The Flower Blog

Mission impossible:  Plan a wedding from nearly 4,000 miles away from the site of the ceremony.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to plan every detail of your wedding, which is to take place in Indiana, while living and working in Alaska!  This was a REAL scenario for us a few months ago.  I have worked with out of town brides before, but this was certainly the greatest distance I had experienced!  

With the technology available to us today, working with brides from out of town is not an impossible mission.  As a matter of fact, it can be a very positive and rewarding experience! Of course, I prefer to meet brides face to face.  However, in the case of 4K miles, a bride just can’t hop a flight to Indy at a moment’s notice!  Therefore, the bride and I worked together to create an open line of communication and plan her flower selection down to the finest details.

Our bride, who lives and works in Alaska, contacted me about the possibility of designing the flowers for her wedding.  She inquired as to whether or not we could work with her from such a distance. Fortunately, this bride was able to meet with me in person during a visit to Indianapolis a several months prior to her wedding.  At that time, I was able to show her samples and begin planning her order with her in person.  After our meeting, we corresponded via email, sharing photos and samples of flowers digitally.  Over the course of several months, the bride and I kept in close contact via email.  

Finally, the weekend of the wedding arrived!  The bride came to our store to preview the completed/designed wedding flower order the day before her wedding.  The arrangements turned out wonderfully and she was pleased with the result of our coordinated efforts.  I really must give the bride most of the credit, she was fantastic to work with and corresponded with me frequently so we could have all the details worked out in advance.

If you are planning a wedding from across town or out of town, never fear! We are able to accommodate any distance (even 4K miles!) with a little help from technology.  

Ready to start planning your wedding or just have some questions? Contact Sarah, our wedding specialist, by clicking below!

I wear “a lot of hats” in the flower business, but one of the most important aspects of my job is to maintain a high standard of quality in the fresh cut flower products that we offer.  To that end, I test fresh cut flowers from different vendors, under different conditions, throughout the year to make sure that Gillespie Florists offers the best products year round.

How do I test fresh cut flowers?  Several ways, actually!  It seems like a pretty cut and dry (no pun intended) subject, but there can be complex situations in which our flowers are placed.  

The most common placement of fresh cut flowers are in a clear glass vase with water and flower food (FloraLife or Aqua Plus are our two favorites).  Several times throughout the year, I test the vase life of our most popular varieties of flowers (roses, carnations, gerbera, pom pons and lilies) with different brands of flower food and even common household items that can be used to prolong vase life (i.e. sugar, sprite, aspirin, alum, etc.).  It is interesting to experiment with the flower food in various conditions (heat, sunlight, cold, dim lighting, indoors, outdoors, etc.) to see if the vase life is effected. I have even changed up the type of water I have used to test the cut flowers (tap water versus bottled water; clean water versus water with sediment in it).

Another way that I test flowers is to design sample arrangements for events ahead of time to see how the flowers will behave in a particular environment.  For example, we recently had a wedding featuring composite style rose bouquets.  Several weeks before the wedding, we designed samples and tested them over a course of a week.  I specifically was interested in the longevity of the bouquets since they would be completely out of water (and designed using petals, so there was no stem either)!  It was really interesting to see how well the bouquets held up, both in and out of refrigeration.  And surprisingly, the samples held up for a much longer period of time than I would have guessed!  

I have a wedding coming up soon that features hydrangeas, lilies and calla lilies for centerpieces.  Because of the particular design, we have created some unique ways to provide a water source for these flowers in a small amount of space.  As you can see from this photo, one of our test designs did not work out very well!

The good news is that the other did work out, so we are armed with the knowledge of how to prepare the centerpieces and NOT experience failure at the most critical time:  the day of the event!!!

Additional experiments that I have conducted compare varieties and grades of flowers against one another.  For example, the vase life of a Freedom rose versus a Forever Young rose. Both roses are a rich red color, but it can be surprising that they open (bloom) differently and have different vase lives.  I test fancy grade versus select grade carnations or alstroemeria frequently.  I also test identical products from different vendors to see if a particular flower has a better vase life.  For example, I have studied gerbera from Rosa Flora versus Maximum.

Fresh flowers are much more predictable in their longevity as compared to 25 years ago.  Advancements in science have contributed greatly to the quality of the fresh cut flower products available today.  I believe it is important, however, to test our flowers year round to have peace of mind, knowing that our product is the freshest and most beautiful in the Indianapolis area.

Check out our selection of well tested bouquets by clicking below!

I wrote a blog recently that we had starting carrying a new line of Windchimes! I also said at that time we would soon be offering these new windchimes on our website. Well the wait is over! We have a great selection of windchimes on our website that I would love to introduce to you!

Some of the windchimes we offer are from local vendors and some are from QMT Windchimes. 

QMT Windchimes has been manufacturing hand-tuned wind chimes right here in the USA for over 30 years. They manufacture their chimes in Manassas Park, Virginia and use raw materials from American lumber and aluminum suppliers! They manufacture over 600 varieties of wind chimes!

Below is what we offer online from QMT:

Arias & Arias Elite

For more than twenty years, the Arias have been built to last the test of time.  The wood components are redwood with a penetrating oil-resin finish. The aluminum is anodized or powder-coated to stand up to the elements, and everything is held together with a strong cord.  Durable and weather-resistant, they will provide you years of enjoyment. They have an earthy, natural look that will easily become part of the scenery in your landscape. Whether in gentle breezes or strong winds, the Arias chimes will generate beautiful music to surround your home.

Sentimental Reflection Wind Chime

This wind chime is a part of the Arias collection by QMT windchimes. This wind chime is a part of the Arias collection by QMT. It is 24 inches long and has four bronze tubes. These wind chimes are hand tuned for optimum sound quality. This product is delivered on a handcrafted black metal stand made locally in Indiana! We also include in the presentation a beautiful red bow with streaming ribbons!

Peaceful Blessings Wind Chime

Also part of the Arias collection. It is 33 inches long and has six silver tubes. These wind chimes are hand tuned for optimum sound quality. This product is delivered on a handcrafted black metal stand made locally in Indiana! We also include in the presentation a beautiful lime green bow  with streaming ribbons!

Happy Remembrance Wind Chime

This wind chime is a part of the Arias Elite collection by QMT. This windchime is 24 inches long and has eight green tubes. These wind chimes are hand tuned for optimum sound quality. This product is delivered on a handcrafted black metal stand made locally in Indiana! We also include in the presentation a beautiful lavender bow with streaming ribbons!

Heartfelt Wind Chime

Also a part of the Arias Elite collection. It is 24 inches long and has eight black tubes. These wind chimes are hand tuned for optimum sound quality. This product is delivered on a handcrafted black metal stand made locally in Indiana! We also include in the presentation a beautiful rust colored bow with streaming ribbons!

We have more windchimes we want to add to the website and hope to add Weatherland and Shenandoah Melodies soon!

Wind chimes are a wonderful gift to send to someone for many reasons! You can have us box it in one of our white gift boxes wrapped with tissue and a bow, have us deliver it on one of our hand crafted wind chime easel stands with a bow and trailing ribbons or have us incorporate it into a large plant or bouquet! With wind chimes ranging in size from 12” - 67”, we will have the right size for you! Call us at 317.273.1100 for more details!

We have even more options on our website! Click below to check them out!

One of the most popular trends in fashion during the last several years has been flesh-tone, skin tone or nude colors.  At the on-set of this trend, I had difficulty sourcing flowers in these colors and often resorted to over-spraying flowers (lightly coating a flower with spray paint formulated for flowers).  Tinting flowers is not a bad practice, it’s just not one of my favorite techniques (the smell of the fumes and the uneven/inconsistent color are my top two reasons to stay away from paint).  As with any trend, the more mainstream it becomes, the more products are developed to meet the demand of the trend.  Lucky for florists and consumers alike, growers at the farm-level developed some wonderful options in flesh tones to accompany the nude fashion trend!

One of the most popular roses right now is Quicksand.  This beauty actually has a hint of very pale pink with a warm, sandy overtone.  I have seen this rose used in tandem with lavender, pale pink, peach and ivory for a subtle contrast.

A unique blend of mocha and ivory, Leonidas roses have been popular with autumn weddings for years.  The nude trend loves this rose, as seen in this bridal bouquet.  
Pale peach has been around for quite a while.  One of my favorite pale peach roses is the aromatic Osiana rose.  One of my favorite Gerbera is Pacific, pictured here in a bridesmaid’s bouquet. 

Another pale peach option that I have designed corsages with recently is a miniature rose called Chablis. This unique spray rose is dominantly pale peach with hints of ivory at the base of the petal. 

Vendela roses are a warm ivory tone, which I have working with for several years.  They are making an impact with the nude trend as a lighter, contrasting color.   

New on the scene, but trendy all the same, are Amnesia roses.  This unique lavender rose is very romantic with hints of taupe undertones.  Seen here with Antique hydrangea and pale pink roses, this combination hints at nude tones, without being completely colorless.

Check out our selection of online wedding products by clicking below!

Ready to start planning your dream wedding? Contact our Wedding Specialist!

Now that Prom season is officially over here at Gillespie Florists, I like to print product analysis reports to see what we sold more or less of to help me order supplies for next year’s Proms! Then I like to share our Top Five Bestsellers on our blog for all of those inquiring minds!

5. Vamped - This corsage is very popular because we use different types of ribbon that dangles down to one side of the corsage. The Vamped wrist corsage includes: red sweetheart roses, red rhinestones, silver micro-wire, black glitter ribbon, black glitter leaves, two different types of red ribbon and a keepsake silver bracelet! Item # 11PN07

4. Platinum - This corsage includes: white dendrobium orchids, black feathers, green and black leaves, rhinestones, silver and green ribbon and keepsake a bracelet! Dendrobium orchids have delicate look to them but hold up really well for prom! Other types of orchids are more sensitive than others and be torn very easily so when ordering your prom flowers make sure ask how the orchid will hold up if you use a different variety!  #12PN03

3. Sugar Sugar - The Sugar Sugar fresh flower ring is created with a pink sweetheart rose, wax flower, beads and a few rhinestones! We make this with an elastic band so this ring is a “one size fits all” item! Some girls get a flower ring as well as a corsage and some wear just the ring to make a more clean look.  #13PN07

2. Mardi Gras - Be the life of the party with the Mardi Gras wrist corsage! This corsage is done in Ben Davis High School Purple and White colors and includes purple orchids, white sweetheart roses, purple ribbon, purple wire, silver beads,  black glitter leaves and a keepsake bracelet! Customers really love the mixture of roses and orchids!

1. Pandora - The Pandora corsage has been a best selling corsage for two years!. This corsage is designed with three orange sweetheart roses, purple & lime green glitter ribbon, blue & sea foam green feathers, blue, turquoise & green silk leaves, blue & green wire on a keepsake Bracelet. I think this corsage is liked so well because we use many elements to give if depth and interest!

When looking at the types of flowers being used rather than the specific design chosen by the customer; we sell more sweetheart rose corsages than anything else!

Check out our entire selection of Prom Flowers by clicking below!

Check out our latest Prom Video!

As I watch the rain falling outside, I imagine the trees, grass, flowers, etc. joyfully drinking up the cool rain drops.  The plants look refreshed in the steady rain, especially after several days of sunny, warm weather.  However, I see a large peony bush, which yesterday was full of large, perfect peony blooms, now lying against the ground, the blooms beaten and bruised by the heavy rain.  This sight reminds me of the problem with peonies.

As our state flower, peonies are a very popular flower in Indiana.  Over the last couple of years, I have seen an increased popularity of peonies in wedding celebrations.  Peonies are large, fragrant blooms, which lend themselves to simple, yet elegant bouquets for the bride and her bridesmaids.  So, what’s the problem?  Peonies have an extremely short season of availability.  Local peonies are only available for about 3-4 weeks a year, depending on the weather.  With the heavy rain today and with more heavy rain expected over the weekend, the season will be coming to an abrupt close for the local crops.  Local growers keep a close eye on the weather forecast to try and preserve as much of their crops for as long as possible.  If heavy rain is forecasted, the growers will harvest the peonies a little early.  They can then place them in water with floral preservative, and store them in a refrigerator, cooler or very cool environment, until they sell the blooms to a local florist.  

Peak season for the local peonies this year is now (late May).  Last year, the peak season was in April!  This is because in March, we had steady temperatures in the mid 80’s.  This year, our weather remained cooler than normal for April and even the beginning of May.  Generally speaking, the peak of our local peony season is around Mother’s Day.  Last year, the peak occurred early and this year the peak occurred late.  Therefore, another problem with peonies is trying to include them in an event (such as a wedding), not knowing if they will be available at the time of the event.  

Before you scrap peonies from you wedding plan altogether, here are some tips that I share with brides when I learn of their interest in peonies for their wedding.  

1. Plan the date of your wedding to coincide with peony season.  If you really wish to include fresh cut peonies in your wedding, plan your wedding early in the spring.  Peonies are not available in the summer and fall months.  Peonies are available from other countries in the late winter, which increases the probability of their availability.  Keep in mind, however, imported flowers are much more expensive due to the packaging and cost of shipping.

2. Have an alternative plan in place.  If weather affects the availability of the peony for your planned event, be sure to have another option ready to go, just in case.  I suggest garden roses (large headed, fragrant roses) or hydrangea.  

3. Source some “silk” (fake) peonies.  The silks that are produced now are very high quality compared to silks 20 years ago.  There are even times when I suggest silk flowers over fresh flowers if a particular color of flower is not available in nature.  On a number of occasions, I have designed fresh bouquets with silk accents to achieve the desired color or texture.

4. Cold storage.  Have the peonies on hand a week or two before you need them and keep them in water and cold storage.  We store flowers in our 500 square foot cooler at a chilly 34-36 degrees to keep them fresh for days.

Mother Nature does not always cooperate with our plans.  However, with a little planning, the problem with peonies can be minimized.

Check out some of our wedding creations by click below!

A couple years ago, we at Gillespie Florists thought it would be fun to have a Prom King & Queen Contest and have been having it every year since! 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...

Miranda wore a three-sweetheart rose corsage similar to the one pictured here. Miranda’s was yellow, black & silver and looked great with Darrien's matching sweetheart rose 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:


Cole & Morgan
Nick Fallen Adams

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

Every year I do a blog on the flowers of the Glee Prom but there is usually a prom on Glee by now. Vampire Diaries however has had a Prom this year with a great scene showing off some different Prom flower options!

If you do not watch Vampire Diaries, let me give you the 411 on what’s going on in this episode. The series follows the life of Elena, who falls in love with a 150+ year-old vampire named Stefan. Their relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Stefan's vicious older brother Damon Salvatore returns and eventually falls in love with Elena as well. The series is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia and includes other supernatural beings such as werewolves, witches, ghosts, and hybrids. Through a complicated series of events Elena is turned into a vampire and because of the death of her brother Jeremy, she “turns off” her emotions. In this episode, Stefan and Damon are convinced they can get Elena to turn on her emotions by taking her to Prom and reminding her of all of the good times in her life and showing her how many people still love and care about her. 

Since Stefan and Damon are over a hundred years old, it’s not surprising they take part in the time-honored tradition in bringing their prom date flowers (even though they are taking the same girl). Stefan gives Elena a hand tied bouquet (a.k.a. nosegay) of gerbera daisies and green roses. Even though her emotions are turned off, she does accept the bouquet. I think that is very telling of Elena true feelings toward Stefan because when Damon tries to give Elena a white rose with pink ribbon corsage; she tries to refuse it and not wear it. Of course if you know Damon, he won’t take “No” for an answer and with his super Vampire skills; he grabs Elena’s wrist and straps that corsage on her like her life depends on it! Elena does show up to prom with Damon’s corsage on and doesn’t have Stefan’s bouquet so, we could say that is very telling as well. But I’m on team Stefan so I am choosing to read more into Elena accepting the flowers from Stefan.

 
Pictured here is a three sweetheart rose corsage, that would be perfect for Elena to have worn in this episode! I don’t have a picture that looks like her corsage but hers had sweetheart roses and a keepsake bracelet so, I thought this one would be a good fit. By the way, I think it is great we are seeing keepsake bracelets on television! This corsage is called Angelina and includes pink sweetheart roses, white accent flower and pink bracelet.

Later in the show I noticed the character Matt had on a single white rose boutonniere. I wonder who got that for him? The witch Bonnie? The vampire Caroline? Or did he get one for himself? I’m just glad he was wearing one because I noticed Elena didn’t care enough to get her dates a boutonniere.  The Focus boutonniere is similar to the one Matt is wearing with it’s white rose and accent flower. I think it would have looked better on Matt because of the boutonniere holder it is in. Boutonniere holders are easier to use than pin-on ones and they have a cleaner look.

I love the centerpieces for the tables! They were fresh flowers with a lighted lamp in the center. I like how they combined two things people like to have in the center of the table and combined it instead of choosing one or the other. The bouquets included white lilies, purple stock, burgundy carnations, white buttons and accent flowers. A lot of schools choose not to have fresh flower centerpieces at their proms but we have a local high school that still does it and the kids love it! They keep the cost down by bring us their own containers and many times bring in items for us to include. This year they brought us party masks to include in the bouquet.

Caroline, vampire and friend to Elena, left the Prom early because she was upset that she couldn’t spend her senior prom with her werewolf/vampire hybrid boyfriend, Tyler. She came home to set up for a party she was having later that night and there was Tyler waiting for her with a hand tied bouquet of flowers. This bouquet included lavender daisies, cushion pompons, alstroemeria lilies and solidego. It was very pretty and very sweet of him to bring.

Hopefully there won’t be vampires at your prom but there should be flowers! Go to our website to view our entire selection but clicking below!

Check out our latest video on Prom flowers below! 

Vampire Dairies airs on the CW network on Thursday nights. Make sure to catch the next episode or watch an episode on thier website now by CLICKING HERE! 

All images of Vampire Diaries are owned by the CW Network. 

It’s important to show Mom how much she means to us! This Mother’s Day get Mom one of my top 5 gifts! I based this off of sales from last year and compared them to comparable gifts we are offering this year.

5. WoodWick Candle - We carry a wide selection of fragrances of WoodWick candles, as well as RibbonWick, Spill Proof Diffusers, Car Scents and Wax Melts! Customers can add a WoodWick candle to their flower order online or over the phone. You can also stop in and pick one up to take to Mom!

4.  Wind Chime - Gillespie Florists is proud to carry Arias, Arias Elite, Festival and Shenandoah wind chimes. These wind chimes are hand crafted, hand tuned and made in the USA! We do not offer them at this time online but hope to soon. Until then, you can call us and we will tell you about our great selection or stop in the store to pick one out!  

3.  Hanging Baskets -  Our hanging baskets are filled with lush outdoor blooming plants and we decorate it with a lovely bow with streamers! When you order online, we select the most beautiful and full hanging basket we have in stock for your Mom! If you would like the know the exact kind of hanging basket we will send, please call us and we will go over the varieties we have in stock! You can also stop in the store and hand pick a hanging basket for Mom to take with you or to send out on delivery!

2.  Dozen Pink Roses - There is something about pink roses that says “Mom”! Year after year, a dozen pink roses proves to be a popular favorite as the perfect gift for Mom on Mother’s Day! Pink roses mean happiness, admiration, sweetness and appreciation! I think that makes perfect sense for Mom! One of my favorite rose colors is called Attache, they are a beautiful medium pink and have wonderful fragrance! When placing your Mother’s Day order I suggest asking for the Attache pink rose!

1.  Fresh Flower Bouquet with Keepsake - Every year we offer a variety of fresh flower bouquets. Some in clear glass vases and some in keepsake containers that can be enjoyed throughout the year! There’s always one bouquet that from the moment I see it, I know it will be a big hit! This year that’s the Fern Valley Bouquet! This small whitewashed watering can is filled with gerbera daisies, daisy poms, button mums, sword fern, bear grass, solidego, euc and a butterfly!

There’s more at Gillespie’s than these five items! Visit our website or stop in our store to see gifts like: South Bend Chocolates, Jellycat plush, Northern Lights Candles, Music boxes, silk bouquets, angels and figurines, snack and gift baskets, balloons, corsages, indoor & outdoor plants and hundreds of options in fresh flower bouquets!

Check out our entire selection by clicking below!

Watch our latest Mother’s Day video below!

We have had a couple of weekends of smaller proms and there are some definite favorites from our new 2013 Prom Flower Collection! Listed below is the top five!

 5.  Whether you are an Avon Orioles fan or just wearing black and gold, this corsage will make a big and flashy statement. The Oriole wrist corsage is created with Mokara orchids painted gold, black ribbon, thin gold ribbon, gold bead sprays, black leaves and a keepsake black bead and rhinestone bracelet! Item#13PN01          $48.95

4.  The Venetian corsage has warm, rich colors and textures! The Venetian wrist corsage is intricately designed with peach roses, mini lotus pods with glitter, bead sprays, cream and gold ribbon, green bead sprays, cream and pink accent flowers and a keepsake pink/clear crystal beaded bracelet with rhinestones!  Item# 13PN22                  $65.95

3.  Who says you have to wear a corsage?  This year we worked hard to create new designs to meet every girl’s style! The Black Magic Scepter is not a wrist corsage but is intended to take the place of it. Be the Queen of the Prom with Black Magic Scepter! This scepter is created with white posy callas, white tea roses, black glitter ribbon, white beads, silver wire and iridescent bead strands!   Item # 13PN48                  $69.95

2.  Here’s another alternative to the traditional wrist corsage! White Hot is a corsage like design of flowers we created to be added to a customer’s prom shoes. White Hot includes, three white tea roses, three glittered scabiosa pods, pink sequin accents and pink rhinestones. We create this with ribbons so you can easily attach the flowers to your shoe or bring in your shoes and we can do it for you!  Item# 13PN09                  $39.95 

1.  Our designers want to create prom flowers that match each girl's individual style and this corsage is the epitome of that! The Grim wrist corsage is shockingly repellent and inspires horror to any who look upon it! This corsage includes blood red roses, skull charms, black feathers, black ribbon, silver chain, glitter, other grisly accents and a keepsake bracelet! If we can create a corsage like this just imagine what we can come up with for your individual style! Item# 13PN26                  $74.95

We are happy to make changes to the color of flowers and other accessories in your prom flowers to suit your needs!

After our prom season is over, I will post another blog letting you know our overall Top Five Best Sellers! 

Shop our new line of Prom Flowers by clicking below!

Want to see some more of our favorite designs for 2013? Check out this video below!