20% off All Halloween Arrangements and Plants

Now through Halloween, Sunday the 31st, all Halloween themed floral arrangements and plants will be 20% off. Any of these arrangements would be a perfect addition to Halloween Party decorations. Stop by this weekend for something cute n' creepy!

Avoid Flower Scams! Buy Local!

The next time you place an order online for flowers through a website that is not a local flower shop, here are some things to think about. Websites like Flower Shop Network, FTD, Bloomnet, Teleflora, and Pro Flowers are all companies that make money off of providing customers with the convenience of ordering online. They make it easy to order by providing thousands of pictures of arrangements that you can choose from at a price that seems very reasonable. The arrangements all look amazing and full and it is as easy as clicking on the picture, putting in the address and paying with your credit card. Though this seems like the way to go, the chance of the arrangement you picked out being delivered like the one in the picture is very small.

Here's Why . . .

Once you place that order, that company immediately takes out anywhere from 20-30% of what you spent on your flowers for their service (this is on top of the 8-10 dollar convenience charge they have automatically added to your order.) After that they try to find a flower shop in the same zip code or close that will take the order. However by this point the flower shop they send it to is only getting 70% of what you spent and have to take out delivery, labor, and the cost of the vase or container, leaving a small percentage for the flowers. This means if you buy a 100 dollar arrangement through one of these websites, only about 50 dollars of what you spent is going toward your flower arrangement. A lot of times, quality local florist reject these orders because it would hurt their business to either make the arrangements nice and not make any profit or to send out skimpy arrangements and get a bad reputation. This causes your online order to often be sent from florist to florist until it ends up at a florist that doesn't mind skimping on your flower arrangement. Good quality local florists that are forced to take these orders end up coping in other ways, like raising prices to customers that call or come in. These scams have increased flower arrangement costs and decreased flower arrangement quality as a whole.

So Please Please Please from all of us local florists,

BUY FROM LOCAL FLOWER SHOPS DIRECTLY!

It's cheaper, has the convenience of online ordering, and will guarantee quality arrangements!

Like Arapahoe Floral,

call us at 303-220-7515 to get the quality flowers

sent, that your loved ones deserve!

Need help finding a local florist in your area or in the area of your family and friends,

check out http://www.floristdetective.com/

and here are some tips to filter through the websites that claim they are local.

From the Florist Detective:
Tips to Avoid Being Fooled by Flower Order Gatherers
•Check the Home and About Us pages for the physical address of the business.
•Ask 'What is Your Address?' when you call on the phone. If they decline to provide it, consider calling another florist.
•Check the Contact Us page for a local phone number. It should match the area code of the location to where your flowers are being delivered. If the contact information consists of an email address only, be suspicious.
•Call the local phone number. If it is answered 'Flower Shop' without providing the name of the florist, ask which shop you've called. If they provide a different answer than the one you've dialed, you may have reached a gatherer/broker.
•On the phone, ask for the business' location and driving directions. If they fail to provide these details, consider calling a different florist.
•Ask the florist to itemize all charges. Be especially cautious about companies that charge relay fees, same-day fees, service fees, shipping fees and handling fees. Local florists generally charge for delivery (which you also pay through a broker) but the other surcharges are completely avoidable when ordering direct from the florist who will actually make your arrangement.
•Google the phone number. If it appears under many different business names with different locations, be suspicious.
•Be aware that just because an ad or website name says "City Name Florist", it doesn't mean the company is located in or actually delivers to that city.
•If following a link from a search engine ad, find the site's home page. Order gatherer sites often contain directory-like links named after states, provinces and cities. Each page will appear virtually the same except for the city name.

What is a Dish Garden?? Let Us Explain...

A dish garden is an arrangement of plants in a container, typically a ceramic bowl or even a wicker basket with lining. Dish gardens are very unique; they do not have any drainage holes and combine a variety of plant types. You can create a dish garden with green plants like ferns and ivy, blooming plants to add a bit of color, or even a collection of different types of cacti! They are full and can thrive indoors, creating a perfect miniature garden perfect for anyone's home, especially during the winter season!

Dish gardens are the ultimate housewarming gift, a wonderful way to say thank you, and even a great way to celebrate a birthday. They are longlasting, providing the beneficiary with a constant reminder of your appreciation!

If you're feeling a little creative and want to personalize your dishgarden, try potting the plants in your favorite mug or any other type of container you may have at home! Just bring it in and we can put a beautiful garden together for you!!

The Sentiment of a Rose

Giving a rose has been a tradition all of the world for thousands of years. Because of their importance in our culture, throughout history people have developed a color language for them. Over time the meanings of each different color of rose has changed, so below is a list of the colors of roses and what they mean today. This way the next time you want to order roses you will be able to pick ones that represent the exact sentiment your going for.

Red: romance, love, courage, beauty, respect, passion, "I love you"
White: purity, innocence, youthfulness, purity, humility (wedding: "I am worthy of you")
Pink: appreciation, graditude
Light Pink: admiration, sympathy, grace, joy, sweetness
Yellow: Friendship, delight, welcome back, gladness
Lavender: enchantment, love at first sight
Orange: Desire, Enthusiasm
White with red tips: given together they mean unity
Peach: Modesty, sincerety
Coral: Desire

It's never too early . . .

. . . To start thinking about the holidays!
It's almost Novemeber already which means out-of-town family, massive dinners and lots of memories in the making. For most this is a wonderful time of the year but for some it can be the most stressful time of the year. That is why we recommend thinking ahead and preparing for the holidays starting now while things are calm. As it gets closer things like Thanksgiving dinner centerpieces can fall through the cracks, causing last minute stresses. At Arapahoe Floral you can never order too early to make sure you have the perfect centerpiece for your family table. You can even order it online and have it delivered just a day or two before Thanksgiving to make it as easy as possible for yourself. We have hurricane candles, fall colored flowers, maple leaves, pine, cedar and holly to make up any custom holiday arrangement. Call us today to order yours!

~**Fall Leaves**~

As the season changes to Autumn, the natural beauty of the changing trees provides a striking mix of yellows, reds and oranges. However, most of us get busy with our hectic lives and don't get the opportunity to appreciate the view.

This fall, Arapahoe Floral wants to make it easier to enjoy the beauty of fall by bringing it into your home! We have maple leaves and all sorts of colors of fall leaves we can put into any arrangement. We also have autumn colored mums and daisies that are ordered in fresh from our grower each week. Beyond our flowers, we have Halloween and Thanksgiving themed containers like ceramic pumkins and cornacopias to give any fall arrangement that extra pizaz.

We also love to add organic gourds, apples and even mini-pumpkins from our neighbor, Sunflower Market, to give them a unique design. We always encourage pre-ordering your arrangement at least 24 hours ahead of time so we have the chance to give it the attention it deserves.

We highly recomend bringing the beauty of fall into your home,

so give us a call or stop by and see us!

~Pumpkin Floral Arrangements~

Want to change up pumpkin carving this year?

Arapahoe Floral has the perfect way to dress up an ordinary pumpkin and make it into fabulous seasonal decor or a centerpiece!

From now until Thanksgiving if you bring in a cleaned out pumpkin (carved or uncarved) we will fill it with the flowers of your choice.

Pumpkin arrangements make perfect centerpieces for Thanksgiving dinners, gifts for friends and family, and porch ornaments.

Bring your pumpkin in today!

Friday Flower Happy Hour!

If you haven't heard . . . Friday between 1pm and 5:30pm is the Happiest time of the week!

At Arapahoe Floral every Friday we have Friday Flower Happy Hour. This means every Friday, 1pm to close we offer special deals only to customers that come into the shop. Each week we offer a different discount and we only announce it that Friday. Last week we offered 15% off and for customers that spent over 30 dollars we gave them a small candle and customers that spent over 50 dollars got a large candle.

Stop by this Friday afternoon and experience for yourself the HAPPIEST time of the week!

Don't Forget Your Boss This Week!

National Boss Day is this upcoming Friday, October 15 2010!

This holiday began in 1958 when Patricia Bays Haroski decided to celebrate her boss, who also happened to be her father. Since then its become a tradition to show your fearless leader your appreciation for their continual guidance and support.

What better way to thank the head honcho than by sending them a unique and colorful arrangment to brighten up the work environment?! We also do gift baskets, plants, gift certificates, and orchids!

Check out our website where we have plenty of ideas to get you started: http://www.arapahoefloral.com/englewood-florist/bosses-day-is-10/16-9369c.asp?topnav=Occasions

Click online to order!

If you missed Taste of Greenwood Village . . .

. . . . You missed some splendid arrangements by Arapahoe Floral!

This last week the city of Greenwood Village put on a wonderful event to raise money for the city. Arapahoe Floral had the opportunity to donate the majority of the flowers for the event. We decorated each table with tall upscale oncidium orchid arrangements inside, and clear glass bowls with floating sunflowers in the outside tent. The theme of simple yellow flowers and black rocks looked spectacular for the event. We appreciate the City of Greenwood Village Chamber of Commerce asking us to donate again this year and we hope to donate next year!

Check back for pictures~!!!

It's Fall! Let's Dance!

Corsages and Boutonnieres

Fall has arrived! This means football Sundays, fall leaves and for high school students: dance season. Whether you’re a senior and an old pro at ordering your date’s floral accessories or you’re a freshman who is new to this stuff, let us guide you through ordering your corsages and boutonnieres.
Here is a list of tips to make ordering this year a breeze!
1. Often times when ordering a corsage or a boutonniere we will ask you what your date is wearing; that way we will be able to match the boutonniere or corsage to their dance ensemble.
a. For example, if wearing black or white or both you can match white flowers with a black ribbon or go opposite and make it bright and colorful to offset the dress
b. If your date is wearing an obscure color like teal or baby blue, (that flowers are not normallly found in) you may need to find an accent color that goes and do the wrist ribbon in that color. The other option would be to spray paint a few of the flowers.
2. Another good tip is to order in advance, that way we will have enough time to get exactly what you have in mind. The more time we have, the more unique and interesting we can make it.
3. For corsages, we mainly use spray roses along with other smaller accent flowers depending on the color and size you want it. We also use orchids, Gerbera daisy pedals, alstroemeria, kalanchoe buds, and larkspur. All of our corsages are tied on the wrist with the ribbon of your choice because we have found they stay on best that way. We also however, have rhinestone bracelet corsages for 7 dollars more if you want to be a little fancier.
a. For longest lasting corsages, place in the fridge door before the dance
b. For the most secure corsages, tie a knot at the bottom of the wrist and then again at the top underneath the flower portion.
4. We typically use roses for a boutonniere for the gentlemen’s floral adornment, which gets pinned on to his vest or lapel. However, there are other flowers that can be used as well, like Calla Lilies, Freesia, and mini roses.
5. All of our corsages are $30 and all of our boutonnieres are $15.
Call today to place your order!