The Flower Blog

  What is it about Zombies that appeals to us? Zombies have been notably popular since the late 19th century and these days are exceedingly popular in these United States! 
Zombies are known for their eating habits- eating human flesh and brains, causing a breakdown of civilization- a Zombie Apocalypse, and looking grotesque with torn clothes, bugs crawling on them and extremities falling off. 
Actually, it's no wonder Zombies like flowers! They need something good in their undead lives, right? This picture to the right is showing an ugly but sad looking Zombie trying to smell a flower, even though he has no nose. Looking at this, You actually feel sorry for this flesh eating creature. Click on the Zombie to see the full image and see the artist's notes on it. 

  This bouquet was a Halloween Special, this is a great depiction of beauty complementing the grotesque. 

I Googled " Zombies like flowers" and came up with tons of content on this. I think people want to see the sensitive side of the Zombie. I think they want to see a being that is remorseful for eating peoples brains. It is a sad and lonely life for the Zombie, they probably ate everyone they know and really I don't see other Zombies being great listeners. 

So, the next time you see a Zombie, don't try to sever his head. Instead, think about how he might have feelings too. Hand him a bouquet of flowers, then while he is enjoying the flowers and smelling them, get a chainsaw and hack off his head. Because though he may have feelings, he won't be able to change his nature and he will still eat your brains!

Need a Zombie distraction? Buy some flowers!


Check out this video: Plants vs Zombies Music Video
Can Zombies be ugly and cute at the same time?

Delivery charges 

When I joined the company as a full time staff member in 1969 we didn’t have a delivery charge.  We expensed all costs related to delivery along with all other corporate expenses.  Therefore, each and every customer whether taking a product out the front door or having us deliver it across town would contribute to the payment of those expenses. 

Over the years as wages, fuel, floral products, insurance, taxes, vehicles, maintenance etc. have increased to such an extent that we felt the costs could not be shared by all customers so we decided to direct the delivery expenses to those using the service.

I am amazed at the acceptance of the fees charged by the package delivery industry.

Consumers willing pay delivery fees in excess to our delivery charge for an item to be delivered within 3 days. 

We’ve experienced resistance to our standard delivery to deliver a product within an 8 hour time frame.

Recipient Phone Number

Here at Gillespie Florists we try to secure a phone number for the recipient from our client.  If there is no answer at a residence, it is our policy to us a company cell phone to contact the recipient.  Many times the recipient is at a location in the house or apartment that they cannot hear the knock at the door and/or the doorbell but hear the phone that is nearby.  If there would be no one at home, generally there is an answering machine or voice mail available to leave a message for the recipient.  In addition, we leave a Call Tag at the door advising of the delivery attempt.   The tag may not be seen because many people enter through their attached garage using a garage door opener.

The Doorstep Problem

Another delivery related issue.  The package industry leaves items at the doorstep.

In my opinion that is unacceptable in our industry.  Our products are perishable, weather conditions and animals could destroy our product.  People could see and remove the product from its location.  The recipient might never see our product because they do not use that particular entrance or they could be out of town for days leaving the product in an inappropriate environment.

Buy Flowers with a Real Local Florist! Click Below!

What You & Dad Don't Know.

 Father's Day is coming up on Sunday June 19th and most people don't know that flowers are not only a totally appropiate gift but that Dad will love it!

Every year we work hard to come up with unique designs for Dad that he will love! Like this Webber Gill Bouquet pictured to the right. It is a mini grill made by Webber filled with flowers! How cool is that?

Not Hooked?

Just because we work hard on making interesting designs for Dad doesn't mean you are hooked on the idea of flowers for Dad this year.

Men are actually stimulated by color and are visually oriented. Research shows that men prefer vivid colors such as yellow, orange and red. Men also enjoy plants and blooming plants! Pictured to the left is a perfect example of a planter filled with green plants that are easy to take care of!

Try having us incorporate a favorite hobby of Dad's into your Flowers for Dad. We have an assortment of sports, trucks, coffee mugs, grill, fishing containers and gifts!

Not Just Flowers.

Still don't want to send Dad flowers? That's OK! Send him what he craves! Junk Food! We have Junk Food baskets, Fruit baskets & Gourmet baskets!

Make your gift more personal by giving us something to add into your bouquet! Is Dad a golfer, barbecue king, fisherman, ect? Bring us a box of golf balls, grilling utensils, fishing lures or whatever is going to make your gift extra special!

Get Dad flowers this year and he will absolutely love it! He will love getting something totally different this year!

Check out our entire Father's Day selection!

Thanks to AboutFlowers.com for the great info!

What is the Fuzz that Wuzz?

We found out about a really great product called The Fuzz that Wuzz and had to have it! Mary Meyers created a line of plush stuffed animals made out of plastic bottles! It's incredible to think that these lovely, cuddly stuffed animals were once plastic bottles destined to be sitting in a landfill!

The 411 on the Fuzz

Each Fuzz that Wuzz animal is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. This means that each animal keeps over 10 bottles out of landfills! Mary Meyers says that two million plastic bottles are used in the U.S. every ten minutes and 51 billion go into landfills annually.

It will take 700 years before plastic bottles in landfills start to decompose and less than 30% of plastic bottles in the U.S. are actually recycled.  Wow, those numbers are staggering!

We recycle here at Gillespie Florists and we encourage for you to do the same! Every time I toss a plastic bottle into our recycle bin, I wonder, will this be an adorable stuffed animal someday? I'd like to think so!

To see this great line of The Fuzz that Wuzz, stop in our store at 10th & Raceway!

Looking for great gift ideas? Check out our website!

How does the weather impact my flower order?  

As operations manager of Gillespie Florists, one of my responsibilities is to keep our 500 square foot cooler stocked daily with the freshest flowers from around the world, and with not just a few varieties or colors- literally thousands!  Importing flowers from around the world is a lot of fun, but takes planning and patience.  Many of major crops are grown in America (California, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Washington State, Oregon, Indiana and more).  However, the weather in the United States is not always conducive for the growth of product throughout the year.  Therefore, we must go beyond our borders to find product that is off crop (not available) here.  South America, Canada, Holland and Italy are a few of my favorite exporters of quality product for our customers.

Not only does the seasonal change in weather affect the production of flowers, but severe or unexpected weather conditions can influence price and availability worldwide.  California's cold and rainy winter season affect the production of waxflower, stock and larkspur (just to name a few).  Florida's intense summer heat affects the production of gladiolus crops.  The severe flooding in Bogota, South America seriously contributed to the shortage and high cost of pom pons and alstroemeria during early May of this year.  A freeze in January of 2010 in Florida caused major damage to thousands of acres of fern crops, which in turn affected thousands of florists during the Valentine's Day holiday.

Typcially, poor weather conditions in one or two regions do not disturb the overall world wide production of floral crops.  It is my job to seek out product elsewhere to fill our cooler and keep our customers satisfied with the quality flowers they are used to seeing every day.  From time to time, minor substitutions may be made on popular arrangements due to seasonal or weather availability conditions.  However, you are still guaranteed a beautiful gift that will be pleasing to not only the senses, but to the heart as well.

Check out our wide selection of flowers by clicking below!

What can you find in our 500 square foot cooler? Whatch this video below to see!

We at Gillespie Florists thought it would be fun to have a Prom King & Queen Contest! Prom customers only needed to post their picture on our Facebook Fan Page wearing our flowers! We then asked our Facebook fans to "Like" their favorite picture or make a positive comment about it to determine the winner. We had several people enter but there can be only one winner! 

And the Winner is...

The Results are in! Our Prom King & Queen for 2011 is....

 

Leah Nurnberg & Steven Melton!

They are the couple on the right.

Leah & Steven each get a $25.00 gift card to Gillespie Florists and Leah will be crowned with a tiara!

 

They had a whopping 58 "Likes" and comments on their photo! Congratulations!!

  Leah wore a three-alstroemeria corsage similar to the one pictured here. Leah's was white and silver and looked great with Steven's matching alstroemeria boutonniere!

 

 

As a Thank You to everyone who entered the contest, we want to offer you a free Sunshine Bouquet! Just stop in the store any time, give us your name and we will give you your Sunshine!

Those Contestants are: 

Tyler Weir & Meredith Warbinton

Carly Lewis & Jacob Miller

Brenda Danielle & Tommy Dennis

Ryan Page & Cory Urick

Michael Brissey & Simi Bean

Thanks again to everyone who entered the contest! Until next year!

 

  This year we asked Prom customers to post a snap shot of them selves wearing Gillespie Florists flowers on our Facebook Fan Page to get the chance to be crowned the Gillespie Florists Prom King & Queen!

 

 

Here is what our Prom King & Queen Hopefuls had to do:

·  Take a snapshot wearing Gillespie's Flowers.

·  Post it on our Wall.

·  Tag everyone in the picture.

·  Gillespie’s adds the picture to "Prom King & Queen Contest Album".

·  Then they ask friends and family to "Like" their photo or make a positive comment on the photo.

·  One week after the end of Prom Season, we will tally up the "Likes" and Comments and whoever has the most wins!

 What do they win?

The Queen will be crowned with a tiara and both King and Queen will be awarded with $25.00 Gift Cards to Gillespie Florists!  And don't forget, Bragging Rights!

Want to help decide who wins? Click Here to go to the "Prom King & Queen Contest Album" and “Like” your favorite Now!

Winners will be announced on Facebook May 21st!

Check out our Fabulous selection of Prom Flowers!

  I just want to thank the makers of 'Glee' for having all the main characters of 'Glee' wear Prom Flowers! To me, of course, it's just not Prom with out the flowers!

 

'Glee' Certified

So, What kinds of flowers are good enough for our favorite 'Glee' characters? I am glad to say there were a great variety of flowers, from Carnations to Roses to Orchids. I think they did a great job showing that you don't have to get roses to look great. But it doesn't mean that the producers of 'Glee' skimped out.

Most Memorable

  The most memorable corsage was Quinn's. No one will forget the sweet scene where Rachel told Finn what type of corsage to get Quinn! Though, I have to mention, she said a Gardenia corsage not orchid. But Finn still did great! He got Quinn a Dendrobium Orchid and Rose corsage with a green ribbon. Very similar to the one pictured here! I also noticed it was on a pearl beaded keepsake wristlet.

Favorite Corsage

My Favorite Corsage was Santana's! Quinn's was a little too big for my taste but Santana's was perfect! I couldn't get a good enough look to tell if it was Carnations or Roses but what was great about it was, it matched perfectly to her red dress but didn't take away from it. It had just three flowers, a little ribbon and a few leaves! Similar to the one pictured to the right! 

The Boutonnieres

  I really like Kurt and Blaine's Boutonnieres! I loved the use of the Boutonniere holder, like the one pictured here to the left. In this picture, there is a yellow rose with blue wire, black leaves and the boutonniere holder. But Kurt and Blaine had a beautiful pink carnation. It gave it a more dressed up chic look with out looking too frilly!

The rest of the guys wore Roses or Carnation pin on boutonnieres. Finn had a great matching Rose and Dendrobium Orchid boutonniere with a green ribbon to match Quinn. It was great!

The Prom season is almost over! This weekend is the last of the Proms for Gillespie Florists. If you are a GleeK like me and want your 'Glee' prom flowers click below!

Watch this Video of Designer Favorites!

Don't Buy Flowers

I have seen more than one article online about "What to get Mom this Mother's Day Other Than Flowers". I was shocked! Flowers are the singular product out there that is widely versatile and easily budgeted.

Buy Flowers!

In these economic times, not everyone can afford a spa treatment or an ebook reader. Everyone can afford flowers. Here at Gillespie Florists, like many local retail florists, we offer take out flowers starting at just a $1.00 a stem! Step into our 500 square foot cooler and hand pick mom a beautiful bouquet for her to put into her vase at home. If you are unsure of your flower skills, pick up one of our European wrapped bouquets starting at just $3.95! Our $3.95 bouquet, is aptly named The Sunshine Bouque which includes two carnations, one stem of daisy poms, babies breath and greenery! This versatile style of gathered flowers can be easily upgraded to any amount to suite your budget!

Make it Personal

Don't worry about getting Mom an expensive singing card; with every purchase at Gillespie Florists you get a free enclosure card! Be sure to sign it with "I love you" and it will be sure to please! Though if you are looking to say a little more, grab some stationary or notebook paper from home. Tell Mom about your favorite memories with her, times she's made you laugh and times she's been there when you really needed her. This will mean so much more than any gift you could get her.

Not sure if Mom has a vase at home? No worries! We sell arrangement in vases and keepsake containers!

Make it More than Just Flowers

Home   Tea for Two is one of our New 2011 specials for Mother's Day!

This keepsake teacup and saucer is filled with delicate white daisies, green buttons, alstroemeria lilies, and lovely limonium! This is a great gift because your flowers will last at least a week and a half with proper care and Mom has a teacup to enjoy tea in time and time again!

HomePatina comes in a keepsake vase with painted flowers on it! We take soft pink alstroemeria lilies, solidago, seeded eucalyptus and bears grass and artfully design it into this spectacular keepsake vase!

This is a great vase to bring back to us to fill for you in years to come!

 

Vintage Kitchen is filled with yellow and white daisies, alstroemeria lilies, carnations, babies breath and greenery! Our designers create these pastel flowers into a real ceramic colander that has pretty white daisies painted on it! After Mom enjoys the beauty of your gift for well over a week, she will then use the colander again and again!

 

If you want something more to go with your flowers, check out our Woodwick Candles, South Bend Chocolates, Balloons, Figurines, Teddy Bears, Blooming plants, Hanging Baskets and Green Plants and More! From $1.00 to $100.00, We've got the perfect gift for Mom!

Looking for more? Click below for our entire Mother's Day Selections!

 

Check out our Designers Favorites Below!

  With our Prom season halfway over, we've got a pretty good idea what's hot and what's not for 2011! I wanted to share this with those of you that still have a Prom coming up this year!

 

Top 5 Prom Corsages

1. Three Sweet Heart Rose Wrist Corsage

With three delicate sweet hear roses, sheer hot pink ribbon, silver beads, iridescent leaves and silver glitter tulle this corsage is sure to get the party started! This corsage comes on our free wristlet but you can pick out one of our many keepsake wristlets to go with it instead to remember your perfect Prom Night!

2. Stardust Wrist Corsage

This dendrobium orchid wrist corsage includes green dendrobium orchids, white wax flower, with a simulated diamond pin centering a pin wheel design of black and silver ribbon and zebra ribbon adorned on to a black rhinestone wristlet!

 

 

3. Bauble On Wrist Corsage

This wrist corsage includes three mini carnations, fuschia lazer leaves, iridescent beads, sheer fuschia ribbon on a keepsake large iridescent beaded bracelet!

 

     3. Boho Wrist Corsage

This corsage has three lovely sweet heart roses in a circle design, silver and black sheer ribbon, matching red rhinestone sprays, black lazer leaves and a beaded gunmetal keepsake wristlet!

 

 

5. Three Alstroemeria Wrist Corsage

A great way to have flowers that are a little different with spending a lot of money! This wrist corsage has three alstroemeria lilies with lavender beads, purples leaves, delicate sheer purple ribbon on a white beaded wristlet!

 

The great thing about our prom corsages is that there are thousand of combinations! We have over 100 ribbon choices, dozens of leaf, bead and tulle choices! We of dozens of keepsake bracelets to put your corsage on and most importantly we have hundreds of flower combinations! Best of all, don't see what you need? Just ask! We would love to help you get the perfect corsage for the perfect night!

See the perfect corsage on our site and want to share it with your friends or your date? There's an easy Facebook and Twitter button on each product!

Check out our Top 5 Corsages and more! Click below!

Check out Our Designer Favorites for 2011!