The Flower Blog

  What is an Order Gatherer?

Order Gatherer.  What is an Order Gatherer?  In the Flower Business, it is a company that is largely in the business of advertising a Product and Service that it does not actually produce.  This company is nothing more then a “middle man” that increases the cost to the consumer and reduces the level of efficiency, quality of service and therefore consumer satisfaction.  It also reduces the customer base and profit of the Local Florist.

This company could likely have no Design or Delivery Staff, no Inventory of Fresh Flowers or Live Plants, no Vases, Baskets or Pottery, no Delivery Vans, just office space.

How Does this Effect Me?

This company might charge you, the consumer a fee of $10.95 or more, just to accept your order.  That company then might use a Wire Service to forward the order to a real florist, with Design,  Delivery, Sales and Processing Staff, with Inventory,  Delivery Vans and Refrigeration and the Thousands of Dollars of investment and expenses that go with operating a flower shop, who will fill your order discounted by 27% or MORE, loosing money on each order that the florist is foolish enough to accept.

The Order gatherer on the other hand most likely collects a large Sending Rebate from the Wire Service plus a Large Percentage of the Price of the Product you purchased.

What can I do?

So take a minute next time you want to send flowers, if the flowers aren’t to be delivered in Marion or the 6 surrounding counties that we service, simply type: “florist, city, state or zip code”  and you should see Real Florists with local addresses and unfortunately most likely, the order gatherers you want to avoid.

Want to learn more about order gatherers? Check out this article from our old blog! Click Here!

If you consider yourself a unique, amusing bride who wants to plan a more cheerful, vivacious wedding perhaps you would like to incorporate Craspedia or "billy balls".  They are available year round with limited availability in March and August.   

These unusual blooms add wonderful texture and visual interest to floral designs.  They are very eye catching and truly original for a wedding.   More and more brides of today are choosing it as an inspiring and funny alternative to roses or other classic flowers.  

 Every guy ends up in the Doghouse at one point or another in their lives and the big question is always: How do I get out of the Dog House?

Where does the phrase "in the Doghouse" come from? 

Its origin is from the old custom of banishing a bad dog outside to its doghouse. Though many believe that the phrase was coined after the story of Peter Pan. In the story, Mr. Darling treats their family dog badly by chaining her to the doghouse outside while the children fly off with Peter Pan.  Mr. Darling then feels so guilty that he lives in the doghouse until his children return home.

This phrase was also used as a railroad term in the late 1800's. The railroads had built a small windowed shelter on top of the engine tender because of union mandates. It was called a doghouse since it was so small and uncomfortable.

How do I get out of the Doghouse?

Let us help you get out of the doghouse with our easy 6-step guide! These are tried and true actions that work quickly and effectively! 

Click below to sign up for the Guide!

Prom Design Class

 Van's Wholesale holds design classes and seminars through out the year to help keep designers up on the latest trends! We at Gillespie's especially like the Prom Design Class they have every year because styles and trends can change a great deal in a year's time!

  Tear it up!

 Our first design was two cymbidium orchids with lily grass, hypericum berries, short pins and ribbon! When we were told to tear up the orchids, there was a dead silence in the class! But once we got this funky corsage put together, we all agreed it was a great idea!

Pictured above it the torn up orchid corsage in yellow and to the right it is pictured in pink! You can tell that two different designers worked on these because they have a slightly different flair to them!

  Cascade Corsage

 New for 2011 is the Cascade Wristlet! Rhinestones cascade down your hand and attaches to a rhinestone ring! Then we take flowers and attach them at the top!

Pictured above is a cascade wristlet with dendrobium orchids, hyacinth blooms, purple ribbon and galax leaves! We are so excited about this one and cannot wait to see it on the girls this prom season!

These are just a few of the new designs that we learned this year. Be sure to watch our blog and website over the coming weeks for more updates on our new designs!

Check out our Prom flowers and accessories now by clicking below!

  St. Patrick's Day Flowers!

St. Patrick's Day is here again! This Thursday, March 17th to be exact. I love St. Patrick's Day because of all the green flowers we get to use! Did you know we have green carnations, roses, berries, Bells of Ireland, fuji mums, button pomps, cushion mums and more? Who new you could get so much in green?

Wear Green

This Thursday don't forget to wear green or you may be pinched! Of course we can help you with that! Why not wear a St. Patrick's Day corsage or boutonnière, like the one pictured to the left?

Click Here to shop wearable flowers Now!

This is a great way to wear your St. Patrick's Day Green and be sure to be noticed!

Embrace Your Inner Irish

Did you know that the potato is the symbolic food of Ireland? To celebrate that, we created a bouquet filled with daisies, green carnations and potatoes!

This would make a great centerpiece at  your St. Patrick's Day party or for someone you know loves the holiday!

Embrace your inner Irish and get a St. Patrick's Day bouquet today!

Click Here to Shop Now!

  What is your Favorite Flower?

We want to know what your favorite flower is! There are 1000's of species of flowers! With so many it is hard to tell what you will have to say!

My favorite flower is carnation because they smell wonderful and last a long time! I can get my carnations to last me up to three weeks! 

The name of the carnation is derived from the word “incarnacyon” (incarnation). This is referring to the original color of the carnation that had a pinkish hue. 

Other popular favorites are Lilies, Roses, Tulips and Gerber Daisies! So, What is your favorite flower? Use our voter to vote for your favorite flower or leave a comment.

If you don't see your favorite flower, let us know! Leave a comment here on the blog or fill out our form on the voter page!

Click below to use vote for your favorite flower!

In honor of the spring season, let’s talk about one of my favorite spring flowers - the tulip. 

Although different tulip colors carry distinct meanings - yellow tulips symbolize cheerful thoughts, white conveys forgiveness and purple represents royalty - a Turkish legend may be responsible for the red tulip's symbolism. The story goes that a prince named Farhad was love struck by a maiden named Shirin.  When Farhad learned that Shirin had been killed, he was so overcome with grief that he killed himself - riding his horse over the edge of a cliff.  It's said that a scarlet tulip sprang up from each droplet of his blood, giving the red tulip the meaning "perfect love."

The 11th wedding anniversary flower, it's said that the tulip’s velvety black center represents a lover's heart, darkened by the heat of passion. With the power to rival roses in their red variety and the sweet charm to express simple joy when yellow, it’s no wonder that in addition to all its other symbolism, in the language of flowers, a tulip bouquet represents elegance and grace.

Some tulips varieties have a slight fragrance. Some chefs consider the fresh petals of a tulip edible and use them in salads or on tea sandwiches.
Tulips play an important role in nature. They are a harbinger that spring has sprung and the winter season is almost finished!

Tulips blossom in early to late spring, depending on the climate in which they are planted. Cut tulips are primarily enjoyed during the same season, although they are now commercially grown to be available as a cut flower all year long.

Are you considering using tulips in your wedding?  Contact us for a complimentary consultation. 

How far do we deliver?

I get asked that all the time and it's a great question! Gillespie Florists can take care of your flower delivery worldwide! Because we are proud members of the Teleflora network your order will be hand delivered by us or through Teleflora to get the delivery made by one of our trusted network florists.

Local Delivery 

But what about here, in the neighborhood? Just how far does Gillespie's go? We deliver to Indianapolis and surrounding communities. 

Let me break it down. Our delivery area includes all of Marion County, plus afternoon service to: Acton, Avon, Bargersville, Beech Grove, Bridgeport, Brownsburg, Camby, Carmel, Castleton, Clayton, Cloverdale, Cumberland, Danville, Fishers, Friendswood, Greencastle, Greenfield, Greenwood, Lawrence, Mooresville, New Palestine, New Whiteland, Oaklandon, Pittsboro, Plainfield, Southport, Speedway, Wanamaker, Westfield, West Newton, Whiteland and Zionsville.

On special request, we will go out as far west as Coatesville, as far east as Greenfield, as far north as Noblesville, and as far south as Franklin! We have even taken special deliveries to Martinsville, Spencer, and West Lafayette. 

Special Events

We have on occasion made deliveries out of state from our shop. There will be special events like a wedding, company party or funeral where the customer feels that we would be the best man for the job! We have made deliveries to Illinois, Ohio and have gone as far north as South Bend!

Shipping

Because Gillespie Florists carries so many specialized gift items, sometimes we need to ship the item through the mail. We have shipped all over the country because we had that one thing our customer couldn't find anywhere else!

World Wide Delivery

As I mentioned before, we can deliver around the world or across the country through the Teleflora Network. The reason why we are with Teleflora is because they are the largest network of real local florists from around the world. Teleflora holds all members up to a certain standard to ensure our customers only get the best!

Send flowers World Wide!

We do it all the time. We surprise someone with a bunch of bright yellow flowers to cheer them up. We declare our fervent passion with two-dozen velvety roses. We sense the personalities of different flowers and intuitively choose one over another to fit our mood or the occasion. 

Wedding are the perfect occasion to incorporate meaning or symbolism with flowers.  Each and every bride has a different story and life circumstance so why not celebrate your personal journey with a special and meaningful flower.

Did you know that associating certain flowers with different meanings is an age-old art form? The Japanese call it Hanakotoba, and King Charles II brought it to Sweden from Persia in the 17th century.

Floriography – a fancy name for the language of flowers – was coined in the Victorian era, and while its original translations may have shifted over time, the notion that through flower symbolism we can express what we want to say (and may not be able to speak out loud) still holds true.

From the origin of a flower’s name to its distinctive characteristics and rich mythology, flowers are infused with symbolism and meaning. 

In the weeks that follow, I will be doing articles on some of the most popular wedding flowers and their meanings and symbolism.

Visit our website to see fresh flowers now!