Village Gardens

There are many different things that are considered romantic.  One of the things people often think of when asked to name something romantic is a bouquet of flowers, especially red roses.  When it comes to planning a romantic date or dinner, flowers are almost always a must.  The magic of flowers can turn any event into a romantic one…but why?

Flowers aren’t always romantic.  Sometimes, they symbolize friendship, such as when you receive flowers congratulating you on a promotion or for a job well done.  Sometimes they remind you that others care, as in get well flowers.  Sometimes they help to commemorate an event like a birth, a graduation, or a birthday.  While these flowers are certainly magical, they aren’t considered romantic unless they come from your significant other.

So what brings about the romantic magic of flowers?  Well, part of it is the sender.  As stated above, flowers from your significant other are obviously going to carry more of a romantic meaning than those from others.  Flowers given on anniversaries and on Valentine’s Day (or any other day significant to your relationship) are also more magical and romantic.

The magic of flowers is that they make us happy and remind us that others care.  While romantic flowers may seem best to some people, overall, all given flowers are magical.

It’s difficult to stay cool in the oppressive summer heat, but you can do some things to help turn your patio into a nice, cool oasis.  That way, you can enjoy your beautiful backyard in the evenings while watching the stars come out or while enjoying a nice dinner with friends.

To create your cool patio oasis, you only need a few things.  The first is patio furniture.  You’ve got to have somewhere to sit, after all.  You don’t have to spend a lot on this patio furniture—you can get folding chairs fairly cheap at most stores.  However, if you plan on spending a lot of time on your patio, you may want to invest in a nicer, more comfortable set of chairs and perhaps a table as well.  You could also purchase a glider or even install a porch swing.

You also need some lighting.  While most homes have some kind of outdoor light above or near the patio, it’s often harsh lighting.  You may want to get some outdoor lanterns or even some torches to light.  Most torches double as insect repellant, which is handy.  Candles can also make for nice lighting.  If you have the budget for it, you may even want to invest in a small metal fire pit.  While the heat these fire pits produce may not be exactly welcome in the hot summer months, they do give you the chance to make tasty S’mores to snack on.

Some nice green plants can put the finishing touches on your cool oasis.  You may want to hang baskets of ivy or flowering plants like Moss Rose around the edge of your patio.  Flowering plants in pots can add some nice color, and the fragrance from these flowers is always welcome.  Of course, you can also add other small decorative touches such as bird feeders, wind chimes, and more.  It’s your patio oasis—make sure it reflects your sense of style!

Everyone gets in a dark mood from time to time.  Sometimes it’s a result of things going wrong.  Other times we just seem to wake up on the wrong side of the bed.  Whatever the reason, it’s always nice to get cheered up.  We can even cheer ourselves up, and one of the ways of doing this is with flower therapy!

What is flower therapy, you wonder.  Well, it has been shown through several scientific studies that flowers truly do make people happy.  Whether it’s something to do with the scent, the sight, or something else isn’t quite clear, but what is clear is that flowers can make us happy and get rid of that dark mood. 

Receiving flowers is the best form of flower therapy.  When you receive flowers, it’s often as a surprise.  A good, unexpected surprise like this can be all you need to change your bad day into a happy one.  But the power of flower therapy doesn’t end there.  Every time you see the arrangement, you’ll think of how happy it made you and how special you feel.  You’ll also think of the person who sent you the flowers, and that can increase your happiness, especially if they can from a significant other.

Sending flowers to yourself can also help cheer you up.  While you don’t get the surprise or that feeling of being special that comes from someone else sending flowers, you do get to enjoy the sight and scent of them.  Adding a bright arrangement to your desk at work or to your kitchen table can go a long way to making you feel happy, and that’s the result we’re looking for!

Some people say romance is dead.  But is it really?  Perhaps it’s not dead but it has simply changed form.  However, if you bring back the lost art of romance as it once was, you’ll find that you can impress your significant other like nothing else.

The first part of the lost art of romance is to set the mood.  Today, many people simply cook up a quick meal or order in, but if you truly want to impress your significant other, you’ll need to pay attention to the details.  How many people turn down the lights and eat by candle light any more?  Set the table with some tapers and put some tea lights around the room.  You may even want to play a CD of piano music or other romantic music, but remember to keep the volume down fairly low so that it doesn’t interfere with talking.

Flowers, too, are an important part of setting the mood and showing off your romantic side.  Buy her a nice bouquet of her favorite flowers or set them on the table to surprise her.  Remember, though, that you’ll want to move them off the table so that there’s nothing between the two of you that would impede talking.  During dinner, you want to be able to see each other.

If you go out, be sure to hold doors for her and, if at a restaurant, pull out her chair.  These small touches of chivalry may be lost on some women, but others will truly appreciate the extra lengths you’re going to.  Just be sure she’s going to appreciate them—if you know your girlfriend or wife isn’t into these types of things (some women aren’t), then don’t do them.

Romance may be something of a lost art in today’s break-neck speed lifestyle, but if you slow down and do a little work, you’ll find that you can bring it back and truly make an impression.

It’s a foregone conclusion that sending your mom flowers on Mother’s Day is a great idea.  What isn’t such an easy decision is picking the flowers to send.  Sure, there are a number of different arrangements specifically designed for Mother’s Day, but many of these bouquets use different flowers.  Which ones are right for your mom?  Here are a few tips for selecting the perfect flowers for your mother.

Is she a girly girl?  Some women are more into pink, bows, and hearts than others.  If your mom is what many would call a girly girl, she would enjoy any arrangement that features a cute animal, bright pink and purple flowers, or other traditional “girl” type things.

If, on the other hand, your mom loves gardening or working outdoors, you might want to look for a live plant or an arrangement that she can later plant outdoors.  This has the extra advantage of giving her a gift that will last for years instead of only a few weeks or so.  Every time she sees the lovely plant you got her, she will think of you.  If you want to get her a traditional bouquet, however, you might want to go with one that comes in a rustic basket and features bright blooms like sunflowers.

Anyone creative or artistic will like arrangements made up of very colorful flowers or exotic flowers.  You can also pick one of the wilder or expressive vases instead of a traditional glass vase.  Ask your florist to really get creative here or look at mixing and matching some flowers that you don’t traditionally see together.

If you know your mother’s favorite color (and every child should!), you can always base your flower selection around it.  Selecting flowers in that color and surrounding them with complimentary colored blooms can make the decision process easier, especially if you have a trained florist helping you.

These tips should get you started on the right path to selecting an arrangement that fits your mom’s personality.  If you need more help, consult with your florist.  He or she an help you create a custom-made arrangement that is perfect for your mother.

Administrative professionals work very hard all year around.  They are often the key contact people for major events and the day to day operation of your business, plus they are the people who keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.  Since 1952, businesses across the world have honored these hard-working individuals during Administrative Professionals Week.

Administrative Professionals Week is the final week of April.  This year, that’s April 18 through 24.  While it’s appropriate to show your appreciation all week, April 21 is specifically set aside as Administrative Professionals Day, so if you’re going to send your administrative assistant flowers, that would be the day to do it. 

In addition to surprising your administrative professional with a large, bright bouquet of flowers, you may also think about taking him or her out to lunch, giving them a day off, or surprising him or her with a party.

There are several different flowers and traditions associated with the Easter holiday.  Here are just a few of them.

Flowers:

The Easter lily is, of course, the traditional flower of Easter.  Easter lilies are generally white and represent goodness and purity.  For Christians, the Easter lily represents the purity and perfection of Jesus.

Another flower that is often given or used during Easter is the passion flower.  It generally lasts for about three days, which correspond to the three days that Jesus spent in his tomb.  The three stamens of the passion flower also represent the three crosses on the hill or the three nail wounds of Christ.

Other flowers that are used during Easter time for decoration are azaleas, tulips, and daisies.

Traditions:

One of the most traditional events of Easter is, of course, the Easter egg hunt.  According to traditions, the first egg hunts may have been held back in 3000 B.C. by the Persians or the Egyptians.  They also colored and decorated eggs as a way of celebrating the first of spring. 

The Easter bunny originated with the pagan festival of Eastre, a goddess.  Her symbol was a rabbit.  Easter baskets are used to collect eggs during egg hunts, but traditionally, Easter baskets represented the area where the Easter bunny laid its eggs.

Two other animals are generally associated with Easter: the lamb and the chick.  The lamb is another symbol of Jesus, while the chick breaking out of its shell is a representation of his resurrection.

People send flowers for many reasons: sympathy, to say thanks, and to show how much a person is loved.  Another great reason to send someone flowers is to celebrate.  Flowers can be a great way to celebrate a birthday, a promotion, a job well done, or just to celebrate being friends.  But why is sending flowers a great way of celebrating?  There are several reasons.

One reason is that flowers make people happy.  It has been shown that seeing and smelling fresh flowers have a positive effect on people’s emotions.  Sending someone flowers to celebrate does more than just show that you are celebrating their success with them—it has a lasting effect.  They will see the flowers for the next week or so and smile each time they do. 

Celebrating with flowers is also a good option when the recipient either has just about everything you can think to get them or doesn’t want a lot of clutter in their home.  Flowers are always appreciated, and after they have faded, they leave behind only the container they came in.  A person can keep this vase or other container to reuse, or they can pass it on to someone else (perhaps with some fresh flowers from their garden).  Either way, flower containers generally take up very little space.

Some people simply prefer to get flowers than other gifts.  This is sometimes especially true if they live in a small apartment or are elderly and live in an assisted living center.  Sometimes, these places seem rather tiny, dark, and maybe even a little depressing.  For the elderly in a care facility, this can be especially true.  Flowers are a great way of brightening up a place and bringing in a bit of fresh air and color.  Never underestimate how powerful a bright bouquet of flowers is.  As mentioned above, since flowers last a week or more, your gift will be appreciated for several days.

World peace: an impossible idea?  Perhaps.  Perhaps not.  Perhaps such a thing has already been achieved in some fantastic other world, a world watched over by King Rose and Queen Lily.  These benevolent rulers wasted no time in bringing peace to their kingdom and the world beyond, and they didn’t need any miracles to do it…only a dash of Miracle Grow.

King Rose’s first decree was that flowers were to be placed in every home and every building around the world on a regular basis.  These flowers were to be replaced as soon as they started to look worn or tired.  Flowers, the wise ruler knew, made people happy.  All one had to do was stop to smell them every now and then and much of that built-up stress, resentment, anger, negativity, and even tiredness would fade away.  Why, just the sight of a cheery bouquet of flowers was enough to make a person smile! 

Queen Lily looked around the world and saw people starving.  Seeing people go hungry broke the kind queen’s heart, and she called for farmers from around the world to come to her court.  She asked them how they could go about growing more food so that there would be enough for everyone.  The farmers answered that one way would be for people to grow gardens, but few people wanted to grow ugly vegetables.  The queen was distraught by this, for even though they weren’t as pretty, she loved her vegetable cousins as much as she loved her flower sisters. 

Thinking on this gave the queen an idea, and she called for her royal seamstresses.  Sewing day and night, they made beautiful flower dresses and suits for all the vegetables in the land.  After seeing the vegetables dresses to the nines, people around the world wanted them in their flower beds.  The flowers already there scooted over and welcomed their newly adorned vegetable friends with open arms, and thus hunger was cured.

Disease and illness was another threat to the world, but King Rose and Queen Lily called forth some of the more mysterious members of the flower community.  These members lived deep in the rainforests or on far-away peaks, but they came and donated their own special pollens and saps.  These ingredients were studied by some of the world’s top scientists and doctors, and soon, they were creating medicines to cure every type of disease out there.  Before long, patients who had been very ill were leaping out of their sick beds and dancing with joy.

And so it was in this magical land of flora that King Rose and Queen Lily achieved world peace.  Their people wanted for nothing, and it was all thanks to the glorious beauty of flowers.
 

 
 
Copyright 2010 Village Gardens Florist

It’s no secret that people get depressed during the bland winter months.  There’s actually a name for it—Seasonal Affective Disorder.  This is a diagnosed type of depression that affects many people, and the cause is unknown, although some speculation has to do with various hormones and the change in the amount of sunlight.  Even if you don’t have this issue, a lot of people get the winter blues.  However, there’s one great way of adding a bit of cheer to the dull winter months and giving you a bit of a pick me up: get a nice arrangement of colorful spring flowers!

With spring right around the corner, there’s no better time than to bring some gorgeous flowers into your home.  Sunflowers, lilies, daisies, irises, carnations, mums, chrysanthemums…the list goes on and on.  All of these brightly colored flowers will have you in a better mood in just a few minutes.  You can place them in the center of your table to bring a touch of spring to your dining room or put them on an end table in your living room so you can enjoy them while you relax. 

You might not think that flowers would make that much difference in your mood, but studies have actually shown that they do.  A study done by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, showed that flowers actually can trigger positive emotions.  It wasn’t just a short-term effect, either; participants in the study found themselves feeling less anxious and depressed days after receiving flowers.  This effect was felt by people of all ages, and those who received flowers were more likely to want to have contact with others.  Next time you start to feel the need to withdraw from the cold, wintry world, order yourself an arrangement of spring flowers.  They will brighten up your home and your mood in no time.