Easter Flowers

Nothing says “It’s Easter” like flowers. A simple way to put you into the right mindset going into Easter is to go buy a nice springtime arrangement or some fresh loose flowers for the house. When you wake up and one of the first things you see is a bright bouquet on the table you can’t help being happy.
Easter to me is about new beginnings and being thankful for our pasts. When I was growing up my favorite Easters were spent up north. The family would load up and drive from Phoenix up to Payson. We would join our family up there and go to a spot by a stream or a meadow for our lunch. The fresh air and wild flowers just seemed to complete the day. Most of us have similar memories from our childhood. Now as an adult we seldom let ourselves slow down enough to really enjoy those types of moments. Instead of driving out of the city to help relax yourself just stop by the local florist.
Some lilies, tulips, or daisies on the table go a long way to reminding you about the important things in life. This little extra touch of color around the house can help to slow you down and give you a little piece of Easter every day. So go down to your florist, get some fresh spring flowers and for the next couple of weeks remind yourself why Easter is special to you.

Please visit our website http://www.payneandmorrison.com/

Quality Plants and Flowers

Everywhere you look these days people are selling plants and flowers. Your local grocery store, the home repair store, mega retail nurseries, and anyone else with half a reason is selling plants and flowers. With so many places to choose from how can you make sure you get quality for your money?
The best way is to find a good local florist that you can trust.
Florists make sure they keep flowers in stock that are of the highest quality, usually importing them in from the best places in the world. It is just good business. Bad quality flowers don’t last. You can keep them looking fresh by putting them into a cooler but as soon as they come out they quickly wilt. This is what you get at your local grocery. They buy the lowest quality flowers in bulk, price them at their normal mark up and pass the savings and poor quality on to you. If the florist were to buy these bad quality flowers and send them out in their deliveries people would stop buying from them. Could you imagine getting flowers for congratulations on your baby and before you even got home the flowers were dead? Not only would you not be impressed but you also would remember to not use that florist. So when you go into a florist to buy fresh flowers you can count on them being high quality. If in doubt you can just ask the florist. They will be happy to guide you to the flowers in the shop that best suits your needs.
Plants are much the same story. Your local florist will usually know the best local greenhouse. The two will develop a great partnership over the years that benefit the customers. Buying plants that are grown locally by a quality greenhouse ensure that the plants are healthy and have been well taken care of. The local home care store does a similar thing with plants that the grocery stores do with flowers. They often have plants on hand simply because it is what corporate headquarters sends out to them. If the plants were not meant to be in your climate or if they were handled poorly while being shipped, they usually will not last long once you get them home.
There are a couple other advantages to going into your florist. One is that you can talk to someone that deals with plants and flowers every day, not just the person assigned to the floral department at that given time. They can answer your questions and give you helpful advice about what you are looking for. Even if you come up with something they have not heard before your florist would love to find the answer for you. The other benefit is that they can get just about any special requests for you if given enough time. Sometimes they can get what you are looking for that same day if the plant or flower is available. If you find a local florist you can trust they can take care of all your plant and flower needs.
For more information please visit us at www.payneandmorrison.com .

How To Make Flowers Last

When people find out you are a florist one question that pops up all the time is “How do I make flowers last”. Or they tell you different ways that they have heard of to make arrangements last longer, like adding a penny, sprite, or an aspirin to the water. So here is a quick top seven for anybody interested.
1. Change the water daily. This is the simplest way to make flowers last longer. Nothing like fresh clean water to help keep the flowers drinking. Hydrated flowers are happy flowers.
2. Cut the stems at an angle. Cut your flowers before you first put them in water if you buy them loose. Also cut them every couple of days. Make sure to use sharp scissors or shears, be careful not to crush the stems. This tip also helps with the water intake.
3. Buy fresh flowers that are still in bud. When you look at the flowers at your local florist, the wide open ones always look the best but don’t buy them. If the flower is already open it won’t last that long. You want the flowers that are still in bud, or not open yet. Make sure the flower is still firm as well. You can enjoy them opening when you get them home.
4. Cleanliness is key. You want to put your fresh flowers into a clean container or vase. Like in rule #1 clean water is very important. So if your vase is dirty your water is dirty. Any bacteria can speed up the decay of flowers.
5. No leaves under water. The leaves will start to decay and contaminate your water. It cannot be said enough flowers need clean water.
6. Don’t over heat your flowers. Keep them as cool as possible. Do not set them in direct sun light, keep them out of the draft from your heater. If you work in a kitchen and someone sends you flowers do not set them over the serving line. Well you get the picture. The hotter flowers get the quicker they will open and begin to wilt.
7. Feed your flowers. Once again fresh clean water is the best thing for keeping flowers fresh. If you want to put something in the water make sure it is food. Your local florist will have some on hand. You can also find some good recipes on line.
These are the best ways to make sure you get the most of your flowers and enjoy them as long as possible. For more about flowers please visit us at www.payneandmorrison.com .

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Getting Married?
What to look for in your Florist
One of the worst things you hear of when people talk about planning their wedding is that after all the planning and money spent, just before the “Big Day”, the flower shop they chose closed its doors. Just at the peak of all that stress and planning you have a bomb dropped on you. This is why the number one thing to look for in a florist for such an important day is dependability. Longevity for a florist tells you a couple of things.
One, you can count on the fact that they know what they’re doing. If they didn’t take care of their customers over the years they wouldn’t have survived in a very competitive field. There are new flower shops opening all the time, going to churches and businesses to under bid whoever has been providing their flower needs. So, if you are not taking care of your customers someone else definitely will. The longer a florist has been around the more you can be rest assured that they will be doing their best to make you happy.
Two, you know that they will be there for your “Big Day”. Staying power in a flower shop is like a security blanket for you. This is true for any vendor you look at when it comes to weddings. As you are planning your wedding you will hear many people say things like: “The bakery closed a week before…”, “We couldn’t find our Photographer after the wedding…”, “I could see my dress hanging in this abandoned store…”. So many people develop a fear of losing one of the key companies for their wedding. This is why the best way to narrow down the many vendors you look at while planning your wedding is longevity.
Please visit our web site at http://www.payneandmorrison.com/ .