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.

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.

June Update

Wow, the time has been flying by!  Its already Summer and we've left you high and dry without a blog update for two months!  Here's a taste of what we've been up to lately, a hint of what you'll see when you stop in to see us.  Above is a mock-up of a wedding bouquet Frank made for a client's upcoming August ceremony.  Beautiful blue cornflowers contrast with bright yellow craspedia (the round things), and beautiful lavender dahlias.  Just a bit of Queen Anne's lace and a few of our locally grown Len Busch roses (in white and the bi-color pink/orange variety aptly named Miss Piggy) thrown in and you're ready to toss!  (Or save in a nice vase with water.  Your call.)

A few arrangements that are currently adorning our cooler, ready to be picked up!  Above, that great yellow craspedia is glowing on a bed of blue Dutch hydrangea, ruddy maroon alstroemeria, a few Miss Piggies and that awesome deep magenta astilbe.  The cute cube vase size is perfect for a dining room table.  On the buffet table, below, are some stunning Asiatic lilies in beautiful orange and pink shades, yellow daisies, pretty pink larkspur in the center, a few Len Busch lavender roses all accented with bright yellow solidago and that luxuriously long-leafed eucalyptus.

Come get one or more of these adorable 4" orchid plants before they're gone.  I'm particularly fond of the one pictured on the right with the variegated leaves.  You won't mind keeping that around in anticipation of the next flower spike to come up!  Don't forget we love to give green thumb guidance, just ask us!

This really cool plant is actually a variety of the more commonly seen kalanchoe, called "desert surprise."  A very unique leaf pattern and flower structure reminds me of southwestern succulent varieties.

A shot of the planter in front of the shop; succulent garden in bloom!

We hope you're all having a wonderful summer so far!  See you soon!