Exotic Flowers in Boston

I regularly boast of Exotic Flowers in Boston's ability to send flowers worldwide. Our tag line for many years was from 'Boston to Belgium, Miami to Milan,'. Unfortunately not all florists are created equal and sometimes we run into a few bumps in the road with flower availability in more remote town throughout the country.

Recently a Boston client called and asked to send Imagination Blooms with  orchids to Georgetown, Kentucky. I explained to the sender that while the florists in Georgetown do a lovely job of lush flower vases they could not offer the orchids in the photo for same day delivery. Alas, the sender was let down and chose to take her business elsewhere. We get our clients the freshest flowers from the best florist in every community. Some times they do not always have the exact item the client is looking for. For example, orchids are abundant in New York and Boston, but not so much in Georgetown.

One great thing about trusting worldwide service with a local florist versus FTD is that we offer a personal service that a corporate giant cannot replicate. When you call Exotic Flowers in Boston, real people answer the phone and will follow your entite your order and even provide delivery confirmation.

by guest blogger, Evelyn Grant

A Life saving flower, How exotic is that?

Who knew that exotic flowers and plants could stand accused of being bullying invasives? Apparently Japanese honeysuckle is on the long list of escaped exotic plants continuing to live independently in Virginia according to a new book reviewed by The Washington Post. Exotic flowers could be alive and well in a forest near you and they are a lot more interesting than you might think with some unexpected health benefits. Ironically exotic flowers are more likely to bloom because development such as road building disrupts native habitats and practically invites exotics to take up residence. North Virginia and other parts of the Washington area have seen non-native species doubling from 18 percent in 1919 to 36 percent today.

Exotic flower invaders on the at-risk list

Unfortunately many exotic flowers are becoming endangered so you probably won’t encounter many of these in your state’s natural habitat. It’s a shame that some of these flowers are so rare because they are really quite unusual to look at, some might even say ugly, but still a sight to behold. It’s not only how they look that makes them unusual, the Rafflesia for example is said to be remarkably ugly and to smell quite strongly of meat. It’s not all bad though, the black bat flower is very beautiful reaching over 12 inches in diameter but is extremely rare. The dendroseris nerifolia flower is so rare that there is only one left in the world on Robinson Crusoe Island where dozens of rare species exist on the cusp of extinction.

Finding an exotic cure

It is not news that exotic flowers and plants have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. Yet it is quite amazing that they are still prevalent in this field despite constant medical advances. The Missouri Botanical Garden works in 35 countries worldwide to protect plants that are potentially invaluable for medicine. They are very much aware of the importance of preventing the extinction of many exotic flowers and plants as they “might be losing a cure for cancer, HIV/AIDS or even the common cold!”. Our British friends who fancy taking in the positives of the outdoors can go for a stroll in their very own Pharmaceutical Garden and then finish off their constitutional with a walk through The Garden of World Medicine. You don’t even have to visit London to feel these benefits because some of the exotic flowers on display are used in drugs across the world. The Catharanthus roseus or Madagascar Periwinkle contains alkaloids used in anti-cancer drugs and the Digitalis lanata or Woolly Foxglove contains a cardiac glycoside used to strengthen the heart beat.

Can you grow your own exotic flowers by invitation only?

You can certainly try according to the exotic flower experts at Kew Gardens in London, and they should know. Apparently you can grow just about anything in a nice warm glasshouse if you try hard enough. Some people aren’t happy just filling their gardens with natives and would rather sweat it out in the temperate environment of a glasshouse and attempt to surround themselves with exotic plants which offer so much in terms of form and colour.

If your gardening skills are not your strong point then you can enjoy exotic flowers and plants from a safer distance with much less work. With exotic flowers forming a large part of the flora in the wild nowadays you never know what you might come across as you leave your garden behind and discover what your local forest has to offer. With many exotic flowers at risk of dying out across the world now is the time to make the most of some of these beautiful and downright strange plants if you are planning any travel overseas.

More than just a pretty arrangement in a vase

Exotic flowers do make for some of the most striking arrangements but they are definitely a lot more interesting than their pretty exterior gives them credit for. It seems unfair to call them a pest in the US but they do sound strangely appealing when referred to as uninvited invaders. These interlopers should be ignored at our peril as they could hold the key to many health problems and potential cures. You may not want to grow your own but they are definitely worth discovering.

 

Large corporations often speak of core values, mission statements, policies etc... Small businesses like Exotic Flowers in Boston and Lombardi Florist of Roslindale also have these agendas. Of course, we are a family florist and not quite so cold and callous about our policies. Although we have a written handbook, many of our of core values emanate from our family principles. Occasionally we like to remind our Exotic Flowers Boston staff of our policies in writing. In last week's paycheck, we reminded our staff what some of our core vales are:

• Exotic Flowers sells the highest-quality flowers and plants available.
• Our goal is to not only meet our customers expectations, but to exceed them.
• As Boston's Premier Florist, all employees of Exotic Flowers realize the importance of sending and sharing our clients' emotions.
• Our goals as a family owned Boston florist are to create financial stability through Referrals and Repeat Business.
• The staff of Exotic Flowers and Lombardi Florist realize the importance of community, our neighbors and the cleanliness of our neighborhood.
• Exotic Flowers strives to create and nurture relationships with our vendors.
• The leadership at Exotic Flowers in Boston and Roslindale promotes the wellness of our staff and clients by touting the health benefits of flowers and plants.
• Exotic Flowers believes in education and involvement. We believe in industry groups like SAF (Society of American Florists); social media groups like Facebook; and local groups such as Little League or the chamber of commerce.

July 12th, 1957 - 53 Years ago today --



Foreseeing the changing economy in the coming millennium, Sonny adopted the name Exotic Flowers as its primary signature for doing business in 1993. In 1994 a satellite location was opened at 2 Dartmouth Street in Boston's South End. In 1995, in order to expand our services, we opened a full service floral shop and garden center on route 3A in Cohasset. In June 2001 our flagship store opened at the greenhouse at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Roslindale remains company headquarters. All phone calls, on line orders, and deliveries emanate from this location.



In 2007, Exotic Flowers partnered with the Boston Red Sox to be The Official Florist of the Boston Red Sox. Exotic Flowers was thrilled to be such a special part of their World Champion season. Our success with the team led to the development of our online memorabilia store, www.fenway1912.com Exotic Flowers firmly believes in sports and their benefit to society. We have been the florist for the PGA Deutsche Bank Championship since its inception, and in 2010 partnered with the Women's Professional Soccer team - the Boston Breakers (www.bostonbreakers.com)as their official florist. Exotic Flowers and Lombardi Florist have also been proud to sponsor our local softball teams and reward our Little League Champions.



Exotic Flowers realizes we are a part of the community and continue to do our best by employing a strong business ethic and offering a beautfiul destination florist in Boston. One can always come in for free plant advice at any time.In 2009, Exotic Flowers closely worked with Fisher House Boston - who provides care for our wounded veterans and their families at the Veterans Hospital in West Roxbury, MA.



Exotic Flowers remains a family owned and operated Boston florist. Sonny and Marie work daily and their children all play integral roles in the future of the company. Lauren Canale Trifiro operates an online florist from Scituate. John Canale works part time and offers his experience and customer service skills for the benefit of the growth of Exotic Flowers. Rick Canale oversees the daily operations and ensures that Exotic Flowers remains Boston's Premier Florist.

Rick, I wanted to thank you for helping me with Mark's birthday party. The flowers were beautiful and balloons very festive. Thanks again - next time we're in Boston, we'll stop by. Thank you. - Laura" in regards to being the florist for a birthday party in Boston.

 

As usual you and your staff was above and beyond expectations!
She absolutely loves them, and I am the favorite child for a little while :)
Thank you! Have a great day! Margaret" in regards to serving as the customers birthday florist in Roslindale

" Hi Rick,


My mother just called to say that the flowers are beautiful. Thank you and thanks for such quick service. I'll definitely be a returning customer.

Regards, Kathy" in regards to serving as the client's birthday florist in Roslindale

" Hi Rick,


Hillary loved the flowers! Thanks for the great service - I will definitely
recommend you and order from you again!

Caleb C" in regards to serving Caleb as his Boston florist.

"Thank you. the flowers were beautiful. i will be sure to keep your info on file for future reference.


Kathleen " in regards to serving Kathleen as her Boston florist.

EXOTIC FLOWERS IN BOSTON & ROSLINDALE, MA NAMED MEMBER OF TELEFLORA'S NATIONAL ACCOUNT PROGRAM

                      Teleflora Creates Exclusive Program for Select Member Florists

BOSTON, JULY 20th, 2010 - Exotic Flowes was recently named a member of Teleflora's National Account Program, an elite incentive and loyalty program created exclusively for Teleflora's top member florists in America. Teleflora, the world's leading flower delivery network offering only hand-arranged and hand-delivered floral arrangements, created the program as a way to thanks its top member florists for their hard work and support.

Teleflora member florists qualified for membership in the National Account Program by sending orders through the Teleflora network, growing their TF hosted website order volume and designing and delivering orders from fellow member florists. Members of the Teleflora National Account Program represent the top 5% of Teleflora's 18,000 florist partners.

Exotic Flowers has been a member of the community for over 50 years and is located at 609 American Legion Hwy in Roslindale and Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston. Consumers can place orders for same-day delivery to anyone worldwide by contacting Exotic Flowers, Boston's Premier Florist at 617.247.2000, 1-800-706-1200 or online at http://www.exoticflowers.com/