Tulip Bridal Bouquet

It’s Wedding Wednesday again!

This week’s bridal bouquet is a simple clutch of parrot tulips in creamy yellow and corals. Unlike traditional tulips with a smooth petal, parrot tulips have a ruffled edge, giving them wonderful texture!

If you're in the Philadelphia, PA or Burlington, NJ area and would like to meet with one of Stein Your Florist Co.'s expert wedding consultants call us at 800-887-4013.


Traditional Pink Tulips



365 Days of Floral Education - Days 151 - 155

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 151 - A mark of purity and grace throughout the ages, the regal white lily is a fitting symbol of the greater meaning of Easter. Gracing millions of homes and churches, the flowers embody joy, hope and life. Whether given as a gift or enjoyed in your own home, the Easter Lily, along with other Easter blooms, serves as a beautiful reminder that Easter is a time for rejoicing and celebrating.

Day 152 - Today begins the month long Cherry Blossom Festival in Philadelphia, a celebration of the beautiful blooms and Japanese culture. Our cherry blossoms are just beginning to open, but will soon bear a bevy of beautiful pink petals. Sakura, the Japanese name for cherry blossoms, serve as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life.

Day 153 - Although different tulip colors carry distinct meanings - yellow tulips symbolizing cheerful thoughts, white conveying forgiveness and purple representing royalty - a Turkish legend may be responsible for the red tulip's symbolism. The story goes that a prince named Farhad was love struck by a maiden named Shirin. When Farhad learned that Shirin had been killed, he was so overcome with grief that he killed himself - riding his horse over the edge of a cliff. It's said that a scarlet tulip sprang up from each droplet of his blood, giving the red tulip the meaning "perfect love."

Day 154 - Roses have colorful names such as Be My Baby, Tooth Fairy and Deja Blue. The ones pictured here are called Mount Everest. They have even been named honoring famous people from John F. Kennedy to Queen Victoria, and Ronald Reagan to Dolly Parton. To make the name of a rose official, it must go pass stringent testing by the American Rose Society, the governing organization in the United States for authenticating and registering the names of new rose cultivars. A new hybrid rose breed is a cultivar. In order to have the cultivar officially sanctioned and the name registered with the ARS, the cultivar goes through lengthy examinations conducted by the ARS testing how the rose performs in a variety of garden settings and conditions. The cultivar breeder applies to a governing body, such as the ARS, the Royal Horticulture Society of London or the International Rose Cultivar Registration Authority. The registering organization requires detailed information about the rose's lineage and characteristics. There are extensive guidelines regarding the name. The IRCA requires the cultivar name have no more than 10 syllables and no more than 30 letters or characters. The trial and name registration process with any accredited organization can take 2 years or longer for an application to be approved or denied.

Day 155 - The 11th wedding anniversary flower, it's said that the tulip's velvety black center represents a lover's heart, darkened by the heat of passion. With the power to rival roses in their red variety and the sweet charm to express simple joy when yellow, it's no wonder that in addition to all its other symbolism, in the language of flowers, a tulip bouquet represents elegance and grace.

365 Days of Floral Education - Days 146 - 150

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 146 - Muscari is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia that produce spikes of dense, most commonly blue, urn-shaped flowers resembling bunches of grapes in the spring. The common name for the genus is Grape Hyacinth. Their scent is said to resemble musk or honey.

Day 147 - The flower symbolism associated with baby's breath is purity of heart, innocence, and the breath of the Holy Spirit. Baby's breath is white with dense, delicate clusters of flowers. They are native to Europe, but have been naturalized throughout the eastern United States. Baby's breath is often used as ornamental garden plants and as filler in bouquets.

Day 148 - The distinctive dried seed heads of the lotus, which resemble the spouts of watering cans, are widely sold throughout the world for decorative purposes and for dried flower arranging. The lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves, and "roots" (rhizomes) are all edible. Dried lotus seeds, from pods or lotus fruit such as these, are sold in packages or in bulk at many Asian markets for consumption, but they must first be soaked in water overnight prior to use due to their hardness and toughness. They can then be added directly to soups and congee, or used in other dishes. Fresh lotus seeds are sold in the seed heads of the plant and eaten by breaking the individual seeds out of cone shaped head. The soft rubbery shell that surrounds each seed should be removed before consuming.

Day 149 - When selecting hyacinths, choose flowers that have some of the bottom florets beginning to open, while the upper blooms are still closed. This will ensure that the entire stalk will bloom properly and that you don't have a bad bulb. The exception to this rule is when you want the maximum effect of the flower right away, say for instance a spring party, then go for full bloom. Also look for stems with dark green foliage that stand firmly upright.

Day 150 - The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, of which up to 109 species have been described and which belongs to the family Liliaceae. Originally from Persia and Turkey, tulips were brought to Europe in the 16th century, where they got their common name from the Turkish word for gauze (with which turbans were wrapped) - reflecting the turban-like appearance of a tulip in full bloom.

365 Days of Floral Education - Days 31-35

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.

Ficus Tree

Day 31 - Ficus plants are wonderful, but can be a little temperamental while adjusting to a new home (or even a space within your home should you choose to move it). While adjusting it may drop a noticeable amount of leaves. This is normal, and with proper care, it will begin to thrive again in no time. Just pick up the fallen leaves, remove the yellow ones still on the plant, and cut off dead and dry twigs. This will help the light penetrate to the inside foliage and promote new growth. Be careful not to over water your ficus. Feel the soil with your finger tip, and if it feels dry to the touch one inch below the surface, it's time to water it – but if the soil feels moist, hold off for a day or two. Keep in mind that your ficus will need less water during the winter. When your ficus is new, mist it daily as well. To provide proper humidity and prevent the roots from standing in water, place the planter on a plant tray or saucer filled with gravel. Display your ficus in a bright spot with indirect light, away from drafts and large windows that change temperature throughout the day. Use plant fertilizer monthly throughout the growing season, but not during the winter months.

Bromeliad

Day 32 - Native to Central and South America, bromeliads are a large family of plants – all with a similar rosette of stiff leaves and some kind of bright central flower spike or colored leaf area. They're tough, easy-going plants, preferring bright, indirect light or direct sun. Keep their soil moist to dry, and pour the water in the center of the plant where the leaves join together, allowing it to drain into the soil. Avoid letting the plant sit in water. If you live in a hard water area, use rainwater or distilled water whenever possible, as bromeliads are very sensitive to salts, which may cause their leaves to turn brown at the tips.

Dandelions

Day 33 - Dandelions might seem like weeds, but the flowers and leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and potassium. One cup of dandelion greens provides 7,000-13,000 I.U. of vitamin A.


Tulip Bulbs

Day 34 - It’s a good thing we are not living in 17th century Holland, as the tulip was considered a true exotic and used as currency during the era known as "tulipomania” (search tulipomania on Wikipedia, it’s an actual time in history, we can’t make this stuff up!). Tulips were worth more than gold! Anyone got change for a tulip?? Today in the 21st century the tulip is still highly valued for its simple, yet elegant beauty.

Double-Flowered Rose

Day 35 - Ornamental roses have been cultivated for millennia, with the earliest known cultivation known to date from at least 500 BC in Mediterranean countries, Persia, and China. Many thousands of rose hybrids and cultivars have been bred and selected for garden use as flowering plants. Most are double-flowered with many or all of the stamens having mutated into additional petals.