Summertime!

I know it is already the middle of June but I can not believe that it is already summer. Maybe it is because it is unseasonably chilly yet, here in Ohio. Maybe it is because I haven't really done many of the summery things yet. Maybe it is because the summer growers haven't started making their rounds yet. I don't know but I am having a hard time registering this time as "summer." But summer means quite a few things when you work in the flower business

Summer in the flower business means weddings. We have lots of weddings coming up and June is a very popular time for weddings since it is perfect for outdoor locations.  It is also a good time for business parties.

Another sign that it is summer is having our local growers return. we have several local growers that are able to come all year round because they have hot houses to grow flowers in. We also have several that still have plantings outside who start coming towards the end of June. It is so much fun to look through their vans and pick out stunning dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias, and so much more. Sometimes they even bring vegetables by. It is so great to finally be able to get summer flowers that are grown right here in the Toledo area.

Summer also means that garden flowers are out. People who stop by the store look for interesting vases or for tips on how to arrange flowers at home. People are also looking for sunflowers. Sunflowers seem to be one of the most popular flowers of the season. They are bright and cheerful and come in various sizes, shades, and styles.

Summer is truly an interesting time to work in a flower shop. There is so much to see and do. There are so many interesting flowers that are coming in. I think there is so much for us to look forward to!

What summertime thing are you looking forward to the most?

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

One of my favorite quotes for the Flower Shop to use for newsletters, Facebook, emails, etc., is

"[The] earth laughs in flowers."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote says everything that I feel about my job. Flowers are fun, festive, and spunky. Most of the people that I have delivered flowers to have been excited to get an arrangement. They look joyful and pleased that someone has thought of them.

I agree with Mr.Emerson. If flowers were to be any sort of expression of the earth, they would be laughter. Pure, exuberant, throw-your-head-back, wildly musical laughter. Flowers are great that way. They are care free and spirited.

White and purple Calla lilies. 

My favorite color hydrangea: White!

Mixed arrangement: a semi paved.

Well we are currently in the process of rearranging the store. It's time to give the store a face-lift now that it is June. I will hopefully have some pictures of all the awesome tweaks and lifts that we are doing in the store. As always, you can take a look at the Pinterest board that goes along with this post by clicking here.

If you could only have one flower in an arrangement what would it be?

A wish for you

Happy New Year!

I can't believe how quickly the holiday season has come and gone. It felt like one minute it was  Christmas day and then the next minute it was New Years Eve. And now we are several days into the New Year. Where did all that time go? What happens to it?

Does anyone else feel let down after the holidays? We have two weeks of shopping, family, parties, and a million billion other exciting things. And then... poof! It is all over and we have to shift back to real life. After the magic and mystery that surrounds the Christmas season, real life feels just so... real. We head back to work, back to school, back to the grind. Turn off the carols, tear down the tree, eat the last cookie and then move on. It just doesn't seem fair that it ends so suddenly.

But this is the start of a brand new year. This year anything can happen. It has yet to be defined. It is still brimful with amazing possibility. And that is pretty exciting. It's like one last present from the universe.

I have some wishes and hopes this year for you...
I hope you live each day to the fullest.
I hope you more than survive, I hope that you thrive.
I hope you see something so beautiful that it makes you heart-wrenchingly happy.I hope that you do something that you love whether it is a job that you adore or a hobby that you are passionate about.
I hope you take advice from children. Their perception of the world lacks all the complications that adults see.
I hope you accomplish all the projects and and goals that you set for yourself.
I hope you make new friends or reacquaint yourself with old ones.
But all these hopes and dreams can be summed up in one final wish.
I hope you are happy.

Happy New Year!
Jennie
David Swesey Florist.

Stop and Smile

Hello! Welcome! Put your feet up and stay awhile. I am sure we will have many great things to talk about. :)

I have searched ye olde interwebs many times over to find you some interesting things to look at, to bask in, and to smile at. You will find many great and spectacular wonders on which to feast your eyes and soothe your soul. So sit back and relax and lets get this party started.

First off I would love to tell you about the Piano Guys. Have you heard of this Youtube group already? They travel all over the country and the world to create visual and musical works of art.They do a hysterical Star Wars Themed light saber duel. They do a beautiful mash up of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Tis a Gift To Be Simple."  And then there is my personal favorite... Their cover of Coldplay's song Paradise which they renamed Peponi. Watch below and just bask in the beauty of it.

A piano and cello on a cliff. I would be terrified for them if it weren't so beautiful. We have been listening the CD in the store and it is amazing. (Sadly we don't sell it so if you are interested click here)

This quote by Eleanore Roosevelt made mom and me laugh.

"I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall."

This surprisingly thoughtful and poetic Tweet from Jim Carrey.  

Finally this picture made me smile. :)

What are some things you have found on the internet 

that has made you smile this week?

Stop and Smile this week! I promise the world will notice.

Jennie

Staffer

David Swesey Florist

The Rose and Thorn

This looks like Hitchcock

I hate cleaning roses. They are painful. My hands get scratched and messy. And frankly, they are just not very nice flowers. 

I know many people love roses. I can't tell you how many people think that I am weird because I do not like them.

I admit it... I complain about those sadistic little flowers. Whenever we get a box of them I sigh and grumble, grumble, grumble under my breath. I give the evil eye to the bunch that I am de-thorning. I avoid them until I have to clean them. I just generally all around despise them and I don't care who hears me. 

But then I came across a great quote by Abraham Lincoln while doing research for the blog. 

 "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, 

or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

I realized that I complain too much. Yeah it stinks that roses have thorns. They hurt. They cut skin. The cling to your fingers if you grab them just right. They do not play well with others.

Love the colors!

But maybe...just maybe I should be happy that thorns have such lovely flowers attached to them. They come in a variety of bright and bold colors which I love. They make people happy which makes me happy. :)

Complaining doesn't change anything. If I complain about all the homework that I have to do for class, does that make it go away? Not so far. It just wastes time that I could be using to get it completed. Complaining about anything doesn't make it disappear like some trick during a carnival magic show. 

So I am going to make a New Years Resolution early. I have resolved to stop complaining about thorns and enjoy roses for what they are.

What are some of your early New Year's Resolutions?

Jennie

Staffer

David Swesey Florist.

 

The Witch is In!

We have the Wicked Witch of the West!

Okay, not the movie one or the one from Wicked.  Ours is decidedly better looking. She's a trendsetter. Unlike the witches from The Wizard of Oz and Wicked both who wear simple black frocks and witches hats, Elphaba (named after the character in Broadway musical) wears a short black dress with an orange tulle underskirt. Elphie adds drama to her outfit by pairing it with some vintage boots and a looooong black tulle cape with a jaunty witches cap.  She ain't your Grandma's Wicked Witch.

The store has been redecorated for fall. It is so refreshing to come to work and have new things to look at.It's exciting. It's- dare I say- magical!   

One more thing before I sign out. David Swesey Florist now has our very own Pinterest account. So you can follow us there to discover all sorts of exciting things. We have wedding, decor, garden, and many other things pinned. You can read about my love of Pinterest here.

A question before we go. 

What is your favorite thing about Halloween?

Do you put up decorations?

What's your favorite kind of candy to get?

And now some music from Wicked to sing us out.

Hope you have a fantastic start to fall.

Jennie 

Staffer

Oh Carnation!

"Oh, Carnation!"


A colleague and I used to say that in the backroom when we would accidentally snap a flower. We would put the broken flower in a bud vase and clean more flowers. But every time we snapped a flower or dropped a bucket of water, that same floral curse would pop on our lips. "Oh, Carnation!"

I feel in many ways carnations have a bad reputation as being a cheap flower or a funeral flower. A flower that is used to fill out an inexpensive arrangement. When I ask a customer if there is anything specific that they want for their arrangement, frequently they say, "I'm fine with anything as long as there are no carnations in it."

But I've got to say don't let these Plain Janes of the flower world fool you. While they may seem like spinsters compared to the beauty of a rose (I personally think that roses are divas... but I am in the minority on this), carnations can be dressed up. And let me tell you when they are, they are sparkling, vibrant, and oozing sophistication like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (or anything that she was in really).

We have had several weddings that have used the deep purple Moonvista carnation as part of their bridal bouquet. One bride even did her entire bouquet with Moonvista carnations. It was stunning. The purple is so deep that it looks like velvet or the deep purple of the sky when the moon starts rising in the evening. It's a rich, soul-penetrating purple.

Look at the bridal bouquet to the right and tell me that that is not gorgeous. Can you believe that those are carnations? I know I took back every unkind thing I said about carnations when I saw how a carnation can reach its full potential.

They are beautiful in an understated sort of way. They defy current perceptions and trends. They are Audrey Hepburn who embodied grace and elegance but was also a little gawky and silly.

Audrey on her wedding day.

Now I don't say "Oh, Carnation!" because I snapped a flower or tripped over a bucket or slipped in the cooler. I say it because they are beautiful.

What flower do you love but feel that it gets a bad reputation?

What celebrity would that flower be?

Jennie

Staffer

DSF

If you want to see more ways carnations are bringing sexy back look at click here