365 Days of Floral Education - Days 16-20

As part of our 125^th Anniversary celebration at Stein Your Florist Co. we are sharing a year of floral education, November 1, 2012 thru October 31, 2013. Each day we will post something new on our Facebook page to share our knowledge of our favorite things, flowers and plants and we'll be updating our blog every 5 days or so. No need for pencils and notebooks, just sharing some simple lessons in floristry.

Reviving Roses

Day 16 – If your roses begin to wilt, you may be able to revive them. Trim off about an inch from the bottom of its stem and then submerge the entire rose under water in a sink or bathtub. Allow the stem to absorb water for about 20-60 minutes before returning them to their vase.

Opening Roses

Day 17 - Roses last longer in a cool area, but if you want their blooms to open quickly, temporarily place them in a warmer spot (Note: not hotter than 80 degrees Fahrenheit). This is great for when you want them looking their most beautiful, perhaps for an evening dinner party ;)







Beware Toxic Flowers and Plants

Day 18 – Households with pets can pose a bit of a challenge when selecting which flowers and plants to keep around. Some pets may be tempted to munch on a few leaves, and while many plants will cause nothing more severe than mild digestive upset should they be ingested by pets, some can cause more serious health issues. Toxic to both cats and dogs are Tulips, Azalea, Bird of Paradise, Aloe, Begonias, Baby's Breath, and Amaryllis. Members of the Lilium genus, including Easter and stargazer lilies, can cause serious kidney problems if ingested by cats. Keep these things in mind when selecting your flora to keep your fauna happy :)








Poinsettia Care

Day 19 - Even though we associate poinsettias with the mid-winter holidays, they're actually a tropical plant and need to be kept away from drafts and cold. Too chilly temperatures can cause their colorful leaves (called bracts) to drop. Keep their soil moist and allow it to dry out only slightly in between waterings. Encourage new blooms by pinching off spent blossoms and adding plant fertilizer when it's actively growing new buds or leaves. Poinsettias can also be cut from the plant and used as cut flowers. When you cut a stem, a milky-white sap flows from the cut end. Place the stem in water immediately to allow it to hydrate before mixing it with other flowers.

Pet Friendly Flowers and Plants

Day 20 - What is a pet friendly bouquet? It is a bouquet consisting of plants and flowers that are not considered to be toxic to pets (primarily cats and dogs). Flowers such as roses, African daisies, and orchids and plants such as bromeliads, African violets and Christmas cactus are non-toxic (although any ingested plant material might occasionally cause mild, self-limited vomiting) and would be suitable as to have in households with pets.

365 Days of Floral Education - Days 11-15

As part of our 125^th Anniversary celebration at Stein Your Florist Co. we are sharing a year of floral education, November 1, 2012 thru October 31, 2013. Each day we will post something new on our Facebook page to share our knowledge of our favorite things, flowers and plants and we'll be updating our blog every 5 days or so. No need for pencils and notebooks, just sharing some simple lessons in floristry.

Properly Display Cut Flowers

Day 11 - To enjoy your cut flowers for the longest possible time be sure to display them in a cool spot. Most flowers prefer temperatures between 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 22 degrees Celsius) and are best displayed away from direct sunlight, heating or cooling vents, directly under ceiling fans, or on top of televisions or radiators, which give off heat and can cause flowers to dehydrate.

Bird of Paradise

Day 12 - Each stem of a bird of paradise usually contains about 4 to 5 flowers (called inflorescence). Sometimes only one flower is visible, where others are hidden in the “beak” of the flower. When one exposed flower withers it should be removed and another one can be pulled out of the flower’s boat shaped bract. If a flower doesn't emerge, gently ease it out by hand, but many times this is already done by our floral designers for the most beautiful look. These exotic blooms are sensitive to temperatures below 50 degrees F, so display them in a spot that doesn’t get too cool.

Gerbera Daisy

Day 13- Gerbera daisies are fun, bright, and beautiful, but their stems are highly susceptible to bacteria blockage. This may cause their heads to droop over, so change their water often and replenish their supply of floral food every 1-2 days, this will keep them looking lovely longer. Also, since they are particularly sensitive to ethylene gas and bacteria – keep the vase and surrounding areas clean and debris free and keep them away from ripening fruit.






Aloe Vera Plant

Day 14 - Aloe plants are wonderful as they are both beautiful and have a purpose. Mother Nature Network reports aloe plants, or aloe vera, are succulents that help clear the air of formaldehyde and benzene, byproducts of certain cleaners, paints and other household items. They're perfect if you are painting or are doing some major cleaning. Aside from helping to rid the air of chemicals, aloe also has a healing effect inside its branches. The gel inside works to heal cuts and soothe burns.

Hydrangea

Day 15 - Hydrangeas have woody stems that need to draw water for maximum vase life. If a blossom wilts prematurely, remove it from the design, recut the stem at a sharp angle and place in warm water for at least one hour. The flower should be revived and ready to take its place in the design. If this doesn’t revive your thirsty flower try submerging the bloom in a bucket of room temperature water for a few hours, hydrangea are great at drinking water through their petals and will often perk back up after their drowning. For best results keep the water level in their vase full. Hydrangeas can also be dried, by hanging them upside down in a warm spot. Although the color will fade slightly – the dried flowers can last between 9 months to a year.

365 Days of Floral Education - Days 6-10

As part of our 125^th Anniversary celebration at Stein Your Florist Co. we are sharing a year of floral education, November 1, 2012 thru October 31, 2013. Each day we will post something new on our Facebook page to share our knowledge of our favorite things, flowers and plants and we'll be updating our blog every 5 days or so. No need for pencils and notebooks, just sharing some simple lessons in floristry.

Flowers to Avoid with Allergies

Day 6 - There are a wide range of flowers that work well with people living with allergies, but there are also just as many flowers and plants these individuals should avoid. WebMD reports flowers with the most pollen production like chamomile, chrysanthemums, daisies, goldenrod and ordinary sunflowers are among the worst.

Spider Plants for Air Purification

Day 7 – Spider plants, named for their flowy, long branches that resemble the legs of spiders (not because spiders like them), are wonderful for cleaning the air in a home or office space. These plants work to eliminate benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene - the latter of which is a solvent used in rubber and leather. They are hearty (you can go away on vacation and still return to a healthy plant) and do not require a lot of sunlight to thrive, so they are great for indoor spaces with limited light.



English Ivy for Air Purification

Day 8 - English ivy, is another great plant to keep around for its air purifying qualities. It works to reduce airborne fecal-matter particles, which is especially helpful for homes with pets (those that have accidents or use litter boxes); however, its leaves are also toxic to pets, so be sure to keep it where your pet cannot reach it. English ivy has also been shown to filter out formaldehyde found in some household cleaning products.







Chrysanthemum

Day 9 - Chrysanthemums are a flower shop staple and November’s birth flower. They come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and petal formations. Their blossoms may even look exotic and in unusual colors with single or multiple blooms per stem. It’s important to remove the foliage of chrysanthemums if it begins to droop or yellow. The foliage often deteriorates more quickly than the flowers themselves. Recutting the stems often will also increase the uptake of water and increase vase life. Most chrysanthemums will last 7 to 12 days on average.

Amaryllis

Day 10 - Amaryllis are beautiful cut flowers, but they require some extra TLC to thrive and look their best. They may arrive with some of their blooms closed, but with proper care, they will open into large flowers. Their stems are hollow and need to stay filled with water at all times, so when you refresh the water and re-cut the stems, turn them upside down and fill them with water, plugging the bottom of each stem with a cotton ball or your finger until it is back in the vase. Their stems can be brittle and may bend or break when you refresh them, so be extra careful when handling them. As new blooms open, carefully pinch off older, wilting blooms.

365 Days of Floral Education - Days 1-5

Parts of a Flower

As part of our 125^th Anniversary celebration at Stein Your Florist Co. we are sharing a year of floral education, November 1, 2012 thru October 31, 2013. Each day we will post something new on our Facebook page to share our knowledge of our favorite things, flowers and plants and we'll be updating our blog every 5 days or so. No need for pencils and notebooks, just sharing some simple lessons in floristry.

 Day 1 - For our first day of floral education we thought we’d start with the basics, the parts of a flower. While we are primarily concerned with floral aesthetics here at the flower shops, the petals, sepal and stem, it is nice to review and remember the important role flowers play in nature. The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, they give rise to fruit and seeds, and many flowers have evolved to be attractive to animals, so as to cause them to be vectors for the transfer of pollen.



Cut Flowers on an Angle

Day 2 - You may have noticed that we cut our flower stems on an angle, but have you ever wondered why? Cut flowers are still living, which means that they are still drinking the water in which you put them. By cutting flowers perpendicular to the stem, it allows the stems to set directly on the bottom of the vase, impeding the ability for water absorption. An angled cut not only allows better access to the life-giving water, but also gives more surface area to the stems, allowing them to take in more water than a straight cut.






Sansevieria

Day 3 - Sansevieria, also called snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue, is remarkable in its ability to convert large amounts of carbon dioxide into oxygen (which we need to breathe), as well as in its effectiveness at removing certain indoor pollutants from the air. Studied extensively by NASA scientist B.C. Wolverton and environmental scientist Kamal Meattle, sansevieria is shown to filter out benzene, a chemical linked to Sick Building Syndrome. Sansevieria is most effective at producing oxygen at night, making it a perfect plant to keep in the bedroom.







Gypsophila

Day 4 - Gypsophila, commonly known as baby's-breath, is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Europe, Asia and north Africa. Many species are found on calcium-rich soils, including gypsum, hence the name of the genus. Its botanical name means "lover of chalk", which is accurate in describing the type of soil in which this plant grows. We use thousands of bunches of "Gyp" at Steins every year.

Flowers for Allergy Sufferers

Day 5 - Flowers can be one of the most common allergy triggers around, though certain blooms have less or even no effect and these are the ones allergy sufferers should look for, so if you suffer from allergies it is not impossible for you to enjoy beautiful blooms. WebMD reports there are actually quite a variety of flowers out there that allergy sufferers can live in harmony with. Begonia, cactus, clematis, columbine, crocus, daffodil and geranium are some of the most allergy-friendly plants and flowers. Hosta, hydrangea, iris, lily, periwinkle, rose, tulip, zinnia and more are also known for being good choices.

Day of the Dead

We love Halloween around the flower shop. Some of our crew is dressed up today, we have a wolf, a baby and even some creative Day of the Dead makeup. So we got to thinking… why end the celebration with Halloween when we can enjoy Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead?


Day of the Dead, celebrated on November 1^stand 2^nd, is primarily a Mexican holiday that focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember lost loved ones.  

Traditionally those celebrating visit the graves of family members that have died to tidy them up and build altars honoring the deceased using decorative sugar skulls, marigolds and other flowers. They also leave the favorite foods and beverages of the departed as gifts.

 

Offerings for the souls of the dead.

The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them.

 

Elegant Skulls for Day of the Dead

While this may seem like a sad occasion, Dia de los Muertos usually takes on a jovial tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed. La Calavera Catrina, “The Elegant Skull”, is the most iconic image of Day of the Dead celebrations. Sugar skulls are elaborately decorated as offerings and senoritas paint their faces to portray elegant Catrinas as part of the celebration. Orange Mexican marigolds, sometimes referred to as Flor de Muerto or “Flower of the Dead”, are the traditional flower used to honor the dead.

 

All of the beautiful flowers and imagery of Day of the Dead are not totally foreign to us, we have done more than a few themed weddings for the occasion. So we took our inspiration from our Day of the Dead experience, Mexican traditions, and our love of flowers and headed to one of the local cemeteries to create an altar and shoot a few photos.

 

Jessi Rose, our floral design apprentice and resident dress up doll, was painted like a Catrina and given a beautiful bouquet of marigolds, roses, zinnias, asters, mums and calla lilies. We designed flowers for her hair in blooms to match with accents of blue hydrangea.

 

Our offerings included a bowl of fruit, a bottle of tequila (a popular offering for Dia de los Muertos celebrations) and skulls hand painted by our designers in iconic Mexican styling.

 

We brought along more flowers as well, a bouquet of gladiolus, another popular flower for the occasion, and another bouquet to match our model’s with more lovely marigolds and lots of yellow Jerry’s balls. These bouquets were left at the cemetery as offerings to Jessi Rose’s grandparents who are at rest there.

 

We hope everyone enjoys today’s haunting Halloween celebrations and that you embrace the fun, tradition, and remembrance of Dia de los Muertos!

 

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy hit us hard! We lost power at our Burlington, NJ location until late Tuesday, roads were a mess, our iconic neon sign at our Philadelphia location was damaged, and our NJ sign blew down… again. Some of our employees are still without power.

But we didn’t let it stop us from having fun! We tried to make deliveries to our customers… It was more than a little breezy!

 

We hope everyone weathered to storm ok .  Stay safe!

Stop Bullying!

Almost everyone has been affected by bullying in some way. Whether you have been bullied yourself, have been a bully, or have witnessed bullying.

 

It is an epidemic that is sweeping our nation, causing pain, sorrow, and in the worst circumstances, death. Suicide as a result of bullying, known as bullicide, is an unfortunate reality that we hear about all too often on the news and in our communities.

 

October is Bullying Prevention and Awareness Month, so we thought it would be the perfect time to remind everyone that bullying is a real problem and it is not ok.

As in all things that we do, we always look to flowers to guide us, so we used a traditional technique for designing floral set pieces and created a floral plaque to convey our message:  Stop Bullying.

We then invited Stein’s employees, family, friends and neighbors to hold our sign and say something inspirational about bullying.

 

 

This created a rather touching and inspirational video. We hope you enjoy it and that you do your part to end the cycle of bullying, this month and always. Speak up, stand up, and don't let anyone be bullied.

 

Some statistics about bullying:

·         1 out of every 4 teens are bullied.
·         As many as 160,000 students stay home on any given
          day because they’re afraid of being bullied.
·         1 out of every 5 kids admits to being a “bully” or doing
          some bullying.
·         282,000 students are physically attacked in
          secondary schools each month.
·         80% of the time an argument with a bully will end up
          in a physical fight.
·         On the playground, a child is bullied every 7 minutes…
   o   4% of the time an adult intervenes,
   o   11% of the time a peer intervenes,
       o   85% of the time no one intervenes.
·         97% of middle schoolers are bullied while online.
·          33% of students have heard another student threaten
          to kill someone.


When we visited our neighbors at the convenient store we caught this young man off guard with our large sign and camera. When we told him what we were doing he was so moved that he opened up and said that he too had been bullied and would be happy to be in our video. Thank you for helping us spread this important message.

For more information about bullying prevention  visit

http://www.stopbullying.gov