Exotic Flowers in Boston

(MAY 1, 2020, BOSTON, MA) – This year, Mother’s Day looks different for many of us. It may not be possible in light of COVID-19 to visit with mom or other women who have influenced your life. Such separation induces stress and loneliness but, according to several research studies, flowers may be just the antidote moms and women in general need this season.

According to a survey by Wakefield Research, 68 percent of people feel stress on a weekly basis, and 32 percent are stressed every day—numbers that are now almost certainly higher in today’s COVID-19 environment. Women, in particular, are affected, as one in four report experiencing stress multiple times a day.

Research from the University of North Florida shows that something as simple as flowers can help. The findings show that people who lived with flowers in their homes for just a few days reported a significant decrease in their levels of stress and improvements in their moods. Additional research from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, shows that the presence of flowers around senior citizens decreased depression among 81%, refreshed recent memory among 72% and encouraged outreach to loved ones among 40 percent. And research from Harvard University found that people who live with flowers report fewer episodes of anxiety and depressed feelings.

“Flowers have evolved to activate positive emotional responses from people,” says Rutgers University researcher Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., director of the university’s Human Emotions Lab. “Each bloom has the potential to put a smile on our face and sway our opinion of a friend, colleague or loved one. That’s powerful.”

“When you receive flowers as a gift, you know that someone is thinking of you right now, this very minute,” said Rick Canale, owner of Exotic Flowers in Boston, MA. “Flowers spark joy, something that everyone needs right now—especially mothers.”

For Mother’s Day gift ideas, visit www.exoticflowers.com  or call (617)942-4803.

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Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and I know there are some dads out there who are starting to freak out a bit about what to get the wifey…  It’s a common problem with most dads who rack their brains each May trying to come up with the perfect present. Maybe you’ve have past years full of memories of giving gifts that didn’t go over so well like that gym pass for exercise class or the new rake you swear will making leave collecting a breeze?  Yes- these are all most likely going to end with a frown but luckily for you, this blog is dedicated to helping you turn things around! What moms want for their special day is a thoughtful gift that reflect just how much you love and appreciate her. She wants to receive a meaningful gesture, not shed those pesky few pounds you’ve been so gracious to bring attention to.  You’ve got to get inside her head and that’s where you’ll find the answer to your Mother’s Day question. If you’re still having trouble tapping into her psyche, take a browse at these sure-fire winners that are bound to impress!

Spa Packages

One great place to start is to lead her to a day of full on pampering done by some of Boston’s top spa specialists.  Maybe she would love a manicure and pedicure or perhaps she’s in need of a deep tissue massage? A nice touch is to pick up a gift certificate and pre-book her an appointment to make it extra special for her.  Top businesses to browse are: Sway Aveda Spa, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental and Equinox Boston.

Take Out

I’m married to a florist so the idea of a Mother’s Day brunch just isn’t in the cards since he works the whole holiday but that doesn’t mean I have to set foot near a stove!  Cleaning pots and pans plus boiling water is an absolute NO so think ahead and order a great take home menu to enjoy among yourselves. Be sure you choose something SHE LIKES instead of YOUR favorite Chinese food joint that is such a cheap deal, you just can’t pass it up.  Think Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s or a terrific Italian café she’s always raving about!

For God’s Sake…Don’t Forget the FLOWERS!

If there’s one thing you can’t screw up on Mother’s Day is ordering ahead a fresh bouquet of spring blooms.   Pink peonies, roses and freesia are some of the most popular go-to’s but if she adores purple lilac

In the United States, we celebrate Mother’s Day as a special holiday dedicated to honoring moms for everything they do.  Although there might be a variation of customs associated with different religions and customs, most people choose to pay homage to dear old mum by a show of gifts, cards and of course-flowers.  It wasn’t always this way, since Mother’s Day has an interesting history that most aren’t aware of. While there is evidence that the holiday was recognized as far back to ancient Greek and Roman times, the progression of the event in the States holds a fascinating story compelled by determination and regret.  For founder, Anna Jarvis, daughter of Anne Reeves Jarvis, she never expected the outcome of all of her efforts to be disappointing in the end…

As stated before, the celebration of moms has been a long tradition but officially, the holiday was not added to the calendar until the year of 1914.  Originally inspired by the idea after her mother’s passing, Ms. Jarvis decided it would be her mission to initiate a movement to make it a nationwide observance.  Little did she know she would spend half of her life completing this mission until President Woodrow Wilson agreed to sign documents and decree Mother’s Day would occur every second Sunday in May.  Jarvis was thrilled with the effectiveness of her campaign but eventually grew to rue the day when she saw the outcome of commercialism taking over.

With total surprise, Mother’s Day took off much stronger than expected, appealing to a broader scope of supporters than she ever expected.  Even though she was at first pleased by the reaction, Anna soon became enraged by the pure sentiment of loving your mother being replaced by the purchasing of expensive and lavish gifts.  She pointed the finger at businesses attempting to capitalize profits off of the new holiday, proclaiming they were all pigs just after more money. Ironically, the founder had initially reached out to local enterprises (specifically flower shops) to help support her cause within advertising and marketing efforts.  Never did she dream that the public would react the way they did by making Mother’s Day one of the highest shopping holidays of the year. Anna was so angry that she denounced the holiday all together and made it the last half of her life’s mission to have the date stricken from the calendar. Poor Anna died in 1948, unsuccessful with un-popularizing Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13th and florists all over the city are already pouring hours of thought into their holiday inventory.  It’s a special day for all moms out there who have throughout the year, poured their hearts into taking care of their families and floral professionals are ready to give them exactly what they deserve!  Bright arrangements, pastel bouquets of decadent centerpieces are all among the possibilities these specialized designers are gearing up for. If you know your special someone has a real soft spot for beautiful blooms, why don’t you go the extra mile and bring her something that will truly make her hit the floor!  As inventory changes seasonally, the spring varieties are now just arriving which happens to be some of the most stunning species you’ll see during the year. Imported from all over the world, prepared to be amazed by the gorgeous floral selection being offered by local shops who have the single mission of pleasing HER!  Here’s a sneak preview of some of this May’s more stylish pieces that will get you on your way to brainstorming the perfect Mother’s Day gift! 

You may already know that peonies-specifically pink peonies are one of the biggest sellers for Mother’s Day.  The explanation is simple since the color perfectly reflects the spring season as well as the theme of women in general.  Besides the shading, the luxurious shape of the petals as well as the pleasurable appearance of the soft and delicate blooms consistently shoots this variety straight to the top for requested deliveries.  Mix and match the tones or select a straight hue and you’ll be sure to let her know just how much she means to you.

Although we typically think of pink as being official Mother’s Day protocol when it comes to flowers, bright tints of yellow, orange and green can also be a huge crowd pleaser.  These shades are happy and cheerful, while also being a reminder of the warmer days ahead for all New Englanders. I like parrot tulips, mimosa, freesia and daffodils for this look but you can substitute these options with roses, forsythia and gerbera daisies to make a piece really “POP”!

Now this is definitely my sweet spot when it comes to flowers because there’s nothing I love more than a stunning blend of purple and lavender spring flowers.  The tiny sprigs mixed together perfectly complement one another while bringing an aroma to your home that is simply unforgettable. With so many varieties to choose from such as hyacinth, sweet pea, lilacs you just can’t go wrong with this sexy Mother’s Day arrangement.

This Mother’s Day, why not gift the most important woman in your life with a beautiful arrangement of fresh cut flowers!  Celebrated this year on Sunday, May 14th, tell her “I love you” with a stunning bouquet or arrangement filled with this season’s new decadent blooms!  From spring bulbs to exotic orchids, there is something for everyone to make the perfect selection for dear old mom.  

photo credit via aboutflowers.com

In the past, Mother’s Day has been associated with traditional colors of blush, white and lavender but thankfully, 2017 is pulling in some new trends that are sure to “wow” their clientele.  Instead of the marketing the accustomed “pink” (the color most commonly symbolizing women), why not spark things up with an interesting mix of new shades and tints?  Bright green, orange and yellow are making a huge comeback, arriving earlier than their predicted summer arrival.  Another option can be to choose a single tone of all blue flowers, such as incorporating hyacinth, delphinium and hydrangea together.  If she is more apt to like blooms of red, gift her with an assortment of red roses, gerberas and freesia.  

If you’re still stumped on how to order the perfect arrangement for mom this May, follow these interesting and efficient tips this Mother’s Day.  

1. Scented vs. Scentless:  You might be surprised but people actually are incredibly sensitive to a flower’s aroma.  The reaction can be either positive or negative so you want to find out if their nose can take strong fragrances or not.  It’s also wise to know whether they have allergies to certain species because lilies for example, can cause sneezing, scratchy throat and watery eyes for some folks.  If this is the case, use flowers such as hydrangea, tulips or dendrobiums.  If they do enjoy a pungent aroma,  roses, hyacinth and lily of the valley are excellent substitutes.  
2. Personality Counts: If your mom is on the quieter side, she may really like an assortment of lighter shades such as cream, peach and the always favored, blush tone.  On the other hand, if her personality ranges on the louder side, wouldn’t a bright mix of fuchsia, chartreuse or sun bright yellow be a better match?  You don’t have to stick to traditional palettes just because that’s what’s always been done before.  Break out of your color funk and try finding hues that emulate who she really is!
3. Give Her What She Likes:  If your mom isn’t into to pink roses then why are you spending money on buying them for her?  If the woman really adores white lilies (or for myself, lavender sweet pea) than give that woman what she wants!  You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her so make sure you are really are keeping in mind her tastes.

Math and statistical data formulas are useful tools if you are into flowers because these applications can tell you a lot about the probability of success rates when plantings varieties, how many seeds you’ll need to plant and many other useful situations.  For example, what is you wanted to know the probability of how many bulbs you would need to plant to ensure you had 5 healthy plants bloom in the spring?  Or what if you’re planning your wedding and need to know how many stems of a variety you can afford to stay safely within your budget?  Florists utilize their numerical skills everyday when they make decisions about ordering flowers and providing just the right inventory for their shops.  Careful research needs to be done with forecasting sales so that they not only please their clients but also maintain a healthy bottom line in the accounting books. Trust me… it’s not easy!  If you hold an interest for flowers and data driven facts, you might find these figures fascinating that pertain to the industry of growing, exporting and shipping.  

Do you see any fact or figure that surprises you?

• 80% of all flowers in the United States are imported from other countries around the world.
• The estimated amount of roses bought by suppliers for Valentine’s Day is roughly 300 million stems.
• The flower industry made approximately over 31 billion dollars in 2015, a 5 billion dollar increase from sales in 2011.
• With over 784 growers nationwide, the Gerbera Daisy is one of the most popular flowers in the United States.
• 144, 000, 000 stems of tulips are circulated annually from wholesalers, Holland being the largest market trader.
• Close to 2 billion dollars are spent on flowers each Mother’s Day making it one of the busiest holidays for florists followed by Valentine’s Day.
• Working farms growing flowers only account for about 1% of the US population.
• 30% of the gross income for farming comes primarily from their export business.
• Garden Plants are still the most popular in the US for purchase followed by cut flowers and houseplants.  

I think we all agree that gifts made from the heart are the best gifts to receive, especially when they come from our children.  There’s something about unwrapping a present handed to you by your child and watching their little faces light up with pride that makes this type of gesture the most meaningful.  So it’s up to us to encourage crafting for children and to teach the value of this sentiment instead of spending money to show others how we feel.  With Mother’s Day soon approaching, we have the perfect opportunity to open up the window for this type of creativity!  Books and online websites have loads of ideas for both kids and parents to start using their imagination, particularly with crafts thematic after flowers, which are wonderful for the holiday.  Here are a few of my favorites that I’ve found and hope to pass along to your children to make this Mother’s Day!  

photo credit: kansascity.com

Paper Flower Pinwheels

These are so sweet and easy to make by just folding the corners of a piece of colored paper and securing the center front and back with plastic beads.  Have the kids go one step above and write all the things they love most about mom on the petals to let her know how much she really means to them!

photo credit: crafthubs.com

Paper Flower Necklaces

Who needs gold and diamonds when you can make this adorable paper flower necklace?  Cut out desired blossom shapes and glue to a string or paper loop and let mom show off her flashy new bauble!  Felt is also an optional material.

photo credit: funhandprintartblog.com

Painted Handprint Flower Bouquet

It doesn’t get much cuter than this when your child gifts you with their tiny handprints to form a bouquet.  Not only will she love hanging this piece of artwork on the wall but she’ll also be able to remember the days of her children’s early childhood for years to come.

photo credit: goodshomedesign.com

Clothespin Pot

Grab some old clothespins and glue them around an old clay container to make this neat little flowerpot!  Cut out small hearts and clip them to the sides, afterwards adding a little plant to finish the effect!  Mom will love the creativity and the purposeful usefulness, too.  

Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away and florists are preparing fast to amaze their customers with gorgeous bouquetsworthy for mom.  Right about now, new seasonal varieties are being packed and shipped into Boston by the thousands with the hopes that this year’s holiday will be a hit with lush and fragrant flowers.  Whether you are drawn to purple lilac that reflects an English flare or a more exotic appeal of tropical branches and orchids, designers are whipping up an incredible assortment of stunning arrangements.  Don’t wait too long, because Mother’s Day is on May 8th, so you’ll want to get your orders in ASAP to ensure availability and delivery confirmation.  It’s also wise to do your homework previous to picking up the phone and dialing your florist.   One option is to visit the websites of renowned and celebrated local businesses to get a good sense of market prices and product alternatives.  Decide what style and color you wish to purchase and reserve your floral extravaganzas today!

Top 2016 Mother’s day Arrangements

Viburnum is a big hit during this holiday because the season is right and the flower head’s flattering green snowball appearance is hard not love!  You can buy this variety as a mixed bouquet when pared with roses, hydrangea and other yummy spring flowers or simply clump a mass of stems together for this eye-popping effect!

You can’t go wrong with a pretty assortment of mom’s favorites and lucky for us, there’s an incredible palette of color to choose from!  Yellow, pink, green, orange and fuchsia mixes are extremely popular but soft blush tones are also often requested. Show stopping varieties such as peonies, lilac and ranunculus are so beautiful together- how can you go wrong?

While I’m a big fan of garden blooms, I also really enjoy the power of tropical blooms and the presentation they make in my home.  Phaelenopsis orchids are one of my favorites and they come in a spectrum of white all the way to bright pink.  If you really want to knock mom off her feet this year, ask your florists about plant and cut stem options for these beauties.  They’ll be a bit pricier than other cut flower arrangements but the reaction you get will be worth every penny when you give them to her!

Most of us know that Mother’s Day is a time to say “thank you” to the number one woman in our lives who has made everything possible-our mom’s!  We plan ahead with a nice bouquet of flowers, a brunch at her favorite restaurant and a sentimental card that proclaims our appreciation and hope we can someday become half of the inspirational person to our children as she has been for us. 

But how did this holiday begin?  You might be surprised to learn that mother’s have been honored for centuries!  Throughout several different cultures and religions, these women have held great meaning since time began although they may not have been recognized on the same date at the same time.

Ancient Greece was the first recorded region to pay homage to mothers, particularly using the wife of Cronus, Rhea, as the initial symbol for honorarium.  Later, the Romans followed using their own deity, Cybele (a mother goddess), to represent the occasion.  A spring celebration named “Hilaria” marked this sentiment, which used festivities of parades, feasts and music to establish the occasion.  Christians also joined in the tradition around the 1600’s in England calling their version, “Mothering Sunday”.  The holiday was represented on the fourth Sunday of Lent and called for special services during sermons emulating the Virgin Mary.  Christians were then encouraged to visit their “first church” and return to the homes where their mother’s lived.   A mother’s womb symbolized both the first home and first church that a person experienced.

So you’re probably wondering when Bostonian’s began the ritual of Mother’s Day?

Well, it wasn’t until 1908 when a woman named Anna Jarvis held a memorial service for her mother, Anne Jarvis, three years after her passing in Grafton, West Virginia.  Particularly proud of her mom’s work nursing and caring for soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, the daughter mandated a campaign to honor all mothers on the second Sunday of May.  By the year 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed an act making Mother’s Day and official holiday for the entire United States of America. 

It wasn’t long before Anna succeeded in her efforts when businesses saw a massive opportunity for market growth within this realm. Industries such as card companies, growers and candy saw major expansion possibilities and began to market their products for this celebration.  Hallmark and Hershey’s widened their advertising campaigns to appeal to this new niche and infused a necessity of gift buying for mom on her special day. 

Originally asking observers to write a hand written letter explaining their sons and daughter’s heart felt love for their mothers, Anne flew into a rage outraged by the exploitation beginning to take place.  Jarvis set out on a mission boycotting the American holiday, petitioning for it to be taken off the official calendar.  The activist then participated in several sit-ins and protests using the carnation as the official flower of Mother’s Day. 

Suzie Canale,

Westwood, MA 

Looking at the calendar, I realized that Mother’s Day was soon approaching on May 10^th and it was time to begin making plans for this year’s special day with mom!  Customarily we sit down beforehand and plan our annual route to one of our favorite places in the world, New England greenhouses!  The snow is just about gone around the yards and our flowerbeds can definitely be readied for plantings.  While April is the month to accomplish tasks of yard grooming, debris pick up and other landscaping chores, May is the month for the actual potting and replanting of the goodies being grown as we speak. Since the middle of Mother’s Day month hosts temperate night temperatures accommodating for successful spring growing, now’s the time to get shopping.  My mom and I know this green thumb standard inside and out and feel there is no other better way to celebrate Mother’s Day then picking out our first nursery beauties.  Whether you decide to visit the North Shore or South Shore farms and greenhouses, I can tell you throughout the years we’ve hit most of them and have found some gems.  Here are a few of our favorites that we would like to share with you this Mother’s Day!

North Shore                                                                   

Mahoney’s Garden Center

242 Cambridge Street

Winchester, MA 01890

Phone: (781) 729-5900

This operation has eight different locations across Massachusetts but I love the one located in Winchester, MA the most.  This family owned business covers everything including orchids, ground covering plants, perennials, annuals, tropical trees, ceramic pieces, patio furniture, vase ware and soil needs so it’s a real one stop shopping experience.  Other perks include ample parking, a rewards program and their own farm store with homegrown fruits, veggies and fresh baked goods.

South Shore                                     

photo credit: boston.com

Kennedy’s Country Gardens

85 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy

Scituate, MA 02066

781-545-1266

This was my flower haunt when I briefly lived in Scituate, MA that I really enjoyed.  What was great about this place was the assortment of product they had in a manageable area that allowed easy browsing and buying logistics.  They have a fabulous assortment of rose bushes as well as an adorable parrot located in their greenhouse who also greets customers as they enter and exit.  If you bring the kids, don’t forget to visit the Koi Pond where they can feed the fishes and enjoy the pretty view!

 Suzie Canale

Westwood, MA