The Flower Blog

Thanksgiving isn’t just about the food on the table; it’s about connection, gratitude, and traditions that bring people together. This holiday offers an opportunity to pause, reflect, and appreciate the little and big things in life. So, as you prepare to celebrate this season, consider adding some new ways to fill your Thanksgiving with gratitude, joy, and meaningful moments.  

Eat and Be Merry:
Thanksgiving is synonymous with a delightful feast. Gather your loved ones around a table adorned with the rich hues of autumn, savor a delicious meal together and take time to enjoy shared stories and laughter.

Give Thanks:
Take the opportunity this Thanksgiving to express appreciation and gratitude. Go around the table and have everyone share something they're thankful for. This tradition can foster a sense of unity and warmth among everyone present.

Volunteer:
Thanksgiving is not just about indulgence; it's also about giving back. Volunteer at a local shelter, food bank, or community organization. Giving back not only spreads joy but also instills a profound sense of gratitude within oneself.

Get Crafty:
Engage in creative activities that reflect the spirit of the season. Encourage kids and adults alike to create DIY crafts or decorations. These activities can be both entertaining and a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving. Check out this Good Housekeeping article for a list of easy Thanksgiving craft ideas. 

Enjoy Nature:
Take advantage of the beauty of the season. Whether it’s a walk in the crisp, autumn air, enjoying the changing colors of the leaves, or taking a hike to immerse in nature, Thanksgiving is an excellent time to appreciate the natural world around us.

However you celebrate, Gillespie Florists would like to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

Looking to spruce up your Thanksgiving table or send a gift to a friend or loved one? Gillespie Florists has a wide variety of Thanksgiving arrangements to suit all your needs. Check out our assortment of Thanksgiving Bouquets now!

As the leaves turn golden and the air takes on a crisp chill, we're thrilled to bring you a bewitching blend of floral enchantment. Halloween and Dia de los Muertos fall close together each year and are often lumped together. Let's explore some of the unique qualities of each of these holidays.

Halloween - Embrace the Eerie:
Halloween, a night of spookiness and playful frights, is all about embracing the eerie and letting your imagination run wild. At Gillespie Florists, we've crafted a bewitching collection of blooms that capture the spirit of Halloween. Create sinister centerpieces or boo-tiful bouquets for everyday decor or a costume party. 

Dia de los Muertos - Honoring Loved Ones:
Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a beautiful Mexican tradition where families come together to honor their loved ones who have passed away. It's a celebration of life, love, and remembrance. Create an ofrenda (altar) that truly honors your ancestors with our breathtaking blooms.

At Gillespie Florists, we're here to help you celebrate both of these wonderful occasions with our stunning floral arrangements. Whether you're looking to add a touch of spookiness to your Halloween or a heartfelt tribute to your Dia de los Muertos festivities, our florists are ready to create something truly magical for you.

Visit our website or stop by our store today to explore our wide selection of enchanting blooms.

Upcoming Event:

Join us for Trick or Treat in store and get a free flower, candy and furbaby treats on 10/31/23 from 4-6PM.

Check out our assortment of Halloween arrangements

 Fall is a beautiful time of year, with its crisp air, changing leaves, and bountiful harvest. It's also a great time for flowers, with many varieties blooming in rich autumnal colors.

Here are our picks for our favorite fall flowers:

Mums: Mums, or chrysanthemums, are a classic fall flower that comes in a wide variety of colors, including red, orange, yellow, white, and purple. Mums are also very versatile and can be used in a variety of floral arrangements, from simple centerpieces to elaborate bouquets.

Sunflowers: Sunflowers are another classic fall flower that adds a touch of sunshine to any arrangement. Sunflowers are available in a variety of sizes, from small to giant.

Dahlias: Dahlias are a beautiful and versatile fall flower that comes in a wide variety of colors and shapes. Dahlias can be used in a variety of floral arrangements, including bouquets, centerpieces, and corsages.

Asters: Asters are a delicate fall flower that comes in a variety of colors, including white, purple, and pink. Asters can be used to add a touch of elegance to any floral arrangement.

Goldenrod: Goldenrod, or Solidago, is a native North American plant that produces bright yellow flowers in the fall. Goldenrod is often used to add a some bright yellow throughout a flower arrangement.


Fall flowers can be used to create arrangements for all sorts of occasions, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. No matter what the occasion, fall flowers can add a touch of warmth and beauty to any setting. 

What are your favorite fall flowers? Check out our assortment of Fall Bouquets today!

As we enter back to school season, we thought we'd share some interesting things about the impact of plants and flowers in the classroom. 

Here are just a few of the benefits to having a little bit of nature in the classroom. 

• Improve air quality: Plants and flowers can help to remove toxins and allergens from the air, which can improve students' breathing and concentration. A study by NASA found that spider plants, English ivy, and peace lilies were particularly effective at removing pollutants from the air.
• Boost mood and productivity: Studies have shown that being around plants can reduce stress, anxiety, and fatigue, and can even improve creativity and productivity. A study by the University of Exeter found that students who had plants in their classrooms were more likely to report feeling relaxed and focused.
• Teach students about nature*: Plants and flowers can provide a hands-on learning opportunity for students to learn about different plants and flowers, their lifecycles, and how they interact with the environment. A study by the University of Illinois found that students who had plants in their classrooms were more likely to learn about and appreciate nature.
• Add beauty and interest to a classroom: Plants and flowers can brighten up a space and make it more inviting and stimulating for students. A study by the University of Texas found that students who had plants in their classrooms were more likely to report feeling positive about their learning environment.

If you are looking for a way to improve your classroom environment, consider adding some plants or flowers! When selecting plants and flowers, remember to choose plants that are easy to care for and are non-toxic to children. (Learn more about types of plants ideal for classrooms here.) Place them in an area with enough sunlight and rotate them regularly. Prune and water plants to keep them healthy and attractive.

*Gillespie Florists has a history of working with classrooms to provide flowers to students for hands-on experience in creating bouquets and working with flowers as well as the scientific side, getting up close and personal with how different flowers look through a microscope. 

We love when fall season is in full bloom and what better way to celebrate than with our favorite flowers autumn has to offer! From the golden glow of sunflowers to the colorful selection of chrysanthemums; we have a plethora of fall flora!

We'll begin this list with a burst of the biggest blooms heralding the entrance of fall: the sunflower.

Sunflowers

Sunflower is the top flower which comes to my mind when thinking of the beginning of fall season. Harvested in the late summer/early fall, there are many uses for this beautiful bloom including delicious seeds, cooking oil, and fall decorations of course!  The friendly color of sunflowers go hand in hand with what they symbolize: Loyalty, friendship, strength and adoration. Their sentimentality will brighten someones day whether it be friend, family and/or loved ones. We incorporate sunflowers in bouquets, fall decor, wedding florals and more! You can find these golden beauties in many of our favorite fall arrangements. Find a great selection here.

Chrysanthemum (Fall Mums)

Pictured above is a cushion mum in a colorful blend of burgundy and white. Mums, much like sunflowers, are a staple for our fall floral selection. These hardy, long lasting flowers are available in traditional autumn colors such as crimson, golden yellow, lavender, violet and white. Known as the "Queen of Fall Flowers", the chrysanthemum is the birth month flower of November and considered the official city flower of Chicago.
We love how these flowers can be enjoyed outdoors in the garden or incorporated in bouquets for any occasion. During early fall season we carry a large selection of mums available at our store and for delivery.  Learn more about mums and how to care for them here.

Fall Daisy

We call them fall daisies but they are actually a part of the Chrysanthemum family. Daisy chrysanthemums are a type of garden mum that you often find in our Fall and Thanksgiving arrangements. We love the pop of color and fullness they add to any bouquet. Daisy mum colors include white, yellow, red, purple, pink and orange. 

Asiatic Lily

Adding drama and elegance to the fall floral lineup is the Asiatic lily. Originally native to Asia and Europe these lilies are now grown around the globe. Asiatic lilies gorgeous blooms are available in many colors however their warm colors such as red, orange and yellow represent energy, creativity, drive and passion. As beautiful as lilies are it's important to note that most varieties of lilies are toxic to cats. If you're planning on incorporating lilies into your next fall arrangement or sending to loved ones remember to consider the recipient's furbabies!

Alstroemeria Lily

Peruvian Lily, also known as Alstroemeria lily, are known for their vibrant colors, versatility and low maintenance style. Trumpet shaped like lilies, alstroemeria sports brown freckles in their blooms and exotic appeal. Their meaning and symbolization often connect around friendship, love, strength and devotion. You can find many of their most popular colors in our 500 sq ft cooler on any given day.

Carnation

Carnations are popular for all seasons! These floral chameleons of color have rich shades of burgundy, peach, red and lavender. Pictured above is an example of a more recent addition to our carnation collection in the cooler: The Moon Series. Moon Series carnations feature beautiful blended colors such as Lavender Carnation Moonlight, Dark Purple, Moon Series Purple and lavender. These stunning colors give Fall Halloween arrangements a dash of dark romance and flair.

Carnations, fall daisies, asiatic lilies, alstroemeria and sunflowers are a few of our favorite fall flowers but there's always more you can find in our store at 9255 W 10th St, Indianapolis IN and online here. 
See some of our favorite fall flowers in action below!

A few 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 goers only needed to post their picture on our Facebook Place Page or use #GFPROM2015 on Instagram or twitter wearing our flowers! We then asked our social media followers 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...

Hiedi Nguyen & Paul Sanders! 

Hiedi and Paul each get a $25.00 gift card to Gillespie Florists and Hiedi will be crowned with a tiara and flowers!

Hiedi wore a dendrobium corsage in this picture, similar to the one pictured below!

As a Thank you, Our Runners ups will recieve a $10.00 gift card each and each girl will recieve a Sunshine bouquet! Just stop in the store, let us know you are a runner up!

Our Runner Ups are:

Sydney Judge & Justin Adams

Thomas Barram & Lydia Trapp

A Big Thank You to Everyone Who Entered The Contest! Until Next Year!