Flower of the Month - The Tulip

More often than not we associate tulips with Holland. As such, it may surprise us to realise that the tulips only really made it on the Dutch shores in the 16th Century. This hugely popular flower is actually a native of the western Mediterranean, Central Asia and even northern Africa. It was only through Turkey that the tulip had eventually found itself in Western Europe and the Netherlands. The tulip, or lale, as it is more commonly known in Turkey was hugely popular there and was deemed as an extremely special specimen of flowers. This love was easily extended amongst European gardeners as the tulip spread through the Western Europe, with Netherlands soon after taking the lead in producing the most prized specimens.


The wealthy class in Holland had in particular been so impressed with these flowers that in the 1630s the whole country was gripped by the ‘tulipomania’ whereabouts the farmers began to speculate about the prices of these prized flowers. As the knowledge grew and better varieties of tulips were cultivated, so did their price, as single bulbs became too expensive to plant even and with property changing hands in order to procure tulip bulbs to display in one’s home. Such was the height of this over-evaluation that even when the tulipomania had tapered off; its effects were still felt in Holland for many decades thereafter. Not surprisingly then, the Dutch still remain the ‘masters of the tulip’ and they are certainly the biggest exporters of this flower by far and away in the World with millions and millions cultivated each year.


The prominence of tulips doesn’t just stop there it can be seen in art and culture as well. As far back as the 13th century the tulips was given special attention in Persian literature with many Persian poets taking up the subject of beauty in association with tulips. This association with art and culture was certainly carried through in Europe with Alexandre Dumas, for example, producing a romantic novel called The Black Tulip whereabouts a reward is offered to the first grower who succeeds in producing a first truly black tulip. Tulips have been the subject of at least two popular songs: Tiptoe Through the Tulips, and When I Wore a Tulip, and You Wore a Big Red Rose. Today we also still see many tulip festivals performed around the world.


Meaning of tulips mostly derives from its shape, which is never too elegant, too sophisticated, too tall, too short, or too much of anything and yet encapsulates a little bit of everything at the same time. Its somewhat ‘sexual’ shape has also led the tulips to be described as a flower of lover and the giver of it is seen as a perfect lover. Like all other flowers different colours of tulips mean different things, with red being associated with love and romance, yellow with happiness, white with forgiveness and purple for royalty even. Looking at all the different designs and tulips on our website my favourite happens to be the sweet scents of heaven which hasn’t failed to impress yet.

Last Crazy Wedding Saturday on September 17th

Last week had probably witnessed the last ‘crazy’ Saturday with multiple weddings and events done in one day. We have to say that; overall, it was a very (very) successful year for our weddings and events department with record number of events being held this year. A lot of these had been done at venues that we’ve never worked in before 2011, but had done so multiple times this year – quite unbelievable and just great experiences all around for all of us here at Flower Station.

So it was the case this Saturday and even I had made an effort very early in the morning to go out with our guys to a couple of these venues to experience what decorating these places is all about. What struck me the most is that the caterers, waiters and managers of both venues had been very familiar with all our drivers and florists and were on a first name basis with them. It was also good to see just how hard the rest of the catering industry is working and most of all I was very happy with the fact that I could see managers from both sides picking up tips from one another on how to handle flowers, food, beverages and the like. The activity on the part of the food caterers was especially frantic and is to be well commended.

This particular party was held in the middle of Chelsea’s Sloane Square and had been blessed by really good weather – trust me when I say it looked very stunning. Though regrettably to work commitments I did not come back later, having been given invitations, I could imagine just how well run this event was and my congratulations goes out to the Botanist restaurant, who seemed to have organized it all. After all was well and truly done, we had gone over to another venue, this time a Brazilian restaurant, where the atmosphere was pretty much the same with staff getting on with it in anticipation of wedding guests arriving.

The first name basis did not surprise me anymore, but I did notice another, quite interesting thing I hadn’t seen before in the shape of the bride who was there with everybody, helping out and making sure things were done as agreed. After speaking to her for a few minutes I realized that her priority were her guests and she just wanted to make sure that they were taken care of to the fullest. I really enjoyed this comment and it was a little funny, as our priority is always with the bride and the groom and never do we really think outside of this, but I guess everyday you learn something and upon returning to the headquarters I was happy to learn that our other florist teams had returned with similar good results. All in all, it was a good last ‘crazy’ day at Flower Station and we are waiting in great anticipation for the next year to come along. We’re ready and waiting.

Grandparents Day is on the 2nd of October

Another American introduction, National Grandparents Day is now celebrated the World over, though admittedly, most of the World does not really know much about it. In United Kingdom we only incorporated Grandparents Day into our calendar in 2008. In the United States this has been the case since 1977, when a resolution was passed through the Senate to make Grandparents Day into a national holiday with the following citation as the main purpose: “...to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer”.

Gifts to our grandparents are often very different from the gifts we send to other people. For the most important part I think that they should be more sentimental, as most grandparents tend to have had a very different growing up experiences to the newer generations, but this does not mean that the generations after have forgotten about them, or do not appreciate the fact that they are here because of their grandparent in the first place. Last year we had an American family who sent us a drawing made by their child which they wanted us to send along with the flowers to their grandpa. Of course we obliged, but this also gave us an idea and we are now offering this same service to all our customers. So, just bring, mail and email in the drawing, or whatever else it may be that you want to send to your grandparents to one of our shops and we will take care of the rest, just make sure to do this by 01 October.

GRANDMA'S FLOWERS POEM:

Each time I go to Grandma's place
To spend some summer hours,
She lets me pick a big bouquet
Of pretty garden flowers.
I've learned the names of almost all
The flowers Grandma grows:
Carnation, iris, pansy, phlox
Petunia, and rose.
The sweet pea is my favorite;
It has a lovely smell.
The flower Grandma likes the best
Is Canterbury bell.
I think my Grandma's wonderful
And hope that when I'm grown,
I'll have a "green thumb" just like hers
And flowers of my own.

By Pauline S. Walker

Introducing Our Team Christina - the Greek Cypriot Assassin

Sometimes we find somebody and we think - Eureka!!! Though we have been wrong, once or twice in the past, the gut feeling of the girls (and the boys) in our florist is rarely wrong and we, the management, always tend to listen to what they say about a particular applicant. In this case the competition was really tough for a company representative and we have had a lot of experienced and extremely well qualified applicants. But, as it is, one girl beat them all – it really seemed as if she understood our ethos more than anyone else and was just very real in all that she said. Knowing the types of customers we represent, this was the exact tonic we needed and we were more than happy to welcome her on board. Congrats to us all!

Getting into the thick of things

Hello Christina how´s your Flower Station experience so far?

These 2 weeks I have been exploring a totally new world full of flowers. I have been amazed and stunned with the ranges and variety of flowers constantly being brought into the shop. It has also been very exciting and challenging learning all the flower names, vases and arrangements, and at times a bit of an ‘information overload’, but that didn’t scare me!
So far I haven’t had a dull moment. The positive energy running through the office is very motivating. Today i have been encouraged to answer phones and deal with customers on a one to one basis. I’ve found this really interesting as i can also gather feedback from customers themselves about how they feel about the service they are being offered, and so far it has been a thumbs up. I have enjoyed offering customers products that they will love, and sending flowers out that I’m sure will make someone’s day.
Walking around and seeing all the florists busy at work is like watching them create art. The vases they produce are amazing and i do take off my hat to them (if i was wearing one). :)

We´re obviously very happy to have you here, but what made you interested in joining our team?

The one stop flower shop that takes care of all your flower needs, from any occasion, any message, any place...within the UK. This is what i find interesting and something i definitely would love to be involved in that process. I always wanted to work for a company that makes people happy.
University has encouraged my belief in a company being ethical and sustainable and i was really impressed with the fact that Flower Station offers customers fresh flowers from growers in Holland that conform to the Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP) standards, and that stimulating the production of sustainable cut flowers and potted plants. I always admire companies that go that extra mile.

What do you think of our company so far?

I have really enjoyed myself and I believe I am growing and becoming more confident. All the team have been great, showing me the ropes and helping me settle in. The atmosphere is always positive and the Banta in the office is a plus. I like the fact that the company is moving with the times and is very up to date with technology such as their website and also the use of twitter and Facebook!!

What do you think sets us apart from the competition?

The company has many unique selling points which sets it miles apart from their competitors. Such as the fresh shipment of flowers daily. The ability to provide this service 24/7. Offering free delivery and also offering a catered service to companies with free vases.

What do you hope to achieve while working with us?

I hope that with the guidance from the team i can learn and progress within the company. I would definitely love to be a part of this growing and expanding company and I will like to grow with it.

What do you think you´ve taken aboard from us already?

I have learnt that: without risk does not come success. I have learnt to listen to customers needs and do all I can to provide an excellent service that satisfies each individual customer.

Finally, who will win the Barclay's Premier league this year?

I would love to say Arsenal, but that dream was thrown away a long time ago! Maybe next year :(

Thank you Christina, dare to dream by the way and great to see you on board.

Office Plants at Flower Station

It’s actually not that well known a fact that here at Flower Station we also supply many office plants. We have done this for quite a while now and consider ourselves experienced experts in this field. Our, so called office plants, are in many different hotels, restaurants and of course small and big offices. In today’s extremely competitive environment, offices are rarely without interior (even exterior with many) landscaping as businesses search for better ways to impress, gain and keep their customers. But, did you know that office plants are also beneficial for the health and can ultimately improve the output and the performance of your employee. We’re also very lucky to be able to recruit gardeners and landscapers from our sister company (see www.plantstation.co.uk) for whenever we may be in need and at any time that a slightly bigger job may come up.

How a healthy modern office block should look like

Now before I started working with plants and flowers, I never would’ve realised that indoor pollution along with low humidity is actually ranked as one of the top five threats to the public health. Got your attention now? And it is no wander; everyday most of us spend in offices that may appear glitzy and clean, but do not realize just how much we’re bombarded with all sorts of toxic fumes from carpets and cleaning products, but also and as well as from electronic products (printers, fax machines, PCs and laptops). Many studies have shown clearly that at times office environments can be up to 7 times more polluted than outside spaces. So, often our feelings of nausea, blurred vision and allergic reactions, can quite easily be connected to those of our office environments as modern buildings are often almost fully hermetically sealed keeping all airborne pollutants indoors and this is exactly where our office plants come in as they:

• Office Plants reduce noise
• Office Plants produce oxygen
• Office Plants reduce dust pollution
• Office Plants make us less stressed
• Office Plants minimize staff absenteeism
• Office Plants improve concentration
• Office Plants save energy
• Office Plants filter the air
• Office Plants generally increase productivity

OK, now that we have convinced you to get on board with the obvious benefits that the office plants bring, you must be thinking that they are hard work, and here’s the good part; they really are not! With modern self watering containers you only need to check water levels once a week and the plant will be taken care of. We can also help you choose the right plants and tell you ideal places where they can be placed (as a rule of thumb never place plants near places that omit warm or cold air, such as radiators and air conditioners). Or, to make it even easier, let Flower Station take care of your plant care with our good value rental and maintenance options. To learn more about these, or to ask for your free, no obligation quote, please email us at info@flowerstation.co.uk with your query outlined in the subject box.

This year Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, falls on September 28th

This year Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, falls on September 28th (at sundown). It is a two day festival, and as with all the Jewish calendar days, the actual date begins at sundown of the night beforehand with the following day being the first day of the holiday (meaning that the calendar dates conclude at nightfall). This is a very busy time in our shops with last minute flowers being bought in stores around 17,00, with customers running back home even before they’ve collected the flowers :). We have observed a growing trend on Rosh Hashanah and are always careful to stock up properly with the right types and colours of flowers. Last year the most popular bouquet is displayed below the second paragraph and this year we are basing a lot of our designs around this arrangement as well as a few others that we think will work.

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah literally means ”Head of the Year” and this year it will indicate the beginning of the year 5772. It is the anniversary of all mankind, the creation of Adam and Eve, as well as a special relationship that exists between God and humanity. The primary theme of the day is the acceptance of God as King of all people and much of this day is spent in synagogues. Rosh Hashanah also marks the anniversary of man’s first sin and his repentance thereafter. As such, it serves as the first day of the “Ten Days of Repentance”, which culminate in Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.

White and Green Elegance

Additional observations of Rosh Hashanah include eating of the apple that’s dipped in honey to symbolize a hope for a sweet new year. There are lots of other foods and they all tend to signify hopes of abundance, sweetness and other blessings. All shortcomings are left behind and a new year begins with a clean slate. Finally, we wish all our Jewish customers a prosperous new year and more specifically Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim("May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.")

Weddings Galore, 6th of August 2011

In the early hours of this Saturday, the 6th of August, girls in our Baker Street branch had completed four quite large weddings that were thereafter delivered to different parts of London. The undertaking was quite large for just a single florist branch, as added to this they also had to take care of other private bouquet orders, contracts, as well as other customers popping into the shop on a continuous basis. Of course a lot of preparatory work had gone on beforehand on Thursday the 4th and Friday the 5th of August, but nevertheless we had felt very strongly about the overall performance and wanted to reward our girls with a little blog and a huge thank you for a job very well done.

The 'happy team' after a very well done job

Needless to say it’s good for our very loyal online customers to see some of the talented faces behind the beautiful designs that leave our shops and we do hope to keep this trend up in our upcoming blogs. This is also a result of many people emailing us in order to obtain a little more inside info about our shops and the technicians inside them. Please do keep all of your amazing emails coming; they are a joy to read and do remind me that someone is actually reading our blogs, which encourages more blogs and better ideas in return.

The settings certainly complimented some of the designs

Funnily enough we have another crazy weekend coming up this week, but so far we are just happy with the result from the previous week. For the girls and boys preparing the weddings this Saturday – stop reading and concentrate on your work now ;).

Bay trees and natural 'bouquet' style designs

As many of you know, and I can speak freely on behalf of the whole company here, I and every single florist in our company love what we do. To get a chance to work with some of the great clients we have week in and week out is an absolute privilege and one I wouldn’t gladly give up. To see the florists in the shop working away is also an absolute privilege and every day we try to challenge each other to come up with a design that’s a little fresher, funky, or simply more fun.

A smashing setting for a smashing wedding

I often get a lot of compliments from our wedding designer girls who enjoy working and thank our clients for being quite relaxed, open to their ideas and even encouraging them to go above and beyond the traditional, or even merely modern designs.

Our drivers who had to multi, multi drop on the day were on the ball as well, but this was the day for our ‘girls’.

Friendship Day on 7th of August

Every first Sunday of every August we celebrate the Friendship Day. This year these celebrations take place on the 7th of August. It is a tradition that begun in 1935 and has gained more popularity with time. Although not quite at the level of popularity as Valentine’s Day, or even Mother’s Day, we still see Friendship Day as an extremely important day when one can express their gratitude towards the friends in their lives. To remind you of why this festival is so important, we have included a few thoughts on this subject for you:

Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.
Virginia Woolf

The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.
William Blake

A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely.
Pam Brown

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.
Leo Buscaglia

And although there is not much written history on the subject of how and why exactly the Friendship Day begun - looking at some of the quotes above, it’s clear that there really is a need for it. We’re all social creatures at the end of the day and we all depend on our friends, most of the time more so than relatives, for emotional support as well as on many, many other levels too. Some even say that our friends are in fact our closer family and every now and again it’s good to remember this. Considering facts and sentiments such as this, it is no wonder that the US Congress, in 1935, decided to make 1st Sunday of every August into the Friendship Day. Interestingly enough, in 1997 the United Nations had made Winnie the Pooh into the friendship ambassador to the world.

So, you’re still reading? At this point I thought that you would be busy buying some flowers for your friends and by this letting them know just how special you think they really are to you. I can only promise that our florist team here at Flower Station will make sure that each and every gift that leaves our shops is absolutely sublime. And the more friends you have, you should consider yourself lucky and buy some more ;).

Wedding Flowers and Experiences

As the ‘so called’ wedding season draws to its absolute climax in July and August, we can report that, overall, it has been a huge success. Of course, we have faced a lot of problems and have, yet again, learned through them constantly and are confident of being better for it next year. One of these problems is navigating through London and the near counties on Saturday and Sunday mornings, meeting deadlines and decorating different venues and locations, with different florist teams working at the same time.

As we’re living in strange economic times that are sometimes turbulent, it is no wander to see more and more demonstrations and marches happening through this great city of ours. I even feel like I’m living in France sometimes. And on a weekend when we have five to ten weddings in Central London this can be somewhat of a hindrance. Because of this we have incorporated daily traffic news feeds that our delivery controller looks at constantly and diverts drivers away from any hot spots that make one’s journey into a bit of a nightmare – this new incorporation is becoming a bit of a winner for us and so far it’s proving to be quite useful. I am sure there are delivery companies out there who are much better equipped to deal with problems like this, but I can confidently say that we are learning and getting better by a minute.

A good thing about all the weddings we have done is all the different photos we have taken too and I am very pleased to say that we will put these on our website the first chance we get; in the meantime I am giving you here a sneak preview of some of these beauties. For our followers on Facebook and Twitter you may have seen some of these already. All comments are, as always, more than welcome.

Looking towards the future, it will not be enough to offer wedding services for lavish, or even simple weddings in terms of better technology and better forms. The human touch will still be needed and one will always have to get on the same page with the to-be-newly-weds, but nevertheless we are confident that all of these things will certainly help and make our wedding experiences that much better and safer.

Another trend that’s catching on lately, again largely thanks to the economic times we live in, is that we’re seeing more and more people getting involved into their weddings personally in order to save a buck or two. Far from discouraging this trend, we are over the moon with it and we always do say that this personal involvement is what separates great wedding events from merely good ones. So whether you’re designing the table name cards yourself, bringing in your own candle sets, making your talented music friends into your wedding band; we feel that all of these things ultimately help and do make your wedding that extra special. For more wedding ideas we also strongly encourage you to read a few wedding magazines before you come and see one of our wedding specialists.

Funeral Flowers Delivered as Never Before

I must apologize yet again – it’s been buzzing in the office and the Big Boss had me writing articles for other exciting projects we have under way. One of these was expanding our Funeral Flower Delivery products and we have managed to do so over the last couple of weeks by quite a number, giving our customers an ever increasing choice in this category. I will show you a few of these that I’m quite proud of, as I really think they look quite good and we have already received many compliments on them, which has made the guys here in our offices, as well as the shops, work even harder to produce ever better sheaths, sprays, wreaths and any other type of an arrangement that one may require on this particular occasion. As always, I am more than happy to hear any comments and suggestions that you may have, so please email these over to Gordon@flowerstation.co.uk.

A luxury arrangement full of amazing Red Naomi, or Grand Prix red roses

I guess looking at the development of Flower Station Ltd over the years, I have learned that things that really set us apart from other companies is the will and the need really to always go above and beyond of what’s required. So, it is that we have opened a 24 hour florist that keeps in touch with all our customers around the globe who want to send flowers to their loved ones at a convenient time for them. It is also the fact that we rise earlier than any other florist I know of and are guaranteeing deliveries at an earlier stage, again earlier than anyone I have heard of in this great city of ours. It is the former that makes us especially popular with funeral directors, who keep insisting on working with us and it is with reason that customers are pushed our way sometimes – we are there to make their jobs easier and to assure our customers of service that’s second to none.

A heart tribute full of Aqua pink roses and red Grand Prix roses

With our range getting bigger and bigger you really will find yourself at the right place to send funeral flowers. Whether you’re after last minute ‘cheap’, or great deal funeral flowers; splendid luxury displays for a place of worship; baskets of sympathy blooms to offer condolences; or you’re simply after a great selection of funeral flowers; you can rest assured that you will find it here. If you’re after bigger orders of funeral flowers, you will possibly find it easier to call one of our shops and talk to us directly about the needed requirements; we are experts in dealing with last minute requests and will not fail to satisfy in shortest amounts of time available. We fully understand that this is a time of grieving and sometimes ordering flowers is certainly a side issue, but nevertheless an important one: so please rest assured and leave this last bit up to us.

Flower Station Competition Winner

Upali G. of London is Flower Station’s first winner of our brand new competition to win a free £100 bouquet. The competition was also run across few different competitions websites as well as our own competitions page.

Needless to say we were overwhelmed by the reception we received. It’s really good to see that Flower Station’s bouquets are very much in demand and if FREE, so much the better. Our aim is to put a smile on a face of one lucky person at least every fortnight with a magnificent bouquet designed by our own very special London florists.

Happy chappy with our front-facing style bouquet of flowers

As you can see on this picture (picture of winner with bouquet) Upali was in complete state of shock. We wanted to completely surprise our winner, thus adding more of a surprise element to the competition.

Upali was kind enough to give us some feedback and spend some time with us for a chat, here's what he had to say:

“Wow, these are great. Thank you Flower Station. I only entered the competition for a laugh. I never believed that people actually win something and found it all a marketing strategy but Flower Station proved me wrong and I will most certainly be spreading the word to my friends and family.”

All of us at Flower Station are very pleased for Upali and are looking forward to next big winner so please enter our draws; it only takes a few seconds to do so. You may also find the competition on numerous websites.

As a thank you, we are giving all applicants, as well as all our regular blog readers, a 10% discount without expiry date valid for all online orders of flowers and plants. We have a great selection, our flowers are fresh and we offer free same day delivery across London and next day flower delivery across the UK. Call us now people!!!

Wedding at Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge

I haven’t blogged for a while now and I’ve actually really missed it. I haven’t been lazy ;), but my services were needed in another department of this great company. As such, my desk has been hit with all kinds of different blogging ideas, mostly through events that have occurred here at Flower Station over the last couple of weeks. The one that I’ve chosen is a wedding event that we’ve completed at the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge. It was the first time we had actually worked at this magnificent venue, which is quite strange since we’ve pretty much worked in all other places in Knightsbridge a multitude of times. As expected, their staff were excellent and catering was truly first class.

I really enjoyed the comments people have been making with regards to our blogs – please keep them coming – and I have specifically been asked to keep our photos bigger by a number of people, as I have done lately and will do from now on. I guess a lot of people who have participated in these events have copied them and I am truly happy for it, if nor only for the fact someone out there is really reading this. A lot of floristry students have also paid more attention to some of the flower designs and flowers themselves. I can only say and promise that I will keep it coming, but if you have a story or a photo yourself and would like to see it published in our blog, please email our resident geek Gordon@flowerstation.co.uk, who will be more than happy to put it up here (if it passes the test of ‘interest’ that is).

Finally we would like to congratulate the lovely wedding couple, wish them a long prosperous life together and thank them for using Flower Station – needless to say they were an absolute pleasure to work with.

Asiana Wedding Magazine Publishes an Article on Flower Station

We were very honoured last week to find out that the famous Asiana Wedding magazine had published a small article on Flower Station’s wedding flowers decorations. It was quite unexpected and having discovered it on my colleague’s desk, I decided to publish it. Apart from the fact that it makes my job easier by having words written for me already, I really did find it quite interesting if not only for the views of our MD, who takes a lot of our wedding consultations himself. So, if you’re planning an absolutely awesome wedding and are looking into having a dream design that’s never been seen before, than freely email spale@flowerstation.co.uk – and yes you will be talking to the ‘boss’.

WEDDING DECORATIONS

“Because of their great variety and versatility there are infinite ways in which you can use flowers for weddings,” advises Spalé from Flower Station, a 24 hour London florist.

Choosing which flowers to use is just the beginning Spalé explains: “70% of weddings that we do incorporate roses and lilies. White roses are the classic wedding flowers, although avalanche rose varieties are more luxurious so are becoming more popular”. When it comes to using flowers for decorative purposes, aspects such as fragrance, texture and freshness are just as important as colour.

Popular venue decorations include floral sculptures, curtains and backdrops. Detailed smaller structures can also be placed around your venue to enhance the interiors, with posies and pomanders hung from hooks and on the backs of chairs always look attractive. Florists should visit your venue beforehand so they can advise on the best placing to put arrangements. The grander your vision, the earlier you should book – at least four months beforehand – with final decisions being made two months ahead of the Big Day. Spalé adds “Flowers work best when they reflect their surroundings as naturally as possible.”

Flowers at London Business School

Last few days have been quite exciting here at our London florist headquarters. Movie stars, footballers and other celebrities were at our 24 hour florist getting everyone more excited than usual and making us feel more important than we really are – but, I have to admit, it does and it did, make us feel good at least. At the same time, I was very lucky to see some quite amazing events happen throughout London and it was really good to see our designers cope so very well with the pressure. As is usually the case with some of these events, we unfortunately do not get to take as many photos and sometimes are a little disappointed, especially me, as there is nothing more that I enjoy than showing off :).

The finished article on stage

However this week one of the leading business schools in the world – London Business School – had offered us an unprecedented access to one of their events and we were more than happy to oblige and click away at our floral displays in their wonderful surroundings. The event is still under way and will be on for a few more days, during which we will be popping in on a regular basis to make sure our displays stay as fresh as possible. So far, and as expected from such an amazing institution, it seems as if the ongoing events are a huge success.

All those seminars can get you hungry

I guess the really cool thing with regards to this event was a different range of flowers used to represent the colours of the school. We were also always trying to keep it looking quite vibrant and fresh, exotic and colourful, contemporary and always, always very corporate, keeping our surroundings very much in mind. To achieve this task our two senior designers Miki and Nok (well done by the way guys!!!) had decided to use a range of flowers such as dark and light blue as well as purple delphiniums, red gingers, heliconias, vanda and phalaenopsis orchids with lots of other foliages and huge bamboo sticks for the main stage especially.

The flowers in the smaller marquee

For smaller arrangements our florists had decided to go quite fresh and vibrant again and they have used the ever beautiful birds of paradise, proteas, red anthuriums with yellow roses, hypericum red berries and lots of lush foliages. There were other flowers and other arrangements, but we mostly kept to the theme as you can see here.

Making all the lecture rooms a little brighter

Looking back at the whole event, I must say I did enjoy it quite more than most of others. The staff at the London Business School were extremely professional and always made it very easy for us to complete our work, constantly moving things out of our way, whilst dealing with other contractors at the same time. We hope to have impressed enough and as always we did our very best and are looking forward to many other events and a long relationship with the many departments at the school that we serve on a regular basis.

The stage as it looked at the end

For any more information on Flower Station’s events, or to enquire about our prices and full range of services, please contact Gordon@flowerstation.co.uk, who will be more than happy to help you.

Flowers for Business

It may, or may not be a well known fact, but here at Flower Station we really enjoy creating flowers for businesses, or the so called ‘contract flowers’. Yes, it is true, this really can be painful at times of vase cleaning, vase breakages and deliveries themselves pose an altogether different challenge to us. But, ask any florist in any of our shops and you will see that making up and designing contract flowers is also a lot of fun. Among the first things that comes to mind is the fact that every week is very different to the last one and we always look never to repeat ourselves and, in this way, to keep our customers interested in our design as much as possible. It is of little wonder to see why every week our wonderful florists are complemented by restaurants, big and small offices, hotels, airline companies and many others on keeping their displays fresh and always innovative.

An example of a recent successful correspondence with a new customer can be seen below:

Dear Alex,

Thank you so much for taking so much time out of your day to talk to me and my assistants today. I sincerely appreciated your honest and reliable reviews of our offices and especially recommendations in how to change our current setting towards a better standard. Your advice here was very helpful and it really has given us all here a new perspective on available opportunities.

I especially appreciate your offer to send us a sample, which would show some of these ideas in action. I plan to follow up on your offer and am still in deep shock at the value of what you’re providing my company with. Needless to say I will use my networking resources to recommend you for any future opportunities.

Again, thank you so much for your help. I greatly appreciate the assistance you have provided me and am looking forward to a very long relationship with Flower Station.

Yours

Candy

One of our senior managers and main floral designers - Hashimi Kanokhon – always talks about injection of nature with fresh flowers into a particular business, or even a home and how best to achieve this. In her opinion, the challenge is never ending and whether we’re designing a single front facing contemporary piece for an upmarket hair salon, or whether it’s a dressing for a whole block or building of a big company in the city, you always have to be on your toes and always, always, always keep in mind the customer you’re dealing with. It is, of course, a challenge that we seem to be particularly good at and the reason is most probably our long-term team that we have kept and built over the last 10 years or so. Without this, in Hashimi’s opinion, it is just not possible to build a good flower contract business.

If you would like to have a completely free quote, or would just like to discuss some of your ideas with us, please contact Gordon@flowerstation.co.uk who will be more than happy to put you in contact with a relevant flower or plant designer for your business and may even throw in a free sample vase as a gesture of good will.

Lily of the Valley, Official Flower for May

The month of May is upon us, the beginnings of Summer is making it's appearance, we have just celebrated life reborn in Easter and the unification of William and Kate. It is there for fitting that May's official flower is Lily of the Valley. It's scientific name majalis or maialis literally means that which belongs to May. Lily of the Valley symbolises sweetness, purity, humility and the return of happiness. It's a delicate white flower with a wonderful sweet fragrance, popular to use in bridal bouquets as Kate Middleton did on Friday and is often an ingredient used in light perfumes.

A known delicacy in the flower world. Its beauty is quite obvious

There are a few legends behind this fairytale-like flower. One is that flowers sprung up from the Virgin Mary's tears when she sat crying in front of the cross, giving it the colloquial name of Our Ladies Tears. Another legend is that nightingales only begin to sing when they smell the sweet scent of the Lilies blooming in May. Ironically, Lily of the Valley is said to be poisonous but also has a history of aiding the cure of heart ailments.

At Flower Station, not only is Lily of the Valley a popular choice amongst our florists but also pure white 'Casa Blanca’ lilies, which have taller stems of 4ft and more, as well as the 'Star-Gazer' variety that is still popular after more than 25 years in the trade, and Calla Lilies. Lilies last a great length of time if cared for properly and can be found in most colours. Giving Lilies to someone born is May is a wonderful way of honouring their birth month, giving someone Lilies can also mean the hope of a romance or to make the right decision. We assure that all our flowers are fresh and well priced, as well as our very useful free delivery service to the whole of London done daily. Why not spoil yourself?

Royal Wedding

What a wonderful day it was to be a Londoner last weekend. The build up to the most anticipated wedding of very many recent times has culminated in what was truly a wonderful show that represented us Brits in a wonderful fashion to the rest of the world. The tradition was there for all to see and the loving and addoring crowds obviously helped the occasion. However, and more than anything it was the couple itself which really made us look cool and chic. Their relaxed styles, real coolness and humbleness was very apparent and it made us, or me at least, appreciate them even more.

To mark the occasion our wonderful florists have put up British flags, as well as red, white and blue balloons in our London florist shops as well as in our headquarters. Our Islington flowers shop was particularly special on the day, see it on YouTube here, with so many compliments received from our lovely customers. It was also such a cool site to see arriving to work everyday in the morning (and will be for a few more days yet). But, being Flower Station we did not stop there and had went on to design a superb collection of Rule Britannia hand tied bouquets and other contemporary, as well as traditional flower arrangements to suit the occasion. We will look to add a bouquet, or a flower design that we sell most of, for general sale online – our photographer here has promised this product will be ready by the end of the week – so watch this space.

On the end note we would like to congratulate the Royal couple and wish them all the best from all our hearts.

Introducing Our Team - Miki The Amazing Flower Design Guru

Making up beautiful bouquets is an art and we have certainly been blessed with a few florist artists here at London’s Flower Station. This month we have held a competition between our most amazing florists to see who can design the most beautiful bouquet that will typify this time of year the best. We are pleased to say that the winner of this competition is the hugely talented Myklos. Myklos, or Miki as we know him, has been a terrific acquisition to our company ever since he has joined us over a year ago. When on trial we had immediately noticed the incredible talent this chap had and he is definitely marked as the one to watch for the future. Our director, who’s worked with some of the best talent this country has to offer, says: “There is no doubt that Miki is going to be a star in this industry. His style and way of composing is truly unique and it seems like Miki is getting more creative and imaginative with every day. I guess sky is the limit in his case.”

Standing tall above the competition

For this truly dizzy hand-tied bouquet Miki has chosen a medley of vibrant and fresh colours that perfectly reflect our amazing sunny weather conditions, trees full of open colourful buds, and of course the vibrant city of London itself. The hand-tied bouquet is a mix of mango calla lilies, cherry brandy orange roses, spray chrysanthemums, blue agapanthus, green viburnum and hypericum. Not sure how he made it work, but he certainly did.

Hello Miki how´s your day so far?

I am in the park enjoying the sun (the interview was conducted over the phone). The weather is amazing at the moment, so really, really happy.

We´re obviously very happy to have you here, but what made you interested in joining our team?

I had heard about Flower Station and had tried to join once before when perhaps my skills were not as rounded. The first thing that impresses you is the look of the company itself which is very impressive and for any designer an attraction from the start. When you come in, everybody is really friendly and this is also very good.

What do you think of our company so far?

Everyone is really nice and I am very happy to be part of the team here. As in any big and busy florist sometimes it’s not so easy, but if there are some problems, they tend to be sorted out efficiently, which is very impressive as well as unusual as this is a complicated industry.

What do you think sets us apart from the competition?

More customers (big laugh at this point). A lot of things, not sure where to start (big laugh, again). I think even though we’re luxury florists, we’re very good value and prices are sometimes cheaper than supermarkets, which is crazy if you think of the quality of the flowers here.

What do you hope to achieve while working with us?

I am always looking to improve my floristry skills, this I know I will be able to do here as there are so many different florists here with varied styles of floristry. I think every day something new can be seen. For an aspiring florist, there is no better place.

What do you think you´ve taken aboard from us already?

Most importantly I think mixing of colours. Every country uses colours in a different way and in the UK this is no exception. The great thing is the varied customer base at Flower Station, which makes it easy to learn and understand different concepts all the time. I think I have benefited from working with Gula (our Islington florist branch manager, who happens to be a world class designer) and the way she mixes different colours is simply amazing.

Finally, who will win the Barclays Premier league this year?

I don’t watch football, sorry.

Thank you Miki, nice to have you aboard.

Thank you very much.

Fast Flower Delivery Like Never Before, Here at Flower Station

On the subject of fast flower deliveries, the thinking heads here at Flower Station’s headquarters have come up with another brilliant idea – guaranteed deliveries in less than two hours for anywhere in London. If one takes the scale of this undertaking, as London is a pretty big place and it takes a very long time to make a special bunch of flowers, it becomes clear just how difficult this can get. However, we have undertaken it and have made sure each and every one of these deliveries have been completed already with great feedback. So, if you’re one of those people who does things at the very last minute, you can rest assured that somewhere out there in this great city of ours there is a company by the name of Flower Station that will serve your needs. An example of an ecstatic customer who emailed us last Friday can be seen below:

I was recommended to your website by a close associate of mine who works with me in Dubai and who regularly sends flowers to his wife in London. I managed to take the web address down, however being a little busy, I did manage to leave things till the very last minute. The great surprise was seeing the guaranteed two hour delivery. Bigger surprise still was that it arrived 30 minutes after I ordered by bouquet. I cannot explain to you just how great a service you have done to me today and I will happily recommend your wonderful services to any of my friends. Once again thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Ahmad

Not to beat our own drum here, but I guess the best thing about our flower fleet here is that the guys are trained professionally at what they do. Most of the drivers have been with us for years and know how to handle flower parcels properly. This becomes extremely useful especially at those sharp turns with lots of fragile vases in the van. An amazing thing is that, if your flower bouquet, flowers basket, or even a potted plant is being delivered to London, we will accomplish this for no extra fee whatsoever with our FREE fast London flower delivery.

All the rest of our UK flower deliveries have to be placed on our next day schedule and, for now at least, we cannot offer a two hour flower delivery service nationwide, but you never know what the future holds I say. In the meantime, please keep checking our blog pages as we have some real developments coming up and some tasty news about our industry, as well as the company itself. If you have the time please also email us at info@flowerstation.co.uk with any blog topics that you may want us to write about. Any questions, or queries are also welcome.

A Spring Star - The Beautiful Iris Flowers

When looking to buy amazing, but inexpensive spring flowers, then why not go with the irises. They are hugely thankful and extremely versatile. Our florist designers simply love them and use them in traditional as well as contemporary arrangements. They are extremely popular and used as flowers for beautiful office flowers and are constantly featured in many of our event flowers at this time of the year. However, though our florists are very familiar with this beautiful flower, we do find that a lot of our customers are not – the iris is the equivalent of a forgotten cousin, much loved but not seen nearly often enough. Hence the article and our small request for you to go out and try them, either from our website or one of our stunning London florist shops.

For Mother’s Day in particular we have seen a huge rise in the purchase of irises and we have made sure to include them in our hand-tied bouquet displays, flower and even plant baskets. From what we hear so far, they really were loved and were a great success. So much so in fact that we will not only repeat this feat for next year’s Mother’s Day, but we are now also expanding our product range with irises and these new flower arrangements should be available to buy from our website by the end of this week.

If you’re looking to send iris flowers to your loved one, you should know that the iris is the Greek goddess for the messenger of love and her sacred flower is considered as the symbol of communication and messages. As such, in the language of flowers, the iris is the symbol of eloquence. Furthermore, depending on its colour, the iris flowers carry different meanings with blue iris symbolising hope and faith, purple iris is a symbol of wisdom and compliments, whilst the white iris is the symbol of all that is pure, as with most white flowers and plants.

The iris flower has also gone through a bit of regeneration in recent times and the varieties of this flower include Blue Magic and Casablanca irises which have flowers that open at the top of the stem, meaning that the end result is even more stunning and eye catching. We suggest combining iris stems with daffodils, or even tulips to make great flower arrangements in small pots, urns and any rustic tins to create fabulous arrangements that will look stunning in any household and will just get better and better in the week after you buy them. They will also look great on their own (as a possible kitchen table or a window arrangement) and can be combined with sweet scented eucalyptus too. Whatever your choice; we’re sure that the iris will not let you down, so go out and buy them today, or call our expert florists on 020 7724 7525. Remember, we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Mothers Day Flowers and Celebration History

All people, that I know at least, celebrate Mother’s Day. It is a great occasion to thank your mum for the greatest gift of all and for all the other wonderful things our mums have given us over the years. Considering their sacrifices, it is no wonder than to see people in search of great gifts to send to their mums on this day and flower shops do get their very fair share at this time. The timing of Mother’s Day is also on our side and the usual suspects of hyacinths, daffodils, anemones and tulips are all there for us to choose from.

At Flower Station we have tried to give you a great range to choose from and have even added plants to this year’s selection. However we are also here to help you just in case you have any other unique ideas that you think will work and you would like us to construct for you, so give one of our shops a call and we’ll take it from there.

The history of Mother’s Day is actually a modern one and it is a counterpart of Father’s Day. It was believed that Greeks themselves had celebrated this day in some form, but there is no actual proof to support this theory. Here in the UK, the holiday came about based on the old Christian tradition of visiting your mother church once every year. As is the case, most people did this around Easter time, which is why the holiday appeared around that time too. The tradition had somewhat waned and it had really come into full practice when it was first made into an official holiday by US President Woodrow Wilson and has been celebrated ever since, spreading easily around Western World together with the emancipation of women.

There are even other ideas of where the origin came from, but we will not get into these today. I guess the most important thing is that this really is a special time that we have all come to appreciate, celebrate and love. It is also certain that Mother’s Day will be celebrated long into the future with all of us making sure that our mums know how special they really are to us.

There are also other celebrations of this day on different dates and in somewhat different forms, depending on where you are in the world of course. In Japan, for example, flowers are almost an official gift and the holiday is marketed just as much as it is in the UK and the US. Whilst in China, the holiday is not yet official, but is certainly rising in popularity with more and more people showing interest and sending gifts to their mums.

The most important thing, of course, is that regardless of where you happen to live in the world and regardless of when you may celebrate Mother’s Day, it is most important simply that we all do. Our mothers are loved by us all and this is no different in any culture or a country. They are the ones who raise, feed and always take care of us. So, do not forget to look at our Mother’s Day flowers and plants section and we’ll make sure to make your mum happy.

Event Flowers at Public, Chelsea

Sometimes, I have to admit, I get lucky enough to be taken for a ride in one of our cool flower vans to see how our designer florists create event flowers. I say lucky mostly because it is a perfect time to see how talented these guys really are and I just cannot get bored of seeing something so magnificent and big created by a single person in less than one hour. From the start it seems obvious that they know where the design is heading and the mix of colours is always somehow suited to the ambiance.

In this particular case I was impressed by the fact that the girl in charge had never seen the club, but still from a simple set of notes she was able, with a help of a very creative junior florist, to comfortably come up with the right solution that our customer in particular (and most importantly) had really liked.

At present Flower Station is taking bookings for weddings and I am told I will get an opportunity to take plenty more photos in some of the most impressive settings London has to offer. At the same time I have seen a list of designer clothing labels and many other cool fashionable companies that we are about to service. Watch this space.

Wedding season is upon us

There is no doubt that people get married throughout the year and there really is a lot to say for those wonderful winter settings. Certainly a few weddings we have done at the close of last year spring to mind and we are extremely happy to report them as great successes. However, there is also little doubt in the fact that over 85% of all the weddings we do happen in May to August period – the so called wedding season. Our specialist wedding planners have already started planning for a few of these last year and we are now in the full mode with people queuing to reserve their places in our calendar.

Sometimes a simple wedding idea may be the most effective one

I guess the main reason behind our success here is the fact that we recognise all our customers as different individuals and accordingly treat them as such. Another reason could be our great pricing and amazing attention to detail, always trying to ensure every last detail is taken care of and the bride and the groom end up happy in all that we do. People have commented on our pricing levels, which can be seen in our weddings page. And though an exciting time, weddings can also be extremely stressful and expensive, which is where we come in I hope. As a general rule of thumb, it is always a good idea to know what your wedding flower budget is and to have this in mind when talking to a florist. Sometimes a great idea may not be realistic and there really is nothing harder than letting someone know that their wedding idea just does not fall within their budget. As a general rule of thumb, people usually spend around 5% of their total wedding budget on flowers.

Our table centres start from £19.50, give us a call today for your free quote

One thing is always certain and that is that no two wedding are ever the same. Some are elegant and some like to splash out on crazy ideas and elaborate designs. At the same time some couples know exactly what they want and some need a little more guidance. The two things that always have an influence on the final design is the wedding venue and the second is personal taste of course. This is where Flower Station’s wedding specialists are especially useful as our policy is always to try and understand the taste of the groom and more importantly the bride and show them designs that will not only suit this, but also the wedding hall, stay within the budget and make everybody exceedingly happy.

Mixing vibrant colours is a great idea that works wonders in summer

We have also had quite a few tremendous wedding seasons before, which means we have accumulated a great wealth of knowledge and experience over the last few years. So not only will you be in hands of someone who is tremendously qualified and enthusiastic about their work, but you will also have access to our huge library of wedding photos at your disposal. So, if you, or your friend or a relative is having a wedding this summer, it may just be a good idea for you to give us a call, or write an email to our head specialist Viva Corliss on viva@flowerstation.co.uk who will make sure to take care of all your wedding flower needs.

Flowers in Art

Expressing emotions and sentiments through flowers has long been a part of our human interactions. Their visual and sensual beauty is insurmountable and this has led many an artist to choose flowers as their favourite subject to paint. And though, unlike fresh flowers, these paintings cannot bring the smells and the feel of real flowers into your room, they can certainly bring a feel of nature and remind someone of their utter beauty. Some of the more famous artists to have painted flowers include Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse and more recently – Georgia O Keefe.

One of van Gogh's glorious sunflower paintings, as displayed on a stamp

Flower paintings, it seems, have particularly been associated with impressionism. Van Gogh’s paintings are recognised the world over and it is his painting of sunflowers in particular which have impressed so much and in the photo here, have even made it on to a stamp. Van Gogh’s paintings of sunflowers are said to treat each of these wonderful flowers almost as a subject in its own right as there are definite differences in the structure of these flowers in most of these paintings. Van Gogh even commented to his brother that he’s going to make the sunflower his own. For van Gogh, to paint sunflowers was beautiful – they were awkward and lumpy, whilst undoubtedly beautiful and quite glorious at the same time.

Another great artist who was also influenced by impressionism and who loved to paint beautiful things like flowers was Henri Matisse. Matisse’s passion for bright colours and broad strokes lent itself easily to flower paintings. He even commented “There are always flowers for those who want to see them”. He was well known for putting flowers next to his paintings to see how rich the colours in his pictures are (often he would find that they’re actually not in comparison to the texture of the flowers).

Vase with flowers by Henri Matisse

Obviously it is not just the artists who have been influenced by impressionism that have painted flowers. There have been many, many others both prior and after. In our own time artists have recognized the beauty and endurance of flowers and this was reflected by a famous American artist Georgia O’Keeffe who commented:

"Nobody sees a flower, really, it is so small. We haven't time - and to see takes time like to have a friend takes time. If I could paint the flower exactly as I see it no one would see what I see because I would paint it small like the flower is small. So I said to myself - I'll paint what I see - what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it - I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers. ...Well, I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my flower you hung all your own associations with flowers on my flower and you write about my flower as if I think”...

Red Poppy by Georgia O'Keeffe

It is of no surprise then that O’Keeffe’s flower paintings had stopped viewers in their tracks as the absurd beauty and abundant sensuality of flowers was shown by her imaginative and original way of painting. It will be of no surprise for us to say that we will keep admiring these paintings and await any new geniuses looking to paint our glorious flowers with open arms.

Islington gets its very own Flower Station

Yes, I know – it’s been a while. In my defence we really have been ‘all hands on deck’ with the opening of our new florist shop and the Valentine’s Day just around the corner from now. It really is an exciting time here for us at the Flower Station and I will be taking photos over the next few days to try and show our loyal followers just how super this time of the year is. Apart from all the unusual flower orders that we see requested (see my previous blog for 1001 Tulips!), it is also a rare time when all of our florists are at the shop together at the same time. There is definitely a Valentine’s buzz in the air and the excitement is felt all the way through to our customers, some of which come to our shops simply to see the magic being made. As always, there will be plenty of this, with many of our enthusiastic florists showing off their sublime skills – just one of the reasons why you may want to see a sign, as below, in your area.

The sign of all things floral about to come your way

This excitement has been especially felt in our new boutique-style shop in Islington. Many of the residents have already come to say hi and have shown their enthusiasm for our little business. We really are hugely grateful and are starting to feel like part of this splendid community. The florist team keep sending us emails and other compliments that have come our way already, which make us a little more comfortable as to the future of this shop and we cannot wait to hear some more. Keep them coming guys!

Doors are finally opened

I thought it would be quite a good idea to show our customers the way some of our shops look inside. And though a little unhappy that we just dropped in at our florists without giving them time to prepare, we were nevertheless taken aback by some of the bouquets on display. And though unfinished, but endlessly improving, we thought the display of flowers in the shop was still quite good. We were thereafter told to come back in two weeks time and take some more photos, as some more improvements are added. We may just do that indeed.

Starter's selection

For any ideas on how to improve our little shop, please contact us. For any idea that’s taken on board, we will send out a completely free luxury tropical arrangement bouquet to any UK address of your choice. Many thanks in advance.

Very Special Flower Orders and Crazy Ideas for Valentine's Day

Just around the pre Valentine’s Day time we start receiving some quite amazing orders. This year is no different with a few chaps already busy on the phone lines inquiring about extravagant flower arrangement ideas and elaborate flower designs. One such order came in just last week with one gentleman asking for 1001 tulips bouquet! We scratched our heads at first at the thought of how this is to be done and this is why....

Flower Station: Where amazing happens

We have some amazing vases, urns and pots in the shop and immediately the florist on the phone had suggested putting this amazing selection of flowers in one of these. However, the customer had refused and insisted on having a bouquet of 1001 tulips only, no vases, pots, oasis, or anything of the kind that would help us greatly in this matter was to be allowed. The florist had to put these flowers together by themselves and deliver them as such in clear cellophane with a red bow at the top. Basically, our customer was after a hand-tied bouquet of 1001 flowers!

So good we had to take a photo of this bouquet twice

Now, this may not sound all that impressive or hard to someone who has never made a hand-tied bouquet, or to someone who has never seen one made. But, just imagine that most bouquets are made by using between 20 and 50 stems of flowers and add to this the fact that the tulips have very thick stems and relatively short stems as well. Meaning that they are doubly hard to arrange in a bouquet and a florist will usually start having troubles with arranging a bouquet of tulips when they get to around 40 stems. And not to mention tying them together afterwards.

As you can see – the mission was accomplished and the magnificent result was there for all to see. Just how it was done however, is a bit of a trade secret and I was not allowed to disclose this information. All I can say is that if you are after 1001 tulips arranged as a hand-tied bouquet, then you really should only be contacting us. If you’re after an extravagant flower arrangement this Valentine’s Day, please get in touch with us as early as possible. You will not only save money, but ensure that your very special flower order is not refused on the day.

How to Look After Cut Flowers

Here at Flower Station we have rigorous controls that keep our cut flowers as fresh as we think is humanly possible. Some of the examples can be seen with our huge walk-in “fridge-room” at our main London florist, 6 daily flower delivery shipments from Holland, Costa Rica and Italy a week, as well as constant checking and careful conditioning of flowers by our UK florists and cleaners. I have been told that there are some more tricks and knowing that a hand designed bouquet of flowers is one of the greatest gifts one can receive, I have decided to put some tips and ensure that your spectacular arrangements stay as long and as fresh as possible in your household.

Always, always, always pay attention to what you're about to cut

Your flowers will always be carefully aqua packed to ensure greatest possible freshness by our florists. However, upon receiving your flowers it is a good idea to place them in a glass vase straight away. This will not only ensure that your flowers are given more breathing space outside of the original wrapping, but give you the best chance to enjoy them as well, as they will undoubtedly always look better in a nice container. Remember at this point that flowers are thirsty creatures and will want to drink a lot of water. So, as a rule of thumb, always make sure that the water levels are always higher rather than lower and make sure that the vase is always three quarters full (some foliage may sometimes have shorter stems that won’t reach as far inside the vase and with big bouquets especially, you will not be able to notice this).

It may seem obvious but changing water is of paramount importance to keeping your flowers fresh too. If possible change the water in your vase once a day, otherwise every two to three days will still be ok, not perfect, but nevertheless ok. When changing water remember to clean out any debris left on the stems. Leaves as well as broken pieces of stems can cause bacteria to build in the container, which will not only look dirty, but will shorten the lifespan of all the flowers in the vase. A very good idea would be to also wash the inside of the vase before placing the flowers back in.

Try to mix in flower food in with the clean water in the vase. Yes – flower food. It may sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but the little sachets that come with your bouquet are full of essential nutrients that will help feed the flowers and increase their lifespan. Ensure also, just before you place the flowers in the water, that you cut the stems at the bottom of the bouquet at an angle, ensuring that the stems soak up as much water as possible. You will find it easiest with scissors and it really is important to use a slightly sharper object (be safe now), and cut without smashing or flattening the stems, especially when dealing with softer flowers, such as tulips, freesias, daffodils, etc.

Lastly, if buying lilies or amaryllis, beware of the pollen on these flowers. It can stain skin and clothing, so take care when around them. In case you do get stained; use cello tape to take these stains off, as brushing alone will make it worse.

Getting it Right on Valentine's Day

What to send? That is the question. Don’t worry guys; help is on the way, just read on.

With an increase in the colours and variety of flowers, it is getting increasingly harder to get it right when choosing the right flowers for your loved one. Of course, flowers are still the main choice of gifts and are almost expected by the recipient these days, so do not dare come home without them. Red roses, so long the dominant force behind everything romantic, will, as always, remain at the centre of most people’s choices and they really have an allure that is very hard to resist. Red rose is a symbol of love, romance and passion and will always remain so. Certainly for couples who are already married, or are just silly in love, we recommend this magnificent flower. For newly-mets, friends, or should I dare say ‘possibles’; there are also the following choices and not just roses.

Whilst passion is so clearly symbolised by red roses, the rest of the pack, such as white, yellow and pink roses are also becoming great sellers on Valentine’s Day and not without a reason. Apart from being super elegant, white roses reflect purity, sophistication, innocence and friendship. The white rose is also known as the wedding flower, again demonstrating the purity of it. Yellow roses have, throughout history, been closely associated with the sun and, as such, with light and warmth. In most of our Western societies, yellow roses are associated with friendship and joy and a bouquet of yellow roses will bring to mind all things cheerful, happy and sunny. They are an ideal way to brighten up someone’s day. Finally pink roses have always been symbols of grace and elegance. These days they are seen as a symbol of appreciation. The fact that they come in so many shades has helped, as people choose lighter shades for lighter emotional messages.

Other choices also include tulips, gerberas, lilies and even some tropical flowers when in need of something really unusual. After all, tulips are actually referred to as the perfect lover flowers – do you really need a better symbol on this day? What’s more is that girls and women in general really love tulips as they are a pure delight. They’re very unpretentious, charming, fun, simple and uncomplicated and change shapes according to whatever they feel like, once you leave them in a vase full of water. Gerberas are also just as cheerful as the tulips and are the classic symbol of beauty. The variety of colours is huge when it comes to gerberas and they are used as such for a multitude of occasions. Another great and fun way to send gerberas is by mixing as many colours in one bouquet – combination that never fails to satisfy. Lilies have also come to symbolise many things, due, again, to a very great variety being discovered. Mostly, however, they have come to symbolize friendship and devotion towards the one you love.

Finally, however, if you’re after something truly different, than send tropical flowers. My personal favourites are ginger flowers. Usually they come in pink and red, but there is a white variety as well. These flowers symbolise strength, prosperity and diversity, whilst the general meaning is proud and majestic. Another great tropical variety is a protea flower. It too comes in a great number of shapes and sizes with up to 1400 different varieties available. The protea flowers symbolize diversity and courage and are also a great choice for anyone choosing to send something different on Valentine’s Day.

So, there you go chaps. I do sincerely hope I have helped you a little bit, please send your questions over to us if you’re really stuck.

A Chrysanthemum Every Season, For Any Reason

I do like a great fighter and especially a great comeback fighter. Chrysanthemum flowers are actually just that. After a long period of not being very popular and being considered as quite common and cheap even, they are now back with a bang. I guess flowers really are similar to fashionable items and designs. One moment you’re hot and popular, the next moment you’re old, squeaky and unwanted. Well, not so with chrysanthemums anymore and this is especially reflected in our online flower sales whereby more and more people are sending chrysanthemums as flowers of popular choice. So much so in fact that I find myself not only writing about them, but we are looking to propel them to one of the more popular flowers (close to roses) and more of their products are on the way, so watch this space as our expert florists are already putting their great minds onto this subject matter.

The meaning of chrysanthemums varies, but they normally stand for admiration, love, happiness, cheerfulness and praise. If sending flowers to a great friend, you really will struggle with a better choice of flowers. As with many other flowers, the colours are also important and sending a red bunch of chrysanthemums will express love, whilst a white colour will have connotations of innocence, purity and truth. The chrysanthemum is also a flower of the zodiac sign Scorpio and a great idea would be to send a bouquet of hand tied chrysanthemums to your loved one, if he or she is of this zodiac sign. This wonderful flower also has an astonishing list of alternative names such as wild chamomile, bachelor’s buttons, featherfew, featherfoil, ox-eye daisy, dun daisy, Ju Jua. More astonishing even is that the sunflower is also in the chrysanthemum flower family!

The cultural significance of chrysanthemums is very diverse as it is one of the oldest cultivated flowers ever. In both Japan and China, it is seen as the symbol of the sun and it is considered a noble flowers. In Japan (where the sun is a symbol of the nation) the chrysanthemum is the actual symbolic flower of the nation and its name literally translates as ‘Sun Origin’

Chrysanthemum plants also make fine gifts. And apart from being wonderful, they will not drain your pocket as they are quite cheap and will provide all the colour your garden needs. Especially when the summer is about to end and most people start to just about give up on their gardens. They are easily potted and as they are hardy (unlike most summer plants), they will come back year after year. Meaning that you don’t have to discard them, just wait for the blooms to reappear next year.

So, let this be chrysanthemum’s year. Forget the plant snobs and the foolish critics. Chrysanthemums are in now and set to stay for a long time to come.

Flowers in Islington Just Got a Whole Lot Better

If you’re a resident of Islington, or Angel in North 1 London, you may be happy to hear that Flower Station is opening up in your area soon. The premises at No 5 Theberton Street have already been acquired and the work is under way to bring a beautiful florist shop to life in Islington. We certainly hope to bring you never before seen designs, innovative and classy hand tied bouquets, flower and basket arrangements, contemporary glass vase arrangements and many others. This really is the result of our big popularity with quite a few residents of Islington who somehow managed to find time to come to our shop nearby in London’s Regent’s Park in their droves already. It really was the most logical solution for us and, we very much hope; for our very precious customers too.

We instantly fell in love with the boutique florist shop and knew that it pretty much ticked all our boxes from day one. We are hoping to recreate our previous successes and have very high hopes for this shop. Of course, as any florist knows, this is very much a long term strategy for us, and we will be looking to show our customers in Islington that they really can buy luxury, designer fresh flowers at very affordable prices.

I thought it would be interesting to put a few photos of the shop as it develops. Personally I really love seeing things as they grow and develop and, as such, am hoping this article will be of interest to a few of our followers out there. This is a bit of a new concept for us, but certainly the one that we think will be very successful.

What a difference a day makes. Installing wires, sanding the floor and doing other preparatory work before the secondary, more ‘technical’, builders team moves in. I was inside for only 5 minutes and had managed to get myself totally covered in dust. I’m not sure why I ignored the mask sign at the entrance.

I will certainly be reporting next week as to how the works develop. In any case, Islington is about to get its very own Flower Station by the end of January. I simply cannot wait. For any more information on this flower shop, to apply for work as a florist, or if you’re a neighbour and would like to get to know us a little better, please contact us.

We Say NO To VAT Price Increase

With the recent increase in the standard rate of VAT from 17.5% to 20% that has come in force on 4th of January 2011, all sales of standard rated goods and services will be charged at the 20% rate. Meaning that retailers, including most florists, all across the country have been putting up prices in order to account for this price hike. Of course, we will certainly not dwell on whether this is a good economic solution for the United Kingdom as we really mostly are interested in flowers and our customers’ satisfaction in our products. And as such, in order to try and keep their smiles as wide as possible, we have decided not to go with the flow and keep from the increase in our flowers delivery for as long as possible. Just another small favour, but it really does matter that much to us.

Let me tell you how it will be. There's one for you, nineteen for me.

On the subject of saving money, I have realised just how fairly priced our hand tied bouquets are when, after forgetting about a certain somebody’s birthday, I was forced to buy flowers at a certain florist who’s based in Central London (I really should actually keep this away from the Flower Station’s fanatics that I sit next to every day). After telling this florist that I was after a mixed gerberas bouquet of flowers that I thought would be quiet simple and cheerful – I had ended up forking out £50 for a minute bouquet that I could tell was not even expertly put together. To think that a Mass of 20 Gerberas in our shops costs only £19.99 with a FREE delivery included. It had really made me a little angry, but at least a little more convinced and motivated to fight for our little cause and make sure that luxury flowers are available and affordable for just about any pocket. I have since made myself a promise to think ahead, especially when it comes to buying presents for birthdays.

Happy New Year to all our Loyal Customers

As we wave goodbye to 2010 and enter 2011 we do so with tremendous optimism here at Flower Station Ltd. 2010 has been a year of tremendous growth in every aspect of our business. We have done more wedding flowers and worked more prestigious events than ever before; our corporate flowers client base has more than doubled; our gardening team has tripled and we are now looking at creating a separate company that will deal with this aspect alone; and finally of course we have seen huge improvements in flowerstation.co.uk and we are hoping that this will turn into a huge branch of our business, as more and more people discover the great value and quality of our luxury flowers online.

I guess the most exciting part for me has been the growth of our whole team. In our talented office we have attained some truly gifted individuals who have helped push our internet site onto a new level and others who have been able to channel their energies into promoting our brand across London and now the UK as well. In our florist shop we have acquired new florists and gardeners with a whole new set of ideas and whole new ways of designing flower vases, bouquets and basket arrangements that we have never thought of before that point. It is an integral part of our company’s ethos to keep this individuality and maximise it whenever we can. Again, we’re not just an online florist where things come pre-packaged. All our bouquets are hand-made and always, always come with their own individuality and care that just cannot be offered by a machine, or even a human in a mass production line.

The level of interest in our florist shop has been remarkable. This we’ve seen in the local, national as well as international media. Perhaps the most curious case we’ve had was a call from a Japanese fashion magazine who have done a tremendous piece on us. We have also been quite surprised at the level of calls and emails we now receive with our customers asking us how best to look after their cut flowers and plants, or to see if they can enrol in our flower school. We still haven’t opened the school as it is, but it does remain one of our aims and we hope to achieve this by the end of 2011. All such calls are greatly welcomed, as we recognise the fact that people trust us with our expert opinions and there is nothing more that we like to see than our product lasting as long as possible in your house with our logo on :).

I’m also going to use this opportunity to thank all our customers for their loyalty and I sincerely wish them a tremendously happy New Year. I hope this coming year will be the best one yet and I hope that we will be able to build on our successes from last year. Certainly what you can most look forward to is our never ending desire to keep our products fresh and of great quality and design. We will also be looking to add a few new design elements that will give you an even greater range of flower and plant arrangements to choose from in 2011.

Happy, Happy, Happy

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to All Our Customers!

By this time in December, most of us have already picked and adorned our Christmas trees, the Christmas wreath has been placed lovingly on the front door, and those of us true romantics may even have a sprig of mistletoe hanging from a door way

We know this is an essential part of holiday festivities, and we all know how good it can make you feel deciding exactly which branch each shiny bauble and string of tinsel is placed. But do any of us know where these traditions started or why?

An example of a decorative wreath we have done for an exclusive customer of ours

Trees, wreaths and mistletoe as decoration have been used for centuries, originating as far back as Greek times. These decorations all have deep-rooted symbolic value. The wreath is a symbol of success and importance. In Greek times, Kings and heroes wore wreaths on their heads as a type of crown. Sportsmen were awarded a wreath as a sign of success at the Olympic Games in Athens. These wreaths were made with evergreen leaves and branches, so could be hung up as a trophy long after their creation. Wreaths have increased in size since then, and have become a trophy in their own right for those purchasing them. The bigger and more ornate - the better! Is mine more beautiful than my neighbour's? (If you bought it from Flower Station, then yes.)

Christmas trees are also an evergreen plant. They were used as a symbol to remind people to be hopeful during the bitter Winter and that there will come spring and the renewal of life. They were simpler times back then, and a barren winter was difficult to endure without indoor heating and boiling water at everyone's disposal. It is easy to forget how lucky we are in a modern day society. Winter is a bit annoying for us, as we may not be able catch our 2 hour flight to Paris or use the entire length of the Piccadilly line, but is hardly something that we won't be able to endure.

My favourite - mistletoe. There is an old folklore about Frigga, the Goddess of love and her son Balder, God of Summer sun. It is quite a long story, so I will cut to the end. Basically, Frigga used mistletoe to save her son's life, and was so happy to have to have done this she kisses everyone who walks past the tree on which the plant grew. A decree is made that no harm should ever befall he who stands under the humble mistletoe, only a kiss – a token of love. An ancient tradition that will surely continue for centuries to come, and I'm sure we can all agree why...

Therefore, this festive season Flower Station would like to wish all of you: success, remember this when looking at your wreath, hope and a fresh start for the New Year, remember this when you take down your Christmas Tree, and love, who knows, you may find it underneath the mistletoe.

For those of you who still need to purchase your Christmas Tree, please call us on: 020 7724 7525

Introducing Our Team - Stuart The Magician

Over the course of next year we will be introducing our team, our greatest assets really, to our customers on our blog. These are the people who make things happen in our company, make us tick, efficient, creative and ultimately put smiles on the faces of your loved ones. We will introduce our florists, gardeners, drivers and all team leaders of course. As such, who better to start with then Stuart, the leader behind our internet team and all other good things that happen online here at flowerstation.co.uk.

Making it all look so easy

Hello Stu how´s your day so far?

G'day Spale, it's all good, today I'm working on our encyclopaedia, and various other bits, and I'm looking forward to assisting you in your mission to deliver fresh flowers in London and the rest of the UK.

We´re obviously very happy to have you here, but what made you interested in joining our team?

Well, e-commerce sites are fun to work on, and the various other challenges that go along with that can also be fun, and it's a pleasure to work with products that are attractive in their own right, without any assistance from me. Some sites need lots of work to explain the attractiveness of the product - yet with this site, my job is to allow the product to speak for itself. So I'm enjoying putting in the features, in the subtlest way possible.

What do you think of our company so far?

I think it's fab, it's a tight-knit team, with numerous characters and personalities, and of course, who can go wrong with lovely florists in your shop, conveniently located as it is, in central London.

What do you think sets us apart from the competition?

I like the personal service you provide, the attention to detail, the quality product, and of course your fast, easy-to-use website!

What do you hope to achieve while working with us?

My plan is to perfect the underlying ecommerce engine, give you as much control over the site as possible, add all the optimisation techniques I can think of, assist you with promotion, increase sales/day and sales/page view, and generally, push the website to new heights.

What do you think you´ve taken aboard from us already?

There have been some interesting technology challenges, plus I'm learning the various plant names, meanings etc, and working with a fun team is rewarding, so I'm having a ball, long may it continue.

Finally, who will win the Barclays Premier league this year?

OK, so I'm not going to say that sport and website development don't mix, what I will say is, my time is very limited and if I do have some spare, I tend to play some Quake, or read the news! I'm not a nerd, honest!

Thank you Stu, nice to have you aboard.

np :)

Christmas Tree Sales So Far and Tips on Tree Care

After a week of Christmas tree sales here at Flower Station and some very, very cold weather indeed, it is good to see that most of the people have kept their spirits up, certainly if the sale of our Christmas trees is anything to go by. It is lovely to see families coming out to Flower Station, stepping out of their cars with their kids to the tune of Christmas carols that are playing outside of our florist shop just now as I write this blog. It has become a bit of a tradition for people in London to come down and visit us during this wonderful festive time. And people really do come from all places, which is both surprising and quite humbling really. So to help our very loyal customers, or anybody who has so far bought a Christmas tree, or is looking to buy one soon, I have decided to put a small article on how best to look after, or even choose your tree.

Wise choices are best left to the female part of the family

Before you buy your tree think about where you would mostly be likely to put it. Measure the diameter where you will place the tree, as well as the total height to the ceiling where the tree will fit in. At this point also remember to take the size of your Christmas tree stand into account and minus this away from your total floor to ceiling height. Make sure to choose a proper Christmas tree stand that will hold your tree properly and minimise the chances of it ever falling down. Here at Flower Station, we will recommend the ever reliable Cinco stands.

Sometimes slogans make it more clear what it is we're selling

Just like all flowers and plants, Christmas trees are also prone to drying out. As such and if possible of course, cut one inch of the base of the Christmas tree trunk to make sure it drinks as much water it can (yes it actually still drinks and it is usually very thirsty). Also, just like flowers and plants, the Christmas trees will not always enjoy a very warm room as much as you may. Certainly keep the tree away from fireplaces and radiators – these will most certainly ruin it when placed next to them.

Yes, I do believe these are real

When you arrive at your “Christmas tree farm”, or Flower Station :), make sure you bring your gloves and more than anything else, please, please, please and again pretty please with sugar on top; do not come to pick your Christmas tree in your new Dolce and Gabbana outfit and Gucci shoes. Instead bring your old clothes, heavy gloves, some good rope and you’re pretty good to go. Of course, an even easier way is to just let our delivery guys sort it out for you, in which case those Gucci shoes do look mighty fine on you Sir.

6a.m. and ready for inspection

And once Christmas is over make sure to re-cycle your Christmas tree. If you’re not sure how to do this you can always bring the tree back to Flower Station and we’ll take care of the rest. If you would like us to find your borough’s nearest drop off Christmas tree point, please contact us.

Flowers at the 150th anniversary ball for the world famous Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

We are extremely happy to have supplied event flowers this week for the 150th anniversary ball for the world-famous Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. Appropriately, the event was held at the vast marquee at the Battersea Power Station and judging by the comments of our floral designers, who staged the flowers for the event: it had looked quite sublime and nothing short of terrific. Another quite cool and terrific thing was 150 dogs and their handlers who had formed a canine ‘Guard of Honour’ on the red carpet.

The imposing and the wonderful setting of one of London's greatest landmarks

The celebrities included Amanda Holden, X Factor winner Alexandra Burke, Miss Great Britain Finalists, as well as Prince Michael of Kent (the patron of the charity) and many other celebrities. The highlight of the evening was a 40 minute gig by Spike’s All Star Band. They were formed by Spike Edney (Queen’s keyboard player) and featured rock legends such as Brian May and Roger Taylor (Queen’s guitarist and drummer/singer/songwriter respectfully), Patti Russo (female vocalist for Meatloaf), and Roger Daltrey (of The Who).

During the show it was also revealed that the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home had handled more than 3.1 million cats and dogs since it was established in 1860 – a spectacular amount by any measurements. The auction of Dreams had managed to raise £200,000 for this charity and we were very happy to hear that our flower arrangements were also a part of it and are somewhere out there sitting pretty in people’s homes.

The start of our flower decorating at the show

At the same time last week our wonderful, and very Duracell like, florists have also managed to do fabulous flowers for events at The Savoy and Jumeirah Carlton Towers (amongst others), as well as an enormous amount of Christmas decorating all over London (literally). For more information and our pricing please email gordon@flowerstation.co.uk.

Christmas Trees at Flower Station Ltd

We have been excited about Christmas for quite some time now and our shipment of this year’s Christmas trees is just about to hit our florist shop on the 29th of November. Possibly having sensed this our grower has sent us a few photos of Premier non-needle-drop 'Nordmann Fir Christmas trees'. Boy, are we excited now. I guess the Christmas euphoria starts very early in our shop, as our florists have already been busy making notes about who will have their Christmas tree, or other Christmas decorations done on which date and by whom. Last year we have decorated hundreds of businesses and private residences and this year’s orders have already surpassed the last year’s mark.

I guess the exciting thing about this time is also the number of temps we employ. Some of these are family members of florists that are already here and others actually come back to us again to do a little work in between their studies. Mostly what we hear is that people really do enjoy working at our London florist shop and they really do learn a lot. For lovers of horticulture it is almost a perfect opportunity to learn whilst getting paid for it. Not bad at all.

We are very happy to see that our Christmas tree growers take such care with their stock year upon year and it is the main reason we keep coming back – that and the fact that we really do like them (really guys). So, if you’re after a proper Christmas tree this year choose them from our online florist shop, or even come down and see us – with over 2000 Christmas trees, as well as reindeers, rabbits, and many other 'Christmas gifts' – you really would be crazy to go elsewhere. Remember, we also have free parking and not to mention our flower stock of luxury bouquets, longest roses you’re likely to see, baskets of flowers, and many other flower gifts.

Celebrate this 'Christmas' with your family, friends and loved ones, and make sure to buy a proper tree for this occasion from Flower Station Ltd. We are sure you wont be disappointed. For any questions and general queries, please contact us.

Trick or Treat with Halloween Flowers? Overview of October 31st

What a great Halloween we’ve had this year. In fact you could say it was a scream. We believe that most people are now looking to send their loved ones a different sort of a gift from the usual Halloween toy accessories like toy witches, goblins and ghosts. We were certainly not expecting to be as busy as we have been, but nevertheless our florists were not caught off guard and we had managed to pull through unscathed and have still put smiles across the faces of our ever loyal customers. What’s better is that in the process we have managed to capture several photographs of our work, which will come in handy next year. See below for some examples.

We're just not sure where some of these ideas keep coming from

The pumpkin head above was one of our best flower arrangement sellers during this Halloween and we will certainly look to add it to our online flowers products for next year, along with other Halloween gifts our florists had created this year. It came with gerberas, Tom Pearce gold and brown chrysanthemums as well as purple chrysanthemums. We had sold this flower arrangement for an amazing £15.99! And yes, this still includes your free flower delivery to any London postcode.

Some of the halloween flower arrangements made me really happy to be a part of the amazing Flower Station team

The above flower arrangement was also designed in a pumpkin head. It is more elaborate than the former and is possibly a better choice for the real lover of flowers who doesn't mind a bit of fun as well. Flowers include green calla lilies, choco anthuriums, yellow painted brassica cabbages, as well as chrysanthemums, red berries and roses. A very popular choice amongst our flower folk and comes in at £29.99. I think we are beginning to see why our London florist shop is becoming more popular by the day.

Halloween Flowers

There were many more Halloween flower gifts, but my guess is you will have to wait till next year to see them, as talking about them on this blog will just not be fair to the rest of our little stories. We think that Halloween flowers will be an even bigger hit next year at our London florist shop, as flowers such as gerberas, sunflowers, roses, lilies, chrysanthemums and curly twigs lend themselves so easily to being incorporated with Halloween products to make for that extra bit of drama. And our florists are just too good when it comes to innovative flower designs. Just remember, we will be even more ready for you next time, but do book early for your London flower delivery (or even a UK flower delivery) to ensure against any possible disappointments.

Flower Station - not just for cut flowers

Here at Flower Station we supply all kinds of cut flowers one can imagine and sometimes even the ones which you never thought existed. However a lot of people are surprised to see that we also do gardening and landscaping too. Most of this is done for our corporate contracts who are so happy with our flower services that they end up asking us to supply their interior and exterior planting. Here our specialist gardeners and planters are doing contemporary planters and plants for modern office buildings, tropical plants for special theme restaurants and of course private gardens and residences. Just this week a new member of our planting staff – David – had went out with Steven (a senior member of our gardening team) on an outside planting job to learn the ropes. From what we hear David was quiet good and Steven had given him 8 out of 10 marks, which bodes well for the future of Flower Station and this young man.

Steven shows off his hedging skills

This particular job, I have been told, was particularly impressive as the guys were constantly taken care of by the pub’s staff with teas and biscuits. As it was just over their work time by the time the job was finished, the ‘constant care’ carried on in the pub where the guys were treated to a pint of beer – I even heard the celebrations went into the night :) But, in all seriousness, it is great to see a lot of our 'corporate business'flower and plant contracts look out for our guys. I think the bonds created between us and a lot of the companies that we supply flowers and plants to are quite special indeed. And I’m sure a lot of this stems from the fact that they can very obviously see just how special, dedicated and talented our florists and gardeners are. We are quite tough on who we select, remember – it takes constant practise to make the grade for the Flower Station’s team, but once we think the employee is good enough, we will look to keep them, increase their talents, and together again improve our small brand that we are very much proud of.

We're not sure what David (on the right) just had in mind with the broom

If you’re thinking of a career in gardening or floristry, why don’t you forward us your CV and a cover letter explaining why you would be a good addition to our shop to info@flowerstation.co.uk We are always on the lookout for talented florists and gardeners, but above all we are looking for passion, an ever ending will to learn and willingness to (at times) go above and beyond the point of call. If you’re not a proven gardener or a florist, but are very passionate about the industry and would like a start somewhere, just give us a go as you never know. Your passion will pull you through and here we will recognize that. David did and we are all better for it already.

Our very own Long Stems football team plays its first game

Flower Station’s football team does rather look like they should be on a basketball pitch instead, with the average height of 6 feet and 2 inches. But for a little bit of charity fundraising, team-bonding and general fun really, we at Flower Station have decided to enter a football competition and we will look to report on it as weeks go by. It was all a brainchild of our flower delivery guys, our resident florists and our very own GM Gordon K. As it was, we surprised ourselves in being able to compete a little bit and will hopefully look to remain in good shape for the rest of the season. We were especially proud of Mr Sean Healy, who has been with us for almost 4 years now and as the head of flower transport logistics we couldn’t do without – he’s the man behind all our drivers’ deliveries and behind all our customers receiving flower deliveries on time. Sean was our goalie and in true David Seaman fashion he kept us from being totally annihilated. Below are some of the photos from the game we hope you’ll enjoy.

Flower Station's 'Long Stems' happy after the first game

Our GM Gordon K shows off the Messi-like skills

We didn't quite know whether David Seaman had really retired

Our MD's performance will be discussed behind closed doors

We had great fun playing football and representing Flower Station on a different field of play. It was one of those rare opportunities where some of our florists, flower delivery drivers and managers could all come together in one single team. Although different roles were assumed, it had reminded me, watching from the sidelines (being a bit of an IT geek not quite ready to join in), of our very own company and how different people use different skills and how everybody does what they are best suited to do, ultimately what they most like to do as well. I would personally recommend this sort of a bonding experience to any company out there looking to learn about and care for its employees. It was certainly an enjoyable night out for me and I am really looking out for the next game. Flower Station GO GO GO!!!

Interesting Flower Names

The world of flowers is truly fascinating. The scientific names of flowers are usually thought of as extremely cumbersome and just not easy to remember at all. But, when one looks at the names behind these flowers, the world of flowers becomes even more interesting all of a sudden. Most people would recognise with ease what roses, lilies, carnations, sunflowers or gerberas are. However we are not too sure that the same would apply to Helianthus annuus (sunflowers) or Asteracwae (gerberas). A lot of these names are based on the structure, appearance and fragrance. However, humans being humans, the flower names have also been based on sexual organs (a very surprising amount indeed!), folk legends, medicinal uses and some we are still scratching our heads about. Let’s look at one or two of these and we’ll show you what we mean.

Naked Ladies

I couldn’t stop laughing the first time I saw the name of this flower and sorry to disappoint you guys, but this small article will be about the flower better known as the Naked lady. Naturally this flower is a native of Japan and has a rather awkward looking flower head, quite similar to that of amaryllis. The bloom is of pink colour and grows as high as 7 inches, at around the same time that "a href = "http://www.flowerstation.co.uk/public/search.php?terms=daffodils" >daffodils do on a long skinny leafless stem. In late spring, as the weather warms up, these flowers slowly disappear. Naked lady flower is also sometimes referred to as ‘magic lily’, or even ‘surprise lily’.

Naked Ladies Flowers

Ladies Bedstraw

Ladies bedstraw (Galium verum) is usually found near the sea on dry banks. You will recognise the flower as it is densely populated with tiny yellow blooms at the top of an upright stem that measures between 1 to 3 feet in height. The flower blooms beautifully in summer months of July and August. To our great delight this bloom is also known as Maid’s Hair, Petty Mugget, Cheese Rennet or even Yellow Bedstraw. The most obvious reason behind the name is the fact that this flower releases relaxants when dried, which can then be put in herbal pillows. The flower can also be used to furnish a yellow dye from its fresh leaves.

Ladies Bedstraw Flowers

Love in a Puff

Love in a puff (Cardiospermum halicacabum) is a plant that has an exciting combination of white flowers, distinctive pods and beautiful leaves. Love-in-a-puff can really bring elegance into just about any setting and can grows to approximately 8 feet in height. The white blooming flowers are really lovely, but the seed pods really make this plant into quite an amazing feature. This is because seed pods start out as puffy green pillows that will eventually turn brown in autumn. However, when squeezed, there will eventually be three white heart shapes inside – enough to make any romantic weep!

Love-in-a-Puff Flower

Chinese Houses

A very ‘showy’ and a vary beautiful flower indeed. This annual grows on north slopes and is usually found under trees and other shady places. Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla) is a native of California and blooms through spring to summer. This flower has around an inch long of pale purple to pink flowers and is around four inches to four feet tall. Don’t feel bad if you confuse this flower to snapdragons, as the two are very similar. The plant is also known as Innocence.

Chinese Houses Flowers

With Christmas approaching Flower Station's preparations are already in full swing

With the busy season of Christmas approaching, our florist team at Flower Station is already in full swing of preparations. In fact we have been for the past three months! The orders from our corporate flower contracts have been flowing in at an unbelievable rate and we have made sure of capable extra hands for the busy days ahead. We have found restaurants, hotels and hair salons that we normally decorate with flowers and plants, to be especially vigorous in applying early to get us to decorate their businesses. Whether they’re after a simple wreath, a fully decorated Christmas tree, or a full on Christmas decoration, they’ve been confident enough to entrust Flower Station with the job. Having seen what we have done last year, it is also prudent to ensure their place in the queue. To ask about our price list and our Christmas services, contact us – all orders received before 1st of November will receive a 10% discount. All Christmas trees supplied, as usual, will be non-drop, super-premium Nordman firs.

If you’re really into your festivities, then why not visit our central London florist shop and choose from a selection of 2000 Nordman firs we have coming to us this year. Remember, we have free parking for you, so there is nothing to stop you from driving home with a huge smile on your face. For those who have a little less time, please keep an eye out for our special Christmas flowers, trees and wreaths section that is due to go live on our website on 25th of October.

We are especially proud of Mrs Liz Williams this week, who has joined our florist team in 2007 and has increased her floral skills so much; we have had no choice but to promote her. This team leader, with wonderful floral skills, has been working with our in-house photographer all week on wreaths and Christmas arrangement designs that may just eventually find their way to your home. From all of us at Flower Station: we salute you Liz, you’re an absolute star!

Coming back to the Christmas trees, we also have excellent news for all our customers and are proud to announce that this year we will be extending our free flower delivery to any London postcode to our Christmas tree delivery service as well – just don’t ask us to deliver to rest of the UK! Surely not great news for our drivers, but knowing that they pass every test with flying colours, we have no doubt that they will ‘deliver’ yet again. This offer will be available to online customers only, so remember to book early from the 23rd of October. HO HO HO

Why do Women Love Flowers?

What is it that has made them come out and buy some fresh flowers? After all - what is it that they do? They are bought and sit inside a house looking pretty for a few days, but eventually they do die. It is certainly not a play station game, or a DVD film you can keep coming back to time after time. And yet still these customers keep coming back, somehow a little more knowledgeable after the first time they had bought a hand tied bouquet.

Perhaps the answer lies in the eyes of the woman who receives a flower delivery that didn't put a huge smile on their recipient's face, or at the very least make them tingle a little bit.

The reason for this is that the flowers are full of emotions, or should I say - full of hidden meanings and symbols that no other gifts can match, however expensive. Throughout history the Greeks, Egyptians and even in Victorian times, people gave meanings to flowers, some of which we still use today. Most of these meanings evoked feelings of love and romance, but people loved them so much and pretty soon conveyed messages of friendship, get well soon, thinking of you, or even downright feelings of rejection (ouch!).

It is also the fact women know that men are not in their comfort zones when they are in a florist. It is a strange and an alien world to most of them. But, it is a comforting fact to a woman to know that this man has taken time to go out of his ‘zone’ and has taken time to endure a little discomfort in order to make his loved one happy. Sometimes it is this cluelessness that makes women go even more madly in love with their men. After all, would he really go through all that trouble with something that he clearly doesn’t understand, or maybe even like? He must love me!!! Still don’t get it?

The other wonderful thing with flowers is their multi-sensory experiences. The colours of flowers are a feast for the eyes, the petals are soft to the touch and the smell is simply divine. Roses, sunflowers, tulips, lilies, hydrangeas, calla lilies (or arum lilies), gerberas, freesias – the list is almost endless, and yet so many colours. Oh lá lá. So, even if you don’t feel comfortable with doing it, get rid of your pride and just do it.

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Welcome all.