Today I was researching some of the local organizations around Dragonfly Flowers on McPhillips, and came across a program from Seven Oaks General Hospital that I thought was really cool.  They call it  "Well Wishes".

In a nutshell, its a quick internet based form where you add your name, some patient information, and a message to any patient in the hospital.  The message is then delivered by one of the many great volunteers to your friend or family member, free of charge.

How it Works

"Seven Oaks Hospital Volunteers deliver “Well Wishes” to patients on adaily basis (excluding weekends and holidays). Submit the informationbelow and our volunteers will receive the printed e-mail and handdeliver it to the patient. The system is designed for well wishes only.We cannot send outgoing replies from patients. E-mails intended toconduct personal business, containing questionable content orbusiness/vendor solicitations will be deleted from the system. Sendyour love through the Seven Oaks General Hospital “Well Wishes”program, and let your loved one know you are thinking about them."

Of course, there are a few rules, but overall I think its a great idea!  Some times you don't have the time to make it to the hospital for frequent visits, you have already ordered flower delivery to Seven Oaks Hospital, or you just want to get a quick note off to wish someone well and brighten their day.  if you got really creative, you could do a treasure hunt, I spy with my little eye, riddles, puzzles; all kinds of great stuff if you put your mind to it!

        

The retail flower industry in Canada has just completed Grad Week.  This is typically a great time for florists to show off their skills and create some wonderful corsages and boutineers for impending graduates an their dates.

As with any special occasion, it's best to order your flowers and requested design at least a week prior to the event.  During busy times such as Grad, Mother's Day, or Valentines Day, it gives your florist the opportunity to plan for your event flowers and be sure that they have both the product and the available staff on hand to create something wonderful for you.

Of course we don't always have the opportunity to plan ahead and make prior arrangements for the events that happen in our life, or sometimes we just plain forget!

Your local Retail Florists have a variety of ways to make sure that you can get the product you need and have it in your hands in a timely manner.



- Staff up during busy times to make sure we have designers available
- Keep a few of these items in the cooler - ready to go when you walk in
- Provide expedited priority delivery when you have little time
- Realize that things don't always go as planned and make sure that
  we are there for you when you need us most!

When searching for flowers in Winnipeg, Dragonfly Flowers on McPhillips is here for you!  For those who find this blog from out of town, always make sure you are dealing with a real local professional florist, and not one of the national providers. 

You will be glad you did!

        

Hello everyone! 

I finally had a chance to log into The Florist Blog today and saw that it has been 67 days since our last blog post!  That is unacceptable by any standards I can think of!

A lot has been going on at Dragonfly Flowers.  We just finished the holiday season which includes, Valentine's Day, Easter, Administrative Professionals Week, and Mother's Day.  Our little shop has seen some fantastic growth, thanks to every one of our great customers, in Winnipeg and abroad for making Dragonfly Flowers on McPhillips your preferred Winnipeg Florist!

Some changes have happened during the past little while.  We are still working on completing our store branding initiatives, we have painted the store, and soon we will have our new signage up on both the store-front and on the street pylon, which we have never had before.

Stay tuned, I hope to blog about it all in the coming weeks!

        

I have been wondering lately if the average consumer really has any idea how long a "Long Stem" rose actually is.  When searching the internet for long stem roses, I have found that it is very unlikely that you will actually find a web site that describes them properly, or actually sells what a Real Retail Florist would define as a long stemmed rose.  A good friend and colleague of ours, Catherine Hillen Rulloda of Anaheim Florist, Avante Gardens has been blogging about roses for some time and has some great descriptions and images on her web site, like the one below.



You can obviously see that Avante Gardens has incredibly beautiful designs, but what is really great about this image, is that it shows the consumer a wonderful array of rose designs and you can really see what actually defines a long stem rose.

Here is a sample of the choices that Retail Florists and drop ship flower providers have from the growers and wholesalers.

Rose Assorted 30cm
Rose Assorted 40cm
Rose Assorted 50cm
Rose Assorted 60cm
Rose Assorted 70cm

Hmmmm.  So, which one is the long stem rose?  The chart below, again provided by Anaheim Florist, Avante Gardens, tells us about the length of the stem, and the size of the buds.



You can see that there is definitely some vast differences in both the size and perceived quality of roses.  Those huge buds that everyone loves to see come from true Premium Long Stem Roses.  When searching for Long Stem Roses online, you will find that even the mighty Google can't seem get it right.  As always, it is best to find a Floral Professional, wherever you are, or wherever you are sending flowers to.

There are so many great local florists out there like Avante Gardens, and your local retail florist can definitely provide you with the answers you need to make the right decision on your roses, and can help you find the right roses and a great design for whatever occasion you have.

        

A few months ago, Dragonfly Flowers was blessed by the opportunity to hire one of Winnipeg's most experienced freelance Floral Designers.

Rosalyn came to us with 30 years of Floral Design experience, and has worked in several Winnipeg Flower Shops during that time.  She brought with her not only this great industry experience, but also a wonderful attitude, great customer service skills, and has added her very well rounded career experience to the team.

I asked Rosalyn what she loves about designing flowers, and why she has stayed in this industry for so long.

"I love working with flowers, because there is always something different and something new to work with.  Some people might ask how I could do this for so long, but having been in this industry so long, I have seen many changes, in both the industry and the way flowers are designed.  With continued training and watching the current floral design trends, I have been able to recreate my design techniques many times during my career.  So, it never gets boring."

"In addition to all that, designing flowers just makes me happy!"

Although you can see she is a little camera shy, you can see Rosalyn's creativity and passion for flowers in the store, or anytime you have flowers delivered by Dragonfly Flowers on McPhillips.

We would like to formally welcome Rosalyn to the team and wish her the very best success with Dragonfly Flowers.

        

So.  It's Friday night, and Valentine's Day is tomorrow.  You forgot to get something!  I have been there and done that.  (Not since I married a florist, but that's another story)

If your sweetie is in Winnipeg, we have everything you need for that last minute Valentine's Day Gift!  We are getting fresh Roses tomorrow, and have the cooler JAM PACKED with great stuff!

Check it out!




Just click or call!  We can set you up with something truly unforgettable!

        

Valentine's Day is almost upon us.  As a florist, and those of you who have stood in line at the flower shop on Valentine's Day, we know that this is one of the biggest shopping days of the year for the retail flower business.  It is also one of the biggest weeks for ordering flowers online, with the exception of Mother's Day week.

If you have been reading our blog for a while, you have definitely seen some of the potential pitfalls that you can encounter when ordering flowers online.  In this changing economy, as a Real Local Florist, we feel that it's our duty to educate the public a little on how to get the best bang for your buck on Valentine's Day!

There are a few key things that you can watch out for this week when you are considering your flower purchase online:

1.  What kind of product or message do you want to send?
2.  Who am I really dealing with for my online purchase?
3.  Am I really getting value for what I am sending by using an Order Gatherer, like FTD or Teleflora.

Last page of the shopping cart - extra fees are applied...

Teleflora.com......$12.99

1800-Flowers......$13.99

FTD.com......$12.99

The owners of Flowers-Insolita in Huntington, New York put together a great blog explaining it in detail

When you buy direct from local florists you receive a superior product & pay a lot less! 

If you are in the market for flowers from Winnipeg to Anaheim, or Penticton to New York, hands down, the best value for your money will always come from ordering your flowers direct from the florist.

When searching for a Florist in Winnipeg, Manitoba, always search for Dragonfly Flowers!

        

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, we thought this would be a great time to release our new branding and logo.

Look for the purple Dragonfly on all your gift arrangements, and you will know that they were provided with care and affection by Dragonfly Flowers on McPhillips.

We have also updated our orders page to be www.dragonflyflowers.net.  Same great products, and same great service.

        

Flowers have been the number one gift for Valentine's Day for a very long time, and are still at the front of most Men's minds in 2009.  There are many meanings of different kinds of flowers, and your Winnipeg Florist will have a wide selection available right up until the last minute. 

We thought we could offer a few tips for ordering flowers on Valentine's.

1.  Send Early: 
You may have noticed that we are calling it Valentine's Week.  With Valentine's Day falling on a Saturday, some of the punch of sending flowers can be lost.  One of the things that women REALLY like is the envy factor.  This really does work.  After delivering flowers to office buildings, hospitals, schools and many more work-place locations, it really does give your loved one a boost when they receive flowers at their place of business.  When they come to the front counter to get them, they strut and smile because it was THEM who got flowers.  So, hence Valentine's Week.  Here is your opportunity to be a real hero and wow her during the week, and then wow her again on the weekend!  Another great reason to send early, is that some florists out there are putting up special offers for delivery during the week before Valentine's.  Check with the florist in the city you are sending to, and you might be surprised at how much you save!

2.  Include an Enclosure Card:
This little personal touch is the key to your continued romantic success!  The personalized enclosure card can either float you high, or sink you low.  Adding the right personal touch is so important and let's her know exactly how you feel. 

3.  Order Early:
Whether ordering in Winnipeg, or for any other city, you will find great deals leading up to the week of Valentine's Day.  Dragonfly Flowers is offering 15% off all pre-orders for delivery any time up to and including Valentine's Day, and anytime after.  But the offer expires on February 6th!

Next Post:  Enclosure Card Suggestions

        

Ok, so now it's called NetworkedBlogs...  I just got on here, and they have already changed the name!

Anyway, we have the Number 1 spot for the search term "Florist"!  (Very exciting)



I would like to take this opportunity to thank our excellent readership (of 13 readers) for making this possible.  I'd like to thank Facebook Apps and all their subsidiaries, and of course my wife Buffie, who is the heart and soul of our little Winnipeg Flower Shop.

Hee hee...

If you would like to help us keep our #1 position, please feel free to Join Our Blog Network!

PS:  Hey Google!  We are also the ONLY RESULT on NetWorkedBlogs for Winnipeg Florist!