flower blog

Men and shopping don't always go hand in hand so Teleflora has a quick and simple way to help that includes a chance to win a $60,000 Ruby and Diamond Necklace.

With so many flowers to choose from for Valentine's Day, our "Gentleman's Guide for Valentine's Day" teleflora.com/valentines-day-flowers/valentine-flowers-mens-gift-ideas.asp should take the guesswork out of gift-buying. Is she a free spirit? An uptown girl? No matter what her personal style happens to be, this handy online tool makes shopping simple. Men can choose from six personality types and the site will show beautiful bouquets specially designed for that kind of woman.

"We want our customers to feel good and confident about their purchases and the guide will help them accomplish that goal," says Shawn Weidmann, Teleflora president.

Teleflora's Rubies and Roses Bouquet

And there's more: In our Rubies and Roses sweepstakes, consumers will have a chance to win lots of great prizes:

* Grand prize is a ruby and diamond necklace, with an approximate retail value of $60,000

* 100 consumers will win a ruby and diamond heart-shaped pendant, with a retail value of $600

* 1,000 customers will win a ruby pendant, with a retail value of $150.

Every time a Teleflora florist fills an order for one of four arrangements tied to the promotion, he or she will include a game piece with an entry code. Customers will be directed to teleflorasweepstakes.com where they register and enter the PIN code.  The contest runs through midnight (PST) February 27, 2009. Potential winners will be contacted on or around March 6, 2009.

And remember that for the freshest, best-looking flowers, it's always best to shop early!
 

If you are celebrating this historic Inauguration Day, you can count on flowers to dress up your place. Whether you choose a stylish bouquet from a Teleflora florist or you simply gather together some simple blooms, flowers are particularly fitting to honor our newest president. The bouquet below features gerbera daisies, carnations, white roses and delphinium, all of which lend a special significance to the event.

Since Gerbera daisies signal youth, what better way to celebrate the drive and energy of our 47-year-old president, Barack Obama?  

We know that the Greeks used carnations, a flower with a 2,000-year history, as ceremonial crowns. Some theorize that that word carnation comes from the Greek word for coronation.

White roses symbolize reverence and delphinium represents ardent attachment, a prerequisite for any leader! Clearly, there is much more to a floral bouquet than meets the eye.

Flower Fact of the Day: Carnations are also the January birth flower.
 

Snow. Windchill. Airport delays. More snow. Soaked boots. Icy roads. Freezing rain. Lost mittens. And did I mention snow?

Nothing like extreme weather to trigger a whole lot of midwinter blues. A quick and colorful cure: Flowers.  Research from Rutgers University shows that, simply put, flowers make us happy.



Specifically, the study found:

* Across all age groups, the reaction to receiving flowers was delight and gratitude.

* Study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.

* The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends.

"Common sense tells us that flowers make us happy," says Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Rutgers and lead researcher on the study. “Now, science shows that not only do flowers make us happier than we know, they have strong positive effects on our emotional well being."

To read the full story, visit: aboutflowers.com. With that in mind, I’m highlighting five winter flowers that are a terrific tonic this season.

Poinsettias aren’t just for Christmas. Try some of the pastel varieties, such as cream, light green and pink, for a fresh take on an old favorite. They’re usually sold as plants, true, but try poinsettias as a cut flower too.

Amaryllis, elegant and mysterious, is another great floral choice as a plant or cut flower. Symbolizing pride, determination and radiant beauty, amaryllis is bound to perk you up during this harsh and chilly winter. And white amaryllis is a show stopper.

Carnations are super any time of year, especially if you are watching your spending. They’re relatively inexpensive and they last, last, last with minimal care. (That said, changing the vase water daily and recutting stems extends the life of any flower.)

In the language of flowers, chrysanthemums say optimism and joy. Also long lasting, there are so many fun types to try! My florist friends tell me button mums and spider mums are extra-trendy varieties right now.

Bells of Ireland are the perfect transition from winter to spring, with a white blossom in the center of each small green “bell.” Eye-catching and unusual, their long lines add a lovely feeling of light and air to any bouquet.

Flower Fact of the Day: Bells of Ireland are not, in fact, native to the Emerald Isle. The green color inspired the name and they symbolize good luck, but they are native to Turkey and Syria.
 

At the end of the performance, Suki Schorer (above), my teacher who coached me for the ballet, received an enormous bouquet of white roses as we took our bows onstage. She then plucked two roses out of her bouquet and handed one to me and the other to the lead soloist (below).

I have so much respect for Suki, and after having worked very hard with her for months on Barocco, this small token came to mean a lot to me. I knew I could never bear to part with this rose, and I pressed it in-between the pages of my journal so I will always have a reminder of one of the best experiences of my life.

After my first performance with New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center last spring, my parents once again presented me with a lovely bouquet of white flowers. Receiving white flowers for my debut as a professional dancer was particularly meaningful to me since I had received white flowers so many years ago for my very first performance as a budding ballerina duckling.

I love receiving flowers when I perform. I keep each and every one of the bouquets for as long as I can, and every time I look at them all the special emotions and excitement from the performance come flooding back. To me, flowers are a symbol of the great memories I have of past performances, and I look forward to many more special occasions – and beautiful bouquets of flowers – yet to come.