Holiday Flower Gift Giving

 The big holiday celebrations are just around the corner now, and thoughts are turning to gifts, food, and decorating. Whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa; you don't have to get stuck in the same rut you may have been in for years when it comes to appropriate gift giving and decorating.

There are always those people you want to give a nice gift to, but just don't know what you should get. There are those you want to say thank you to for a great job done. Maybe you want to do something creatively different this year in your own decorating for the holidays.

There is a wonderful answer to these holiday dilemmas. Do it with flowers. That's right flowers. There are many beautiful varieties of blooms available during the fall and winter seasons. Tulips, Hyacinths, Poinsettias, and Narcissus are Christmas favorites. Send flowers to that someone you want to give a special gift to, and they will always remember your thoughtfulness.

There are so many ways to use them too. Place a live flower arrangement on the table for a centerpiece; nothing says elegance like live flowers. You don't have to confine yourself to the traditional red either. Think of a white and green centerpiece made up of white tulips and evergreen boughs for a beautiful winter tablescape. Or for a more unique look, try an arrangement using flowers and live succulents. It will last a long time if cared for properly. Use winter roses in your Christmas tree: Try pink rather than red. Put Paperwhite Narcissus in a blue vase on your Hanukah table. Use greenery in abundance for your Kwanzaa party. And, of course, you can place live poinsettias in the wreath hanging on your front door. Live flowers are especially lovely when used with tiny white lights. And you can't use too many of either during a holiday celebration, so get plenty of each. Flowers and candles make a serene setting in the bathroom. And, every work desk should have a plant or flowers on it all the time. It is cheery and brightens what might be a dark spot.

Greenery has been associated with the holidays dating back to the use of decorated trees, boughs of holly, fir garlands, and the list goes on. Only your imagination can hamper your creativity. With the use of colorful blooming bulbs, any greenery can be dressed up like a belle going to a ball. And of course there is always that sensuous perfume associated with some flowers. That mixed with the scent of evergreen will ensure everyone will remember your home for years to come.

When it comes to gift giving this holiday season don't settle for less. Try using colorful live flowers or greenery to lift one's holiday spirit, say thank you, or even as decoration in your own home!

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Flower Arrangements...Which One Should You Choose?

 Flower arrangements are extremely beautiful and can help many people relax and stay calm. Flower arrangements can add excitement to your house and a touch of grace to any room. Although buying flower arrangements can be expensive, you can find some great deals online for cheap. One of the best types of flower arrangements on the market today is fashionable flower arrangements.

To make a fashionable flower arrangement the first thing you need to do is choose a container with enough space for your arrangement to work. You are going to want to choose a vase or bowl depending on your preferences and you also want to choose a flower holder based on the color of your room or your favorite color. You are now going to want to choose flowers that are closely related to one another and mesh well together. Such flowers include roses, lilies, and carnations. Soon as you mix these flowers together you are going to want to fill your vase or bowl up with marbles. This works best with silk flower arrangements and can work for real flowers also. You want to make sure all the stems are lined up proportionally and you are going to want to fill the bottom of the vase or bowl with green foam in order to prevent any stems from falling. You can add a great looking bow to the bowl or vase.

There are also many types of live flower arrangements that are absolutely gorgeous and breathe taking. These flower arrangements can be found all across the internet from various online floral shops. You can really find some great deals when ordering flower arrangements. The first thing you want to do is find flower arrangements only from trustable sources. The last thing you want to do is put in an order for your loved one, family member, or friend to receive flowers and they not come in on time, look dead, or are just a scam. Buying flowers from a reliable and trusted source will give you the satisfaction of great customer service, healthy flowers, and on time delivery service. There are many floral services on the internet that offer next day delivery. You can find great deals, better than deals you would find at your local floral shop. A simple Yahoo or Google search on "flower arrangements" will give you some great results. If you spend some time researching the price and refund policy you should have no problem finding a trusted and reliable source of flowers. Once you find that reliable source, you will be partners for life and they will provide you with all your flower needs. Flowers are one of the most soothing plants in the entire world and it is extremely important you have ONLY the best.

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Several Care Tips For Long Lasting Flowers

 Care tips for lasting flower arrangements can be used to make sure that your bouquets and flowers last as long as possible. Receiving flowers or purchasing flowers can be a wonderful treat and add a splash of color to any room. However it is very disappointing when the flowers begin to droop the next and completely die in only a short time. These tips are very quick and easy to perform and will ensure that your flowers last for as long as possible.

You want to change the water regularly and ensure that you regularly have clean and fresh water in the vases. Try to change the water daily though if this is not possible then changing the water once every 2 days will suffice. Make sure you empty out the old water and fill the vase with new water.

You should remove the flowers every few days and cut off the bottom of the stems to ensure that the flowers can pick up the fresh water. This is easiest to do every few days when you change the water.

The temperature that your flowers are in will also affect their life. Cooler temperatures are better as you will notice all of the florist have large coolers where they keep their flowers. Keep your flower arrangements away from heat sources such as stoves, radiators and extremely sunny windows. At night you should put the flowers in a cool place such as a porch area or basement. Refrigerators are not good as the temperatures used for storing food is much lower than appropriate for flower storage.

It is important that you get rid of any drooping flower and dead or dying leaves regularly. These can fall in the water and cause the water to spoil faster. If you are worried that the arrangement will start looking thin then you can add new cuttings to keep the arrangement looking full. You can also change to a smaller vase if you do not want to add new cuttings.

One of the first things you want to do is ensure that you are purchasing good flowers and blooms in the first place. Make sure your bouquet holds fresh flowers that do not have any broken petals, yellowing areas, rotting spots, brown marks or wilting. These damaged flowers will die quite quickly even if you do all of the tips mentioned in this article.

It is also a good idea to purchase flowers that have a long life such as daisies, mums, alstroemeria, carnations and mini-carnations. Some flowers just do not last long once they are cut.

You want to put the flower sin water as soon as you can and if this is not possible then keeping them cool is a good idea. When cutting the stems you want to use a knife instead of scissors as scissors can cause damage and interfere with the flowers drinking the water. Make sure you strip away any leaves that fall in the water as these can cause bacterial growth and can foul the water.

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Flowers Make Everyone Happy

If you are sad or depressed, you need something to recharge you. There is probably nothing better than a bunch of colorful, bright and beautiful flowers with their pleasing aroma to make you feel better. Flowers have this inherent ability to enliven a dull atmosphere and to add to the décor of a place. People keep them around to feel better. Even Doctors advise people to grow flowering plants in pots in their homes to have a positive effect on minds. The sweet aroma of flowers makes the mood and psyche of a person fresh and he feels energetic all the time.

If you find someone near you a bit gloomy and depressed, gift him a flower and see the difference and the transformation in the mood of the person as he starts to feel happy. Flowers are used by people in numerous situations and occasions. They are used to say thank you and sorry. When words fail you, you can always take help of fresh flowers to say it for you. If someone is cross with you and you want to make amends with him, there is nothing better than giving a bunch of beautiful flowers along with a sorry note. The person will melt like butter, believe me.

The use of flowers in daily life is much more common and widespread than afore mentioned examples. We buy flowers and gift them on every conceivable occasion. And for no reason at all. Every now and then, we go up to the local florist or the flower shop and ask for a bunch of fresh flowers as we need to attend this or that function. And when we are not attending functions, we find out ways to make use of flowers to say what we find difficult to say in words.

The hardest word for some people is sorry. They just cannot say sorry, for their ego is large and it comes in between. For such people, flowers come as a handy tool to say sorry. Then there is no dearth of people who are parsimonious when it comes to saying thank you in response to someone having done something for them. Such people can make use of fresh flowers to convey their sense of gratitude.

For people in love, sending and receiving flowers is a favorite pastime. Boys know that beautiful flowers are a weakness of girls and they buy flowers and gift them to their girlfriends to impress them. One has to see the crowd at the local florist on Valentine day to believe how widespread the use of flowers has become today. There are some other days like Christmas, New year day, Independence day, Mother's day and Father's day when there is great demand for fresh flowers.

Did you know that, according to a survey by Wakefield Research, 68 percent of people feel stress on a weekly basis and 32 percent are stressed every day? It’s not hard to imagine that those percentages have risen during the COVID-19 crisis. Here’s the good news: Research shows that something as simple as flowers can help. Now is a great time to remind your customers of the health benefits of flowers and let them know this is the perfect time to send flowers to loved ones.

• People who live with flowers in their homes for just a few days report a significant decrease in their levels of stress and improvements in their moods

• After receiving flowers, people reported that they feel less depressed, anxious and agitated and also have a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction

• Flowers provide the opportunity for nature contact which is an established health-promoting environmental exposure

• Flowers are a symbol of sharing and bring about positive emotional feelings in those who enter a room, making the space more welcoming.

How to Care for Fresh Flowers

Flowers are beautiful and professionally designed bouquets are especially attractive. Flowers can also carry huge sentimental meaning because they are often given as gifts from people close to us. So it's little wonder that we would want to extend the life of our flowers and enjoy their aesthetic and sentimental beauty for as long as possible.

With proper care and attention most flowers will last around 7 days with some varieties lasting for as long as 14 days. Here are some practical steps to help extend the life of your cut flowers.

Get flowers into water

After only a short time out of water flowers will begin to dehydrate. Therefore it is essential to get flowers into a vase or container of water as quickly as possible. When you first get the flowers home use warm water, not cold or hot, as this is the quickest way to rehydrate the flowers. Warm water will also promote opening of the blooms as most flowers are shipped with the blooms in a closed or tight stage.

Technically speaking the optimum temperature is 37.5C (99.5F), which is roughly body temperature. At this temperature air bubbles, which may have formed in the stem, tend to breakup. Also water that is warmer than the surrounding air is more readily taken up by the flowers.

Change the water regularly

Try to change the water every two days. The flowers should be well hydrated by now so you can use cold water instead of warm. This helps keep the flowers cool which is a key part of keeping flowers in good condition.

Use flower preservatives

Each consignment of Affinity Flowers comes with a sachet of flower preservative. Flower preservative contains two main components, carbohydrates and anti-bacterial additives.

The carbohydrates act as food which helps to sustain the flowers. The carbohydrates will also stimulate flower heads to open quicker. This is handy when you're trying to open flowers that usually ship with tight blooms like lilies.

The bactericide component inhibits bacteria developing in the water. Bacteria laden water will cause flowers to deteriorate quicker. Bacteria is also a problem because it can block flower stems and hinder the uptake of water. If left long enough the bacteria will also discolour the vase water and produce an unpleasant odour.

Simply empty the contents of the flower preservative sachet into the vase water.

If you don't have flower preservative you could add 1-2 drops of bleach to the water instead. The bleach will act as an anti-bacterial just like the additives in commercial flower preservatives.

Remove leaves that will be under water

This is important as leaves that are below the waterline will deteriorate quickly and become a breeding ground for bacteria. If you have a professionally arranged bouquet you'll find that the leaves have already been removed by the florist. But flowers bought loose or unarranged might still have leaves low on the stem.

Trim the stems

Take a pair of scissors or a sharp knife and trim 2-3cm (1 inch) from the bottom of the stem. Try not to crush the stem while you're doing this. Cut the stem on an angle to increase the surface area exposed to the water. Cutting on an angle also stops the stem sitting flat on the bottom of the vase and blocking water uptake. Once cut immediately place the flowers into water.

Water is sucked up the stem like a straw. If there is anything blocking the straw then it will impede water flow to the head. Over time the end of a stem can become blocked with impurities from the water and bacteria. Also, if a flower has been out of water for any period of time, air will be drawn into the stem which will block its ability to draw water.

Some florists recommend cutting the stems underwater which prevents air being drawn up the stem.

Re-cut stems every two days or when you change the water.

Keep flowers cool

Flowers should be kept in cool conditions. Keep them away from direct sunlight, heaters, lamps and other heat sources. Also try not to leave flowers in a hot vehicle when transporting them. This is why specialist flower delivery couriers have chilled storage on-board their vehicles.

Each variety has its own optimal holding temperature but the ideal temperature for most flowers is a chilly 4-5C (39-41F), about the temperature inside your refrigerator. Obviously these aren't ideal temperatures for people but if you really wanted to extend the life of your flowers you could place them in the refrigerator overnight or if you were going to be away for an extended period.

Keep flowers away from fruit

Fruit and vegetables produce ethylene gas which is detrimental to flowers. Carnations and Delphiniums are particularly susceptible. Try to keep flowers away from fruit and vegetables to keep them in good shape.

Similarly domestic gas is also damaging to flowers. There is a story of a flower grower who found it difficult to keep cut flowers on his farm. He suspected his gas supply may have been the cause and a check by a specialist confirmed he had a gas leak on his property.

FLOWERS CAN BRIDGE THE SOCIAL DISTANCE THIS MOTHER'S DAY

Flowers Can Bridge the Social Distance Gap This Mother’s Day

This year, Mother’s Day looks different for many of us. It may not be possible in light of COVID-19 to visit with mom or other women who have influenced your life. Such separation induces stress and loneliness but, according to several research studies, flowers may be just the antidote moms and women in general need this season.

According to a survey by Wakefield Research, 68 percent of people feel stress on a weekly basis, and 32 percent are stressed every day—numbers that are now almost certainly higher in today’s COVID-19 environment. Women, in particular, are affected, as one in four report experiencing stress multiple times a day.

Research from the University of North Florida shows that something as simple as flowers can help. The findings show that people who lived with flowers in their homes for just a few days reported a significant decrease in their levels of stress and improvements in their moods. Additional research from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, shows that the presence of flowers around senior citizens decreased depression among 81%, refreshed recent memory among 72% and encouraged outreach to loved ones among 40 percent. And research from Harvard University found that people who live with flowers report fewer episodes of anxiety and depressed feelings.

“Flowers have evolved to activate positive emotional responses from people,” says Rutgers University researcher Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., director of the university’s Human Emotions Lab. “Each bloom has the potential to put a smile on our face and sway our opinion of a friend, colleague or loved one. That’s powerful.”

When you receive flowers as a gift, you know that someone is thinking of you right now, this very minute, said. Flowers spark joy, something that everyone needs right now—especially mothers.

Sending Flowers for Valentine's Day

There is no better way of showing someone you care than giving Valentine flowers. Even if you are giving other Valentine gifts, Valentine flowers add that little something extra to any Valentine's Day gift.

What Flowers to Give For some people, roses are the only flower that will do as Valentine's flowers. Nothing says "I love you" better than roses. Roses are the ultimate romantic flower, and the most popular present for Valentine 's Day. White roses are for love, red roses are for passion, and yellow roses are for friendship. Lilac roses are the choice to symbolize love at first sight. Red roses are the most traditional Valentine's flower, but white, yellow, or pink, are also used. Red Roses signify passion or strength of feeling, yellow roses stand for love, and white roses traditionally reflect innocence. A dozen red roses are considered to be a gift of love, while a single long stemmed red rose is usually seen as a passionate gift.

Other Choices for Valentine's Flowers

If you want to choose something different for a Valentine's flower, consider the recipient. What is her favorite flower? Knowing what certain floral colors symbolize can help you make the perfect choice.

What Colors Mean in Flowers

Blue Valentine's flowers represent tranquility and harmony, and give a sense of stability, confidence, honesty and security. True blue flowers are difficult and often expensive to come by.

Green Valentine's flowers bring good luck, with emerald leaves, apple-tinted blossoms, and chartreuse stems are associated with harmony and stability.

Orange Valentine's flowers suggest flamboyance, and really 'fiery' blossoms convey confidence and kinship.

Pink colored Valentine's flowers in pale pinks suggest emotional healing and inner calm, and bright shades of pink suggest friendship, and a fun romance.

Red Valentine's flowers are intense, passionate, and dynamic. Red colored flowers are seductive.

White Valentine's flowers represent peace and purity, and if they are given as a gift they are a gesture of respect.

Yellow Valentine's flowers represent hope and happiness, or are given as a token of courage and cheerfulness

This is a busy time of the year for florists so order early. Make sure you add a thoughtful message to your Valentine's Day flowers, even if you are giving them in person. It can be romantic, humorous or a quote from a poem.

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