Bitersweet :)

Alas, my avid blog readers. I have some tragic news to share with you all. I warn you; you all may want to sit down while you read this. Are you ready?

Today's entry shall be my last blog entry you read for Arapahoe Floral.

Hush, sweet fans. Do not cry! For I have bright news about the future! A new Arapahoe Floral employee shall be taking over the entries. A light at the end of the tunnel! But of course I will share deep insight with you one last time about the underground world of flowers. Today's entry topic, you ask? Well, it's all about me :)

I thought it would be fun to do a verbal montage of my favorite blog entries [you know, similar to those sitcom series finales].

-"Somewhere over the rainbow...rose?" has always been one of my favorites. How could rainbow colored roses not cheer a person up? I'm guessing all of you reading this could use a rainbow rose right now. *sniff* I'll miss you too...

-"Fellas, This could be you". The bouquet in the picture is gorgeous, but honestly, Ashton Kutcher is just super hot.

-"Terrariums make a comeback". Maybe it's my draw towards vintage trends, but I think terrariums are pretty neat. Plus they are super easy to take care of. Win, win!

-Finally, "Everyone Likes A Nice Lei". Maybe it's because I happen to find myself entirely entertaining and truly just hilarious, but I thought the orchid lei blog wasn't too shabby :)

While we're on the subject of, well, myself, I would like to share some of my favorite flowers with you as well. Please feel free to send them to me as a goodbye gift. I shall miss having them in my house.

-Liatris: I've written a blog about this little flower gem before. I don't know what it is about liatris. Maybe it's the bright purple color or the unusual shape? Whatever it may be, I absolutely love it.

-Tulips: There are so many varieties of tulips. We ran across one in the store recently that I'm pretty sure we described as "magical". Absolutely gorgeous. Plus, they remind me of spring. I can't get enough of tulips!

-Spider/Fuji Mums: Specifically the green ones. Their color is stunning, and they last for such a long time! Plus, their shape is somewhat unusual, and I'm a fan of all things weird.

Well, avid blog readers. I hope you enjoy future posts as much as you have enjoyed reading mine. I don't doubt that you will. Just remember, shop local as much as you can, even when it comes to flowers!

Goodbye... for now ;)

Everyone Love A Nice Lei ;)

Orchid lei have a lot of history, and since summer is coming and graduations are near, I thought it would be a splendid idea to share some fun facts with y'all. [ie. "lei" is used for both the plural and singular form of the noun :)]

During the "Boat Days" of the early 1900s, lei vendors lined the pier at Aloha Tower to welcome malihini (visitors) to the islands and kama'aina (locals) back home. It is said that departing visitors would throw their lei into the sea as the ship passed Diamond Head, in the hopes that, like the lei, they too would return to the islands again someday.

Today, visitors can easily bring back the nostalgia of old Hawaii by ordering a traditional flower lei greeting for their arrival at the airport. Greeters welcome visitors with a warm “aloha” and adorn them with beautiful fresh leis. It's a wonderful way to begin a Hawaiian vacation.

You can wear a lei at anytime. Heck, you can even buy one for yourself, but it's good to know that there are a few rules when it comes to lei etiquette. The proper way to wear it is gently on the shoulders so it hangs down both the front and back. Also, it is a sign of affection if someone gives you a lei. Therefore, it is pretty rude to refuse it [I recommend you never do]. Once you do have your lei on, it is rude to remove it in front of the person that gave it to you; so if you need to take it off, make sure they don't see!

Graduations are a very popular time to adorn someone with a lei. In Hawaiian tradition, graduates are likely to be given so many lei that they can sometimes come up to the persons eyes!

There are lots of types of leis, but orchid leis tend to be the most popular here in the Continental United States. In case you do want a lei, but you aren't sure where to get one in Colorado, I have good news for you! I, yes your trusty blogger, am actually pretty darned good at making a lei :) So if you know someone who is graduating but don't want to bog them down with a loose bouquet of flowers or if you want to show your affection in a creative manner, give Arapahoe Floral a call and order your lei. The sooner, the better. These suckers can take sometime :)

Aloha!

A Whole New World

This past weekend, in New York City, Macy’s 37^th Annual Flower Show began. The even consists of the store being entirely adorned with a vast variety of floras and living plants. This year’s theme is “Tower of Flowers”, giving the designers the opportunity to play with height. There are eleven gardens to explore, each with a subtheme such as “the Orchid Garden”. The shop creates a whimsical environment during this show, enveloping the guests in its scents and colors. And that’s not where the fun stops, folks! “Petacular Fair” starts right after; you get to dress your pups up with the most fashionable flower around!

If you can’t make it out to NYC to take part in this spectacular display, we have an alternative for you! We might not have an event quite as extravagant as this one going on, but come on into our shop and you’ll really feel the difference our flowers make. Step into the cooler and out of your everyday life!

Please click here to read the full article. It really is amazing!