Garden Flowers

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

FSN’s Bloomin Newsletter For June

June 10, 2010 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

bloomin-blog2

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

Calla 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.

WE’RE SOCIAL

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!

Filed Under: Newsletters Tagged With: Featured Flower Arrangement, Floral & Flower Shows, Floral Design, Flower Shop Network, Garden Flowers, Seasonal Flowers, Sympathy Flowers

Rhododendron Better For Garden Than Wedding

June 18, 2009 by Jamie Jamison Adams 1 Comment

Lavender Rhododendron

Ask the Expert: What kind of flower is this?
My friend has this flower in her yard and doesn’t know what it’s called. I think it”s beautiful and I would love to use it in my wedding but cannot find the name of it.
Thank you! Lindsey

Plant Expert Reply:

Your friend has a lavender Rhododendron. This shrub is fantastic in the garden. However probably not a good one for wedding flower use. If you want to incorporate these into your wedding, you will probably need to use potted ones. Of you will need to check with your local florist as to the availability of potted Rhododendron in your area and during the season of your wedding. Your florist might be able to provide potted Azaleas which are part of the Rhododendron genus.

Filed Under: Flower Identification Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Azalea, Flower Identification, Garden Flowers, Garden Plants, Rhododendron, Wedding Flowers

Pink Flowers And ESP

April 1, 2009 by Jamie Jamison Adams 2 Comments

Ask the Expert: I can’t remember what the name of the plant was…
Last year I bought two plants from Lowes. I absolutely fell in love with them. Very low maintenance, did well in direct sun-light and bloomed spring, summer and all fall. They had only 1-3 flowers per plant at a time, and were pink. The flower itself ranged approximately 4-6 inches in diameter. The base and leaves was all green. They were a foot tall, maybe a little more. I want them again for my flower bed but I have no idea what they were called. Can you help please? Thanks. Holly

Reply:

I assume that you don’t have a picture of this plant. So I will have to use my ESP to determine what this plant is. Just a little joke. There are several flowers that fit that description. Based on the blooms size and the amount of blooms, two flowers immediately pop to mind – gerberas and hibiscus.

Gerbera

Pink Hibiscus

Do either of these flowers look like your flower? If not I’ll Keep trying until we find out what it is.

Filed Under: Flower Identification Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Flower Identification, Garden Flowers

Garden Flowers Ideas For Okinawa Japan

October 17, 2007 by Jamie Jamison Adams 2 Comments

I will soon move to Okinawa, Japan, where I hope to plant a lush flower garden (my first!). Okinawa has a subtropical climate. I would like to know if you can help me determine which flowers will do well (and which will not) in such a climate. These are flowers that I am considering planting there:

petunia
pansy
begonia
hollyhock
Sweet William
cockscomb
Cosmos

shell flower / shell ginger / pink porcelain lily / light galangal (Which name is most common?)

kahili ginger (Can this flower be planted in a garden, or does it only grow
in the wild?)

May I ask whether you can identify any of the flowers pictured (the photos
do not appear to be labeled with names):

I really do appreciate your help! Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Richard Tyler

Filed Under: Plant Identification, Plant Suggestions Tagged With: Garden Flowers, Okinawa Japan, Plant Identification, Plant Suggestions

Flowers for Mother’s Day

May 15, 2002 by Kelly Curtis Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year again when, by tradition, we honor those very special women who have been so important in our lives. While we certainly love and cherish our Moms the year round, Mother’s Day for remembering mom with a bit of extra love and attention.

You can’t go wrong with a gift of flowers for Mother’s Day

Flowers, with their intrinsic and vibrant beauty, are the perfect symbols for the life-giving energy that really defines motherhood. This Mother’s Day, florists across the country are well-stocked with beautiful blossoms to help you express your affection.

For example, the popular look in flowers these days features rounded blooms with soft, feminine textures in a lush and abundant arrangement. So a simple, clear glass vase filled with such flowers as hydrangea, ranunculus, peonies, and lisianthus , accented with delicate filler materials such as Queen Anne’s lace or Misty Blue limonium is sure to delight. Other soft textured flowers include stock, heather, delphinium, lilac and viburnum.

Roses Are A Mother’s Day Favorite

Of course, the rose is always a favorite choice of flower for Mother’s Day, and May is an especially good time of year for a bounteous selection of them. Add a few of these luxuriant blossoms to any bouquet to give it an extra measure of appeal.

Flowers For The Gardening Mom

Gardening is America’s number one hobby, and it remains as a very popular theme for Mother’s Day gift-giving. Consider sending Mom a basket of garden flowers arranged in a vegetative style; in other words, designed to reflect how they grow. A vegetative designed arrangement displays flowers in relaxed, vertical groups as though they were growing in a perennial border. Snapdragons, lilies, tulips, and iris work well in this style of arrangement. Special detailing with mosses, branches, and foliages, and perhaps the inclusion of some natural element, such as a bird’s nest, completes the presentation.

European-style Dish Garden

A European garden, which is a collection of green and blooming plants placed together into a basket or tray, is another charming way to present flowers for Mother’s Day, with the added benefit that the live plants will continue to survive and grow after the holiday. Bloomers like African violets, begonias, miniature roses, and cyclamens can be combined with green houseplants such as ivy, dieffenbachia, and philodendrons, accented with a branch or a flourish of ribbon.

It’s been said that it doesn’t matter what you give your Mom, as long as it’s flowers. Send her a garden of love, full of flowers for Mother’s Day, or consult you local Mother’s Day florist for other great ideas. But don’t delay……it’s only a few days away!

Filed Under: Floral Design, Flower Suggestions, Gift Ideas, Holiday Info, Newsletters Tagged With: Dish Gardens, Garden Flowers, Gardening, Mothers Day, Mothers Day Flowers, Rose

Garden Reminder: It’s Spring Bulb Planting Time

FSN’s Bloomin Newsletter For June

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

FSN’s Favorite Flower Arrangement For June

Personalized & Creative Tribute Flowers