Crushing on Scabiosa week of 3/11

Scabiosa, also know as the “pincushion flower” . The variety shown above is the “Scoop series” a brand new collection of varieties in deliciously-sounding berry names, that greatly expands the palette of available colors. These delicate-looking flowers are very long lasting and come in different shades of pink, purple, lavender, black and white colors. Scabiosa varieties can be combined to create gorgeous bouquets, or added as accent flowers to arrangements, bridal bouquets, boutonnieres and centerpieces.

International Women's Day 2019!

We will be giving out a bunch of tulips to every woman who shops with us today, because we admire you.

International Women's Day 2019 campaign theme:
#BalanceforBetter

The future is exciting. Let's build a gender-balanced world.

Everyone has a part to play - all the time, everywhere.

From grassroots activism to worldwide action, we are entering an exciting period of history where the world expects balance. We notice its absence and celebrate its presence.

Balance drives a better working world. Let's all help create a #BalanceforBetter.

Year long activity and collaboration

The 2019 #BalanceforBetter campaign runs all year long. It doesn't end on International Women's Day.

The campaign theme provides a unified direction to guide and galvanize continuous collective action, with #BalanceforBetter activity reinforced and amplified all year.

Let's build a gender-balanced world

Balance is not a women's issue, it's a business issue. The race is on for the gender-balanced boardroom, a gender-balanced government, gender-balanced media coverage, a gender-balance of employees, more gender-balance in wealth, gender-balanced sports coverage ...

Gender balance is essential for economies and communities to thrive.

Collectively we can all play a part

Collective action and shared responsibility for driving a gender-balanced world is key. International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women - while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender balance.

The first International Women's Day occurred in 1911, supported by over one million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific.

Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights."

Motivate others

So put your hands out and STRIKE THE #BalanceforBetter POSE and make International Women's Day YOUR day - and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women everywhere.

Amplify via social media

Post your #IWD2019 message on social media with your "hands out" balance pose for a strong call-to-action for others to also help forge a #BalanceforBetter.

Take action

For International Women's Day 2019 and beyond, how will you #BalanceforBetter?

A special thanks

Thank you to the wonderful teams at our Collaboration Partner, EyeEm, and the talented photographers dedicated to portraying women in real and non-stereotyped ways, supporting the IWD 2019 #BalanceforBetter campaign theme.

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner.

Green, green and even more green! During St. Patrick’s Day a lot of pubs, streets and even entire cities turn into this wonderful color. It is needless to say that flower decorations contribute to the festive feeling of this day. Imagine a bouquet, centerpiece or other design full of green flower. Plan ahead and order your St. Patrick’s Day arrangement

Crushing on Helleborus week of 3/4

Helleborus isn’t just a outside perennial, we love using them in arrangements seasonal for winter and spring.

Crushing on Ranunculus Clooney week of 2/25

Ranunculus are the perfect choice when it comes to adding depth and texture to floral arrangements. Soft, round shape and abundance of delicate petals make them a unique addition to anything from an elegant bridal bouquet to a modern, pared-down centerpiece. Some varieties have a range of hues that will complement any color scheme from soft, bridal blush to dramatic crimson

Crushing on Muscari week of 2/25

This week we are crushing on Muscri, also know as Grape Hyacinth.

Muscari has originated in the old world, from the Mediterranean basin, the Center and South of Europe, Northern Africa, the West, Center and South-West of Asia. The term muscari comes from the Latin muscus, since the scent is said to resemble musk.

Crushing on Sweet Pea week of 2/18

We are loving Japanese Sweet Pea this week, the vibrant colors and the sweet fragrance makes this a perfect flower to add to any arrangement or stick a few stems in a bud vase.

This trending flower, which is also known as Lathyrus Odoratus, symbolizes bliss or delicate pleasure and may also be used to indicate someone is leaving after a positive experience or as a term of endearment. The Sweet Pea is also April’s Birth Flower.
The Sweet Pea flower can be traced back as far as the 1700s. Maybe it was William Shakespeare, that was thinking about the Sweet Pea flower when he wrote: “ Parting is such sweet sorrow “? You can find some elaborate, exquisite, and immaculate arrangements online using Sweet Peas. It is a trending flower and the Wedding flower of choice by more and more of the millennial generation.

Flirt From The Valentine's Day Collection

Flirt a perfect for your favorite flirt! An exotic hot pink vanda orchid & fragrant pink hyacinth surrounded by soft green trick dianthus with sprigs of pussywillow are arranged into a lustrous gold glass cylinder vase.

Galentine's Day!

Galentine’s—a celebration of female friendships sparked by an episode of ‘Parks and Recreation’—is hitting the mainstream this year as companies scramble to rejuvenate sales around Valentine’s Day

What should you get your friend for Galentine’s Day? Everyone from Hallmark to Walmart suddenly has an idea.

Women across the country are embracing a ladies-only spin on Valentine’s called Galentine’s Day, a celebration of female friendship marked by brunches, pink drinks—and each other. “No boys allowed,” says 35-year-old project manager Amanda Nietzel, who is hosting a Galentine’s Day brunch Feb. 9 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The idea has been gathering steam for a few years but is hitting the mainstream now, as retailers and restaurants seize on a way to rejuvenate Valentine’s Day. Only 51% of Americans plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, down from a high of 63% in 2007, according to a National Retail Federation survey. NPD retail analyst Marshal Cohen, who says younger consumers associate Valentine’s with their parents, estimates the Galentine’s phenomenon could raise Valentine’s Day revenues by as much as 20% in the next three years.

Greeting card makers such as Witty Kitty Creations say Galentine’s Day cards are outselling Valentine’s themes. PHOTO: SHELLBY COYLE

Etsy says searches related to “Galentine’s Day invitation” increased 32% in the three months before Feb. 14 compared with last year. Shellby Coyle, who runs Etsy shop Witty Kitty Creations, says Galentine’s cards featuring messages such as “ladies celebrating ladies” and “why can’t every day be Galentine’s day?” eclipse sales of traditional Valentine’s Day products. “Nobody likes Valentine’s Day anymore,” she says.

Galentine’s, by contrast, is “about celebrating friendships and each other,” says 26-year-old Kathleen Burns, who’s hosting a “Galen-Tiki” party Feb. 10 featuring pineapple upside-down pancakes and rum drinks with umbrellas. “It’s not about relationships and love,” says the residence hall director at New York’s Columbia University.

Kathleen Burns prepares her home for a Galen-Tiki brunch featuring rum punch, pancakes and quiche. PHOTO: TOM MILBURN (2)

Retailers are eager to tap into the trend. Party City, the 900-store party-supply chain, is offering more than 50 Galentine’s Day products for the first time this year, including balloons, streamers and napkins. “We really think we can make it something big,” says Melissa Sprich, vice president of merchandising. The emphasis on female friendship and self-care, particularly in the wake of the #MeToo movement, “takes it to a more modern-day approach,” she says.

Hallmark this year is offering 16 cards that mention Galentine’s Day, up from 10 last year. “Be my galentine. What would I do without a friend like you?” asks one. Spokeswoman Jaclyn Voran says the company expanded the collection as research showed that two-thirds of women who buy Valentine’s Day products did so to celebrate nonromantic relationships. And, of course, women in same-sex couples celebrate romantic relationships with each other as well.

Party City offers Galentine’s Day supplies such as banners, balloons and cocktail napkins. PHOTO:PARTY CITY

Walmart has been expanding its Galentine’s Day offerings, putting products on display at 1,011 stores this year, spokeswoman Tara House says. The retailer began selling items such as cards and balloons saying “girl gang” and “fries before guys” two years ago, geared toward teens and tweens. But research showed the concept appealed more to adult women, so the company shifted to products such as wine glasses that read “wine is my valentine” and flasks that say “ex-boyfriend tears”—and started referring specifically to Galentine’s Day, as the phrase gained traction on social media and elsewhere.

Galentine’s Day popped into the vernacular after a 2010 episode of “Parks and Recreation” featured heroine Leslie Knope holding a Galentine’s brunch for her friends. “What’s Galentine’s Day?” she asks rhetorically in an aside to the camera. “It’s only the best time of the year! Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style: ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair minus the angst…plus frittatas.”

Since the show went off the air, evolving social dynamics have helped turn Galentine’s Day into an actual event, says co-creator and executive producer Michael Schur. “The basic nuts and bolts of Valentine’s Day feels antiquated,” he says. “There’s this perfect storm of women asserting themselves appropriately…as people that make their own decisions and not wait for men to buy them flowers anymore,” he says. He believes the show’s writers came up with the term. “I think it came out of a discussion about how Leslie Knope would handle Valentine’s Day, which led to the idea that she would want to add her own holiday to celebrate her female friends.”

Arley Cakes in Richmond, Va., offers heart-shaped Galentine’s Day cookies that say “Thank U, Next” and “Treat Yo’Self.” Owner Arley Arrington began making the cookies two years ago (a dozen for $30) and they now outpace sales of her other Valentine’s Day baked goods by two to one. “There’s a big trend in celebrating Valentine’s Day as a way to empower women and celebrate female friendships,” she says.

Bakery businesses such as Arley Cakes are making heart-shaped cookies with girl-power messages. PHOTO: ARLEY CAKES

In Columbus, Ohio, 35-year-old Jessica Moses posted an invitation on Facebook to some 30 female friends for a Galentine’s Day Party at a local bar, posting a picture of ladies gazing over cocktails. “This, ladies, is what Galentine’s Day is all about,” wrote the executive assistant to the provost at Columbus College of Art & Design.

Restaurants say the concept offers a way to extend Valentine’s Day business to more dates than just the 14th. In Charleston, S.C., restaurant Parcel 32 is holding a Feb. 13 Galentine’s Day event in its cocktail lounge with champagne specials, skinny cocktails and $1.50 oysters.

Restaurants like Parcel 32 in Charleston, S.C., say Galentine’s Day events stretch revenue opportunities beyond just Feb. 14. PHOTO:ANDREW CEBULKA

“Why not have an event that enhances business on these ‘shoulder dates’ that wouldn’t otherwise be incredibly busy,” says Amber Cote, executive director of Patrick Properties Hospitality Group, which owns the restaurant. She expects the event could increase Valentine’s Day revenues by as much as 50% this year.

Christina Stembel, chief executive of Farmgirl Flowers, a floral-delivery service based in San Francisco, says that 75% of its customers are generally women buying flowers for other women. A recent Galentine’s Day-timed email to customers offered ideas on “fave ways to spoil your BFF,” including flowers, plants and caramel corn.

In San Clemente, Calif., employees at L+ Co. Lash Studio are closing down their salon Wednesday to perform Galentine’s Day beauty treatments—on each other. Stylist Kristina Robertson says she and her three colleagues often say they never have enough time to perform their popular beauty services—such as fake-eyelash applications and eyebrow tattooing—on themselves. The women will begin their treatments on each other at 11 a.m. and break for wine and cheese at a restaurant across the street sometime in the afternoon. “It’s kind of a self-care, time-out,” says Ms. Robertson, who is mother to a 5-year-old girl and an 11-week-old baby.

Write to Anne Marie Chaker at anne-marie.chaker@wsj.com

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nobody-likes-valentines-day-anymore-retailers-florists-cash-in-on-galentines-day-a-ladies-only-spin-11549713601

Voluptuous From The Valentine's Day Collection

Send this overflowing jewel toned arrangement to the beauty you most desire. Deep red amaryllis, Red Paris roses, Pink Ice protea, fragrant blue hyacinth, calla lilies & hot pink anemone pop against a bed of purple hydrangea, all in a large leaf lined glass cylinder vase. If your affection is in question, this gorgeous design will get the point across!