Flowers are a highly photographed subject. Not too many photographers will pass on an opportunity to photograph such a lovely subject. They rarely wiggle, argue or complain.
They don't mind wet weather, hot sun early mornings or late evenings. Some of the most stunning photos of flowers are in the macro area. Super close ups of the petals or leaves or the pestles.
Get out today scour the neighborhoods, fields and area gardens for you own portfolio of the rare beauties. Try zooming in or use a macro lens to get deep into the crevices of flowers. Use the to capture bees or other insects. Add flowers to your portraits. I think you get the idea.

Roses are a great flower to photograph because they are available at anytime. Whether they are real or artificial. Find your favorite color on a rose bush in a lovely garden or park and click away. Try using filters to antiquate your subject or changing colors to a tint or just let your imagination run wild. whatever you do enjoy the roses or flowers you take pictures of and share them with a friend or post them to a blog for the world to enjoy.

Memorial Day is upon us.

A time for reflection and a time to remember those that have gone on before us.
Many cook-outs and parades and family get togethers will be celebrated. No better time to reflect on what lies ahead and how others have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms also.

Many floral displays will be placed in cemetaries, and monuments adorning the resting places of many. So many sad memories and feelings of loss. Hopefully many good things to remember along with time spent with family and friends.

Long has been a tradition of placing flowers as a remembrance of our loved ones.
What more acceptable time for a lovely rose signifying love for those we cherished and remember at this special holiday.

Thanks those who have served our country defending our freedoms and others around the world. Cherish those you still have today. Spend precious time with friends family and neighbors.

Unusual Roses

There are many very pretty roses out there, and some are even stunning to say the least. What about something different? I have heard and been hearing for a number of years about blue roses being developed.

Not tinted or sprayed blue, but really blue roses. Whoa now that is different and cool. In the beginning of this journey I remember reading a magazine article about this ongoing project. At the time, they really weren't available to the public.
At least not in an affordable manner for most of us.

In the article it was stated how they were being grown and so on. The article went on to state that if you really wanted some they would be about $10,000 for a dozen!
Yikes and double yikes. This was in about the year 1991.

Fast forward a few years. The scientists have still not been able to bring the blue roses to market, and probably never will. So we will have to settle for artificial, dyed or painted blue roses for the time being.

Besides most people really do prefer red now, don't they......

What is a hydroponic rose?

Hydroponic roses are roses grown in a solution rather than soil. Nutrients are easier to uptake by the root system through a solution rather than soil. In other words, this is a more efficient system.

This is more cost prohibitive, because of water pumps, fertilizer, lights and so on.
Are the roses nicer? Probably because there is more control in how they are grown versus mother nature.

Bottom line, roses are being grown in new ways and more modern farming techniques that enhance the quality of the roses that the end consumer receives. Prices can be better also. However, with diesel prices rising, it becomes more expensive to ship stuff so prices may never actually go down.

Hydroponic roses are more disease free because there are less bugs due to lack of soil,and roses being grown in a greenhouse environment with more temperature control
and less excess moisture causing leaf fungi to develop less.

We all want more environmentally friendly farming for the future and personally I believe this to be a great method to move things like rose farming into the future.
Kind of a bit complicated for a rose, but I think they are worth it considering all the joy they bring to us rose lovers.

What makes some roses so much bigger than others?

A lot of things play into that. Sunlight, temperatures, moisture, fertilizer and so on. One of the biggest things is the age of the plant. We have a rose bush in our yard that is many years old. I am guessing 30 years or better. Every spring it produces tons of roses. For the type of rose, they are pretty big.

However, if we would prune them and allow only one rose per stem, the rose blossom would be much bigger. It is the same with fruit trees. The less fruit they have to feed, the bigger the fruit. Same with a rose bush. More flowers to feed means less nutrients for all the roses.

You can see how this could be a daunting and time consuming task. That is why some of the roses grown and sold as cut flowers are so much more expensive. Time and more time goes into farming them. Feeding, pruning and caring for the bush so that only the most graceful and elegant roses are produced.

I can only imagine how many hours are spent on farms raising roses on the farms. It must be truly a love of what the growers do to put so much care into the roses. So next time you see a huge rose at a floral shop, remember all the work and planning that went into growing that elegant blossom for your pleasure.

Is the rose the most popular flower?

Close I bet. In our 18 + years of being a florist, it seems that the rose is what most people asked for by name. Think about it. The rose is a symbol of love.
Stately and graceful. Versatile. Conveys the meaning of love in many different ways.
From friendship to deep personal partnership soul mate kind of love.

The rose can be used anywhere , anytime and look proper. They are in almost every garden. People even have contests to see who has the biggest, most fragrant, most unique and so on. I think the rose has a romantic quality that no other flower can surpass.

We even name our children "Rose". Roses are named after women because of their beauty. The rose is probably the most photographed flower ever. I know a garden in Tulsa, OK that has a myriad of rose plantings to remember loved ones.

What flower do you see most in advertisements? Probably a rose. I am amazed at the use of roses in our everyday lives, and how the rose has endured centuries of gardening and giving to still be probably the most popular flower ever.

Roses in movies?

Have you ever noticed how many roses or flower arrangements or florists you see in movies? I never used to notice, but in many movies and I do mean many you see a florist shop in the background.

Bed of roses, roses at funerals, buying roses from the street vendor, scenes in New York of corner floral shops. Now you are thinking, wow it's true that is weird.
I don't think we understand how much flowers are in our lives. I think we are so used to seeing them that we almost don't notice them.

Remember the old saying take time to stop and smell the roses? Well we should. In many oriental homes you are greeted by flowers. Many people offer them as a tribute to a deity in their religion. Hawaii offers you a Lei at many places.

See we don't really notice them like we think we do. Artists have been inspired by floral beauty and created masterpieces about them. Songwriters have written songs about them. Yellow Rose of Texas ring a bell?

We use them in fabrics for our homes to add that special touch. We use them in perfumes and so many more things that it really is overwhelming when we stop to think about it.

Should you only send roses when someone is sick or a birthday?

NO!! Any day is great to send roses. In fact when people least expect it is the best time to send roses. In fact you could send a bright spring mixed color rose bouquet now. I always enjoyed seeing the smiles on peoples faces when we delivered roses to then. I felt as much joy as they did thinking that I helped them celebrate whatever occasion.

There are some studies out that actually show that flowers and plants can lift a persons mood and people tend to be happier when they have flowers or plants around them. I know, I probably spent too much time in the cooler right? And I have frozen part of my brain and have signed up for a flower cult or something. No, it is true, flowers really do bring smiles and cheer folks right up.

Send someone a floral gift and see for yourself. Have you noticed people seem happier in the spring than they do in the fall? Aha! I told you so. See if you can put a spring in some one's step or turn their frown upside down with flowers that are sure to bring them out of the dumps.

My red roses are not really red.

That is probably a ture statement. Most red roses are really not red. Roses vary greatly in their coloration. Anything from red to deep red or maroon to burgundy.
If you want red you will have to check with your local florist to find what variety they can get in the true red coloration.

I would start with Rose Bagier, then Visa, Madame delBard, Charlotte and so on.
Then choose which rose you personally like better. All roses are beautiful to me but like the colors some roses have completely different shapes also. That is another blog entry on it's own.

Have fun shopping for red roses for whatever occassion you might be looking for them for. Enjoy the beuaty of the roses and cherish the moments they are meant to celebrate. From your wedding to an anniversary or birthday, they are all beautiful and lovely.

Today marks an ominous anniversary for me.

It has been exactly one year since my Mother's passing. I received a single rose today in remembrance of her. It was a lovely gift and I felt honored that someone else remembered me and her. I was taken aback that someone actually bought me a flower, in particular a red rose.

Considering that a single red rose embodies love, I felt that it was very special and a perfect thing to do. I know sometimes how hard it is to lose someone special.
I also applaud those who remember those times with you and how special it is knowing that you are cared about.

I still have a couple of the plants from the funeral and a rose we pressed in a book.
going through some of my Mom's things we found an old florists card from her past and I thought wow that shop is still in business in the same town where we grew up.

So I sat remembering many things today, laughs and silly things. Saturday mornings and rocking chairs. Looking for special rocks and watching the "red-birds" that she was so fond of. Life goes on, although a bit sadder at times.

I miss you Mom...

Should I buy roses on the internet or from a local florist?


Personally if something goes wrong i love the idea of being able to go look someone in the eye and explain my problem to a person face to face. Squeaky wheels get the grease right? It is easier for people on the phone in another state to say no, or to be rude than someone looking you in the face, especially if you have the "look" in your eyes...

You can find some very attractive prices on the net though, and that itself is very tempting. I will say that the old saying if is looks too good to be true then it is.
Flowers come in so many sizes and grades. It is really easy for savvy internet sites to sell cheaper flowers at cheaper prices. Nothing wrong with that, if they are up front about what they are selling for those dreamy cheap prices.

Just be careful and try to stick to the more well known companies if you choose the internet as your purchase point. Otherwise you have "the look" to fall back on...

How important are flowers in reality?

Yesterday we attended a funeral. She was my Brother-in-laws Mom-in-law, and my Mom's friend. Such a sad occasion to have to witness. We saw a lot of flowers and plants at the service. Many colors and styles.

It seems over the years people order stuff to convey feelings of sympathy and to comfort families at times of great sorrow such as this. I can tell you firsthand having lost my own Mother just almost a year ago. Reading a card from a family member or friend means a great deal.

There are many ways to convey sympathies, but flowers are still a very important part of this. So many times people have favorite colors or flowers and that is usually what people order for such occassions. I remember when my Grandma passed away thinking I wonder what she would choose?

Well that was easy, she would choose a little bit of everything because she was an avid gardener. So we did choose a little bit of everything. It suited her.
I also remember when my Father-in-law passed away. His favorite flower was red roses. So we made a grand arrangement of red roses that was very stately looking with lush greens. It suited him.

Over the years we have done many such suitable arrangements, Telephones for a telephone man, guitars, tennis rackets and many countless other things. It really helps a bereaving family to cope when they feel they have done something like that that suits the person they are buying for.

I am proud to have helped so many families over the years, even though so many times it was such a personal thing to the families, and yet somehow it became very personal to us too. So don't be afraid to send flowers or a plant to a funeral. It really is a great thing to do for a family to show you care in any way whatsoever.

Why do my roses not have a lot of fragrance?

Sometimes roses just have less fragrance. True. What causes this. Hybridizing.
Trying to make a certain quality in a rose by tissue culturing can give longer lasting, and bigger roses, but can also cause some of the fragrance to be lost.

If you notice Grandma's rose garden has lots more fragrance than most cut roses.
Natural fragrance via nature. Although some cut roses do have exceptional fragrance, like the colors, not red in other words. Sniff them out for yourself at a florist sometime. I always thought pinks had more scent. Go figure.

The other thing that we noticed was cold. Florists' store roses in cold temps to keep them fresh and so do transport companies to wholesalers and so on. When roses are arranged and fresh from the cold the fragrance is usually minimal. Just let them set out at room temperature and what fragrance they do have will be stronger.

So should you stay away from roses that do not smell like roses? No. that is sometimes modern technology at work. They will still last and look pretty.

What can i do to make my roses last longer?

First and foremost you need to start with very fresh roses. Second they need to be in a true floral preservative solution. We always reccomend Floralife preservative.
Most any florist will have some kind of floral preservative and not mind selling extra or give you some with your rose purchase.

I strictly follow the label directions to achieve maximum effectiveness. Mixing the proper amount of preservative with lukewarm or cold water and placing very fresh roses with a very fresh cut stem in the solution will work well for you.

Don't cut a rose and lay it aside, and then put it in the solution. The stem needs to be cut and immediately placed in the solution, otherwise the stem dries out and it is impossible for the flower to drink the water properly. Then they won't last no matter how fresh.

Lastly keeping them in a container or vase full of water is important. If you let them run out of water, well you can figure that out. Don't put them near a heat source such as a heater, stove, TV or direct sunlight from a hot window. All these will greatly shorten your roses' life.

I want babies breath with roses, I think.

The tried and true babies breath is always a fine choice for roses. Over the last few years there has been an explosion of new varieties of babies breath. Million Star, New Love and others. Also known as Gypsophilia, babies breath is the most commonly asked for filler to go with roses.

Over the years, we grew a little tired of babies breath and decided to experiment.
So we tried, wax flower, myrtle, leptospermum, honey bracelet, heather and just about anything else we could get our hands on. Guess what? People loved it. Refreshing and different were a few words that we heard often enough that we kept trying new stuff just to keep everyone excited.

The next time you order ask for something different than babies breath. You can even add a mix of premium greens like tree fern, springerii, and others for a deep lush look. It really is hard to go wrong whatever you decide. Sometimes you just can't beat old standbys like vanilla, apple pie, and babies breath though. So if you like the white fluffy stuff just do it. I have a feeling they are gonna love the roses anyway.

Roses can freeze so be careful.

This time of year fresh cut roses can freeze. Now I hear a lot of "duh's" out there, but it is surprising how many time people don't think about it. The colder it is, the quicker flowers will freeze. We store flowers at around 33-35 degrees in our refrigerators on purpose, Just cold enough for them to not freeze.

What do we do about this when delivering? One, you can warm the car up. Dashing from the store to the car is usually pretty safe. It takes longer than 30 seconds to do some damage. Second we wrap the arrangement with bags. This holds the heat in and protects the flowers a little longer this way.

When you have to wait for someone to answer the door it can help. Although you can get some strange looks until you unveil the flowers, then the great big smile comes out. A bit of trouble but well worth it in the end.

The best thing is to have flowers delivered and let the florist worry about the handling, but when that is not an option the tips above can help you save an arrangement from an early demise. So go ahead and send a bright cheery arrangement even if it is cold out, because someone can use a brighter day.

Is it ok to buy roses for a guy?

Well of course. Lots of guys like flowers too. Although you would probably be safer with going for a smaller quantity like a single rose. He may act like it is silly, but I know he will be happy to receive such a lovely gift.

A single red rose is the universal symbol for love. He might prefer you give the rose to him at home and not in front of his buddies though. Guys sure like to give each other a difficult time over such things. It must stem from the childhood tauntings of other children. Like the KISS song and sitting in a tree...

A funny thing happens to guys as they mature, friends tauntings become less influencing, sometimes.
So go ahead and get him a pretty er... ah.. a handsome red rose and see if he doesn't say thanks and look at you all googly eyed.

Is it bad to send or buy artificial flowers instead of fresh flowers?

No! They last practically forever and can be purchased in just about any price range or color and style. For a lot of homes artificial or "silk" flowers are great. No watering, and you don't have to worry about kids or pets chewing on them.

With the advances in construction and materials silk flowers look so real they can be very hard to distiguish from real flowers. For an office they can be great because they are practically no maintenance. Maybe a little dusting ocassionally.

From green plants to decorative trees or even artificial arrangements, silks area a great alternative in any decor. They will last long enough for you to grow tired of them and want a change again. We have them in our home and used them to decorate many places and people were very happy with how good they looked even compared to real plants and flowers.

Buy good quality silks and you will have made a good decision with a floral purchase.
Wreaths trees and so many other things can be custom made to fit any space from tiny to a huge silk tree to fill a grand entrance in the finest homes.

My girl does not like roses, what should I do?

Ok the world is not going to come to an end. Give her two lips, ha ha. Really any flowers are beautiful. Sunflowers for instance, lots of people love the sunny look of sunflowers. They can be upscale, or country. Lily's are great too.

What if she has allergies? Oh dear, maybe you could find her some artificial flowers.
There are some really high quality realistic looking flowers available these days. Not like Grandma's old plastic stuff. You can get some astounding looking roses that are artificial also. We even found some novelty type roses that were huge once.

We once made a Texas sized rose vase. this thing was about 4 foot tall and with a rosebud that was about the size of a football. It was very neat and entertaining. We even made a dozen rose arrangement out of some really large open garden type roses that was about 6 feet tall and about four feet in diameter. the roses were as big as a large serving platter. It made quite a splash.

So just use your imagination and I'm sure you can find something neat and creative, because I think that is what impresses them more than anything when you give them a floral gift.

Why are red roses the most popular?

My thoughts are, from years of taking orders is, that is what people have heard of are familiar with. Kinda like us southern folks asking for a Coke, but meaning just about any brand of soda.
Red roses are safe and usually readily available and most guys are familiar with that so there it is.
Of course flowers for Valentine's Day are mostly purchased by men for women. It is easy to see why so many are sold when you think about it. That even carries over to the term single rose or dozen roses. Refer back to the Coke comment earlier.

When people become more educated and familiar with flowers in general then they become more adventurous with the floral order. Much like going to a new restaurant, folks usually try the tried and true until they become familiar with how different items taste and so on.

Flowers are beautiful and meant to be shared. They bring a lot of beauty and happiness as gifts.
So don't forget your sweetie, whether it is with a single lovely red rose or a stunning display of a dozen, it really is hard to mess up.

Is one rose enough? Or should I get more?

Well, generally speaking one can mean just as much to whom you are giving it too as much as a dozen. We sold roses in all different ways and numbers. Wrapped, boxed, arranged, and even just loose. Lots of guys would buy as many roses for as many years as they had been married for instance. I remember one fellow had a 36th anniversary that we helped him with. That was quite a splash.
One Valentine we even sold an arrangement that consisted of four dozen in an arrangement! That was heavy. Then we have sold countless single roses. Delivering them all gave me a chance to see the faces of those receiving the flowers and they were all just as happy.
I truly believe that just the thought of getting flowers is what makes people appreciate them so much.
Whether you are buying them for somebody for an anniversary or someone in the hospital, when the flowers arrive and their face lights up, well, you know it was worth it. So, don't worry about how many too many or too little, just buy some and enjoy the glowing smile you see when you give them to someone special.

Roses For Valentines, Wrapped in paper, or arranged in a vase?

Many people wonder which is the best option. Yes you can save a little money by buying flowers wrapped in paper versus arranged in a vase. But if you forget to recut the stems as you put them in water then you are harming the longevity of the flowers and they will die prematurely.

As a professional florist I would rather that people buy them prearranged because of the fact that the stems stay wet, and the flowers stay hydrated helping to promote longevity in your floral purchase. So unless you plan on having a high priority of recutting your stems I recommend purchasing arrangements and not wrapped flowers.

You really aren't saving any money if the flowers don't last. Not to mention bad feelings towards the place you bought flowers from. We really don't want you to have a bad experience, especially with the one you are purchasing the flowers for.