November, December and General Updates

Sorry we have not posted in a while, we have all been very busy in all of our shops and its been difficult to try and get the time to sit down and write a new blog post. But don't worry! we will be posting more from now on as I have plenty of new ideas for our blog. This post for now though is just general news and keeping you updated and in the know!

November Houseplant of the month:

 Speciality Orchids

Speciality Orchids are the houseplant of the month for November! These wonderful plants come in a range of eye-catching shapes, colours and flowers that the general public are not yet familiar with. Within the orchidaceae family, Phalaenopsis is the original orchid that introduced the public to the exotic beauty of orchids. However there are over 28,000 accepted species of orchids which many are very easy to care for. These luscious Orchids fit so well into the current interior trends and add a bit of mystery due to their supernaturally amazing shapes.

November Birth flower:
Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums which are sometimes referred to as mums or chrysanths and flowering plants of the genus Chrysanthemum in the family Asteraceae. They are native to Asia and northeastern Europe. Most of the Chrysanthemum species originate from East Asia. There are countless of different varieties and cultivars. The name Chrysanthemum is taken from the ancient Greek words 'Chrysos' meaning gold and 'Anthemon' meaning flower. Chrysanthemums are considered to be very long lasting and come in a lovely range of colours. People normally use Chrysanthemum's to symbolise: Compassion, friendship and joy. Some symbolise with colours to, Red is for love, white means innocence and yellow denotes unrequited love. So why not pop in and grab some and show someone how much you love them?

December Houseplant of the month:

Azalea's

Azalea's are the houseplant of the month for December! Whether these wonderful plants are snow white, luscious red, beautiful purple or shocking pink, The one thing that all Azalea's have in common is that they are a top best seller and are absolutely delightful. That is why this profuse bloomer is December's houseplant of the month. Due to this plant being in the classic December colours the Azalea is an original alternative for creating a great atmosphere. The official name for Azalea is Rhododendron Syn, Azalea. Rhododendron is loosely taken from the Greek words for 'Red' and 'Tree'  and freely translated means 'a woody plant with rose red flowers' and Azalea means 'dry' in Greek which refers to the tough wood of the plant.


December Birth flower:
Poinsettia

The Poinsettia (Euphorbia) is an important plant species of the diverse spurge family. The species is indigenous to Mexico. It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage even though it can come in a variety of different colours. They are widely used in Christmas floral arrangements but can buy them in many supermarkets as a plant. The name Poinsettia derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett who was the first United States Minister to Mexico and introduced the plant to the US in 1825.

Updates:
Ramsgate Shop:

Just a quick update about our Ramsgate shop if you didn't already know. We have recently said goodbye to our loving Ramsgate shop as we have recently sold it on. But not all is bad! One of our members of staff who used to work in our Cliftonville shop- Sammi, was the lady who brought it from us. We know it has gone into great hands and wish her all the best. For now it will keep its name The Secret Garden Florist but it will/may change in the future. This was just a quick update to let you know it is no longer with the rest of The Secret Garden shops and is run independently now.

DIY! How to make a poly ribbon bow

Here is a quick DIY for you guys. Just follow these instructions on how to make a poly ribbon bow.

What you will need:

• Scissors- Any kind will do but the ones I'm using are florist scissors.
• Roll of Poly Ribbon- Any colour will do, one I'm using is navy blue. Poly ribbon is available in most craft shops or florists.
• Wire- If you are going to use a bow in an arrangement then you will need to have some wire at the ready. You can get wire from any florist shop or online mostly.

Step 1:

I start off by grabbing my roll of poly ribbon and reel off a long length roughly about 30-50cm.This will be used for tying our bow together. I then cut off that length. 

Step 2:

Once you have cut off that length, then start to tear off a smaller thickness of the poly ribbon from the top all the way down. Its good to tear the top bit and follow it all the way down by using your finger. Once you have done this you should have a smaller thickness length and a bigger bit. (The smaller thickness ribbon we will be using to tie our large poly ribbon bow.)

Step 3:

I then grab the roll of poly ribbon, reel a decent length off and then proceed to make my bow. To start the first loop you hold the end of the poly ribbon in your hand and make a loop so it crosses over the start of the ribbon like so: 

Step 4:

I then follow this round and create another loop which ends up overlapping our first loop in the middle like so: 

Step 5:

I then proceed to create another set of loops. This step is easier to do if you point the top of the bow towards you. create your first loop by folding it back on itself. Create the second loop by looping it forward so it crosses back over the middle again. the overall look should be like the last picture. You can either have two sets of loops or continue on as many times as you like. I have done three sets of loops so just carry on and make another set.

Step 6:

Once you have created your bow, proceed to pinching together the middle of the bow. This makes it easier to tie. Once you have pinched the middle of the bow with your free hand grab the smaller thickness bit of poly ribbon that you cut earlier and knot it around the bow to keep its shape. (I normally tie this by using my pinky on my free hand and my mouth as it is better to keep the bow pinched until it has been securely tied).

Finished product:

Once I have cut the reel of poly ribbon away from the bow, I cut the two tails of the bow at an angle to make the bow look extra special, You can have the tails as long or as short as you would like. 

This is what the bow looks like from the front and the back once completed:

If you are going to use your bow in an arrangement then just proceed the steps above but do a slightly smaller bow with only one set of loops and just use a wire to wrap around the bow to secure it instead. Like so:

Here are the two bows together for a comparison:

Here is a short video of us making a bow as well just in case:

Hope you have enjoyed this DIY :) Don't forget to subscribe to our blog so you don't miss out on our lovely updates and behind the scenes. Also follow us on our social medias too for more flower delight!

Our First Blog post!

Hello! Welcome to our blog and also our first ever blog post.

Just a little bit of news:
Now a lot has been happening in all four of our shops in the past month or so. Ranging from funeral work to weddings! We have all been very busy bees!

Now, with the weather getting hotter and how the weather's been this year generally it has also made an impact on some flowers being produced, which has resulted in some very low supplies this means higher prices! But with all that being said the Dahlias are here! Most of our shops will be getting in local dahlias from now on until they are out of season so be sure to keep an eye out or you may miss them!


Next month (August) the plant of the month will be Cacti, so keep an eye out for these prickly wonders as we will be getting more of them in to celebrate how wonderful they are!

This post really is just to give you a briefing as to what this blog will be about and what sort of content it will consist of. It will include:

• Monthly updates- this is where we will give you the ins and outs of whats been going on in all of our shops so you get to have a taste of what goes on behind the scenes.
• DIY- these will be short videos or pictures of things you can make at home by yourself. These will probably range in difficulty but will mainly consist of easy ones.
• Florist news- this will be anything from what flowers are available during the month, any news on flowers and basically anything to do with flowers.

I believe that is the gist of it but if there is anything I have forgotten I will add that a later date, or do an update post.

Now I think that's everything for the time being. Thanks for joining us and don't forget to keep an eye out for upcoming posts by following this blog, or keep an eye on our social media too!

Kayleigh

Blogger, Manager and Senior florist for The Secret Garden and Simply Floral Florists.