Sunday, March 23, 2008

Discover Why Our Floral Arrangements Are Among The best Online

Our warehouse stocks a huge variety of the best floral arrangements in the country. Each one is made with exquisite perfection and is made to resemble the natural plant and flower. Our flower arrangements will suit your taste. We house a wide variety of arrangements from the timeless traditions of red and cream roses, accompanied by eucalyptus and birch, to the modern traditions of lovely red Christmas wreaths.

Dip into our timeless traditions of flower arrangements that have inspired people for decades. We have over 40 varieties that will bring elegance and grace to your interiors.

Discover our royal and wild roses and eucalyptus plants on a beautiful provencial cream bowl. This bouquet will create a pleasing and inviting atmosphere in your room. Our lovely 5 foot areca palm tree will create a tropical atmosphere in your surroundings.

We also house silk flower and plant arrangements that include intricately glazed fruit, with natural birch, grasses and feathers in beautifully embossed metal planters.

Brighten your room with our brightly-colored dahlias, roses, with glazed spiced fruit and eucalyptus flower bouquet. Notice its simple elegant beauty, and imagine the life it would bring to your room.

Imagine it sitting right on your dining room table where it enhances your appetite and brings a smile with every glance. Place real fruits around it in your kitchen and look in admiration at the splendor it brings to your kitchen.

Visit our seasonal arrangements section and you'll love our collection of the best flower arrangements for the different seasons. Spice up your room with a clean spring feeling with our graceful parrot tulips and butterfly orchids in a porcelain crackle decorative bowl.

Visit us online http://www.artificialplantsandtrees.com

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Monday, March 17, 2008

The Internet And The Local Florist

Here we are in the doldrums of summer. June has passed, Bridezilla is on her honeymoon, and all the hard work we put into the weddings of that month are but a memory. Wouldn't it be nice if the flow of business wouldn?t slow down quite so much when the electric bill is at its highest? I am here to proclaim that I have found a solution and it came from the most unlikely source.

My name is Jill Frost, and I am the owner of the Pink Pelican - Sebastian Florist in Sebastian Florida. Having begun my experience as a designer over 25 years ago, and having owned my business for the past 19 years I have experienced the ups and downs of any small-town local florist. Let me start by saying I am currently a member of the Teleflora wire service, and use a number of their products as the backbone of my business. I have a point-of sale system, an accountant, and I actually balance my statement almost every month. Those of you laughing at this are either not florists, or you are florists, but know exactly what I?m referring to (you know who you are).

The point of this article is to attest to the fact that the real turnaround in my business began when I built my website two years ago. Presently, my website is generating over forty percent of my volume and has become an invaluable asset to every part of my business.

The first thing a florist must do when getting a website is to see it as an integral part of their business. Usually, florists are completely creative creatures and understand little of technology, the internet, and (sadly) most basic business practices. The typical florist that does go so far as actually getting a website then often sits on them as though they were simply a piece of furniture in the shop that someone might come along and be interested in, but that would never see the slightest bit of advertisement. This is mistake number one.

To begin you road to online success, the first thing you must do is to actually subscribe to an Internet Service Provider (an ?ISP") so you can see your site. Since you are reading this online, I assume you have done that. Next, you must visit your website at times beyond just when it causes you a problem. I know of florists who have had a website for months and even years without once checking to see that the prices are correct. Of course, they are the ones bemoaning the success others are having on the internet and wondering why they never see an order from it.

The next step is to get involved in the website itself. I use a combination of Teleflora products and my own custom designs. This meant getting images taken of my custom products and requesting images of my drop-ship items from my fulfillment companies. You then have to get them added to the site. If you are lucky enough to be in Teleflora like me, the amazing Webmasters at Teleflora Web Services will do all the hard work for you. All you have to do is get the photos to them. If you would like to see examples of this, just go to www.sebastianflorist.com and peruse my website.

For a website in this industry to be successful, one must promote the site like promoting a new business line, or even a new shop. It must be included in all signage including delivery vans and street signs, must be included in all advertising and phone-book ads, and must be advertised every time the telephone is answered. You must then purchase ads in all available online directories. I am in Find-a Florist, Locate-a-Flowershop, and a few others. These typically run between $100.00 to $300.00 dollars per year. It is my advice to avoid pay-per-click search engine advertising at this point as there is a very serious learning curve involved with this, and is not for the inexperienced or those with a limited advertising budget. More can be done through the use of directories and local promotion that you can imagine.

If you will follow my advice on this, with just a little luck and that dogged persistence that I know you have, you too can be successful when the rest are just praying to make it to the fall. I will continue this in my next article titled Floral Internet Success 201 advanced website success. Until then, if you have questions, you can email me at justjill73099@hotmail.com
TaTaaaa!!!

Jill

The Pink Pelican and Sebastian Florist is a family owned business serving Indian River and South Brevard counties for over 16 years. We give our customers the highest quality in customer service and designs.

Jill Frost, Owner of the Pink Pelican Florist has over 25 years of floral design experience, making her one of the most qualified and consistently creative florists on the Florida Treasure Coast. She is also the proud mother of two grown children, and previously spent nearly 10 years volunteering with the Sebastian Panthers football organization, eventually being voted President of Football Operations, and later nominated Sebastian Florida-Woman of the
Year.

We specialize in custom one-of-a-kind floral arrangements. With over 30 years of combined experience, we have achieved many honors in the floral industry such as winning the Ft Lauderdale Florida-Designer of the Year award; working with M.T.V. on two Super Bowl VIP parties; and providing flowers for the Royal Prince Charles.

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

A Florist's World

A Florist's World

How pleasant it is to enjoy the aesthetics of a vase full of colorful and aromatic flowers. Flowers are known to have positive effects on our moods, perhaps due to the fact that they are a living creation of art, and thus the bilateral relationship developed with their owner -- flowers offer their beauty in return for their owner's attention and watering. This living relationship is not the flowers' sole relationship. Don't be alarmed, your darling flowers aren't cheating on you! But your flowers have already shared a vital relationship with the florist, who decides which flowers to buy and where to buy them from, who takes care of the flowers even before they are in her possession, and who certainly leaves a personal touch on the flowers, using the talents of artistry and style to create a bouquet you won't want to take your eyes off. Thus, it is the florist who prepares your flowers for you -- not only in the beauty of a bouquet, but also in the care that the flowers will expect us to continue giving them.

Thanks to today's leaps in technology, specifically communication and transportation, a flower growing in Mexico, for example, can be transported to France within the span of twenty-four hours. Of course, this seemingly simple statement involves a lot of work. A good florist will scan the world market for quality and prices. Naturally, flowers that can be bought locally will be, as they will have less distance to travel, and arrive at the florist's shop quickly and safely. Since, however, freesias don't often bloom near London in January, a large quantity of cut-flowers do use their frequent flyer cards as they make the trip from this to that country, or this to that continent. Needless to say, extreme care goes into preparing these travelers for their voyage. When flowers are coming right from the grower to the florist, they are usually cut right before leaving for the airport (talk about last minute preparations!) and prepared in the trucks on the way to the airport. Flowers that retain water well are laid flat in boxes, while more perishable and exotic flowers are guarded by individual water holders on the stem. In this manner, the well-prepared flowers make their trip. Most flights for these delicate passengers will be extra cool to provide for a most enjoyable flight. Upon arriving, the flowers are transported to cooled trucks which take them to the florist. This exchange -- directly from the grower to the florist -- is ideal, as the flowers spend less time traveling from here to there, and the costs won't be increasing as the flower quality is decreasing.

The florist keeps track of the above-mentioned process to ensure the fresh and happy arrival of her materials. Upon receiving the packaged-up bundles of joy, the florist is like a new parent for a few minutes, unwrapping the flowers with utmost care, in order to get the flowers the nutrition and safety they need. However, during the caring and feeding, the florist will consider the new arrivals with much more scrutiny than would the parent of a newborn (or so we hope), checking for imperfections and making sure quality is first-rate. Once the flowers are cut to appropriate lengths and safely refrigerated in water, the florist communicates to the grower that all is well, and ideas are exchanged for future interactions. Communication is a large part of the florist's job, and this conversation with the grower was certainly not the first, and will not be the last.

A good florist, while being a client of the grower, is also a seller, and knows the importance of communicating with people like you -- her clients. And communication with a florist is important. In a job that requires such care for living flowers, as well as artistic talent in arranging, the busy florist is never too busy to hear your input, and in fact needs this important information: if the client is to be happy with the result, communication must be strong between the florist and client. Flowers truly can convey what words cannot say, so the specifics of what type of event, who they're for, preferences in colors, flowers, textures, even the types of leaves used to give the bouquet body, is important information. Specific holidays, such as Valentine's Day or Mother's Day will also influence the client's choices. The florist needs your feedback to create the right bouquet. Watching a florist at work certainly gives the impression of an eccentric or a mad genius at work. Suddenly, a flower that was placed with such care is pulled out of the bouquet with a displeased look, then placed almost identically back in its place. But something is different, and the florist continues working with an appeased mind. Florists are artists, and take care to create the perfect picture, whether it is one conveying carefree joy or somber mourning.

When admiring your bouquet sitting on your dining room table, keep in mind that the florist who arranged it has done much more than arrange. The florist ensures that the quality of the flowers is top notch even before laying eyes on them. The quest for the freshest flowers is now an international search, and the florist makes sure her flowers are treated like first-class passengers during their trip to her store. Once at her door, the florist continues the care she started, dexterously cutting and submerging the stems in water. Happily seeing that the flowers are finally safe and ready for the chef d'oeuvre, the florist will create the masterpiece based on what her client is looking for. The florist, a person of many talents, is, at the end of the day, a businessman, a caretaker, an empathetic listener, and an artist.

This article was sponsored by http://www.serenataflowers.com, an independent florist. Serenata provides flower delivery within the UK and removes the costly middleman by buying directly from the grower. Fresher than any bouquet you'll find in traditional flower shops, shop Serenata Flowers for exclusive, well cared for bouquets at reasonable prices.

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Saturday, January 19, 2008

If Your Wedding Bouquet Could Speak

Your wedding is one of the most memorable of your life. A great deal of planning goes into making this day a perfect expression of your love for one another, love of family, and uniquely yours. The day is abundant with symbolism and tradition: the dress, attendants, unity candle, music, and flowers. Yes, flowers can offer their own distinctive symbolism and therefore another level to the ceremony.

Tradition holds that Persia introduced the symbolic use of flowers as an expression of emotion, or hidden message. Later, due to trade and travel, Victorian England and America embraced the seductive language of flowers. You, too, can enjoy placing secret meaning into your floral selection,

The red rose is by far the recognizable symbol of love, a hold over from Victorian times. Roses are the most popular flower for both the wedding bouquet and decoration because of their beauty and intoxicating fragrance. However, the choice in color can lend an interesting touch:

Red =>respect, unconscious beauty, courage, love

Pink =>grace, admiration, thank you

White =>purity, innocence, secrecy, silence

Yellow =>gladness, joy, friendship

An example of utilizing rose language, before the bride and groom approach the minister, or official, they present each parent with a red rose and after the ceremony present each in-law with a yellow rose or maybe incorporating pink roses into the hairpiece of a flower girl or your attendants.

You do not have to limit yourself to roses other flowers speak to us as well. For example, the tulip is quite popular in wedding bouquets and, it too is froth with meaning:

Red =>declaration of love

Variegated =>beautiful eyes

Yellow =>hopeless love

Floral arrangements are limited to blossoms, however, there are many aromatic herbs that have lovely foliage that will add another dimension to the bouquet as well as their own secret message:

Wintergreen =>harmony

Lavender =>luck, devotion

Fennel =>strength

Oregano =>joy

Other greenery to consider:

Ivy =>fidelity

Fern =>grace

Whether you choose a cascade, cluster or hand-tied garden bouquet for you, or a buttonier for your groom add more breadth to your choice with the language of flowers. Choose them not only for their visual beauty but for the secret message they will hold between you and your bridal party, family, or the one you love.

Information for this article obtained through the following sources:

The Language of Flowers: Symbols and Myths by Marina Heilmeyer
The Language Of Flowers by Sheila Pickles

AE Wise is an avid reader, actor, and writer. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.Prye.Com/ which is a site for Wedding Invitations.

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Thursday, January 3, 2008

Buy Flower Bouquet

Flowers are some of the best gifts that you can give a friend or loved one for a birthday, anniversary, and get well wish or just because you want them to know that you are thinking of them. Some people may not know what to look for when they want to buy a flower bouquet. Here are some things to keep in mind whenever you decide to surprise someone with your thoughtfulness.

Make sure that you buy a flower bouquet that matches the occasion. For example, you do not want to send a bouquet that comes with balloons that say “It’s a boy!” for mothers day. You just mixed up a baby bouquet with a national holiday. Sometimes people will say that it doesn’t matter; it’s the thought that counts. This may be true, but wouldn’t make more sense to not only think about the person but also take time to pick a great gift for them?

You should also keep price in mind whenever you decide you want to buy flower bouquets online or in person. Flower bouquets can range in price from $30-$100+ and can be a simple bouquet or an extravagant spectacle. It all really depends on how much you feel you want to spend on the person. Once again, to them price wont matter, just the thought.

Something else that is less considered by people when buying a flower bouquet is making sure that what you buy for someone won’t be harmful. For example, if you are sending flowers to someone who is in the hospital and they have certain allergies, then make sure that the flowers you send are not going to aggravate them. Also, if you send flowers to a child for any reason, make sure that the bouquet does not have small pieces that they could possibly choke on.

The best way of buying a flower bouquet is online, where you can do it during work or at midnight before you go to bed. This is also good if the person you are sending flowers to do not live in the same city or state as you. Most online flower boutiques also have next day delivery for a quick response. As you can plainly see, buying a flower boutique can be a fun and easy thing that anyone can do. All it takes is a few clicks of the mouse and you can tell someone that they are special to you.

If you would like more information on how to buy a flower bouquet, check out http://www.squidoo.com/buyflowerbouquet/

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Sunday, December 9, 2007

Florist Or Supermarket - Which Flowers Are A Better Buy?

We have all seen the beautiful displays of colorful bunches of fresh flowers at our local supermarkets.They are usually placed at strategic points all over the store, targeting the impulse buyer. These flowers are full bloomed, bunched in attractive groupings that can be so very tempting.The question is, are these flowers really a good value?

Flowers sold in most supermarkets can, in fact, be very different than those purchased at your local florist. Often supermarket flowers are a lower grade bloom, culled by the grower from higher grade florist quality flowers. These flowers are offered to supermarkets and other chain stores at a reduced price.In many cases supermarket flowers do not receive the proper care and handling when received by these retail giants. Cut flowers must receive the proper care and handling, or their vase life can be greatly shortened. Once processed and cleaned, fresh cut flowers must be kept at a sustained temperature of 38 to 40 degrees in order to increase their vase life. Where cut flowers are displayed is another critical matter.

Ethylene gas is produced by all plants, fruits and flowers as they ripen and mature. The higher the ethylene gas level, the faster fruits ripen, plants flower and cut flowers die. It is very important that cut flowers are stored and displayed at the lowest ethylene gas level possible. I have visited all of my local supermarkets and, have found that all of them process and display most of their cut flowers in open buckets or open faced coolers the produce department! Storing flowers near ripening produce decreases their vase life by several days, this is a proven fact.

You will find that most quality flower shops process their flowers by strict quality standards. Fresh flowers are quickly unpacked upon receipt, fresh cut and placed in preservative solution. Flowers are then allowed to drink at room temperature for several hours before placed in temperature controlled refrigeration. Most flower shops store their processed flowers in closed refrigerated cases under a constant temperature of 38 degrees. Many times these refrigerated cases have ethylene gas filters to keep the ethylene gas level as low as possible.

Over all, I have found the quality, care and handling of flowers at flower shops to be greatly superior to that of the local supermarkets. These factors will greatly increase the vase life of florist quality flowers. Many times price is believed to be a big issue but, most flower shops run daily specials on loose cut flowers that will rival or, beat supermarket prices.

I suggest that the next time you are tempted by the colorful, fresh looking flowers at your local grocer, visit your local flower shop instead. Have them put together a mixed bunch of seasonal flowers and, you will be pleasantly surprised at the difference in quality, service and vase life you find there!

Mark Clark, owner and head designer of Flowers By Edie in Bradenton, Florida has owned floral shops in New York and Florida for over 30 years. He is a certified master designer and teaches floral design for Manatee Technical Institute. Mark has dedicated his time and talent to sharing his floral knowledge with others. Visit his on line shop at http://flowersbyedie.com

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