Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Is a Rose a Rose? Rose Comparisons, The Big Debate: Long Stem vs Short Stem

Why are long stem roses popular?
What are the differences between long stem roses and short stem rose? What is a long stemmed rose? Why are they more expensive? How to buy long stem roses on Valentine's Day?


Sounds familiar? Are these the questions that you wonder when you are looking to buy a beautiful rose, or a classic dozen roses?


We know! It's confusing at times. And that is why we are sharing our knowledge and experience with you!

There is a long rich history about roses. A rose is not just a rose. It is a symbol of beauty, culture, fashion, medicine, and food! Not to mention, it is also symbolic for love & wealth. So let us talk about the common variety of roses.


The Queens and Kings of the Floral Kingdom---"The spectacular long stem rose!"

What does this mean? "A long stem rose"


To make it easy to understand, we found a commonly used comparison chart. :)

Often described asLength in centimetersLength in inchesBud size*
Sweetheart or Petite Roses30-40 cm11.75-15.75Buds are generally 1/2 inch diameter and approx. 1 inch high
Short Stem Roses sometimes labeled 'medium stem'40 cm15.75 inchesBuds are generally 1inch in diameter and 1.5 - 2 inches high
Medium Stem Roses50 cm19.75 inchesBuds are generally 1 inch in diameter and 1.5 - 2 inches high
Longstem or Long Stem Roses60 cm23.5 inchesBuds are generally 1.5 inches in diameter and 2 - 2.5 inches high
Premium Longstem or Longstem Roses70 - 80 cm27.5 inches and upBuds are generally 2 inches in diameter and 2.5 - 3 inches high
                              * Bud sizes and flower heights will vary between varieties and colors.


Now you know what is the so called "long stem rose." Here comes another question about the these beautiful blooms. "Why are they more expensive?"


The rose plant is a type of bush. One stem usually grows into 2 or 3 more rose buds, but more often grows shorter and the buds are smaller. So to have a longer stem and larger bud, rose farms prune the extra spray off and leave only one bud per stem. This way the bud & stem will get the most nutrients and grow into the fabulously long stem roses we all love so very much!


So the taller the stem is, the more labor is involved and depending on the type of the rose, the growth time varies. Some roses take more than a 100 days to mature! Some types of roses are only bred for smaller buds! It is a very labor intensive process to create these wonderful blossoms.

Why buy long stem roses? Well, you don't have to!


There are many types of roses available all year around, and the smaller roses are quite lovely! But.....if you are looking for the "WOW" and "Oh-La-La factor", long stem roses are recommended. Although small roses are pretty, they just don't have the visual impact as the long stem varieties.


Here we have another picture to illustrate for you the varying differences between roses.



Bigger buds and the longer the stems are, a taller and bigger vase is used, as well as more greenery and accent flowers. Since roses are sold by length, we wouldn't want to cut too much off! The way to show off the beauty of long stem roses, is to keep as much of the natural form possible! In order to impress your loved one... long stem roses are simply the best! Can't go wrong with the flowers that represent love and wealth!


So what is the best way to send flowers to your lover, friend or family? Call a (real) local florist to find out what your options are and the possibilities of a custom design!


You will be amazed that a rose is not just a rose! It tells a story and carries your love to that special person in your heart.







Enjoying our blog?
Like us on Blossom Street Florist's Facebook Page!










#Roses #Valentines2014 #LocalFlorist

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Buying Flowers: A Real Local Florist vs Big Box Grocery Store

How is buying flowers from a florist better or different than buying from a grocery store?

south-florida-florist-blossom-street-florist
Dozen long stem roses out for delivery | Blossom Street Florist © 2013

     Valentine's Day 2014 is just around the corner and one of the best gifts you can give your loved one are flowers! Everyone loves flowers! It has the special power to make people happy and feel loved. There is just no way you can go wrong with them and for that being said, we wanted to share our thoughts with you of the importance of buying flowers from a LOCAL florist.
     You might not notice that just like meat, flowers are graded too! For example, roses have three different grades, A, B and C. The best graded roses you can buy are rated A. They have largest buds, longest stems, and best looking attributes. Grade C roses aren't bad roses. These roses are simply smaller, shorter and newer plants. Grade C roses are basically for grocery stores. Grade C roses can grow into nice blooms, but they are always smaller, and not as nice as A-rated roses. So...because of that our store, Blossom Street Florist only carries A-grade roses! 
  Grade C roses are the kind you might find at many grocery stores and online drop-shipping outlets; they are sometimes nice, but usually won’t last as long as A-grade roses. They’re not as beautiful and you’ll be able to tell the difference. In comparison to meat grading, C-grade roses at the grocery stores are like fast food meat (edible but not great) - definitely not the filet mignon. So when thinking about buying flowers, you must know that when buying from a florist, you’re always going to get the BEST possible flowers.
     Some people that buy from the grocery stores or online might say there is a major price difference when comparing to your local florist. Here we must stress the topic again, remember we mentioned earlier about flower grading? Online flower companies (FTD, Pro Flowers, 1800Flowers; aka drop- shipping in a box) and grocery stores are often using C grade flowers...that is why it is much cheaper, but these flowers won't be designed by a florist with his or her unique touch, nor personalized service/care from a real florist!


     We have noticed there is a misconception that you may need to spend big bucks to buy from a florist?! That is simply not true! We have many people that walk in everyday and say “Here is my budget, what can you do to make it pretty” and we help them out! We can do about any price range; it will be beautiful, ready-made, and with A-grade quality flowers. We also personally deliver every arrangement too!! So your flowers won’t come from some random UPS or FedEx guy. Not only you get the best flowers, you will be supporting a small, locally owned business, which is definitely important NOW, for all of us. You will be helping the local economy and bringing your community together! How wonderful that will be.
     In essence, when buying flowers for your loved ones: wife, daughter, husband, mother, father, aunt, friend, co-worker etc. it is ALWAYS best to order from a local florist! Share your love and appreciation with flowers!




Order flowers here on our website: www.blossomstreetflorist.com

Enjoy our blog much? Like us on Facebook to get daily updates!
https://www.facebook.com/blossomstreetflorist



Monday, January 13, 2014

Beautiful Bloom: Corvara/Convara Lily



Here is our new favorite flower! Corvara lily! We experienced these beautiful blooms during holiday season. It was our first time using this flower...and we love it!! They were absolutely gorgeous & stunning.

Here is a little information on this fabulous bloom.

Plant Common Name:Corvara Oriental Lily
Color Description:Deep pink to almost red
Bloom Size:Large
Vase Life:Long
Vase Life Details:7-10 Day (change water & cut every other day)
Availability:All year around. 
Scented:Fragrant
General Comments:Corvara Oriental Lily is a beautiful lily with a mesmerizing fragrance.  Its deep pink bloom is outlined in white to give it a striking and stunning contrast. Corvara Oriental Lily often referred to as Royal Lilies, lily flower is a religiously symbolic and is associated with godliness & innocence.  

See them with your own eyes! We will be introducing this beautiful flower to our customers during Valentine's Day!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Valentine's Day 2014! Part 1 Local florists vs. the big online order takers!


Roses Are Red Violets Are Blue

Roses are red
Violets are blue
If you love me
Then show me that that love is true


--Jennifer Alejandra








Valentine's day is most here...?!

And you ask "what is the difference between local florist v.s Online Flowers/FTD/1800Flowers/ProFlowers"?




We wanted to share this post again since many of you may not have seen it. It’s especially timely with Valentine’s Day right around the corner…


We have often been asked “What is the difference between buying flowers from you, and ordering some online thru FTD, ProFlowers, 1-800-Flowers, Teleflora, or one of the other flower companies?”


The quick simple answer is that these companies are not really florists, but order taking operations. They don't have much knowledge of what flower will last, what will work, what won't...They often use local florists who are a part of their network to fill the orders for them. So a small business will nearly lose all of their profit because the order taking company will take a steep cut. And many of you didn't know...wire services are expensive for the real local florist! And florists don't receive all of the money you paid the wire service. Are you sure you are getting your money's worth?

Here is an example:


A customer in New York calls to order a $75.00 rose arrangement from an online wire service (FTD, ProFlowers, 1-800-Flowers, Teleflora) in Texas for delivery to Florida. A delivery fee of $12.95 and a service or handling fee of $12.95 is then added. The total charge to the customer is $102.90


The online wire service (FTD, ProFlowers, 1-800-Flowers, Teleflora) then relays the order to a Real/Local Florist in Florida that designs the rose arrangement and delivers it to the recipient. For this, the online wire service (FTD, ProFlowers, 1-800-Flowers, Teleflora) receives: The service/handling fee of $14.95, the rebate fee, and a commission fee for total of the order! Remember, a flower has yet to be touched and the order value has been reduced!


This type of business kills locally owned shops, sending profits to huge corporations who offer non-personalized service; and who may not even be located in this country!!


We would invite you to watch this video, produced by the consumer warning network, illustrating just how much better value, service and quality you get when you use a LOCAL florist (like us)!





Ordering Flowers: How the Different Services Compare


Video Source: http://www.consumerwarningnetwork.com/2010/02/11/ordering-flowers-how-the-different-services-compare/



Like us on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/blossomstreetflorist
Follow us on twitter and Instagram!















#vday #Valentinesday2014 # Red roses #flowershopinTamarac #localfloristLauderhill #floristsunrise #longstemroses


Monday, January 6, 2014

Happy New Year to all!



Happy New Year 2014!
We are grateful to be here for another year! 

2013 was a wonderful year for us. Thanks to all our lovely clients that supported us throughout the years. We are so thankful and so grateful for each of you!

So we  want to say "Thank You"! 

Hope we will have another great year together, and let us be good to our local community and friends!

Love and bless


Blossom Street Florist




PS: Next month is a BIG month! Don't forget Valentine's day is creeping up! We will be posting ideas and tips for your V-day 2014!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Here we are done with Memorial weekend...now back to work!



Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial weekend!
We are open for business and back to work! - if you call playing with pretty flowers working! :)

Here we wanted to share a few standing Memorial spray designs with you, these are what we created for this holiday in the past years. And we wanted to say "Thank you for your service to this great country" to our troops and everyone that is in the service force.

2013





2012


2011


Follow us on Twitter to get the newest trend and tips: https://twitter.com/weddingsBlossom