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Vote For Your Favorite Design In Our Inspiration Challenge Round 1!

June 11, 2010 by 16 Comments

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van-gogh-garden1The entries are in and are lookin’ GOOD!
In case you missed it, Flower Shop Network asked our talented designers to create a fabulous floral design inspired by a subject we selected. For this one, we chose Vincent van Gogh’s lesser-known work, Trees in the Asylum Garden. It really piqued our florist’s interests and they delivered fantastic results! Find more about the Design Inspiration Challenge here.

Now it’s your turn to participate! Look at the painting carefully and choose a floral design you think best interprets van Gogh’s masterpiece. Look closely at all of the designs before picking a winner! There is a poll at the bottom of this post — Be sure to cast your vote!!

FSN wishes all of the florists who entered GOOD LUCK!! [Read more…]

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FSN’s Bloomin Newsletter For June

June 10, 2010 by 1 Comment

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Top 5 June Flowers to Put You In The Mood for Summer

5. Lilies

Lilies are popping up all over the place. This little beauty makes the list for being the most common of the June flowers. Why? Most lilies are able to survive with little care and are drought tolerant plants. This has enabled the lily to ‘escape’ and grow everywhere as if they were wild.

4. Calla Lily

callalilyCalla lilies’ bloom color may be pink, violet/lavender, dark purple/black, or white/near white. With this many variations, you’re sure to find one to complement any occasion. Calla lilies are very popular wedding flowers right now. Dressed in white and elegant — just like the bride!

3. Gladiolas

These were always my dad’s favorite garden flowers. Sometimes called the sword lily, these brightly colored beauties stand tall in a vase arrangement or even your own flower garden. Gladiolas are a great way to add height and color to your June decor.

2. Delphinium or Larkspur

The beautiful delphinium, or larkspur, is definitely a florist’s favorite. The flower has five petal-like sepals which grow together to form a hollow pocket with a spur at the end, giving the plant its name. These beautiful purple blooms can be seen wild in grasslands and beside roadways, but are becoming increasingly rare.

1. Hydrangea

Probably the favorite of all summer flowers, the hydrangea’s blooms definitely have a commanding presence. Hydrangeas have two types of flower arrangements: mop-head flowers are the large round flower heads resembling pom-poms or, as the name implies, the head of a mop. In contrast, lacecap flowers bear round, flat flower heads with a center core of fertile flowers surrounded by outer rings of showy, sterile flowers.

FSN’s Favorite Flower Arrangement For June

Father’s Day is just around the corner. Can you believe it’s here already? For all of the special things Dad has done, and will continue to do for us, isn’t it time to give something in return? Sending the the Floral Felicity flower arrangement — this months favorite here at FSN — is the PERFECT gift for Father’s Day. Its  bright and vivid colors are just what Dad needs to remind him how much of a shining star he is to you.
Find The Floral Felicity Arrangement on Flower Shop Network…

Personalized & Creative Tribute Flowers

Funeral flowers are not what they used to be, and for good reason. We have become so accustomed to personalization, why not customize our final tribute to a lost loved one? People everywhere are opting for sympathy arrangements with a more personalized feel.

This is a great custom funeral design for someone who was known for their love of music. Perhaps they were sent by someone in a band with the deceased. What a great way to honor those memories they shared together. Custom set pieces are great to pay tribute to the deceased favorite hobby or interest.
Read More About Personalized & Creative Tribute Flowers…

ASK THE EXPERT

Every week our Plant Expert answers YOUR most challenging plant care & identification questions.

Question About A Seed Pod Found In St. Croix

I found this 18″ pod in St. Croix. Pictured is the inside & outside. Before it split open there were seeds in each of the little compartments and made a great rattle. Can anyone ID it?
Thanks. John

Our Expert’s Answer

Of course we can, John! Turns out this seed pod is from the most amazing fire-orange tree, appropriately named Flamboyant Tree. Read more and see pictures of this gorgeous tree from the Caribbean in this post…

QUICK FLOWER CARE TIP
It’s summer and the A/C’s are ON! I love that cold breeze in my face on a hot day. Here is a tip though — don’t sit your flower arrangement directly in front of an air conditioner or vent. Flowers need to be in a cool spot in your house, but leaving them in the direct path of a vent can cause them to dehydrate. Also, cut flowers need a consistent temperature to thrive, so the air conditioning going on and off will shorten their lifespan.

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 Love flowers? Follow us on the above Social Networks! We are always sharing the latest articles from our Bloomin’ Blog, as well as the most fascinating news on the net!

 

JUST FOR FLORISTS

Design Inspiration Challenge
This month, the FSN bloggers began one of our favorite projects ever — the bi-weekly Design Inspiration Challenge. This floral design competition is not for just ANY florist. We wanted truly inspired design; thus, the Design Inspiration Challenge was born.
Every other week, we will give you something inspirational (this week’s was a lesser-known van Gogh painting) and you design an arrangement using that inspiration. More about the Design Inspiration Challenge…

Increasing SEO For Your Flower Shop
SEO means Search Engine Optimization, or optimizing your flower shop’s website to best be found in search engines, like Google, Bing, or Yahoo Search. Now, this may seem like a daunting task, but it’s really quite easy to get started, and I bet you’ve already done more for SEO than you realize! More about increasing SEO for your flower shop…

Fun In The Flower Shop
Contrary to popular belief, a local florist’s work can be exhausting and stressful at times, especially for the owner. When is the last time you and your great employees really cut loose and had some FUN? Research shows that the more FUN you have in your shop, the happier and more productive your employees will be. Here are a few tips you can use to shake things up a bit. More about Fun in the Flower Shop…4 Unique & Creative Vase Ideas
Are you one of the many florists who gets stuck in the hum-drum of day-to-day floral design? Do you need a little push to look outside the box for new, inspirational ideas to get the creative juices flowing? In this article, we look at quick and easy ways to give your vases a little more ‘oomph,’ while rediscovering your muse and encouraging new business (Who wouldn’t want that!?). Read more about unique & creative vase ideas…

JUNE 2010 — FLORAL CONVENTIONS AND FLOWER SHOWS

June 10-13, 2010: The Florida State Florists Association Convention will be hosted at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bay Front Palm Beach Gardens Marriott in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Florists who are members, as well as non-member florists, are invited to attend.

View More Floral Conventions and Flower Show on the Calendar.

What do you think of our new monthly newsletter format? Your opinion really matters to us. With your help, we can make the FSN newsletter just what you want and need. You can drop us a note in the comment section on the blog or email us at social@flowershopnetwork.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!

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Plants for Pest Repellent That Actually Work!

June 9, 2010 by 14 Comments

It’s summer and the bugs are out! Sure, we’ve all heard of using cedar for moths and citronella for mosquitoes, but what other natural remedies out there actually WORK? Here is a list of common pests and their all-natural, plant-based repellents. Natural plant-based repellents are safe to use around kids and pets, and can be a handy addition in a flower shop where pesticides can damage flowers.

NATURAL FLEA REPELLENT

It can be impossible to get rid of fleas. If your inside animal gets into them, they’re pretty much everywhere, but here are some natural repellents to get fleas under control.

fleabaneCitrus – for natural flea control. Slice a lemon into 4 pieces. Score the skin to release more essential oil. Pour a cup of boiling water over your lemon and allow to sit overnight. Sponge onto your dog and spritz around your house. Sponge yourself before leaving the house to prevent bites.

Cedar – Cedar and cedar oil are natural flea deterrents. Create sachets or use oil to keep fleas away. Commercially made cedar dog beds are also available.

Fleabane – One of my favorite wildflowers, fleabane is a weed you may want to keep around for flea control. (Pictured right)

Eucalyptus – Use the scent of eucalyptus leaves to repel fleas.

Tansy – a colorful flower to grow in your garden, the tansy also works for flea control.

Lemon Grass or Citronella – also good for mosquitoes, growing this plant will keep your fleas away.

NATURAL MOSQUITO REPELLENT

The south is definitely mosquito country, and the FSN headquarters just so happens to be very near the Rice Capitol of the World. This means we are near many… mannnnny fields of standing water. Which also means mosquito central, we understand the need for this type of pest control!

Rosemary – burning rosemary is a great way to combat mosquitoes. Throw a few springs onto your BBQ grill and enjoy the delicious flavor and a bug free environment! [Read more…]

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FSN’s Favorite Flower Arrangement for June 2010

June 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Send Father's Day Flowers

Father’s Day is just around the corner. Can you believe it’s here already? For all of the special things dad has done, and will continue to do for us, isn’t it time to give something in return? Sending the the Floral Felicity flower arrangement — this months favorite here at FSN — is the PERFECT gift for Father’s Day. It’s  bright and vivid colors are just what dad needs to remind him how much of a shining star he is to you.

Is distance keeping you from saying, “I love you” to your dad? Send him the Floral Felicity Father’s Day Arrangement!  Sending dad flowers will brighten his day and add to the special memories he shares with you. Every time your dad walks by or looks at the flowers, he will be reminded that you are always thinking of him. Nothing is better than that feeling. It’s as near to a hug as you can give.

Having trouble figuring out what to say in your card to dad? Check out these Father’s Day Card Messages — perfect little phrases to include in the enclosure card of your beautiful Father’s Day flower arrangement.

Filed Under: Flower Suggestions Tagged With: , , , ,

FSN’s Very First Design Inspiration Challenge!

June 4, 2010 by 1 Comment

Everyone on the FSN blogging staff is excited to bring to you the FIRST ever Design Inspiration Challenge! This is going to be a fun and exciting bi-weekly event to spice up your every day floral designing.

Here is how it works:

We provide the inspiration, whether it be an image, object, color, etc. and challenge you come up with a design inspired by what this week’s muse will be. Your design can be any type or style that you feel represents that week’s inspiration the best.  Think outside the box too! Here at FSN we understand florists are artists too and come up with some AMAZING designs. Now is your chance to show your creativity to the world!

THIS WEEK’S INSPIRATION CHALLENGE:

For this week’s challenge, we are going to take a look at van Gogh’s Trees in the Asylum Garden, created in 1889.
This is one of van Gogh’s lesser known paintings, but definitely a masterpiece nonetheless.

Study this painting carefully and use your imagination to interpret it into a floral design. This painting has SO much expression, color and vibrance that this should be an easy one!  Those blues are intense! Just have fun with it.This is your chance to show off your artistic and creative abilities!

We cannot wait to see what you come up with!

How to enter:

Entering is EASY! Simply:

  • Go to our Facebook Page
  • Post a photo of your design on our wall.
  • Be sure to include the name of your shop. (If your shop has a Facebook Page, link it by typing @ and your shop’s name)
  • Include a brief description of your design and how it was inspired by that week’s challenge (Optional)

Winners:

You have one week to create and enter your challenge arrangement. Our design team will then choose the top 5 contest entries and we will hold a vote for 1 week and announce the winner on Friday. So..

  • Contest Begins (Friday)
  • One week to design (Friday-Thursday)
  • One week to vote (Friday-Thursday)
  • Winner Announced/New Challenge Begins (Friday)

Winners will be picked based on creativity, style, and how well their design represents that week’s inspiration.

Each winner will receive a special feature on our blog with their arrangement and a link to their shop’s website. They will also be promoted on our Twitter and Facebook for one week. After 6 challenge winners (August) we will have a Tournament of Inspiration and our top winning designers will compete for a grand prize! (More on this later)

We are SO excited about this and can not wait to see what you come up with!!

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Identification Of A Seed Pod From St. Croix

June 4, 2010 by 3 Comments

Ask the Expert:

St. Croix seed pod ID
I found this 18″ pod in St. Croix.  Pictured is the inside & outside.  Before it split open there were seeds in each of the little compartments and made a great rattle.

Delonix regia Seed Pod

Delonix regia Seed Pod

Can anyone ID it?  Thanks. John

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

This seed pod was unfamiliar to me so I contacted David M. Hamada, the
Horticultural Director at the St. George Village Botanical Garden.  Here is his reply:

I have been traveling so sorry for the delay in responding. The seed pod is from Delonix regia, locally known as Flamboyant, known in other areas as Royal Poinciana. It is native to Madagascar, but very commonly found here in the Caribbean.

Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant Tree

Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant Tree

The Delonix regia is a flowering tree with fern-like leaves and very vivid red/orange/yellow flowers. It is a wildly cultivated ornamental tree.

This semi-evergreen tree will be deciduous in areas with long dry seasons. It requires a tropical or near tropical climate. You can find it in Caribbean, Africa, Hong Kong, the Canary Islands, Thailand, Taiwan and southern China. In the United States, you can find it South Florida, Southwest Florida, the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, ranging from the low deserts of Southern Arizona (to as high as Tucson), Southern California. It can also be found in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

In South Florida, it blooms May through June. In the Caribbean, it blooms May through September.

According to Wikipedia,  the seed pods are used as a percussion instrument known as the shak-shak or maraca.

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Easy Ways To Increase SEO For Your Flower Shop’s Website

June 3, 2010 by 19 Comments

We’ve all heard about it, SEO this, SEO that.. but what is SEO?

SEO means Search Engine Optimization, or optimizing your flower shop’s website to best be found in search engines, like Google, Bing or Yahoo Search. Now, this may seem like a daunting task, but it’s really quite easy to get started and I bet you’ve already done more for SEO than you realize!

First off, I know local florists are not web developers, and most use a hosting service with ecommerce store templates, which is great! Most developers include basic SEO into their sites, especially on the backend and in the code of their templates.

For this post, we are going to look at basic SEO strategies on the front end of your website, which is something any florist can do without having to call up their webmaster every 5 minutes. I want this post to be helpful for all levels of users, so I won’t go into meta tags and code speak this time.

Learn what keywords are and how to use them

What are keywords? Keywords are those words or phrases you type into search boxes to find what you are looking for on the web.

If you want to find pictures of rose arrangements, what would you most likely put into a search box? “pictures of roses, rose pictures, rose photos, rose arrangements” … the list can go on and on. Those words and phrases are all keywords. All of those are going to get you to web pages with pictures of roses.

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Will searching for “photos of rose arrangements” get you to that website’s home page? Probably not. Remember this: not everyone who comes to your website lands on the home page.

Think of all of the pages on your website as their own little landing pages. If you were to look at each page individually and ask, “What would I have to type in a search box to get to this page?” Those words are your keywords. Now, before you go adding the keyword “photos of rose arrangements” 200 times on your page, remember this: search engines are very smart and can somehow tell if you do add “fluff” on your pages and will sometimes penalize for it. Just write your page copy naturally and with your customers in mind, they ultimately are your actual readers… not the search engines.

For SEO, your pages should have at least: [Read more…]

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How Can I Tell If Azalea Is Dead?

June 3, 2010 by
Hot Pink Azalea

Hot Pink Azalea

Ask the Expert: Is it dead an azalea that lose all its leaves?
I bought this azalea in february and did very good for one month and then started to lose the flowers and all the leaves. It was inside my house in a spot with good light, so I thougt that maybe needed to be outside, but is not looking good neither. Jennifer.

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

The first thing you need to do is check the viability of the Azalea. You can do this by testing the stems for signs of green. Take your fingernail and lightly scrape the stem. If the you see green where you scraped the stem the plant is still alive. If it isn’t green go further down the stem until you find  green. You will need to trim off any part of the stem that isn’t green.

Once you have determined that your azalea is still alive, you need to make sure it is planted in the ground or pot in a container with good drainage.  After the azalea is in its new home you need to keep it moist but not soggy and fertilize it once a month (April through August) with a slow release fertilizer.  The Azalea will do best in an area with at least half a day sun.

Side note: Anytime you receive an Azalea from a florist shop and it comes with pretty foil around it, remove the foil within a couple days. Foil is great for dressing up the  Azalea, but it doesn’t allow for proper drainage. So remove it as soon as possible.

This plant care question was brought to you by local Raleigh Florists.

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Blooming Plant With Pink Flowers And Chartreuse Leaves

June 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Blooming Plant

Blooming Plant

Ask the Expert: is this a weed?

Could you please tell me if this is a weed or not?
Thank you very much Emanuela

Flower Shop Network‘s Plant Expert Reply:

If it is what I think it is.  – it is not a weed. I believe this is a Spirea japonica which is a clump-forming decidiuous shrub. Heading into and throughout summer it will be covered with pink flowers.  Did this just pop up in your yard? They are usually propagated vegetaively or from suckers.  How long has it been in your area.

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What Are These Delicate White, Blue and Sky Blue Flowers?

June 1, 2010 by 1 Comment

Ask the Expert: Lovely perennial, but what is it?
Springs up in May, has cosmos like stem and leaves and corn flower type flower.  It blooms first as white then gradually turns to a dark blue flower. Sharon


Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

The flowering plant is a Nigella damascena.  It is commonly referred to as Love-in-a-Mist or Devil-in-a-Bush.  Although it blooms in U.S. gardens in the late spring though summer, florists can use this flower in arrangements year-round. Because of its light and airy quality as well as its blue color, florist use it as a rare blue element in garden style arrangements. Beside the blue flowers, Nigella can also come in pink, white and yellow.  Diseases and pest rarly bother this plant and it comes up from seed fairly easy given the right conditions.

Greenville Florists are proud to bring you this flower identification.

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