Bloom - You Won’t Want to Miss This

I’m very excited to introduce ‘Bloom’ - a series of workshops hosted by my two daughters and myself .

These workshops are designed to give you low-effort practices that will help you to flourish.

Our first workshop will focus on how to practice stress relief and resilience through three different avenues of wellness - holistic nutrition by Olivia, mindful movement by Rochelle, and the healing power of flowers by me.

A bit about the workshop:

Rather than offering stress-management techniques and tasks, we’re going to teach you how small tweaks to your diet, mindful breathing and movement practices, and the healing power of flowers, can support your body through stressful times so that you continue to pursue optimal health.

A bit about each of us:

Olivia - “I’m a Registered Holistic Nutritionist specializing in postpartum wellness and women’s health. I primarily work with moms in the early stages of motherhood to help them build nourishing diets that fit into their busy lives stress-free.”  www.livwell.love | @oliviakelava.  | liv@livwell.live 

Rochelle - “I’m a yoga teacher and certified Life Coach offering practices of mindful movement, breath work, and reflective inquiry. I support clients in times of transition and growth to find clarity and ease, creating space for more of what they love.”  https://www.fjaka.ca | @ro.kelava |   rochelle@fjaka.ca

Mary - “My first career was an early childhood educator and my second career was a florist. I now combine my love of teaching with my knowledge of flowers to share all the ways flowers have a positive impact on our daily lives.” www.thefloralprescription.ca |   @thefloralprescription   | thefloralprescription@gmail.com

The three of us, working together, are excited to share the tools we have in our back pockets to help you be proactive and learn intentional practices to help your body cope with stress in a way that limits its long term effects.

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WORKSHOP DETAILS:

SATURDAY APRIL 17

10:00-11:30AM PST

ON ZOOM

RECORDING AVAILABLE

COST $35 CDN (Can be paid online through Rochelle’s website: www.momoyoga.com/fjaka/ )

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This will be a restorative morning that we hope will give you some lessons and tools to walk away with, as well as some space to breathe and reflect.

We hope to see you there.

Register by April 9 to be entered to win our door prize

‘Bloom - (verb) - to come into or be in full beauty or health; to flourish”

Top 6 Flowers for Easter and Their Meanings

Every flower has a meaning attached to it. When you know what those meanings are, you can make flower choices that are perfect for every occasion. Here are six meaningful flowers for Easter:

1 Lily:

A white lily is a very traditional flower for Easter. They represent hope and love.

2 Daffodils:

As one of the first flowers to bloom in spring, daffodils have the meaning of new beginnings and rebirth - very symbolic for Easter.

3 Crocus:

When crocus bloom in early spring you can’t help but smile, the meanings of gladness and mirth are a perfect fit.

4 Gerbera Daisy:

Gerberas, with their daisy-like faces blooming in an array of colours, are considered a happy flower. Gerbera's meaning is cheerfulness.

5 - Iris:

An iris has three main petals. Their meaning has three parts - faith, hope and wisdom.

6 - Tulips:

The general meaning of tulips is perfect love, but every colour also has it’s own meaning: red - declaration of love, pink - caring, purple - royalty, yellow - joy; white - purity.

Suggestion for Easter bouquet:

My Easter bouquet would be a mix of simple, seasonal, spring flowers. Tulips and daffodils plus a few pussy willows - like little bunny tails.

To note:

Daffodils contain a sap that leaks into the water and clogs up the stems of other flowers causing them to wilt quickly. To avoid this happening, cut the daffodils stems and place them in a bucket of water. After several hours, take the daffodils out of the water but do not recut the stems. Place them straight into the vase of mixed flowers.

The Floral Prescription - What It Is, What It Isn't, and What’s Coming Next

I began The Floral Prescription blog in November 2019.  I wanted to create a place where flower-lovers could go to find information and inspiration about all things floral. Things like, how flowers have a positive effect on our well-being, exploring the language of flowers, learning about edible flowers, introducing flower-filled travel destinations, and delving into flowers in art, music, and literature. 

One topic I’ve always stayed away from is gardening. I purposely did this for two reasons: 1 - there is already so much information out there about growing flowers, and 2 - not everyone who loves flowers is also interested in gardening (myself included). 

Now sixteen months have gone by since I started The Floral Prescription, and along the way, something changed for me. While I still want my blog to be the ‘go-to spot’ for all things floral that’s not related to gardening, I DO want to learn to grow my own flowers. 

More and more lately, I’ve been wishing I had my own readily available source of local, seasonal flowers, and organically grown edible flowers, and I knew the best way to have them would be to grow them myself. And as fate would have it, as soon as I made that decision a community garden plot became available in my neighbourhood and I was lucky enough to have it allocated to me. My plan is to plant half of it as a cut-flower patch and use the other half to grow edible flowers.

This new venture I’m starting will not have much impact on my blog. I still believe there should be a place for flower lovers to go to get floral information that is not garden-related, so the majority of my blog will still have nothing to do with gardening. 

However, I do plan to document my ‘learn to flower garden experience’ on my Instagram stories. I hope you’ll enjoy following along with me as I try to grow cosmos and sweet peas, nasturtiums, and calendulas. I’m expecting to learn a lot along the way, hoping for not too many mistakes, and will be delighted if at some point this summer I have some flowers to cut and put in a vase, and others to sprinkle over a salad. 

This project is meant to help me learn and grow in new ways. I’m not switching from sharing about ‘all things floral, all year long’ to ‘how to start a flower garden’, but I am ‘practicing what I preach’ by finding ways to incorporate flowers into my life on a daily basis.

In other news, I want to let you know that I’m busy working away on my next issue of The Floral Prescription Magazine (April/May/June issue). I’ll be emailing it to all my blog subscribers during the first week of April. This is my way of thanking you for being part of The Floral Prescription. If you’re reading this and haven’t subscribed to my blog yet, all you need to do is fill in your email address in the ‘subscribe’ box on my website.

I appreciate each and every one of you who has supported me over the past 16 months. I love what I’m doing, I love what I’m sharing, I love what I’m learning along the way, and I love the plans I’m making for The Floral Prescription in the future.

Meaningful Flowers for Anniversaries

Anniversaries are important moments in life, and what better way to celebrate a special day than with a big, beautiful bouquet of meaningful flowers. 

Traditionally when we think of anniversaries we think of marriage; but you can also celebrate anniversaries of friendships, years in business, or any other important milestones in life. 

Whatever the anniversary is, flowers are a wonderful way to acknowledge it, and choosing flowers that have specific meanings will make that acknowledgment even more special.  Here are my suggestions for anniversary flowers.

Flowers for first ten anniversary years:

Every anniversary year has a flower assigned to it. This is a great place to start when choosing flowers.

1st - Carnation - Affection; 2nd - Lily of the valley - Return to happiness; 3rd - Sunflower - Adoration; 4th - Hydrangea - Perseverance; 5th - Daisy - Innocence; 6th - Calla lily - Magnificent beauty; 7th - Freesia - Friendship; 8th - Lilac - Memories of first love; 9th - Bird of Paradise - Magnificence; 10th - Daffodil - New beginnings

Flowers with special meanings:

Next think of what the anniversary is for, and what message you want to send. Here are flower suggestions for four types of anniversaries: 

Marriage: Celebrating your anniversary is a way to remember one of the most important days of your life and to reflect on your life as a couple and the individual attributes that you love and admire about each other. Roses, with their meaning of love, are always popular for a wedding anniversary bouquet, but there are plenty of other choices.

Ranunculus - Radiant charm; Carnation - Affection; Sunflower - Adoration; Calla lily - Magnificent beauty; Freesia - Friendship; Lilac - Memories of first love; Stock - Lasting beauty; Alstroemeria - Devotion

Years in business: Only half of new businesses survive the first five years, so every year you are open deserves to be celebrated. You can also use the day to thank your employees, customers, and family and friends who have supported you.

Allium - Prosperity; Peony - Good fortune; Hollyhock - Ambition; Alstroemeria - Devotion; Pink roses - Appreciation; Hydrangea - Perseverance

Remembering the passing of a loved one: Recognizing the passing of a loved one on an annual basis gives us a chance to remember everything we loved about them, keeping that connection between past and present.

Forget-me-not - Memories; Poppy - Remembrance; Cosmos - Peacefulness; Pink Carnation - I will always remember you; Zinnia - Thoughts of an absent friend

Success in stopping an addiction: Stopping a harmful addiction is no easy feat. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication and is something worth acknowledging each year.

Chamomile - Energy in diversity; Borage - Courage; Clematis - Mental beauty; Aster - Patience

Whatever anniversary you’re celebrating, I hope you’ll be inspired by this list of meaningful flowers for anniversaries when deciding what flowers you’ll choose for the occasion.

If you would like to know the flower for an anniversary after 10 years, or like a flower suggestion for a specific type of anniversary, please let me know in the comments below and I’d be happy to help you.

Have Your Own Readily Available Source Of Fresh Edible Flowers

There’s nothing like the addition of fresh flowers to your cooking or baking to take it from something ordinary to something extraordinary. A sprinkling of colourful petals on a salad suddenly makes it look gourmet, and a few carefully placed blooms on a cake makes it look like a professional decorated it. The problem is, (at least where I live), fresh edible flowers are not readily available. 

However, there is a simple solution - grow your own. I have done very little gardening in my life, but the thought of having a readily available source of edible flowers has spurred me on to learn how to grow them.

There is an almost overwhelming amount of information out there about growing edible flowers. It’s a lot to sift through, but in the end, I narrowed it all down to three easy to grow choices. Here’s what I’ve learned about them:

Nasturtiums:

Nasturtiums became my first pick as soon as I read the words ‘Very easy to grow, they thrive on neglect’. (Not that I would ever be neglectful, but it makes it sound like a pretty fool-proof flower to grow!)

About growing:

• Grows quickly from seeds or can be bought as bedding plants;

• Grows well in containers;

• Prefers full sun, but if in a really hot area can tolerate afternoon shade;

• Consistent moisture, but not damp is best;

• Do not fertilize as it will cause more leaves than flowers to grow.

About eating:

• Peppery, spicy flavour (cross between a radish and watercress);

• Full of vitamins A, C, and D;

• All parts are edible (petals, leaves, seeds);

• Come in reds, oranges and yellows;

• Used in dishes whole, or torn into pieces.

Calendula:

Calendula is a summertime favourite with gardeners.

About growing:

• Easy to grow from seed right in the garden;

• Regular watering is preferred, but they can tolerate drier conditions;

• Plant in nourishing soil - no extra fertilizing needed;

• Dead-head plants and they will continue to bloom from early summer to late fall.

About eating:

• Flavour can be spicy, bitter, tangy, or peppery;

• Comes in various shades of yellow and orange;

• Adds a yellow tint to food;

• Pull the petals off the centre of the bloom to use in salads, or to decorate baking;

• Dried calendula can be made into a tea, or added to soups or stews to calm an upset stomach.

Lavender:

While very popular as an ingredient in beauty products, lavender is also edible.

About growing:

• Grow in a well-drained area, a raised bed, or in containers;

• Prefers full sun;

• Very little watering required (most people over-water);

• No fertilizer is necessary

• Harvest lavender when the first few flowers are opening on each stem.

About eating: 

• Can be used fresh or dried;

• Distinctive floral taste mixed with a hint of rosemary and mint;

• A little goes a long way - use sparingly;

• Use to make tea, infuse sugar or honey, make herbed butter, or decorate sweet treats.

These are the first three edible flowers I’m going to try and grow as they all seem very forgiving to beginner gardeners. But remember - these flowers are for eating so make sure to grow them organically. For other important safety tips when consuming edible flowers read my post ‘Top 3 Rules for Using Edible Flowers’.

If you have any tips or advice to give a beginner gardener about growing flowers please put them in the comments below. They would be much appreciated.

PS - A little something I thought I’d share with you. I live in an apartment, so I was imagining I would need to grow flowers in pots out on the balcony. But, two days after I’d made the decision to try growing edible flowers, one of those weird coincidences in life occurred. I was out for my morning walk in the neighbourhood and I passed a place with a sign saying there were a few community garden plots available and if interested to apply. So I did - and I was accepted to be allocated one of the plots this year! So now I will have my own little patch of soil to work in. Thank you Pacific Spirit Community Garden!

Meaningful Flowers for March Birthdays

Do you know someone with a birthday in March? Are you planning on giving them some flowers? An easy way to make your gift extra special is to choose flowers that create a meaningful message.

With knowing just a few things, your floral gift can be personalized specifically for someone with a March birthday.

Birth month flower:

Every month has a flower associated with it - its birth month flower. The flower for the month of March is the daffodil. The meaning for daffodils is ‘new beginnings’.

Zodiac:

Every zodiac sign has a flower that represents it. The signs and flowers for March birthdays are:

Pisces: February 19 - March 20: Your flower is the water lily. The meaning for water lilies is ‘purity of heart’.

Aries: March 21 - April 19: Your flower is the honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is a symbol of ‘pure happiness’.

(Water lilies and honeysuckle would be difficult to give as a gift, but perhaps you could incorporate them into your gift by getting a card with a picture of a water lily or honeysuckle on it.)

Colour:

Aquamarine: March’s birthstone - a light bluish-green colour. To create a flower arrangement that reflects an aquamarine birthstone, choose light blue flowers mixed with greenery.

Flowers you could use: Hydrangea, tweedia, eryngium, delphinium, and hyacinth.

Yellow: Yellow is another great colour choice for March. It’s a cheerful colour and you’ll easily be able to represent it with March’s flower, the daffodil. (Bonus - a mixture of blue and yellow flowers make a striking combination.)

Seasonal:

March is abundant with flowers that are available all year long, (lilies, alstroemeria, gerberas, lisianthus, roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, snapdragons), as well as with spring flowers that are just beginning to burst into bloom.

March flowers: Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, iris.

Top tip: You don’t need to include all these options. Pick what works best for the message you want to send and you’ll have created a unique and meaningful gift for that lucky March birthday person.

Suggestion:

If I were to give flowers to a friend with a birthday in March, I would create a very cheerful and seasonal bouquet with a mixture of daffodils (to symbolize the start of a new year) and tweedia (to represent the aquamarine birthstone). 

(You can learn about meaningful flowers for February birthdays HERE.)

Learn How to Arrange Flowers From the Comfort of Your Home

One of the easiest ways to brighten your environment and boost your mood is with flowers. While you can always get arrangements from the florist, why not learn how to arrange flowers right from the comfort of your own home?

In this article I’ll share:

• The benefits of learning how to arrange flowers;

• Resources for learning flower arranging from home (I learned of a new one while doing my research);

• Sources for inspiration;

• National Floral Design Day.

Benefits of learning how to arrange flowers:

• Can be learned at home;

• Low cost to get started;

• No special space required;

• Relaxing and stress free;

• Gives you a creatives outlet;

• Produces something beautiful for your home or for a gift;

• Something all ages can learn;

• The whole family can participate;

• Learning even a little will give you great results;

• Learning even more will expand your skills;

• A hobby that could turn into a business if desired.

Resources for learning flower arranging from home:

There are many fantastic flower schools which provide in-person courses and workshops, but my focus today is on learning flower arranging from your own home. The resources I list cover all skill levels.

Youtube: There are tonnes of floristry videos on Youtube. Here’s what I recommend you do to find the tutorials that will work for you:

• If you’re just starting out, search ‘learn to arrange flowers’. Many choices will be available to you. I like to watch videos from several sources as they all have their own style and offer tips from their own experience.

• Once you’ve learned the basics, be more specific with your searches. For example: ‘how to arrange a dozen roses’, ‘how to create a meadow-like arrangement’, or ‘ikebana for beginners’.

• Be sure to check out Bloomtube on Youtube. They have tonnes of step-by-step tutorials on arranging flowers and are a great resource.

Skillshare: Skillshare is new to me. I have no idea how I’d never heard of it before, but I’m loving it.

• Search ‘floristry’ and you’ll find tutorials for every level of experience.

• If you’re just starting out I recommend trying the videos from ‘Floristry 101’. Their videos cover everything from ‘tool kit essentials’, to ‘processing flowers’, to ‘is floral design the career for me’.

• Once you’ve learned all the basics, scroll through all the floristry videos on Skillshare and start learning from the ones that appeal to you the most.

Books: As with resources for learning online, there are a multitude of books available on the subject of flower arranging. Here are three of my favourites:

• Flower Arranging - The complete guide for beginners. Judith Blacklock

• The Flower Recipe Book. Alethea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo

• On Flowers - Lessons from an Accidental Florist. Amy Merrick

Sources for Inspiration:

Instagram: I would say the number one place for floral inspiration is instagram. You can follow people from all over the world who are creating with flowers in every style imaginable. 

Flower shops: I never walk past a flower shop without looking in the window. If you do this on a regular basis you’ll soon learn what flowers are in season, and different ways they can be used in arrangements.  

Books: While there are a lot of books about flower arranging, there are even more books that are about a specific topic related to flowers. Here are three of my favourites:

• Vintage Wedding Flowers. Vic Brotherson

• The Romantic Language of Flowers. Davies Gill

• Cooking With Flowers. Miche Bacher

National Floral Design Day:

National Floral Design Day is February 28. It’s a day to recognize the art and history of floral design. You could celebrate this day by visiting a flower shop, walking through a garden, reading a book or poem about flowers, or admiring some floral artwork. I also think this is the perfect day to start learning how to arrange flowers. Who knows, it might just become your new hobby. 

If there’s any other information you need that will help you in your pursuit of creating flower arrangements, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Floral Acts of Kindness - What you can do and What Others are Already Doing

“I love the fact that something as simple as giving a flower to someone will brighten their day.”

Wednesday February 17, 2021, is Random Acts of Kindness Day.. 

There are thousands of ways you can show kindness to others, but I’m going to focus on acts of ‘floral’ kindness. 

I’ll give you some ideas for what you can do on February 17th, as well as ways you can continue with floral acts of kindness throughout the year.

Then I’ll share a list of wonderful organizations who are already promoting kindness through the use of  flowers. I’ve included their locations and linked their websites where you can go for more information.

What you can do on Random Acts of Kindness Day:

• Buy some stems of flowers, and as you walk down the street, hand them out to strangers;

• Give two flowers to people you meet, encouraging them to keep one and give one to someone else;

• Create a few small bouquets of flowers and place them on benches or public areas around where you live. Leave a little note with the flowers saying it’s a bouquet for them on Random Acts of Kindness Day;

• Drop off some flowers at a neighbours door.

What you can do long-term:

• If you have an event donate your flowers afterwards to a care facility;

• Start a flower garden and give some of your flowers away;

• Volunteer in organizations that repurpose flowers (see list below);

• Start an organization that repurposes flowers.

• And of course continue with small acts of floral kindness.

List of organizations promoting kindness through flowers:

There are some truly great ‘floral angels’ out there who volunteer their time to pick up donated flowers, repurpose them into bouquets, and deliver them to places in their city who are in need of some joy and beauty.

While each organization is similar in their goal to take flowers that would otherwise be wasted and repurpose them to bring happiness to others, they all approach this a little bit differently.  If you’d like more information about any of these organizations, just click on their link to be taken to their website.

Random Acts of Flowers:  Knoxville/Tampa Bay/ Indianapolis 

Vision: “Our vision as a flower charity is to inspire and nurture a culture of care and compassion.” Random Acts of Flowers, delivers “recycled flowers, encouragement and personal moments of kindness” to improve the emotional health and well-being of individuals in healthcare facilities.

Petals for Hope: All US States

Mission: “To help transform the event and wedding industry into a more sustainable one by creating a streamlined and cost-effective donation process.” Petals for Hope, repurposes donated flowers from floral events and businesses by restyling them into bedside bouquets and arrangements. These are then delivered to those in the community in need. They also use the flower donations to host floral arranging workshops for children’s hospitals, nursing homes, at-risk children, and shelters.

Rebloom Flowers: Across Canada

Mission: “To ensure flowers are enjoyed for days, not hours, and our environment doesn’t suffer from our enjoyment of them.” Rebloom, uses a three-step process: Step 1: Pick up flowers that would otherwise end up in the garbage and redesign them into bedside table arrangements;  Step 2: Deliver newly redesigned flowers to a charity of your choice: senior homes, patients in hospices, cancer treatment centers, mental health facilities, domestic abuse and homeless shelters; Step 3: Compost the flowers: When the flowers have reached the end of their life span, Rebloom will collect them and take them to a compost facility to complete the organic life cycle. (Note: Rebloom charges for their pick up and compost service)

Bouquets of Aloha: Maui, Hawaii

Mission: “To bring joy and kindness to those in need and a new life to flowers.” Bouquets of Aloha, accepts donated flowers and restyles them into bouquets which are then delivered to the elderly in senior centers.

The Reflower Project: Boston and South Shore, MA areas

Goal: “To be ‘green’ and we are dedicated to improving the health of the environment and well being of our community.” The Reflower Project, re-purposes and delivers flowers to community centres.

Bouquets of Kindness: Northeast Florida

“Strengthening our community, showing kindness to our neighbors and growing friendship in unexpected places with the gift of flowers.” Bouquets of Kindness, accepts donated flowers and then takes the flowers, some tools and supplies to senior living facilities. The Bouquets of Kindness volunteers stay and encourage the seniors to create their own arrangement.

FloweRescue: Helsinki

Vision: “No flower goes to waste before bringing joy to someone.” FloweRescue collects surplus flowers from those in the floral industry and repurposes them into bouquets they then deliver to residents, hospitals, and charity partners.

The Floral Project: UK

“Sow. Grow. Give.” The Floral Project, has gardeners - experienced and new - all around the UK, creating a cut flower patch in their own garden as a way to grow flowers and give to those in their community.

These are organizations I’m aware of who are making a positive impact in their community with flowers. If you know of any others, please let me know as I ‘d love to add them to my list.  

Have a great time bringing joy to others on Random Acts of Kindness Day. 

“Being kind to someone inspires them to be kind to someone else.”

Secrets Revealed - Top Tips to Make ‘Tricky’ Flowers Last Longer.

A vase of fresh flowers brightens up any room, but to keep them looking their best they need to be cared for properly. While all flowers require some level of basic care, there are some ‘tricky’ flowers that need a little extra TLC. While this requires a bit more effort on your part, the payoff is worth it. 

There are two main things to look at - the bloom and the stem. 

Tricky Blooms

Hydrangeas:

Hydrangeas are known for wilting quickly. What’s not as well known is that hydrangeas absorb water through their petals. 

If your hydrangea is looking tired, fill a bucket or sink with water. Submerge the whole hydrangea head in the water for 30-60 minutes to rehydrate. 

Note: This is only if your hydrangea has wilted prematurely. This will not revive a bloom that is dead.

Lilies:

As lilies bloom they reveal stamens of pollen in their centre. Removing the stamens will lengthen their vase life.

Bonus: Lily pollen stains anything it touches. Removing it will save you from having to deal with a stain on your clothes later on.

Roses:

When you first get your roses, if the outer petals seem wilted and a bit black around the edge, don’t worry. Growers leave these petals on to protect the inner part of the rose during travel. Just remove the outer layer of petals to allow the rose to bloom.

Note: When you buy your roses check the base of the bloom. If one layer has been removed, no problem, that was the guard petals. If many layers have been removed, don’t buy. If  someone has removed multiple layers they’re trying to hide the fact the rose is old.

Tulips:

You bring some tulips home, put them in a vase and they’re standing straight and tall. The next morning the stems are curving and bending. What went wrong? Actually nothing. There are two scientific reasons why this happens. One, tulips continue to grow after they are cut and two, they’re attracted to light, so they’ll reach in that direction.

If you want your tulips to be straight, use a tall vase to give the stems extra support and turn the vase a quarter rotation daily.

Note: Or, you could just embrace the tulips movement and enjoy the uniqueness this flower has to offer.

Tricky Stems

Woody stems:

Woody stemmed flowers: Hydrangea, roses, lilac, heather, pussy willow

• You may have heard you should smash the end of woody stems in order to help them absorb water. This is actually the wrong thing to do. Smashing the stems will increase the amount of bacteria in the water and shorten the vase life of the flower.

• Instead, after cutting the end of the stem at a 45-degree angle, create an additional 2 inch cut up through the length of the stem. 

Hollow stems:

Hollow stemmed flowers: Bells-of-Ireland, amaryllis, delphinium, lupins

• The trick to getting hollow stemmed flowers to last longer is to fill the stem with water.

• Remove any foliage off the stem; Cut the end at a 45-degree angle; turn stem upside down under a running tap to fill with water; hold thumb over the stem until it’s placed in a vase of water. The flower now has a whole stem full of water to drink from. 

“Sap’ dripping stems: 

Sap dripping flowers: Daffodils, tweedia, poinsettias

• When you cut the stems of these flowers, a milky sap seeps out. This sap in the water clogs other flowers from absorbing water. There are two methods you can use to prevent this from happening. 1 - Cut the stem and immediately dip it in boiling water for 30 seconds; 2 - Light a candle and hold the end of the flower stem in the flame for a few seconds. Both will seal the end of the stem so they can then be placed into the vase of water.

If you follow these tips you’ll have ensured your flowers are in the best possible condition to give them the maximum amount of vase-life possible.

If you know of any other ‘secret’ tips, you’d like to share, please put them in the comments below.

Meaningful Flowers for February Birthdays

Do you know someone with a birthday in February? Are you planning on giving them some flowers? An easy way to make your gift extra special is to create a meaningful message with your choice of flowers.

With knowing just a few things, your floral gift can be personalized specifically for someone with a February birthday.

Birth month flower:

There are two birth month flowers for February. Neither are used in bouquets, but both are widely available in plant form.

Violet: Violets signify loyalty and faithfulness. Giving an African violet plant is a way to say, “I’ll always be here for you.”

Primrose: The most popular meaning for primrose is “I can’t live without you’. 

Zodiac:

Every zodiac sign has a flower that represents it. 

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18: Your flower is the orchid.  The meaning for orchid is ‘refined beauty’. You could add cut orchid stems to a mixed bouquet, or buy an orchid plant.

Pisces: February 19 - March 20: Your flower is the water lily. The meaning for water lilies is ‘purity of heart’. Fresh water lilies would be difficult to give as a gift, but perhaps you could incorporate it into your message by giving a card with a water lily on it.

Colour:

Pink and red are big colours for the month for February, because of Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day. I have two other colour choices to recommend:

Purple: The birthstone for February is amethyst. Purple flowers would be a great way to represent it.

Yellow: February is a rather dreary month. Yellow flowers are cheerful and would brighten any room.

BONUS: Purple and yellow work well together is a mixed bouquet.

Seasonal:

February is abundant with flowers that are available all year long, as well as early spring flowers that are just starting to make an appearance. Some to consider:

Lilies, alstroemerias, gerberas, lisianthus, ranunculus, roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, snapdragons, iris, daffodils, and tulips.

Personal touch:

Consider the person you are giving the flowers to. Try adding into your bouquet, flowers in their favourite variety or favourite colour. 

Top tip:

You don’t need to include all these options. Pick what works best for the message you want to send, and you’ll have created a unique and meaningful gift for that lucky February birthday person. 

Suggestion:

If I were to give flowers to a friend with a birthday in February, my bouquet would include:

• Purple alstroemeria: Purple to represent February’s birthstone and alstroemeria for it’s meaning of ‘friendship’.

• Yellow gerberas: Yellow is a cheerful colour and the meaning for gerberas is also ‘cheerful’.

• White tulips: Tulips are just coming into season and white represents ‘honour’ - an important quality in a friendship.
  

Flower Delivery - the Easy Way

If you’d like to have a year filled with flowers, there are simple things you can do to find success. One way to make it easier to have flowers in your life is to arrange for a regular delivery of flowers. 

What I’ll share in this post:

• Pros and cons of the traditional flower delivery system

• Introduction to flower subscription box services

• Details of how the flower subscription box service works

• My experience with a flower subscription box service

• Two flower subscription box services I recommend

Pros and cons of the traditional flower delivery system:

The ‘traditional’ flower delivery system is a method we’re all familiar with. We call the florist, order some flowers, give them the name and address for delivery, and they take care of the rest.

Pros:

• Each time you place an order, you pick the flowers you want, you set your budget, and you choose the date you want the flowers delivered. 

• This is a great service when sending flowers to people who live far away, or if it’s for a ‘one-time’ delivery.

Cons:

• The cost of delivery is an additional cost on top of what you spend on your flowers.

• Every time you want a flower delivery, you need to spend the time placing the order.

Definition of a flower subscription box service:

A flower subscription box service offers you the opportunity to sign up for a recurring delivery of fresh flowers. While there are difference in the specific details of how each flower subscription box service runs their business, there are general concepts they all follow. 

Details of how the flower subscription box service works:

1 - One time sign up. You sign up one time to receive recurring deliveries, saving you time and effort.

2 - Prearranged delivery date. There’s a certain day of the week when flower boxes are delivered to your area. You can’t choose the day but you can choose weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly deliveries.  With a regular schedule like this you always know exactly when your flowers will arrive.

3 - No middle man. The subscription service buys the flowers straight from the grower, boxes them up and delivers to you. Having no middle man keeps the costs down.

4 - Seasonal product. The business picks what flowers will be delivered each week depending on the season and what is available. While this means you have no say in what flowers you receive, you do get to enjoy the element of surprise when you open your box.

5 - Local product. Using local product ensures when the flowers arrive they are as fresh as can be.

6 - Flowers arrive in a box. As the flowers are not already in a vase when they arrive, you get the chance to be creative arranging the flowers.

7 - Adjust your schedule. If you need to, most flower subscription services will allow you to skip a week or put your plan on hold for a specific amount of time.

My experience with a flower box subscription business:

In April 2020, I tried the flower subscription box service in my area. It was easy to sign up for, the cost was reasonable, delivery was on time, and the flowers were fresh just like they promised. 

After a few deliveries, I did decide to cancel the service.  While I was really pleased with everything and never had any problems (not even with cancelling the service), I really missed the hands-on experience of going to my local flower shop, seeing what they had available, and choosing the exact flowers I wanted. 

While I prefer shopping for flowers in person, for those of you who want (or need) something more convenient, I would definitely recommend giving a flower subscription box business a try. 

Two flower subscription box services I recommend:

These are the two subscription services I’m familiar with. Both have excellent websites that will answer any questions you have.

Bear’s Blooms - Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria area

Freddie's flowers  - UK

While I only have experience with the two subscription services listed above, if you know of any others, please comment below. 

5 Reasons Why You Should Get To Know Your Florist

The new year is a great time to start a healthy habit. This year I’m encouraging you to improve your well-being by having a flower-filled year. Scientific research has proven that having flowers around you will boost your mood, brighten your environment, decrease your anxiety, improve your sleep, increase your productivity and strengthen your memory. 

My goal is to provide you with a year’s worth of information and inspiration on all things floral, to help you be successful with your resolution.

To be able to keep your resolution for  a whole year, you need to be interested in what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. For the month of January, I’m going to share with you things I’ve learned over the years that will make buying flowers as easy and engaging for you as possible.

Why you should get to know your florist:

One of the best things you can do is get to know your local florist. A good florist can offer their customers so much, but a strong relationship with their customers is also really important for the florist. 

Benefits for florist:

 1 -  Loyal customers: Florists want to create loyal customer relationships. Their biggest means of marketing is often word-of-mouth, so if you’re happy with their service, you’ll tell your family and friends, creating new customers for them.

2 - Less waste: Florists have to stock their shop with fresh flowers - a perishable product. There’s nothing worse for them than to have unsold inventory that has to be thrown out - they’re basically just throwing money away. If a florist has strong relationships with her customers, she gets to know what and when they’ll buy flowers, helping her make the best choices possible when purchasing from her buyers. 

Benefits for customers: 

1 - Gain knowledge: Florists are a great resource for  your flower-related questions. If they don’t already know the answer to your question, they should be able to find it for you. They’re also able to share with you  tips and tricks on how to keep your flowers looking as fresh as possible for as long as possible. 

2 - Help with decision making: If you’re not sure what flowers you want to buy, your florist will be able to give you recommendations. They know what’s in season, how to style them and can work within your budget.

3 - Be informed: If you cultivate a relationship with your florist they’ll be able to contact you when your favourite flowers come to the store, or remind you when there’s important events in your life when you’ll want to make a floral purchase.

4 - Source for specialty items: If you have a special flower you’d like but it’s not local, a florist should be able to source it for you.

5 - Delivery taken care of: Florists are able to arrange for local delivery. If you want to send something to a location further from home, they’ll be able to assist you with a local florist in that area.

Top tip:

Make sure you ask your florist which day they have flowers delivered to their shop. Then you’ll be able to have the widest selection to choose from and the freshest flowers possible.