Spring(?) Update

Looking at the weather outside its been hard to hold out hope for Summer, or any sign of Spring, but we have all sorts of ideas to help remind you warmer weather is actually on its way, bringing with it the lush sights and smells of nature in bloom.  Above is a large arrangement we made for a funeral, putting together a large ivy plant and a colorful burst of fresh cut flowers.

Here is a fresh cut arrangement we made for another funeral, a glorious splash of colorful flowers that bring to mind the rebirth that is Spring.  Cherry blossoms and forsythia branches accent the locally-grown red and yellow roses, orange tulips and orange and pink lilies.

A vase of fresh-cuts with our locally-grown Len Busch lilies, alstro and gerbera daisies.

Bright Spring colors like these are sure to chase away the Winter blues and blahs.  This arrangement has yellow freesia that has a lovely peppery aroma distinct from other floral scents.  Its paired with some Asiatic lilies and waxflower that also provide a beautiful fresh flower smell.  Then throw in some hydrangea, alstromeria and a rose for some vibrant hues.

We have a nice selection of blooming plants available in-store, and are able to order most popular green and blooming plants.  These blooming gerbera plants were sent out as centerpieces for an event, a simple idea that provided a nice pop of color and vitality to the tables.

The 4-inch blooming gerberas are really cute, and are sending up all sorts of new blooms!

Tulips have become a symbol of the beginning of spring because they are often the first plants to pop up with colorful blooms in the early months of the season.  We have plenty of them at Best Wishes this time of year, and are great in small desk arrangements as well as large splashy buffet table arrangements.

This big arrangement of tulips and two varieties of myrtle was prepared for our neighbor Doolittle's weekly standing order.

An elegant birthday bouquet with iris, roses, gerbera, alstroemeria, lily, statice and waxflower.  The branchy sweet huck adds texture and character.

This was made for a get-well-soon gift.  The orange ranunculus and yellow freesia are contrasted with the vivid pinks and purples in the spray roses, alstroemeria, waxflower and calla lily, all gathered into a bubble bowl that is the perfect size for a bedside table.

We send and receive orders through the Teleflora network, and occasionally an order comes through for one of their products where we must make substitutions in the recipe due to what is available in-store.  The above picture was what we were aiming for and below is what we came up with.

Subbing out the blue asters for some blue iris did wonders!

Lovely bi-color gerbera daisies, a very cool dark green peperomia, and an adorable little terrarium.

Dish gardens can be the perfect antidote to the current lack-of-springness in the air, since they sit on your desk at work or on your table in the living room and have the lushness of a verdant forest in some tropical (or arid) place.  They are quite easy to maintain and take care of and should last at least a year before they need to be replanted.  We're always happy to share our plant care tips with our customers, just drop in and ask!

Spring is the time for succulent dish gardens, and these easy-to-care-for creations are beautiful for the home or office.

Don't forget that next week, Wednesday the 24th is Administrative Professionals Day!  We will post specials here on our blog later this week.  Also, Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is coming up next week and we are working with them in an exciting new capacity this year so look for that announcement next week.

Valentine's Day Preview

It's February which means we're getting ready here at Best Wishes Floral for Valentine's Day!  If you're looking for something to let your wife, husband, partner, friends, and the special people in your life know you are thinking of them with love.  Whether you're looking to make a romantic gesture or just hoping to brighten their day, we've got what you need to make it happen.  Here's a peek at some of the arrows in Cupid's quiver.

Our locally grown Len Busch Roses continue to be utmost in lasting, fragrant, beautiful roses you'll find anywhere in the Midwest.  Here are a dozen long-stemmed red LBR's arranged in our traditional style with leather leaf fern, seeded eucalyptus and delicate white and purple limonium as an accent flower.  Guarding this symbol of romance and passion is one of our cute mini teddy bears, made by Ganz, which are just about the softest little guys on earth!  Available in 4 different sizes and a variety of colors.

Here's a close-up view of the limonium we like to use to accent our roses and other arrangements.

Another dozen roses, seen here in a red vase.  Remember we will gladly help you reuse and recycle your vase collection from home, just bring them in and we'll fill them for you.

Another dozen Len Busch Roses, this vibrant pink color is named Orlando, which is appropriately evocative of the tropical climes we are all longing for this time of year.

Here's a cute arrangement that would be appropriate for a host of Valentines.  Two red Len Busch Roses in a cube vase with seeded eucalyptus, green hydrangea, pink waxflower, and a little heart tucked in.  Adding the Hammond's Candy Cane Crunch dark chocolate bar makes just one more sense this gift will stimulate.  We have the Hammond's bars in 5 delicious flavors, and carry the gourmet boxes in 4, 9, and 16 pieces.  Sometimes the surest way to someone's heart is through their taste buds!

Here's an order that went out today and is a perfect example of a bright, cheery mix of fresh cut flowers that we specialize in putting together here at Best Wishes.  The yellow and red Len Busch Roses are the rich center to the arrangement that includes yellow alstroemeria, hot pink spray roses, lavender stock, magnenta dianthus, bupleurum, and limonium.

Birds of paradise and purple cymbidium orchids provide a beautiful tropical style in this arrangement.  

We have a selection of orchid plants in stock right now, as well, and they are a great gift anytime of year.  The white phalenopsis is blooming beautifully, and the miniature plants are about the cutest things.  We are happy to share our expertise in caring for all of our live plants and fresh cut flowers anytime!

Details of those orchid blooms.

This red kalanchoe plant is beautifully vibrant and would be perfect to liven up anyone's office, desk, or home and remind them that Spring is on its way.

Our bulb gardens are just getting started, maximizing the time you'll enjoy them this spring.  The larger ones include iris, daffodil, tulips and hyacinth, and the small sized ones will bloom with iris and daffodils.  They're quite easy to take care of, just keep them moist and let them have a bit of sun.  Keeping them in cooler temperatures will extend the blooming time as well.

Here's a fun dish garden that will add a pop of spring freshness to any space (provided its above freezing).  A spathiphyllum paired with a few other green plants and some silk blooms so that there will always be some color to gaze at.

A bit larger version of the dish garden above, with some purple passion included.

This large silk flower arrangement is not only impossible to kill and will last forever, those yellow forsythia stems actually light up!  Add a natural glow to your living room or bedroom you can enjoy year-round.  Suggested card message: "You light up my life."

Our super soft plush animals are lining the shelves, ready to add a cuddle to your gift.

Whatever the occasion that will be candle-lit on Valentines (a bath, a movie on the couch) these crystal-encrusted votive-holders will make it 100% more elegant.

We will be here and ready to help you for extended hours next week, Monday - Thursday, 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. so be sure to give us a call make your Valentine's Day special!

Holiday 2012 Retrospective

As we prepare for one of our busiest days here at Best Wishes Floral (Valentine's), here's a quick document of what we were up to in the 2012 holiday season.  It was an adventure setting up our newly remodeled space for Christmas and Hanukkah, playing with all the new ways we can use our ceiling, for example.

These hanging lanterns with their nice glass cylinder vases inside have all kinds of possibilities for home decor.  Either hung from the ceiling or placed on a shelf or table, you'll have all kinds of fun filling them with interesting textures and shapes.  Here, we've strung some Christmas lights through them and filled them with brightly colored wire balls and then adorned them with this great natural-looking snowy garland.

Mark models our fun light-up headbands and Undercover Santa glasses.  These are certainly a way to brighten your holiday gathering.  When you're tired of decorating the tree, decorate your head!

This was a simple artificial arrangement we put together for a customer who wanted to use some of the beautiful light-up birch branches we carry.  A festive look that lights up the often very dark winter nights.

This arrangement went to one of our weekly standing orders, and this is what it looked like after a week!  Evergreens paired with green hydrangea, red alstroemeria, silver seeded eucalyptus, some leucadendron, and red curly ting stuck through shiny green wire balls.

Another of our weekly standing order, this one shot on location at Doolittle's Woodfire Grill in Golden Valley.  Besides the incredible food and great service, its worth the weekly trip alone to check out our flowers next to the host stand!  This is giant purple kale, purple stock, yellow lily, and Peruvian star alstroemeria, accented with curly willow.

This was a trio of table arrangements for a holiday party.  Each was complimentary and unique, bringing a bright festive feel with the gold Italian ruscus, and fresh white freesia, heather, and snapdragons.

For one of our lucky customers that receives a weekly flower bouquet.  A bubble bowl with river rocks, hydrangea, hot pink spray roses, yellow gerbera, dark brown myrtle and those beautiful coral colored succulent flower spikes.  This is simple but has lots of visual interest to enjoy.

This arrangement had almost a desert/southwest flair with the cactus-like evergreens accenting the Douglas fir, fresh hydrangea and carnations.  Very unique and long lasting.

A wreath with matching garland for the mantle.

August Update

Flowers and chocolate anyone?  We're going to have some very exciting updates here soon, but here's a quick sample of what's we've been cranking out.  Above is a delicious summer treat: sunflower, orange lilies, oregonia, ti leaf, bear grass and oh yeah, CANDY!  Hammond's chocolates are absolutely delicious and we've got them!

I'm certain this cute get-well-soon gift did its job.  How can you not feel better looking at these beautiful blooms?  There's sunflower, pink gerbera, orange lily, purple alstroemeria, a bit of green hydrangea and some Queen Anne's lace.

This bubble bowl was just huge in person, and had beauty going all around!

This dish garden was put together for a longtime customer who needed a get-well-soon present.  She wanted succulents because they require less care than most plants.  I was quite disappointed we had to sell it because I wanted it in my home!  Well, I guess I'll just have to make more.

This rather unique item is actually the most clever way to return your neighbor's things you borrowed and forgot to return.  A regular customer was cleaning out their cupboard and was horrified to find an electric skillet they had borrowed months before.  Returning it filled with flowers remedied the guilt and potential hard feelings, and also made for one of the stranger things we've put and arrangement in!  Frank even incorporated the cord and control box into the design!

A few simple, elegant boutonnieres with alstroemeria, leucadendron, yarrow, hydrangea and eucalyptus.