Dress Up Your Room

Ever pick up one of those home décor magazines, start flipping through and just get discouraged when you see how awesome some houses look inside? I did the other weekend, but flipping page after page, I noticed one thing. The majority of these pictures had flowers in them, from simple centerpieces on tables to huge custom bouquets. No matter how the room featured in the picture was designed, the flowers seemed to add that final touch to the rooms.
Flowers always add an extra element to any room for any occasion. The different types of media know this, not just magazines. Take note of how many times you see flowers in a movie, off in the corner, at the reception desk of a hotel lobby, sitting on the kitchen counter, they are everywhere. Turn on the TV and pay attention to how many times you see flowers in the show you are watching and in the commercials. If the scene takes place indoors the odds are that you will see some floral decoration somewhere in the room.
So, why am I going on and on about how you see flowers in all of these settings? Well it sounds too simple but flowers are the best way to dress up your room. You don’t have to be an interior decorator or spend a fortune to give your home that feel of luxury. Just go down to your local flower shop and take a look at what they have, even talk to one of the designers about what look and color you want, and see what they can come up with.
Please come by Payne and Morrison Florists in Phoenix Arizona or visit us at www.payneandmorrison.com .

Mothers Day Shop Drama

This year we tackled Mothers Day with a refined plan from many past years of going through this holiday. Everything was set up for a smooth Mothers Day week. Monday went great, good orders coming in and awesome team work. Then Tuesday came around. Got to work early and noticed water dripping in one of our coolers, one of the units was icing up. Dealing with this, it took a while to notice the phones were not ringing. Called our phone company with my cell and they let us know that we would see someone out by 2:00. Thank goodness for cell phones, we had the calls forwarded to mine. We still couldn’t receive wires or process credit cards. Right about now I started to see the perfect storm mounting on the horizon, just waiting for the power or water to go out. So after dealing with the phones it was back to the cooler. We moved all the flowers to our back room cooler and had to shut down the front. After a couple of hours it was deiced and we transferred all the flowers back, along with all the new flowers that had come in. All this time we were running out all of our cell phone batteries. Sometime around noon Deanna reminded us all about Mothers day 2003 when the phones went down. That year Dave Payne cut off the tip of his finger and had to leave Deanna in charge while he spent the rest of the day at the emergency room. By the way, Deanna was pregnant and all kinds of smell were setting her off. Back to Mothers day 2009 at Payne and Morrison, the phones were back up by about 1:30 and everyone still had their digits. So half way into the week I hope we got the speed bumps out of the way and it is full speed ahead now.
Stop into Payne and Morrison Florists in Phoenix, Arizona or visit us on the web www.payneandmorrison.com .

Mothers Day Gift

Buy your mom Flowers. No really, no matter what else you do for Mother’s Day, buy her flowers. Every list you can find for best Mother’s day gifts have flowers at the top. You can go big and get her an upgraded vase with beautiful flowers or even fill a custom container with flowers, like a picnic basket that she could use for a long time to come. If you had something else in mind for mom this year get some flowers to go with it. If you know your mom’s favorite flower, that is a safe bet to include with any gift, but there are several other options. If you are buying jewelry some roses would go great. Get purple, orange or yellow roses they always look beautiful. If your mom’s favorite color is red go with tulips instead of roses. Sending your mom to the spa? Put the gift card into a loose bouquet of mixed flowers. This relaxed, beautiful gift will set the tone for the main spa gift. The flowers also will be around for several days after to remind her of her great day at the spa. If your mom doesn’t like to go to the spa, get her a home spa pack with a vase of stock. This flower has several blooms per stem, it is very fragrant, and comes in many colors. Whatever your gift happens to be just stop by your local florist and ask them what they have to go with it.
Alright you get the point. Flowers make a great Mothers Day gift or they make any Mothers Day gift better. So give mom flowers this year.
Please stop by Payne and Morrison Florists in Phoenix Arizona or visit our website at www.payneandmorrison.com .

How Much To Spend On Flowers

I have been noticing a disturbing trend lately. People have been coming into our store and talking about how they were at another florist that was too expensive for them. Flowers come in all price ranges so I don’t understand how a florist can’t find the right product for their customer. For 45 years Payne & Morrison Florists of Phoenix Arizona has been able to make customers happy with quality flowers at with budget.
A couple of weeks ago a guy came in form a local high school, obviously stressed out. When we asked him what we could help him with he said he needed a corsage and boutonniere for prom. We tried to find out what color, style and kind of flowers he was interested in but all he could talk about was cost. I asked him how much he was looking to spend and he replied “could you make me a deal since I am buying both from you?” I told him that we would be able to find something for him if would just tell me about how much he wanted to spend. He asked “can 25 or 30 bucks get me anything?” I told him absolutely. It was like a weight lifted off his shoulders. I asked him why he was so surprised and he told me that he had just came from a florist that flat out told him they could not do anything for him unless he spent at least 30 dollars for each item. I was shocked. I remember being a high school kid that had to go buy flowers. It is intimidating for a young man to go into a flower shop where he doesn’t really know what he is supposed to do. Then end up with something that a girl he likes is going to be happy with. I realized why this guy seemed so stressed. He thought he didn’t have enough money to buy prom flowers or that he was going to end up with something that his date would think was cheap. I am glad the guy came to us and we were able to make him happy instead of him going away thinking florists are too expensive.
Last week I had a young bride-to-be tell me that she met a local florist at a show and went in a couple of weeks later to talk wedding flowers with her. After going over what the customer wanted the florist came to her with a bid of ten thousand dollars. The customer told her that was close to the budget for the entire wedding, and the florist actually got upset with her. This Bride is very laid back and easy to work with so once again I was shocked. She is very flexible in the flowers and greens used and was open to all kinds of styles. In other words, there is plenty of room to work with to come up with a great product at a price that works for the customer.
These two situations really bothered me. Florists are having a hard enough time these days. Yes the economy is slow but flower shops also have to compete with huge grocery store chains. People pick up inferior quality flowers at their closest grocery store. When they are disappointed with the quality they get these people will never think about going to a florist. Not to mention those same grocery stores are setting in on the holidays that keep florists going during the slower months. One chain set up tents to sale cheap, low quality flowers at Valentines Day. So how could florists be so naive as to send customers away with the impression that if you don’t break the bank you can’t afford top quality flowers. Of course when you can afford to go all out on flowers it is amazing what a florist can accomplish but it is just as important to make flowers look great at any price range.

Please stop by Payne and Morrison Florists in Phoenix Arizona or visit us on the web at www.payneandmorrison.com .

Farmers Market

If you are from a city or town that has always done a market count yourself lucky. For most kids growing up in a city or suberb they never get the benefits of having a market. The northeast coast and west coast have had several succsesful markets for a very long time and it is finaly catching on in the cities as well. Farmer’s markets are a great way to get to know your community and help small local busineses as well.
Growing up in Phoenix, we never had a farmer’s market to go to, but we saw what we were missing on our California vacations. All over California there are farmer’s markets, to the point that you could find one somewhere every day of the week. The first couple we found on accident just out for a walk. Then we made a point to try to hit one when we first got to town to do our shopping. It was great to start vacation with all this fresh local produce, and ofcourse some fresh flowers for our room.
Over the last few years there has been a farmer’s market craze in the greater Phoenix area. After the success of other street type festivals it is no surprise that farmer’s markets are finally becoming widely available. The farmer’s markets have been getting more organic and authentic, less commercial booths and more local people selling their products. One thing that has been missing however is flowers. Most phoenix area markets didn’t have fresh flowers. This is why Payne & Morrison Florists started to set up at Momma’s Organic Farmer’s Market and hopes to have the time to participate in more soon. It is great to see all the shoppers and other market workers that are attracted to the flowers in the middle of the market. Flowers somehow just seem to complete the farmers market. Once summer comes to the Phoenix area the markets will be in their off season but up north they will continue all summer. People looking for a quick get away from the Valley heat can go to markets up in the pines.
You can find local farmers markets on the internet, or your local paper will usually run a list of them. If you have never been to one you are missing out on a great way to find good local produce and support small businesses in your area.
Please stop by Payne & Morrison Florists in Phoenix Arizona or visit us online at www.payneandmorrison.com .

Wedding Centerpiece

Today everyone is looking to save money where ever possible. Well, if you are getting married there are many ways to save a dollar here and there but butting out stuff from your big day is not always the answer. For example look at the centerpieces. Don’t leave them out of the budget completely, just dress up your tables for less. There are a few ways to save on centerpieces and still look great.
The first thing to do is rent. Renting silk arrangements is the most cost effective way to go. Yes, bouquets can be rented, container and all. It was very popular for a while to rent flowers for the entire wedding so just doing the centerpieces isn’t that strange. You can save a lot of money and not worry about the flowers dying before the reception. If you still want real flowers on the table you can rent the container. Instead of having 20 glass globe bowls after your wedding pay a discounted rate, let your guests take home the flowers and the florist take back the bowls. It does not matter if you rent the entire centerpiece or just the container it is quickest and easiest way to save money.
Another way to save on centerpieces is to go simple. Simple is very in-style today. A large vase with several of one type of flower in it is a common thing to see and it looks great. Use this to your advantage. Take a large vase on the head table with ten large sunflowers coming out of it and a simple yellow bow on it. Then at all the other tables have a small single bud vase. Put a single stem of yellow daisies, which will have two to four flowers on it in the vase. This will give you great color throughout the hall without spending too much. To save even more money rent the vases and buy the flowers loose. You might want the florist to arrange the big vase so that it shows well but the other flowers can be done on your own. Have someone involved in the wedding clip the stems and fill all the table vases for you. Just ask your local florist for a flower that will match your color scheme and any special instructions if you are going to do them yourself.
Please visit our website at www.payneandmorrison.com .

Tulips

One of the favorite springtime flowers is the tulip. Every flower has a history behind it but few are as unbelievable as a tulip. This simple flower that stands for love, life and death was the cause of one of the biggest flower crazes in history.
In the 1630’s a time known as Tulipmania was spreading across Europe. The Tulip was introduced to Holland in the 1500’s from Turkey and Persia. There was a story in Persia that says tulips formed from the blood of a young man that killed himself after finding the girl he was in love with dead. This story is less amazing than the true story of what happened in Europe once the flower got there. The tulip became a symbol of wealth by the 1630’s. Yes, a simple flowering bulb as a symbol of wealth. There was such a demand that people were selling off most of what they owned to buy a tulip as an investment. It is reported that bulbs were fetching the equivalent of anywhere from 20 to 60 thousand of today’s dollars. Could you imagine trying to decide between a Mercedes and a tulip bulb?
Well, the tulip is a beautiful flower and thankfully it is affordable today for anyone, not just the very wealthy. There is a wide variety of tulips to choose from these days but the best ones still come from Holland. Whether you are looking to buy a bulb plant or a fresh cut tulip, if you can find a florist that imports them from Holland you can enjoy the beauty that drove one of the biggest flower crazes of all time. The tulips that come over today are still one of the best symbols of springtime, beauty, life and love that you can find even if you are not paying 20K for them.

Please visit our website at www.payneandmorrison.com .