Apple Blossoms Flower of the Week

Fabulous Peonies are back. The season has begun once again. Hard to believe these beauties are available in October. These Chilean Peonies are spectacular. I will admit not cheap, but well worth the money.

Apple Blossoms Rose of the Week

Purple Haze. What a wonderful rose. A lavender rose with pink outer edges. Great cut flowers with a long vase life.

Plumaria Bouquets

The Plumeria or Frangipani are native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean , and South America as far south as Brazil but have been spread throughout the world's tropics. We think of these flowers when it comes to Hawaiian Leis, but are often requested for Bridal Bouquets. These flowers are very fragile and require special care and each flowers has to be specially wired and taped to construct a bouquet. This is why this small flower tends to be a bit on the pricey end when it comes to flowers for bouquets. None the less the fragrance is well worth it. Not all colors are available for use in bouquets. Some colors don't cut well and fade in a matter of hours.

Tampa Florist and Unusual Flowers Tampa

Here at Apple Blossoms Floral Designs we take great price in carrying some of natures most unusual flowers. From the Pin Cushion Protea native to South Africa and grown in California on some of the most spectacular mountain sides. To some of my favorites the Vanda Orchid grown especially for us just outside of the Tampa City Limits. I enjoy buying as much produce locally as I can to maintain quality and freshness.




































Sunflowers are even fun without the petals. Gives great texture to an arrangement.











Here are some of the splendors. Nigella Pods (Love in the Mist), Kangaroo Paw, Leucadendron, and Hanging Amaranthus.


Visit us http://www.appleblossomstampa.com for our specials.

Rose Colors and Rose Meanings

Red Roses: A red rose is an unmistakable expression of love. Red Roses convey deep emotions - be it love, longing or desire. Red Roses can also be used to convey respect, admiration or devotion. A deep red rose can be used to convey heartfelt regret and sorrow. The number of red roses has special romantic meanings associated with them. 12 red roses is the most popular of all which conveys "Be mine" and "I love you"

White Roses: White is the color of purity, chastity and innocence. White flowers are generally associated with new beginnings and make an ideal accompaniment to a first-time bride walking down the isle. White flowers can be used to convey sympathy or humility. They also are indicative of spirituality. Hence, White roses also follow suit.

Yellow Roses: Yellow roses are an expression of exuberance. Yellow roses evoke sunny feelings of joy, warmth and welcome. They are symbols of friendship and caring. The yellow rose, like the other roses, does not carry an undertone of romance. It indicates purely platonic emotions.

Pink Roses: There are a lot of variations of the pink rose. Over all, pink roses are used to convey gentle emotions such as admiration, joy and gratitude. Light pink rose blooms are indicative of sweetness and innocence. Deep pink rose blooms convey deep gratitude and appreciation. Pink roses also connote elegance and grace.

Orange Roses: While a yellow rose reminds us of the sun, an orange rose reminds us of a fiery blaze. These fiery blooms signify passion and energy. Orange roses can be used to express intense desire, pride and fervor. They also convey a sense of fascination. These flowers rival only the red roses as messengers of passion in romance.

Lavender Roses: A Lavender rose like its color conveys enchantment. It also expresses "love at first sight" . Darker shades of lavender roses (close to purple) convey a sense of regal majesty and splendor. These roses are used to express fascination and adoration.

Blue Roses: A perfectly blue rose is still elusive like the perfectly black rose. Blue roses cannot be achieved naturally so they represent the unattainable or the mysterious. Blue roses therefore embody the desire for the unattainable. They say "I can't have you but I can't stop thinking about you"

Green roses: Green is the color of harmony, of opulence, of fertility. It is also a color indicative of peace and tranquility. Green roses (these are off-white roses with shades of green) can symbolize best wishes for a prosperous new life or wishes for recovery of good health

Black Roses: Black is the color of death and farewell. A black rose, like the blue rose remains elusive. What we know as black roses are actually really dark red roses. Black roses convey the death of a feeling or idea. Sending black roses to someone indicates the death of the relationship.

Mixed Roses: By mixing rose blooms of different colors purposefully, you can create a bouquet of emotions. For example, a bouquet of red and white roses would mean I love you intensely and my intentions are honourable. A random mix of roses would convey mixed feelings or send a message: "I don't know what my feelings are yet but I sure do like you enough to send you roses."

Garden Roses

The Garden Rose has become one of the top sought after wedding flowers of all time. Now it has become more readily available on the flower market. Not only does this rose take on a more romantic look but it has a fragrance of days gone by that has attracted so many people to these beauties. Not many Tampa Florist carry these on a regular basis, but we have now changed that. We have these available to our customers all the time. Whether you stop by for our daily special of 2 for 1 loose flowers or choose to have a dozen sent out to brighten someones day. These Garden Roses are always a hit.

Tampa Wedding Planning Boot Camp

Hosted by Flawless Occasions
June 13, 2011
Location
Apple Blossoms Wedding Center
3627 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33609
Click HERE
for all the details and to register for the upcoming even.

Peonies are HOT HOT HOT

Peonies are one of the most popular flowers for weddings today.
The Peony has been a popular flowers as far back as the 12 century in China and Japan.
The plant has been used as medical treatments for bad dreams to pain relief.
Even today research goes on in the medicinal uses of Peonies.



It has been said that peony plants were often included as part of a dowry settlement amongst the wealthy elite of Chinese society during the Tang Dynasty.

Mischievous nymphs were said to hide in the petals of the Peony thus causing this magnificent flower to be given the meaning of Shame or Bashfulness in the Language of Flowers. It was named after Paeon, a physician to the gods, who obtained the plant on Mount Olympus from the mother of Apollo. Once planted the Peony likes to be left alone and punishes those who try to move it by not flowering again for several years. Once established, however, it produces splendid blooms each year for decades (Taken from The Language of Flowers, edited by Sheila Pickles, 1990).

Tampa Mother's Day Treasure in a Box Bouquet

Tampa Mother's Day 2011 Flower Special
Apple Blossoms Floral Designs
has coupled up with
David Alexander Jewelers.

To bring you this beautiful Sterling Heart Necklace
Perfect for Mom.

Just think of the surprise on her face when she opens the box to
find another box with a beautiful Sterling heart necklace
that will bring her many years of joy.

Priced at 99.95 + Delivery
Tampa Local Floral Delivery Only.

How to order Flowers anywhere and Get what you Want

Today more and more people are using the internet to order their flowers. There is a right and wrong way. First of all the wrong way is simple. Don't pick and click. You never know if you are at an actual florists website. This is what happens. First the florist you thought you were contacting is actually something called an Order Gatherer, OG for short. The OG collects orders and sends them to a local florist. They don't really care what florist it might be nor the quality of florist it might be. The OG first of all takes a percentage of your order right off the bat. Now they are giving the receiving florist less money to fill the order. At the receiving florist they are going to take the deliver charge out of the money they were given by the OG. Now you may have spent $60.00 on the flowers you ordered, but now you are down to less than $40.00 for the receiving florist to create that $60.00 arrangement you thought you ordered. If the OG does this all day and takes 500 orders they made close to $6000.00 just for taking the orders and doing nothing but forwarding them to a receiving florist. OG go and buy domain names and phone numbers all over the country. We florist have been fighting these guys for years. They even take adds out in the Yellow Pages making it look as though they are a local florist you are calling. You may be calling a phone bank in any state or any country for that matter. We florists end up doing all the work and making less of a profit and working harder just to make ends meet. In all this is putting many flower shops out of business.

We florists have done away with our floral wire flower sending services because it is better for us to help our customers to get what they want from a local reputable florist. Many florist just call a florist of our choice and order direct from a local florist where we give them a credit card so they get 100% of the order and you get 100% of the value. Many florist may charge a nominal fee of $2.00 to $5.00 to handle this service for you. I know for me it may take several calls to local florists until I find exactly what my customer is looking for.

To make things even easier I suggest that the customer Google's florist with the zip code (Example: Florist 33609) to find a local florist and call directly and see what they have to offer. Many times you will find that they may have a special that day. Maybe something you might not of thought of sending, but being on special you get a better value. If there is something in particular you are looking for such as an orchid plant and the florist you are calling may not carry orchid plants. Ask them if they know of or would recommend another florist in the town that might specialize in orchids. You'll be surprised when they take the time to help you out. We get calls for certain items which we don't carry, but we know of other businesses in the area that carry these items. I'm never afraid to direct a customer to another florist or business if I can't help them. Statistics show that the customer you helped will nine chances out of ten call you first when they are in need of flowers in my town the next time.

Another thing to do when ordering is to make some suggestions of flowers you would like, but allow them to create something called a designers choice arrangement. You will be quite surprised at what your friend or loved one will get. Designers are just that. They are professionals trained in the floral field and if you allow them to use their creativity you will be overwhelmed by getting something unique. You may want to specify you want a vase or possibly a decorative container, or even tell them to put the money into the flowers and not the container.

Long story short. PICK UP THE PHONE!!!!! Today we rely way to much on the pick and click websites. Just because you picked a particular arrangement it's not always what you get. Look at the fine print that says "Substitutions may be made depending on flower availability." Call the florist and get more, along with a personal touch.

Valentine's Day Flowers in Tampa

Attention MEN!

Do you give her the same ole thing every Valentine's Day?

Come on you know what I mean.

The same dozen red roses you gave her last year?

Studies have shown that women want something different. Roses are becoming a thing of the past when it comes to Valentine's Day. A woman likes to be surprised, so why not surprise her with a bouquet of flowers that expresses your thoughts of her. Select flowers that remind you of her. It may be an over flowing Victorian design of Garden Roses, Lilies, Tulips, and Peonies or a Tropical arrangement of Birds of Paradise and Orchids. She will see that you took time to put some thought into sending her flowers. Better yet take her home a Romantic European hand tied Bouquet. Something that will totally blow her mind and delivered to her by you. How Eco-Friendly is that?

Yes, it is easy to just say "Give me a dozen red roses.", but does that really covey what you feel about her?

This year take the plunge and give her something from the heart and mix it up a bit. You will find that she will love it. Take it from me after 30 years as a florist I know.

Visit us at http://www.appleblossomstampa.com

Tampa Florist recieves Award

Tampa, FL – January 26, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Apple Blossoms Floral Designs has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Wedding Florist!

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Apple Blossoms Floral Designs stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Apple Blossoms Floral Designs for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Apple Blossoms Floral Designs is among the very best Wedding Florist within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/apple-blossoms-floral-designs-gifts-tampa/c00ceac820789a0d.html .

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.



About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire.com, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

The Lady Bug of Tampa

From the conception of Apple Blossoms Floral Designs here in Tampa we wanted to find a signature for all our arrangements. One day I stumbled across these lovely Lady Bugs. I wasn't sure if anyone would notice, but they have. Here is a note we received this week from one of our recipients of our flowers.

Hi Scott!
We spoke once a few months ago when I ordered flowers for a local friend.

I received my third maybe fourth floral arrangement from Apple Blossoms last week... It is over the top...as always! However I have to tell you... I was so disappointed because there was no ladybug...anywhere.
A few days after I received the flowers my little granddaughter, Madison came over and asked... “Mimi are these ladybug flowers?” I had to say “No sweetie...this one doesn’t have a lady bug” only to hear her disappointed “ahhh”. An hour or so later I heard a cry of glee from my front room...I ran in to see what was going on...
you can never tell with a 4 year old ... and she excitedly exclaimed... “I found her! I found her”. I am thinking ...what in the world? as she shouts... “THE LADYBUG THE LADYBUG! SHE IS RIGHT THERE!”
Needless to say it was a moment in time... Thank you for not only creating amazing floral designs but for
also creating a magical moment for a beautiful 4 year old and her Mimi. :)

I don’t have any idea how I missed it but I am glad I did.

Blessings to you and your team!