The Blooming Bouquet

I remember when I was a child my Dad would bring me and my sister a small box of Whitman's chocolates for Valentine's Day. He always got my Mom a large box, hence my love of "chocolate". We were so excited to get that small box of chocolates and its one of my favorite memories from my childhood. As a teen, I received a candle from a sweetheart, it was in vibrant colors and spelled out the word "Love", I kept the candle for years but never once lit it.

My point here is the memories. Thinking back on all of the important memories in my life flowers are in most of them.  I'll never forget the first time my husband Steve brought me flowers. His Mother had instilled in him manners, thoughtfulness and a love of all things belonging to nature. Over the years the flowers and chocolates have been things that I cherish as memories.

My nieces and nephews grew up around the flower shop so they to developed a love for flowers and love giving and receiving them. One of the things that my nephews wives love is that they get fresh flowers for all kinds of occasions. The always post to Facebook so their friends and family can see what thoughtful husbands they have.

You know, you don't have to just give flowers to your sweetheart on Valentine's Day, you can also give them to your Mother, Sister, Grandmother, Aunts, friends and lets not forget the men. Yes, contrary to what some believe men do like to receive flowers as gifts. So don't forget Dad, your Brother and Grandpa and the special love of your life.

So, its all about the memories we make, I guarantee that any girl remembers the last time they received flowers. Make a memory that will last a life time, send flowers today!

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The Carnation has gotten a bad rap! For a flower that has been around for over 2000 years in Asia and Europe it is not very popular in America. Why? It is associated with funerals. I constantly hear from customers "Please don't use any carnations". So you don't see a lot of them in our work, but they are very economical, hearty and long lasting.

The carnations derives it's name from the word "coronation" or "corone" for the floral garlands that were fashioned for ancient Greek ceremonial events. It's botanical name is "Dianthus" meaning "flower of the gods". There are over 300 species, mostly perennials, blooming happily in full sunlight and well-drained soil, and in most of the colors of the rainbow except blue.

According to Catholic legend, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, wept at the sight of her son bearing the cross, and her tears turned to the first carnations. Leonardo da Vinci immortalized the associations of the carnation with Mary in his painting "The Madonna with the Carnations", it is housed in Munich, Germany.

It is also the official state flowers of Ohio, the selection of the red carnation honors President William KcKinley, who wore a red carnation in the buttonhole of his jacket lapel.

One other fact, it is the official of Mothers Day. Anna Maire Jarvis, who founded Mother Day, selected it as a tribute to her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis.

So, why is the carnation disliked so much? I think it does have some relations to its use in funeral flowers. I know when my mother passed away back in the early 70"s, carnations were in all of the arrangements. I think that because it was seen so much at funeral that it just became the 'funeral flower".

Grouped in mass, carnations can be the focal of any wedding or reception.

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We get lots of compliments that our flowers last a really long time. That's great! That means we are doing our job.

Lots of things effect the life chain of flowers. The first steps are taken at the Farms, Shippers and our Wholesalers. If the proper steps are not taken, then it really doesn't matter what we do. It's called cold chain, once the flowers are cut at the farm, they are inspected, graded, wrapped and put into cold storage. Once boxed, they will be shipped refrigerated by cargo plane or truck to our suppliers. Our suppliers have massive floral coolers where the flowers are stored until delivered to us. From Farm to our door there is continuous cold storage.

Once they arrive at our door the stems are cut, hydrated, and placed into a water solution and then place into our cooler. Flowers for the most part come in dehydrated and need to go through the hydrating process before they can be used for design work.The first thing my husband does every morning is check the cooler temps. There are other things too beside cold storage that help give flowers longer life. Of course, you have to have a clean cooler, clean buckets and clean tools. Bacteria is a flowers worst enemy. All of the steps above help ensure the best flower life.

Once you have your flowers its up to you how long they last and how much enjoyment you get from them. Follow these steps below to enjoy your flowers longer.

• The Nose Knows! Smell the water, it should smell fresh and clean.
• Flowers need fresh water daily.Remember to add water.
  
• Food For Thought! Commercial flower food solutions are a must. Follow the instructions. A packet is provided with each order.
  
• Climate Control! Keep fresh flowers out of direct sunlight and away from direct drafts (like air vents, heater vents and fans).
  
• Divide and Decorate! Once flowers become older, remove expired flowers and separate flowers into smaller groupings and place in smaller vases to get more enjoyment from them for a longer period of time. 

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Have you ever ordered flowers from a Big Floral Company on the internet and were totally disappointed when you saw the flowers? Yeah, it happens all the time. You should always look for a local florist, even if you are sending something to a different town. There are several reasons to shop with a local florist.

• You can speak directly with the florist concerning your wishes and concerns
• Most times the florist knows the recipient, knows their likes and dislikes
• They can tell you what they have in stock, what is best suited for their area
  
• You'll get a better quality product
• You'll get more value for your money
• You are also helping out the local economy

• Look for a local phone number, not a 800 number. A real local florist may have both, but will always have a local number
  
• Look for a physical address, not a post office box, or a street name
• Look closely at their website, look for things that indicate if they are independently owned and operated. Look for the owners names
  
• When you call, ask where they are located, or ask for driving directions, if they can't tell you that, then they most likely are not a real local florist
• When ordering online from a local florist, you will have delivery charges and tax added to your bill, but you should never have a service charge added
  

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