Change is coming! Just read on the news  that Top Golf is going to build there new location just 2 miles from our shop.  It will be off  HWY121 and 35w.  We are also going to be getting 2000 plus new residents soon. Down the street here on Dalford all the old duplexes are gone and we are waiting for the new apartments and town homes to come in. While I am happy for the new development. I wonder about the loss of our community. Established in the 1940's, Scenic bluff is still a modest single family community. I like it here because everything is still so simple, All my Customers are great hard working people. They work hard take care of there families and love buying flowers for there homes and special occasions. I hope they can afford to stay in the area.

While on a Business level This is Great News. More people, More Traffic Means More Money and Customers, I still fear the loss of that community feeling.  I am now wondering how my old flower shop, with it's 1940's look, charm and feel will be next to all the new Modern storefronts and Mc Mansions that are soon to come.

Nano -Technology and Flowers!

Interesting little read.

                Searching the web for info on flowers and plants, I came across an interesting little article about flowers and the field of Nano –Technology. 

                Anyone who is in the flower industry or who receives flowers knows that the life span of fresh cut flowers is 4 to 12 days at most.  This research suggest that maybe there is some hope to prolong this time  to around 12 to 20 days with the use of silver nano particles in the vase water.

                I am going to get a little techie here so bear with me.  What causes, your flowers to decay are the, bacteria which after a few days, will start to grow in the vase water of your flower arrangement.  The bacteria will grow so much that it will then start to block the xylem vessels responsible for the water uptake of your flowers.  What keeps your flowers looking fresh is the water uptake through those xylem vessels.  Therefore it is the blockage of the xylem vessels by the bacteria in the vase water which causes the flowers to wilt.  We can see this by the cloudy water, and browning of the stem bottoms after a few days.  This is why we request to our customers to change the water and re-cut the bottom of the stems when you notice the water getting cloudy.

                 Now we need to give credit where credit is due.   This study was conducted by: Seyed Hossein NEMATI, Ali TEHRANIFAR, Behnam ESFANDIARI*, Azar REZAEI.  From the Department of Horticultural Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Faculty of Agriculture, Mashhad, Iran.  What the scientists did was to do an experiment, in which they would add silver nano particles to the vase water of floral arrangements.  The flowers used were ornamental lilies.   Using different sized silver Nano particles, about 20nm average give or take, they found that Nano silver treatments significantly enhanced the vase life of cut flowers. 

                There conclusions of the study are that the silver nano particles get drown into a plants xylem vessels keeping them open and thus the flower hydrated longer, The silver nano particles also help to slow down the process of the bacteria blocking the xylem Vessels .  Thus making your arrangement last longer.  FANTASTIC!! Now I have only one Question?  WHERE IN THE HELL CAN I BUY ME SOME SILVER NANO PARITCLES.? 

Wanna Get Lucky!

O.k. People get your head out of the toilet. This is a clean pg rated blog. Got your attention though didn't it. I want to share an experience of mine. It shows just how powerful flowers can be. A customer of Al Medina Floral and Gifts recently went through a very messy divorce.  Her habit was to come and buy a flower bouquet for her moms grave at the funeral home down the street once a week.  I Noticed that for a few weeks she seemed quiet when picking up her flowers, usually she had something to say.  So I asked How are you, and if everything was o.k. That was when she told me of her divorce.  I listened and reassured her that all would be o.k.  After all everyone knows the old saying " life must go on". She came for two more weeks and after that She quit.  So after about 3 weeks of her not showing up for the weekly bouquet we

decided to just send her a bouquet of flowers with a note that said " Hope all is well from your friends at Al Medina Floral" .  The very next day we get a phone call from the customer,  Thinking us for the flowers and how happy she was to know that someone was thinking of her. Turns out that after the divorce she went into severe depression to the point that she was just staying in the house not wanting to go or do anything. What she told me next is why i am writing  to you.  She told me that the flowers I sent, just out of the blue, showed her that people do care which helped her to get out of bed and start enjoying her life again.  The lesson I have learned is care for others! if there is someone who you know is upset of acting different ask if they are o.k. Listen and don't judge. Its also good to give a little something, just for the sake of giving. If we can all do a little of this we are truly lucky in our lives and business.

Indo/pak weddings

The Desi South Asian Wedding season is in full swing at the shop. Orders are coming in daily for the wedding Harr or wedding Garland. So for those who don't know much about South Asian Culture a Harr or Wedding Garland is a necklace of flowers worn around the neck of the bride and groom during there ceremony.  The most common request are roses and carnations. Some clients request all carnations.

or a mix of carnations and roses,

Back in the South Asian countries like India, Pakistan and Napal the Harr's are made with jasmine buds which are tied together with the strings. However here in the States This extremely fragarent flower is not available, and if imported would mean prices which no one is willing to pay.

Succulents!  I am amazed of the huge popularity of these little guys.  We are getting request left and right for these easy to care for drought resistant plants. Our designers have been busy trying to incorporate them in anything and everything. Customers are requesting them in floral wedding bouquets and corsages.

Potted succulents are especially popular right now. I mean whats not to love about the little guys. If in the home or at the office, just water once every 2 weeks and they are good to go. At the shop we have them all over the place and no matter where we put them they do just fine.

With over 2,000 different varieties to choose from its hard so see how anyone could get tired of  working and designing with them.

Research on the benefits of sending Sympathy Flowers

Did you know Research said:

·         It is important to remember that flowers can be a great source of comfort to those grieving the loss of a loved one, and should be regarded as an important gesture.

·         Recent research indicates that sympathy flowers may not only brighten and warm a funeral or memorial service setting, but also have a positive impact on the emotional well-being of the bereaved.

·         A behavioral research study conducted at Harvard by Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D., reveals some of the calming, fortifying feelings flowers create. The study reveals that flowers feed compassion and chase away anxiety and worries. Research participants lived with fresh flowers for just a few days and reported increases in feelings of compassion and kindness for others. Overall, people simply felt less negative after being around flowers.

·         Previous behavioral research by Rutgers University also found that flowers improve our emotional health, according to The Journal of Evolutionary Psychology. Research participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.

·         The bereavement process is a pivotal time when worry, anxiety and many sad emotions are present. With such compelling research that shows how flowers impact emotional well-being, flowers should be regarded as an essential part of the bereavement process.

Big Bad Blue

Good Evening, and Oh Yea Happy New Year.  I will start the new year by addressing a common question many customers ask.  " Do you have blue roses?"   I always answer,"yes".  Blue roses are not natural though,  every blue roses out there is either dyed or painted.  At Al-Medina Floral we always use paint to achieve this color rose, carnation or stock.  As these are the flowers that can be painted or dyed and still look good. In the photo are some baby blue roses for a customer. Baby blue was his girlfriends favorite color.  Flower paints and dyes are a wonderful tool florist use to fix faults or satisfy customer requests for specific colors.  The disadvantages of them are that it decreases the life of the flower and it is not a uniform color like a natural flower. I hope this helps answer the blue rose question. Remember Valentines Day is coming up. Place your orders early. and Yes, we can send your loved one blue roses.