Bridesmaid bouquet of hydrangea, freesia, roses, seeded eucalyptus and variegated pittosporum, tied with burlap ribbon.

Wedding centerpiece of hydrangea, roses, snapdragon, succulents and hypericum, at Pittsburgh’s Grand Hall at the Priory

Paper pew cones with hydrangea

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Maybe yes, maybe no.

Our website features lots of beautiful arrangements, and makes ordering flowers easy.  However, if it has a drawback, it’s that it can’t convey up-to-the-minute information.

Consider, for example, a pretty floral design that we have featured on our site.  A customer orders the arrangement online, but unfortunately, we just sold the last of the stargazer lilies featured in it.  Additionally, the photo shows tulips, but the tulips we received from our supplier this week were of poor quality, and had to be rejected.

Furthermore, from looking at our website you would have no way of knowing we have some amazing garden roses in stock, that we got a special buy this week on mini calla lilies, and that our white oriental lilies are fabulous today.

Fortunately, you have an easy option to take this into account when ordering on our website!  Order our “Glory of the Garden” arrangement, and your gift will be custom-designed from the choicest, freshest and best value of the flowers we currently have in stock.

In the “special instruction” box at check out you can tell us any additional information you’d like us to know.  For example:

• What is the favorite color of the recipient?  Does the recipient have a favorite flower?
• Where will the arrangement be displayed?  In the middle of a dining room table?  On a desk? On a side table?
• Does the recipient favor sleek, contemporary designs, or are they more traditional?
• Would the recipient prefer a design that is low and compact, or taller and more loosely arranged?
• Would the recipient prefer a highly fragranced choice of flowers?  Or are strong fragrances a potential problem?

We are honored that so many of our customers tell us, “We trust you to create something beautiful – you always do!”

Thank you for the trust you, our customers, have placed in us!

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These bouquets are simple and budget-minded, but far from ordinary.  The bouquets contain carnations, mini carnations, daffodils, tulips, daisy pomps, cushion pomps, lisianthus, wax flower and solidago.

They are truly a vision of spring!

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Call us or order online to have a lily plant delivered, or stop by the store to pick one up.  For lasting enjoyment, pick lily plants with healthy dark green leaves and flowers that are both open and in bud.

It’s easy to care for your Easter lily:

• Remove yellow anthers as flowers open to prevent staining
• Keep in moderately cool temperatures
• Keep in bright, indirect sunlight
• Avoid drafts, heat and dry air
• Keep the soil moist and, well-drained, but never let the plant sit in water

After the Easter lily blooms, plant it outdoors in a sunny location 6 inches deep in rich, well-drained soil. You will have lilies blooming around mid-June, year after year.

Attention cat lovers: According to the National Animal Poison Control Center, certain types of lilies can cause renal failure in cats that have ingested any part of the lily. Keep lilies out of the reach of cats. Lilies do not pose a problem for other pets or humans.

With thanks to the Society of American florists, for their plant care tips!

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Looking to bring a little lunchtime culinary excitement to this part of the Strip District, Tim invited the Pgh Taco Truck to set up shop in our back parking lot last week.

If the length of the line of those waiting for tacos was any indication, the experiment was a success.  The Pgh Taco truck has quite a following, aided by the power of Twitter to update fans on the current location of the truck.

Fueled and energized by some excellent tacos, the Blumengarten decided to enter the Twitter age @pghflorist!

If you follow us, Tim will post updates about specials, trends and coming events. (Maybe some visiting food trucks!)

We may be the first florist in Pittsburgh to use Twitter.  Follow us on Twitter and let us know what you think.

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Here’s the scoop on what you need to know to become a savvy floral consumer…

When it comes to the national online floral retailers, there are basically two types.  All floral websites display photos of beautifully designed floral arrangements.  But when you read the fine print on some sites, you’ll discover that the flowers are drop-shipped in a box from a central warehouse and are left on your doorstep, delivered by FedEx.  A vase may be provided, but it is an assemble-it-yourself gift that the recipient may or may not appreciate.  It is certainly not something suitable to send to a hospital or funeral home, or if you want to make a big impression.

Valentine’s Week at FedEx

The other online floral retailers depend on the local florist to create and deliver their bouquets.  The nationals sometimes promise a product that might not even be available in the local flower shop.  Plus, the local florist is receiving only 73 cents on every dollar spent to fill your order to look like what is pictured on the national website.  With delivery costs and wire service fees that local florists pay, the local guys are most likely losing money on each order that they fill.

In addition, the national websites charge their customers unnecessary service fees that are not passed on to the local florists.  It is very profitable to be the big online presence, and very un-profitable to be the local florist actually arranging and delivering the flowers!

The result is the disappearance of the neighborhood flower shop, as more and more florists go out of business because they haven’t figured out that filling incoming orders from the big guys is actually hurting their bottom line.

What’s a smart consumer to do?

Rather than ordering from a national online floral service, do a Google search for a local florist in the city you are sending flowers.

BUT BEWARE!!!

Some of the big guys have created hundreds of doorway pages to their websites with individual city names, so that links to their site come up in any local search. They buy up local phone numbers and put up phony locations on Google Maps, so they appear to be a local florist.

When you find a company you think is a local florist — before you place an order online — phone them and tell them you’d like to pick up your flowers.   Ask for an address and directions to their store.  Only a true local florist will be able to do this!  A call center will not.

When you find a local florist, you’ve found someone you can work with to get the product and service you deserve.  Local florists are artists who will describe the freshest flowers available in their shops, fulfill unusual requests, and arrange for special or timed deliveries.  With no added middleman service charges, you will get more value for your dollar.  And you will be supporting Main Street America, sustaining those local businesses which are the lifeblood of our economy.

And now you are a savvy floral consumer!

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There is nothing like the “wow” factor when flowers come through the office door!

Make her Monday and start her Valentine’s week with flower power. She’ll be the first to get flowers, and you’ll be the hero.

Or send flowers on Feb. 12 or 13 with a note: “I couldn’t wait to say I Love You.” She’ll be the first to receive Valentine’s Day flowers. Imagine the water cooler talk on that one!

Valentine tips courtesy of the Society of American Florists

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Searching for THE perfect Valentine’s Day gift, most men assume that the red rose is the ONLY flower suitable for giving their sweetheart on the February 14 holiday.

Truth be told, florists sell a LOT of red roses for Valentine’s Day.  Somehow the floral industry has to come up with enough red roses to satisfy the extreme demand.  To that end, rose growers do all they can to push roses to bud at exactly the right time.  Sometimes roses might be harvested too early or stored too long, in order to have enough roses available to ship to florists for February 14.  The result is reduced red rose quality, along with higher wholesale and retail prices.

And what’s even crazier?  Women don’t necessarily prefer red roses!  We tell our male customers that most women would rather receive roses in one of the other gorgeous colors that are available, or that they prefer other flowers.  Modern day ladies want something a bit more unique, fun or personal than the ordinary dozen red roses!

What other flowers?  Try tulips, which are in season this time of year, and which evoke a welcomed breath of spring.  Fragrant oriental lilies are a spectacular and lasting flower.  The younger generation likes gerbera daisies, which come in a variety of vibrant hues.

What’s the best floral Valentine’s Day gift?  If you prefer the traditional, we recommend a vase of one dozen roses in one of the fabulous non-red varieties we will be getting in for the holiday.  Or, we recommend a beautiful vase of assorted varieties of flowers, mixing a rainbow of colors and blooms to dazzle your Valentine.  We can blend some higher-priced flowers (like roses) with less-expensive ones, for a larger, fuller arrangement.  By leaving the details of your arrangement to the expertise of our floral designers, we can pick from the choicest of the day’s blooms, to give you more value for your dollar.

Some folks complain about flowers as a gift because they do not last.  But ask any woman, and you will discover that the memory of a floral gift lasts forever!  So don’t be bashful guys…your sweetheart would love a gift of flowers on February 14.  And we can work with any budget to make this Valentine’s Day one she will hold in her heart forever!

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Weddings for spring and summer 2013 will have a fresh feel, and what’s more fresh than flowers?  There are a few themes trending that allow for flowers to play a major role in the ambiance of your wedding.

One of my favorite trends this year is the vintage, romantic feel that isn’t too fussy.  This is the perfect theme for a beautiful bouquet!  Imagine walking through a well-groomed garden of a great estate and gathering flowers as you stroll along.  Wedding bouquets for this theme should evoke that feeling, with natural, easy blooms of hydrangea, garden roses, spray roses and maybe a few peonies (if you’re lucky enough to get the timing just right.)  There may be some ivy creating a slight cascade.  To keep with the easy feeling, don’t be too concerned about the blooms matching perfectly with the dresses.  Pastels are in for 2013 weddings, and there are many shades of flowers that will complement a mint green or pale pink bridesmaid dress beautifully.  We are even seeing pastel floral patterned dresses!

A closely related theme is inspired by the 1920′s (think Downton Abbey.)  This has a similar feel, but with a little more glamour and elegance.  This bouquet may be large and cascading with a more “put together” look.  Bridesmaids may carry small, simple nosegays using only one type of flower.  Carnations were a popular flower in the 1920’s, and are a great option to include in any bouquet.

Another trend is graphic-printed bridesmaid dresses.  Think stripes, chevrons and polka dots, just to name a few!  These provide the perfect backdrop for bright, monochromatic bouquets.  Create a fun summer look by choosing a bright bouquet of all hot pink or orange flowers, against a navy and white striped dress.

Whether you are a bride or wedding guest, 2013 promises to be a year full of beautiful blooms!

For more 1920′s style wedding inspiration, here’s a great blog post: http://www.weddingsbylilly.com/wedding-ideas-inspiration/1920s-themed-wedding-ideas/?fb_action_ids=10151238597744199%2C10151237322009199&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=feed_opengraph

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