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 ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

We did it! Arapahoe Floral survived the Mother's Day weekend... barely :) We happily created hundreds of flower arrangements for lots of lucky moms. Thank you so much for having us be a part of your family's holiday celebrations. We hope that we served you well.

This year the main trend we saw being ordered were nice spring bouquets with lots of colorful flowers! With color combinations like reds, yellows, purples, and greens, we successfully made lots of beautiful pieces! We even had fun vases to use, adding a playful element to the arrangements.

The flowers that were most requested were daisies, tulips and roses... but not red ones! The roses we used were shades of pinks, purples, yellows, and oranges. Red is more romantic, thus being superior during Valentine's Day, but this holiday lends itself more towards roses symbolizing joy and friendship.

Don't forget, if you didn't order your arrangement for Mother's Day and still want to do something nice for your momma, we can make an arrangement for Monday! We can even send it to her work, making a great start to their work week. It's never too late to show some love!

Way to go, team. We did it! Now to get back to my glass of wine...

Super Saver Tips Continued!

For flower shops, Easter is over, and I have some super saver tips for you!

Flower shops tend to carry a lot of holiday themed flowers, containers, vases, and accessories. At Christmas time we have lots of winter containers, ornaments, and santas. Valentine's day calls for heart containers, chocolates, stuffed animals, and occasionally an overflow of roses. The lovely Easter holiday means we have lots of Easter lilies, bunny containers, and other themed items around the shop. Every holiday comes with some sort of theme!

This means those flower shops probably have some leftover holiday stock, and they will want to get rid of it. Bunnies are cute and all, but if we have them laying around the shop for no good reason, we tend to look (and feel!) a bit cluttered. If you're looking to be prepared for decorating your house next year, or want to celebrate a little later, it's a great idea to head to a flower shop a day or two after the chosen holiday and check out their sale selection! My mom and I do this every Christmas, and I think it's slowly becoming an every holiday tradition for me...

Sometimes it pays to be frugal :)

We Love Wedding Season!

To continue on our wedding-themed topic, today I am going to talk about the 2011 wedding season's color choice of the year... Honeysuckle!

For those of you unfamiliar with honeysuckle, it is a gorgeous shade of pink with hints of darker rose hues. It is very feminine and perfect for spring and summer weddings! You can expect to see it used in textiles, accessories, apparel, decor, attire, and of course FLOWERS!

When it comes to using honeysuckle colors in a flower bouquet you have lots of options. You can have the color stand alone with a simple monochromatic bouquet, or you can pair it with neutrals like whites and creams- perfect for the classical romantic garden wedding which is so very popular right now! Some flowers that can come in these shades are roses, gerbera daisies, lilies, and even tulips... and those are only a few examples!

Honeysuckle isn't just a color either. They are actual plants that springs beautiful flowers! The flowers are sweetly scented and trumpet shaped. They bloom primarily in early spring and last all summer. These plants do best outside, often being used as a ground cover. They also prefer lots of light and moderate water.

So set up your wedding consultation with us and we'll make sure you have the brightest and best wedding you could ever imagine <3

Wedding Season Starts with a Royal Theme

Celebrity gossip has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, and I know I'm not alone. The highly anticipated royal wedding is quickly approaching [April 29th], and what we're most excited about at Arapahoe Floral are, of course, the wedding flowers! With Kate's class and elegance, there are some pretty high expectations for the wedding bouquets. Not to mention, a whole new trend is likely to emerge from the royal theme and decor!

So I've been snooping and guessing. Assuming you are as excited as I am, I figured it would be fun to share it with you all! There have been reports that the flowers at the ceremony alone are going to be budgeted around $800,000. [Woah, right? If only we were all princesses...] The "experts" are saying that Kate will be carrying an all white bouquet. The flowers are also going to be locally grown. The only ones predicted to be flown in are fair-trade roses from Kenya, where the couple was engaged. Adorable and responsible; I would expect nothing less :)

I think we can make some educated guesses when it comes to flower specifics, as well. Kate's wedding flowers will most likely be of a very different style than Princess Diana's were [pictured], but they will probably be as extravagant, dramatic, and breathtaking. They will be spring flowers [seasonally appropriate]. White lilies are Kate's favorites, so I bet we will see those featured. Myrtle is traditional in royal wedding bouquets. Myrtle is a beautiful green sprig with a lovely fragrance. Other flowers that people are guessing to be present include gardenias, lilies of the valley, delphinium, and [like I previously mentioned] roses.

The cake will also be adorned with flowers! All will be symbolic. They will represent the four corners of the United Kingdom: the English rose, Scottish thistle, Irish shamrock, and the Welsh daffodil.

So future brides-to-be, get ready for some new and excited trends. Expect a follow up after the wedding and details are released :)

In Your Dreams!

I don't know about you, but I have some crazy dreams. [Don't worry, I won't make you read the specifics.] When it comes down to it, no one really knows the exact reason or meanings behind dreams, but recently Arapahoe Floral discovered some very interesting influences on them.

German researchers performed a smell-exposure experiment in 2008 which consisted of three sleeping groups. While the first group slept they were exposed to rotten-egg smells. The second group was flushed with the scent of roses, and the third group was the control group therefore they were not introduced to any smells while sleeping. All of these people were roused and asked to describe their dreams. The incredible conclusion, you ask?

Good smells = good dreams! Smell significantly affects the emotional coloration of one's dreams. The sweet and lovely smell of roses lead to sweet dreams. The unpleasant smells resulted in a more than average unpleasant dream experience, often creating nightmares for the participants.

Our conclusion from the researches conclusion, you ask, again? Flowers! If you want sweet dreams and a good night of sleep, keep a nice, fresh, and fragrant bouquet by your bed! I would recommend roses, as they used in the experiment, but also stock, oriental [aka stargazer] lilies, carnations, and eucalyptus because they also have lovely scents about them.

So, avid readers, it really is science. Let Arapahoe Floral will tuck you in with some of our freshest flowers, and let your dreams come true :)

Calling All Foodies

For the blog readers that love to cook, today we are going to expand your repertoire by introducing you to edible flowers! The first and absolute most important part about cooking with flowers is to know which ones are edible and which can be poisonous. Please click the link to get a thorough list of edible flowers as well as further information about the topic:

http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowers.htm

There is a lot you need to know about cooking with flowers before you start, and in this post we are simply touching the basics. As previously mentioned, it is imperative that you are fully knowledgeable about what flowers are going to hurt you and which ones are going to make your taste buds happy. But here are a few other tips:

-Only eat flowers that are grown organically; you want to avoid digesting pesticides. Be very aware of this wherever you purchase or pick the flowers you plan to eat.

-Introduce flowers to your diet gradually; it might not be pretty if you overwhelm your stomach with something entirely foreign.

-Wash the petals, or whichever part you plan to use, thoroughly!

-Remove pistils and stamens from flowers before consuming; the standard is that you will only eat the petals.

-Once you have familiarized yourself with all of the guidelines and information, you can get to cookin’!

Here is a fairly simple recipe I found [at www.homecooking.about.com] to get you started:

Rose-Glazed Brie

You’ll need…

• 1 15-ounce round brie cheese, or similar cheese

• Rose petals, pesticide-free rinsed and patted dry to taste

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin

• 1/4 cup cold water

• 2 cups dry white wine

To make…

- Remove the rind from the top of the brie cheese round, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange rose petals on and around brie wheel.

-In a small bowl, soften gelatin in the 1/4 cup cold water for 5 minutes. In a saucepan set over moderate heat, combine white wine with softened gelatin and heat, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and let cool, stirring. Gently brush rose petals and cheese with gelatin mixture and chill until set. Serve with crackers.

Good luck with your cooking adventures!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow... Rose?

That's right. Today we wanted to highlight the unique but ever-so-beautiful RAINBOW ROSE! If you've never seen one in real life, these flowers are exactly like what you're seeing to the right; all of the petals of the rose are a different color of the rainbow!

These roses are not naturally colored this way, but they aren't painted either. In order to create a rainbow rose a unique process is used. The stem of the cream or white rose is split and each part is dipped into different water, which has been colored. The stem then absorbs or "drinks" the water which is drawn into the petals, creating a multicolored rose! If you're worried about the dye affecting the life of your flowers, don't be! It doesn't affect their lifespan, just their appearance!

The versatility of this rose is endless. Their bright and colorful appearance make them perfect for almost any occasion or holiday! I would personally recommend to use them in arrangements for birthdays, get wells, as an addition to a nice spring mix, baby showers [especially when the gender of the baby is going to be a surprise], congratulations, etc. I'm sure you can all see where this is headed!

And for all you event seeking-high school dancing-mardi gras celebrating-masquerade going customers, another application that is really fun, and will make you stand out like the bright individual you are, is to use them in boutonnieres and corsages! [the corsages will typically use the colors and petals as an accent; the rose heads are too big for the ladies' wrists!] It's the perfect way to accessorize your outfit and make a statement.

So don't worry, Dorothy. You don't have to go far to get to your rainbow. We carry them almost all of the time, and if we don't have them in stock, we will make that extra effort to get them. Just for you :)