Recent Posts

Follow Me

Exotic Flowers in Boston

Sprucing Up Your Dorm Room With Flowers On A Budget

Posted by Suzie Canale on Mon, Sep 04, 2017

So you’re heading back to college (YAHOOO!) and planning on the décor, which will make your dorm bedroom not only comfortable but also welcoming for friends who will soon be dropping by.  If you’ve already hit Target, there’s probably a trendy comforter with throw pillows and a string of white, holiday lights packed away along with other cool accessories you know will look great up on your walls.  It’s a fact that teens across the country compete to create the “chicest” living area, hoping to become the official hangout on the floor.  Looking back at my college days, I remember how hard we all tried to add our own flair of unique personality to our personal areas, which transformed an ordinary room into something especially made for us.  For artists, there were paintings, for musicians there were guitars-everyone had their story to tell and we did it through the objects we chose to display.   

budget flowers.jpg

photo credit via aboutflowers.com

For me, you’ve probably guessed that I had to have lots of things growing around me, whether they were plants or arrangements-it was a necessity I craved.  Since I worked on the weekends for my parents who owned a wholesale flower company in the city, it wasn’t hard to make this happen.  Not only did I drive back to school with a little extra cash to pad my wallet, I also brought back bunches of my favorite varieties that I would arrange in large vases and place around my room.  As you can imagine, my dorm room definitely stood out from the rest and quickly became the site for Sunday movie watching and Saturday night pre-gaming.  Through flowers, I had made a special placethat friends felt welcomed and soothed through the use of color, texture and aromas.


I get it… I get it…  Not everyone has a flower shop available to grab a few freebies and due to the fact that the majority of college kids out there are broke-you’ll need to think outside of the box.  Never fear, there are some really cool and inexpensive ways to infuse flowers into your dorm life and you don’t have to be a designer to pull it off.  Try these DIY tips to make your college living space a special retreat!

  1. Place a cactus inside a mason jar.  You don’t need to water it often and they cost around $10 bucks to buy.
  2. Succulents are only about $5 and are also low maintenance for that busy student to maintain.  
  3. Peace lilies are cheap and give a room a pretty plant “feel” as well as bamboo that infiltrate a “trendy” appeal.

Tags: Affordable Flower Style, Floral Studies, Boston College, College, School

What Florists Can Learn from Maya Angelou

Posted by Rick Canale on Wed, Jun 18, 2014

Maya Angelou Flowers
photo credits: all photos in this post come from www.mayaangelou.com 
Generation X has lost its poet. While baby boomers embraced Robert Frost, my generation embraced Maya Angelou (1928-2014). Poet, educator, author, activist, Dr Angelou was the voice for millions. 
While at Boston College (1989-1993), I was fortunate to see Maya Angelou speak. She packed St. Ignatius Church to the rafters. Her speech left me in a new mindset. She was powerful and pragmatic. Her simple words of walk away from the conversation have left a lifetime lesson.
maya angelou So why is Dr Angelou appearing in my blog as a mentor for florists ? Plain and simple: "... people will never forget how you made them feel,". This is what we do as florists, retailers and service industry professionals. If we want people to come back, we need to give them an amazing experience. We need to make them feel welcome and appreciated. 
Forget about business for a moment, isn't that what we should do as people ? 'It is nice to be nice,'.
maya angelou orchids

Tags: Poetry, Author, Boston College, Maya Angelou, Poet

Celebrate Graduates with Flowers from Boston's Premier Florist

Posted by Rick Canale on Tue, May 27, 2014

Boston graduation flowersAt Exotic Flowers, we believe in education and all its benefits to society. I am a Boston educated florist. My K1 and K2 years were spent at the Haley School on American Legion Highway in Roslindale. I spent grades one through six at the Sacred Heart School in Roslindale where I had four nuns and received a sound foundation of parochial teaching. In the seventh grade, my future began and my enlightenment and enrichment through high school came from the esteemed Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury. In 1993, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College in Chestnut Hill.

Along my educational journey, I learned and yearned to learn more. I still do. I take courses, I read books, magazines, on line guides and technical guides. My life is wrapped in learning and always will be. Part of my zest for knowledge is the reward program. My parents and teachers at a young age would reward me for effort and hard work. These rewards have carried over to my professional life where Exotic Flowers rewards me and my staff for our our hard work success.

2011 Graduation FlowersDuring this 2014 graduate season, reward your students with flowers and balloons from Boston's Premier Florist. Whether your student is a graduate of pre-school where a pink rose does the trick or graduates Harvard Summa Cum Laude where a dozen yellow roses might be better. Show your students how much you value education and nurture their knowledge.

“If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people” - Chinese Proverb

 

Geraniums Free

 

Tags: Graduation Flowers, Free Geraniums, Boston College

42 Things We Love About Being a Florist in Boston

Posted by Rick Canale on Mon, Apr 15, 2013

Patriot's Day in Boston is filled with an abundance of activities for all Bostonians and New Englanders. From revolutionary battle reenactments to the 11am Red Sox game to the Boston Marathon, this day is a major holiday in Massachusetts. In 2013, Patriot's Day happens also to fall on April 15th. While April 15 is synonymous with Tax Day, this year it is also Jackie Robinson Day.  42 resized 600

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy tells us that 42 is the answer to everything in the universe. Perhaps. But today I just want to share the 42 things we love most about being a florist in Boston in honor of the great Jackie Robinson.

  1. The Swan Boats
  2. The Boston Marathon
  3. Heartbreak Hill
  4. The Celtics
  5. The Museum of Fine Arts
  6. Fenway Park
  7. The Zakim Bridge
  8. Arnold Arboretum
  9. Franklin Park Zoo
  10. Santarpio's Pizza
  11. New Kids on the Block new kids320 resized 600
  12. Paul Revere's House
  13. The North End
  14. Bunker Hill Monument
  15. The Freedom Trail
  16. Athens of America
  17. Hospitals in Boston
  18. Roxbury Latin School
  19. Sam Adams
  20. USS Constitution
  21. The Bruins
  22. Pizzeria Regina
  23. Mike's Pastry
  24. The Public Gardens
  25. Baked Beans classic boston baked beans resized 600
  26. Union Oyster House
  27. The Holocaust Memorial
  28. Castle Island
  29. Gardner Museum
  30. Boston Pops
  31. JFK Library
  32. Newbury Street
  33. The ICA
  34. Beantown
  35. Red Sox
  36. Hubway
  37. New Edition
  38. Faneuil Hall
  39. Walking City
  40. we 'Pahk ah cahs'
  41. Forest Hills Cemetery
  42. Bostonians
of course no tribute to Jackie Robinson we could be complete without recommending the new movie 42. 

Tags: Fenway Park, Boston Bruins, Patriot's Day, JFK, U.S. Constitution, Boston Florist, Santarpios, Pizzeria Regina, Boston, Red Sox, Boston College

Exotic Flowers' Advice to Incoming Freshmen at Boston College

Posted by Rick Canale on Tue, Sep 13, 2011

Boston College FloristAs a graduate of Boston College(A&S '93) I would like to welcome the incoming class of 2015 to Boston College.

Fact: the freshmen fifteen is a reality. As a college freshmen, you will have lots of free time and twenty four access to some very unhealthy food. Remember even lite beer is fattening. Walk wherever and whenever you can. Exercise and eat well. 

Fact: Long Island Iced Tea may sound refreshing, but it will knock you on your ass. Unless you enjoy throwing up, pass on these drinks when offered.

Get an internship and a job. A job will put much needed extra cash in your pocket and keep you out of trouble. An internship will put you on the fast track for your career. 

Schedule yourself for morning classes. Do not get into the trap of taking classes at 3pm. If you take morning classes, you will be done with class when your classmates are waking up.

Winning the Customer

If you can get into the class, sign up for my pal Lou Imbriano's class. Lou will not only teach you about marketing, but about life too. His new book Winning the Customer is a must read. 

Finally, you need a florist. You will likely need a florist to say thank you, congratulations, I'm sorry and I love you. Exotic Flowers in Boston will be your florist for life. We even send flowers worldwide if you want to thank your parents for paying for your tuition at one of the nation's greatest colleges; Boston College.

Flowers Boston resized 600

Tags: Freshman Advice, Lou Imbriano, Boston College

Subscribe via E-mail

Contact Us for All Your Floral Needs