post is brought to you by Missoula, MT florists.
Not in Montana? No worries, use Flower Shop Network to find your REAL local florist!

Filed Under: Florists Only, Marketing Tips Tagged With: Facebook, Florists on Facebook

Royal Wedding Bouquet Winner — Perfect Rose Floral Design

May 3, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

Well, our contest has come to a close. If you haven’t been keeping up, we asked our florist friends to show us their predictions for the Royal Wedding Bouquet. We had a lot of fabulous entries, but Royal Wedding florist, Shane Connolly took us all by surprise. The actual design of the Royal Wedding Bouquet was modest compared to what florists were expecting. Connolly used Sweet William, lily of the valley, hyacinth, ivy and myrtle — all have small white blooms, but deep meanings from the Language of Flowers, used heavily in the Victorian Era. Check out the pic of Kate’s bouquet on Flirty Fleur’s blog.

Because we couldn’t just have a contest without a winner, we took the closest 3 bouquets and put them to a vote! We chose these because they (1) used white flowers, (2) included small flowers, (3) had a slight cascade shape, although Kate’s was very slight.

Our Winner Is

Tina of Perfect Rose Floral Design, East Islip NY

Created by Tina of
Perfect Rose Floral Design, East Islip NY
http://www.perfectrosefloraldesigns.com/

Tina does fantastic wedding work! She also entered these two bouquets in our Royal Wedding contest:

Great work Tina! Congratulations!

This post is brought to you by Flower Shop Network, your source for REAL local florists.

Filed Under: FSN Announcements, Wedding Flowers Tagged With: Bridal Bouquets, Wedding Bouquets, Wedding Flowers

What Causes the Lack of Blooms on My Hydrangeas?

May 2, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams Leave a Comment

Ask the Expert: we have beautiful green healthy hydrangea bushes,
beautiful bushes, but not blooming. Approx. 1 year old;

Bob Geissel

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:When hydrangeas don’t bloom, you need to know a little about their environment and past to find the reason for the lack of blooms.

First, have you pruned the hydrangeas? If you pruned your plants at the wrong time, you may have removed the blooms without knowing it. Most hydrangeas should be pruned in the summer. Pruning in the fall, winter or spring will remove the blooms.

Planting hydrangea in the wrong area can also cause the lack of blooming. A situation that is too wet will cause the leaves to turn yellow and inhibit bloom formation. Planting hydrangea in too much shady will inhibit blooming although the leaves will still be green and lush.

Fertilizer can also be a factor. Too much nitrogen will give you green lush leaves, but will inhibit bloom formation. Make sure you use a fertilizer with a higher phosphorous content than nitrogen content in the fall and spring. However, don’t over fertilize the hydrangeas as this will also cause a blooming issue.

If you can determine which of these causes is the issue, you problem can be easily solved.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Plant Care Questions

Flower Ideas For May Birthdays

May 2, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

April showers bring May flowers, so for a May birthday, flowers are especially sweet. With all of the storms we’ve had in April, May birthday-babies are in need of something bright and cheerful! Send a bouquet of warm summer flowers to brighten their day.

So how do you send flowers for a May birthday?

May’s official flower is lily of the valley, although it’s not always carried by florists in their everyday supplies. If you want to send your sweetie a gift of lily of the valley, be sure to order in plenty of time to have them special ordered. Sure it may take some extra planning, but if you’re a romantic, it’s well worth it!

You can also choose May flowers based on birthstone color, which is Emerald for May. Green flowers are unique and beautiful, and are sure to be appreciated by your Taurus hunny.

Houseplants are also a great gift for May birthdays. Their beautiful Emerald leaves will always remind them of what a special friend they have in you.

There are also specific colors depending on the birthday week your friend was born.

May 1st – May 14th – Blue

May 15th – May 24th – Gold

May 25th – June 3rd – Cream

You can use any one of these, together with emerald green, to create a personalized May birthday flower arrangement that is sure to please any May baby. Don’t forget a great birthday card message!

This post is brought to you by local Buffalo NY florists.
Not in New York? No worries, use FlowerShopNetwork.com to find your real local florist!

Filed Under: Flower Suggestions, Gift Ideas Tagged With: Birth Month Flowers, Birthday Flowers, Birthday Gift Ideas, Lily of the Valley

Help! How Do I Care For My Dish Garden?

May 1, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Expert: I just got the attached plant as a gift. It’s already starting to turn brown both at the edges and in the center of some of the leaves. I have several questions and concerns:

1) I have to keep my plants high up and away from the windows because of my pets, will this plant fare ok?
2) How often should I water it?
3) Should I remove the moss that it’s top soil came covered in?
4) It’s in a ceramic pot with no hole at the bottom, should I replant it?
5) It’s got several small, hard green balls under the moss. Picture of one is attached. Do you think those are time-released fertilizer pellets?
6) What kind(s) of plant is this?
7) Any other words of advice or suggestions?

THANK YOU!

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

I received your question and picture of your dish garden. I will try my best to answer all of your questions in the order listed.

1) Will the plants still receive light? If they will still receive a fair amount of light, then the plants should do well. However, if the plants are too close to a light fixture this may become a problem. The light may scorch the plants.

2) Since this is a dish garden and the various plants may need different water requirements, keep the soil moist but not soggy. This will require a physical check of the soil and not a “water every so often” requirement. If your air is dry you can also mist the air around the plants every few days.

3) The moss isn’t hurting anything. You can keep it if you like or remove it if you don’t.

4) It is always best to keep houseplant in a container that has ample drainage. For the best heath of the plants I would recommend repotting.

5) It does appear to be a slow release fertilizer.

6) Since this is what we call a dish garden, there are several types of plants in the container. I can easily recognize the parlour palm and the diffenbachia. The other plants are hidden and I can not make an identification.

7) When repotting you can keep the plants together or separate them into different containers.

If you send me pictures of the other plants I will try to identify them for you. Flower Shop Network has care instruction for many of the houseplants florists use in dish gardens or deliver separately. Once we identify all the plants in your dish garden, you can go to our houseplant gallery and find the individual care instructions for each plant.

Hope this information helps.

This post is brought to you by local Meridian MI florists.
Not in Mississippi? No worries, Flower Shop Network connects you to your real, local florist!

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Dish Gardens, Plant Propagation

FSN’s Favorite Flower Arrangement For May

Flower Ideas For May Birthdays

Unique Emerald Green Flower Guide

The Classy Mom

The Natural Mom

Alas, you can still use tagging!

Great work Tina! Congratulations!

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