Christmas and New Years are barely in our rear view mirrors, but for florists, all eyes are forward, gearing towards one our busiest days of the year! Whilst it is has still not surpassed the Mothers day trade, Valentines Day is CRAZY busy as 95% of all orders have to be delivered on the 14th! Extra drivers and staff are called in and we can carry up to 800% more stock in the 2 days leading up to the 14th. So its pretty intense!

In the last few years however, while roses still remain hugely popular , there has been a shift away from the Classic Dozen Red Roses, in favour of Mixed Selection Bouquets. With a Mixed Bouquet, the client receives a variety of different blooms, including roses, and their favourite flowers be it lillies, freesia, tulips, etc., These Mixed Bouquets can look fuller than your Classic Dozen with some finding them better value for money. 

Another popular choice has been Half Dozen & Dozen Roses in colours such as pink, yellow, white or mixed colours! Not everyone likes Red Roses, with some customers finding them quite cliched. Typically we dress these Coloured Dozens with mixed foliages, wax flower or trachelium as the stark white of the gypsophilia doesn't compliment these colours as it does the rich reds.

Regardless, our favourite will remain the simple Dozen Red Roses! It's traditional, romantic and always an impressive display. Yes Roses have a reputation for not lasting as long as certain other flowers, but with new stronger varieties coming in from South America and if treated correctly, your roses should look good for 10-15 days! (see below for how best to treat your roses) We offer three main options, The Classic Dozen (12 Rich Red Roses with mixed foliage and/or Gypsophila). The Deluxe Dozen ( 12 Long Stemmed Deep Red Roses with Foliage, twigs, pussy willow and/or Gypsophila) or The Showstopper!!! ( 24 Beautiful Grade A Roses with glossy delicious foliage in a Florabox!) Half Dozen Rose Bouquets in all colours are available, and you can upgrade to get your order arranged in a vase for convenience.

Lots of options too for our clients who wish to pick up a Bouquet to compliment another gift. Dainty, short & sweet Spring Style Bouquets are perfect to accompany a nice bottle of Champagne or Gift Boxed Jewellery. Single Wrapped Roses will be available for collection on 13/14th, and a good selection of Bouquets in all shapes and sizes.

As always, we ask our customers to order early as we operate a first come first served policy. This means the early birds get the pick of the flowers first! Not that we won't have anything left on the day, but if you are after something in particular, its always best to pre-order! 

We would take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Valentines Day! 

*Tips For Roses*

There are a few simple things you can do to extend the life of your Roses. All our Roses are conditioned when they arrive to us so they will be in great condition when you receive them. We de-thorn each rose, cut each stem at an angle, dip in boiled water and place in deep clean water with flower food to drink for at least 48 hours before we can arrange them! 

*The first thing you can do when you receive your roses is unwrap the packaging from them as soon as possible so they can breath. The wrapping is for transport and presentation and not designed to display your bouquet long term. (Unless presented in a vase, where the water will still need to be refreshed after 2/3 days and we recommend removing any wrapping paper.)

*Prepare a vase of fresh clean water and add your flower food.

*Stand the stems (NOT THE HEADS!) of the Roses in 1 inch of boiling water for 1 minute. The hot water shoots up the stems, unblocking any air pockets which may have formed and allowing the roses to drink. You can repeat this every 2/3 days, cutting an inch off the stems each time and refreshing the water.

*If any marked or withered leaves or petals appear, remove them immediately. 

*Keep the roses out of direct sunlight if possible as this causes the blooms to burst open quicker.

*Keep your flowers away from radiators and heaters as the heat will dry them out. Remember, the Roses are packed, transported and stored in cool conditions so the cooler position the better.

Mother! Mammy! Mum! Ma! It doesn't matter what you call yours, we've all got one! And let's be honest, most of us would be lost without them. From the free babysitting and Sunday dinners, to the shoulder to cry on and sound words of advice, loving our Mammies is a truly Irish thing! Even when they drive us nuts!!! So with this is mind, we've put together some tips and gift ideas for Mothers Day, Sunday March the 11th.

My own Mam is a keen gardener so she nearly always gets a plant for Mothers Day. The trick is trying to find something that she doesn't already have!!! As her garden is also well established, I try to plant it up in a nice ceramic pot so she won't have to worry about finding a spot for it in the garden! If your Mother is a green fingered lady too, call in to see us anytime before Mothers Day and we can advise you on which plant to choose! Gift idea:  give your Mother a "gardening voucher" which she can cash in to get you to do any weeding or tidying up before the summer!

Most of us crave a home cooked meal from our Mammies! They do it best after all! So, how about a good quality leather bound notebook for Mum to jot down all your favourite recipes to keep forever? Gift idea: Give your Mother a lovely wooden trug of fresh herbs for her windowsill. Parsley, thyme, basil and rosemary are firm favourites in most kitchens. Find our version, The Kitchen Garden, in our Mothers Day Collection.

As always, Flowers are something we Mams rarely buy for ourselves, they are a real luxury! So we will have a fabulous selection of Bouquets and Arrangements in seasonal colours for the Mothers Day weekend! Gift Idea: Peruse our Mothers Day collection online for inspiration or call us in store on (01)4900112 and we can advise you on our most beautiful blooms in stock!

If your Mum already has everything she needs, perfume, flowers, scented candles, all the usual gifts, why not offer to paint a room for her? Clear out the garage / shed? Take on a job that your Mum has been avoiding for whatever reason and get it done! She will be only delighted!!! We mammies love a helping hand, but seldom ask so don't wait to be asked, just jump in and offer ;)

For those of you who unfortunately don't have your Mother with you anymore, Mothers' Day can be a tough time. But even though they are not here, you can still remember them and all the lovely things you did together and for each other. Perhaps take a page from a good friend of mine's book, celebrate the day by visiting a place you enjoyed together or treat yourself to something nice! And most importantly, surround yourself with family and good friends, there's nothing better for the soul!

There are so many lovely things we can do with our Mothers on ANY weekend! Our advice is, try not to wait for the occasion weekends! Treat your Mum whenever you can, they deserve it! It's the little things that make us most happy. Happy Mothers Day to you all!