Fresh Flower Fast Lane

May Lily of the Valley

2010-04-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

The flower of May is the Lily of the Valley!!

Lily of the Valley’s simplicity and grace makes it great for any occasion, but is commonly used for weddings. It is native to Northern Europe and the scientific name is Convallaria majalis. The name literally translates from Latin to “valley” and “May” – referring to where and when it blooms. It is also known as Virgin Mary’s Tears or May Bells.

The flower is symbolic of returning love, happiness, and purity. As beautiful as it is, Lily of the Valley can be dangerous! All parts of the flower – leaves, stalk, flowers, and berries – are poisonous. The contain several different cardiac glycosides. Cardiac glycosides are used in medicine to aid against heart failure but are lethal in the doses found in the Lily of the Valley.

Lily of the Valley is also the national flower of Finland!

March Daffodils

2010-03-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Daffodils are the flower of March!

The Daffodil is native to the Mediterranean region, in particular the Iberian Peninsula. They are in the genus Narcissus which has over 50 species.

According to ancient Greek mythology, Narcissus (pictured at right) was a very beautiful young man. One day he went to the pool of water to get a drink of water, but as he was leaning over the stream, he caught a glimpse of his reflection. He immediately fell in love with the reflection, not knowing it was actually himself. When he went to drink from the pool, the figure would “run away.” Since Narcissus wanted to continue staring at this beautiful being, he remained sitting there without taking a drink. Eventually he died there. Around the pool where he died a flower appeared. The Roman version suggests that he was transformed into the flower. The flower is now called the Narcissus Flower (pictured below) and is very closely related to the Daffodil. Today, Daffodils represent lasting friendship. Along with Daffodils, we carry “Double Daffodils” (pictured at bottom left) Double Daffodils have two of every piece of the flower – this means double perianth and / or trumpet.

Stop by or order some daffodils to brighten your day or show someone you care!

Tulipomania!

2010-02-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

The sun is shinning and the weather is getting warmer, time to start thinking about spring! One of the first flowers to bloom in the spring is the tulip. The tulip has a very interesting history.

Originally from Turkey, the flower gained exponential popularity in Holland starting around 1590 and grew from simple admiration of the flower into “Tulipomania.” At its height in the 1630s people would pay exorbitant prices for just one tulip bulb. The most famous tulip in history is called the “Semper Augustus” (pictured at right). Just before Holland’s economic crash in 1637 (mostly caused by the tulip itself) the price of a Semper Augustus was 10,000 guilders – enough to buy a nice house along the canal.

Later, scientists found that the split color found in the Semper Augustus is caused by a fungus that infects the roots of the tulip and yields the tulip barren.

We currently have beautiful tulips that range from yellow and white to purple and orange-yellow (pictured at top left).

January Carnations

2010-01-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

Every month has its own flower, January’s flower is the Carnation!

The Carnation dates back to Greek and Roman times. Theopharastus, a Greek botanist, named it Dianthus which translates as “flowers of god.”

Like roses, the colors of carnations carry a meaning.

Carnations in general: Fascination, Woman's Love
Pink Carnations: Mother's Love
Light red Carnations: Admiration
Dark red Carnations: Deep Love and Woman's Affection
White Carnations: Pure Love and Good Luck
Striped Carnations: Regret, Refusal
Purple Carnations: Capriciousness
Yellow Carnation: Disappointment, Dejection

The Carnation is the national flower of Spain and the Scarlet Carnation is the state flower of Ohio. (The floral emblem of the US is the rose, Tennessee’s state flower is the Iris and the state wildflower is the Passionflower)

Peace Lilies

2010-01-05T10:01:00.001-08:00

First of all, Happy New Year!!

One of our most popular plants is the Peace Lily, also known as a “Spath.” Curious as to why it was so popular, I set out on an internet mission to find out.

The Peace Lily is originally from the more tropical parts of the Americas and Southeast Asia. There are about 40 different species of Peace Lily (Genus Spathiphylleae), but we only carry one species. Not only do Peace Lilies brighten your day by providing a little bit of nature in your home, but they’re good for you too! Like all plants, Spaths turn carbon dioxide into oxygen making any room breathe easier. They also help clean the air of environmental pollutants.

Peace Lilies are easy to care for: they only need water once a week. One website said that since it is originally a tropical plant, it thrives when you spray it with mist. Some pretty obvious warning signs that your plant isn’t doing well are brown leaf tips and yellow leaves. Brown leaf tips usually mean it has too much salty fertilizer that hasn’t been washed out with water. But be careful! Yellow leaves mean you’ve watered it a little too much.

The flowering part of the Peace Lily is the cylindrical part surrounded by the white leaf (called a bract).

Stop by and put some Peace in your life!

The Daily Flower

2009-11-20T11:18:00.001-08:00

Have you heard the news?!?! Yes, Humphreys Flowers has started a new flower shop called The Daily Flower, right in the heart of the downtown area. And it’s not just any flower shop—you know, like all the other ones already here in town. No, it is a one of a kind European style flower market. The only one here in Chattanooga! Keeping up with our reputation as being a cutting edge, artistic, and innovative city, this was an a ddition that was completely necessary.
Our quaint little shop is located on the corner Georgia Avenue and Patten Parkway in the bottom the First Volunteer Building. This cute little picturesque, corner shop is a convenient place for you to drop by and pick up a few of your favorite stems of flowers, or for you to easily take to someone else. We also have a few other small specialty blooming plants that are ready for you to take as well. Not only this, but you can also place orders just like you were here at Humphreys. Conveniently, your order will be placed at the Georgia Avenue shop and sent over here to us at the McCallie shop. It's that easy!
Make sure you stop by and check out the new shop soon! You’re sure to love it!

2009-11-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

Today as I walked into our beautiful shop, I was so excited to see a beautiful arrangement in our cooler. Yes, that’s right, once I looked past all of the early (but necessary) Christmas trees, mantle garland and wreaths, there was a very classy Thanksgiving center piece. As much as I love Christmas—which is a lot—I love Thanksgiving even more.

This might be because all the pretty fall colors are still involved in all of the arrangements. I don’t know. I just know that I always love this holiday. It’s a great time for family, but without stress—just relaxation, and really good food. And of course, the food table has to be ornamented with an elegant floral arrangement. It just makes the look complete. So come by and check out our Thanksgiving arrangements to keep you and your family’s memories brighter and more beautiful than ever.

Flower Care How-to Guide: 10 Ways to Care for Your Special Arrangement

2009-10-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

1. Keep it away from heating sources
2. Keep it away from windows with a lot of sunlight
3. Keep the room at as low of a temperature as comfortable
4. Keep out of reach of small children and pets!
5. Change out the water every other day
6. Ask your florist for flower food packets that you can put into your water when yo change the water out at home.
7. Recut the stems of all the flowers at an angle when you change out the water
8. Make sure none of the leaves on the flowers sit below the water line
9. If any of the flowers begin to look droopy, take them out and recut the stems again to see if they will perk up again.
10. Remove flowers that droop and do not revive after recutting the stems.

Finding Fall Through the Clouds

2009-10-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 1,000th day of the unstoppable precipitation and nap-time-inducing cloudiness that have been gracing us with their presence. Ok, so maybe that it slightly exaggerated, however, I don’t know anyone who wants this dreary day weather to keep on its roll. We’re ready for the beautiful leaves of fall to drape gracefully from tree limbs—so beautiful they almost appear artificial—and for the shielding mountains at our perimeter to soften with captivating rust themed colors. The air will be crisp, but not biting like the winter. The wind will be soft and just enough to rustle the fallen leaves in their orange, red, and yellow costumes. Those leaves will make their happy crunching sound that no one can get enough of, and children will busy themselves by making piles of the crunchers to throw themselves into.
The good thing—something to look forward to—seeing through the rain and thick clouds to the beauty waiting on the other side. This rain is going to do nothing but intensify the beauty of fall that we can’t wait to see! Whenever the rain finally stops and the trees realize that their camel sized thirst has been satisfied for much longer than they would ever need, their foliage will be more astonishing than we could ever imagine.
The cool crisp air will require no more than a light jacket and little activity. The corn mazes will be full of wandering children lost among the stalks that will be taller than they’ve ever been! Millet, sorghum, bittersweet and other fall arrangement foliage will accent vased flowers in ways that will be innovative and astounding—sure to amaze the surprised recipient, and please the anticipating sender.
So keep looking through the rain, the beauty of fall is on its way!

2009-10-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

So what’s the deal with all of this social networking stuff? It’s all over the place. I mean, even John McCain has a Twitter account, and my grandmother has Facebook. So really, why is all of this so popular now? I remember when I didn’t know anyone who had a cell phone, and when my dad got a pager I thought we were big stuff. We didn’t get the internet in my house until I was a sophomore in high school and that was the buzzzzzz, beeeep, uuuuehhhhhhhhh, kind. And when anyone was using the internet no one else could get a phone call. My AOL instant messenger time was limited to only certain hours of the evening—this was nearly catastrophic to my social well being.
Well, things have definitely changed! Here at Humphreys Flowers we started this blog over the summer, and soon after that began a Facebook page as well. But not only that, because of the overwhelming developing popularity of Twitter, we have one of those now too. And the best thing about that is that I just send Twitter a text of my tweet and it automatically updates my Twitter page! Very convenient. So you all should definitely check out our Facebook and Twitter pages—become a fan and a follower!

2009-09-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

One of the most unique and creative wedding receptions that I have ever seen pictures of took place this past weekend. Located right in the middle of the antique tire business, a quaint, festive, and unique wedding reception took place, and we at Humphreys Flowers got to be a part of it.
Having their showroom cleared (kind of) white tables and chairs, a cake, and beautiful floral centerpieces took the place of most cars and tires. This was true for all but the cake however. Creatively located on a table top in the trunk of an antique car was a decadent masterpiece. Yes, the beautiful and surely tasty bridal cake was delicately placed on display on a car.
To make the elegant yet spunky reception’s look complete, various floral centerpieces were placed on the tables; however though, these arrangements were not all the same. This made the look even more fun and less uniform—but still cohesive.
Hanging from the metal beams in the ceiling were coordinating paper lanterns and strips delicate white fabric to polish it all off. And that is exactly the look they achieved—a polished and elegant, yet fun and festive wedding.

Race for the Cure

2009-09-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sure to be an event worth your involvement, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is this Sunday! This event is something that we at Humphreys Flowers make sure to participate in every year. It has become an employee tradition! Catered to any walk of life, Race for the Cure offers a 5k fun run/walk, and a competitive 5k run as well. If the 5k is a little too long for you, there is also the 1 mile fun run/walk as well. Most of us here will be participating in the 1 mile so that our families can participate with us.
Most importantly though, this event is significant because it supports local breast cancer screening, treatment and education programs. The proceeds from the race will mostly remain in the ten Southeast Tennessee and six Northwest Georgia counties that the Chattanooga Affiliate service. The remaining money will go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure © Award and Research Grant Program.*
Please consider being a part of this great cause. For more information please visit their website at http://www.chattanoogaraceforthecure.com/.

*Information taken from Susan G. Komen for the Cure website.

Gerbera Galore

2009-09-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

Like a burst of sun and cheer is a flower quickly growing in fame, with color and confidence exuding from every petal—the gerbera daisy. Known as a bloom to bring cheer and a lot of smiles, the daisy is a “classic symbol of beauty,” and can also be interpreted to mean cheerfulness.[1]

No wonder this beautiful flower gained recognition and has only continued to catch the eye of many. In fact, it has quickly become one of the hottest trends not only for floral arrangements and home gardens showpieces, but also for wedding bouquets and ceremony and reception decorations. Most commonly used in spring and summer weddings, the gerbera daisy has even gained speed in fall and winter weddings as well.

One of my absolute favorite wedding bouquets was done right here in our shop just last weekend. The colors were bold, yet muted enough to capture the essence of fall beauty. The element, however, that gave this bouquet a completed look was the stunning appearance of the large, crimson, gerbera bloom. It simply pulled the look together in a unique way.

All of our arrangements that include gerberas seem to have an eye catching, second-glance-worthy look to them. If you want to see for yourself be sure to look us up on Facebook and become a fan! For your enjoyment, I will frequently be updating our photo albums with our work—so be sure to check it out!

[1] ProFlowers. September 10, 2009. http://www.proflowers.com/flowerguide/flowermeanings/daisy-meanings.aspx

Fall's Falling!

2009-08-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

My favorite time of year is almost here! I love fall. It’s just so beautiful. Living here in the Tennessee valley makes it even more enjoyable. Wherever you go you are surrounded by stunning vibrant yellows, rusty oranges, and burnt reds. Whether you see it while driving through mountains, dangling from a tree, blowing through the wind, or even crunching beneath your feet, the sight is something to stop and appreciate.

We are trying to do nothing short of that here at the flower shop. Even though mums aren’t my favorite flower, there is something about walking into our cooler and seeing all the fun fall mums in for the first time this year. They just do something for an arrangement that the color of other flowers cannot capture. Not only that, but out front, soon our floor with be covered with crotons ready to be sent out on delivery.

Another one of my favorite things is all the pretty fall wreaths that go up on every door. The ones made here are just beautiful. Something very frequently requested in wreaths, and sold alone, is bittersweet. It captures the essence of fall with its beautiful orange seeds that soon crack open to expose its stunning red center.

Overall, I just love fall. It’s beauty is unique and unsurpassed, and we do our best here to capture that beauty in everything we do.

Austin Hatcher Foundation

2009-08-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just recently we at Humphreys have decided to partner with a very worth while cause called the Austin Hatcher Foundation. If you have never heard of this organization you should definitely check out their website at www.hatcherfoundation.org and read their story. Under the “Who We Are” tab you can learn the heart wrenching details for why Jim and Amy Jo Osborn decided to begin this foundation.
As a result of the initiative that these two have taken to help raise money for research of pediatric cancer, many people have joined along side them in order to help out. That is exactly what we at Humphreys want to do too. In order to take part in this, all you have to do when you call in to order is specify that you want part of your purchase to go to the Austin Hatcher Foundation, or when ordering online use the coupon code “Hatch.” This will ensure that 5% of your order will be donated to their organization. Please join us now in helping Jim and Amy Jo raise money to further research in pediatric cancer—a cause worth supporting.

Sweet Treating

2009-08-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

So I don’t know about you all, but I love being able to multitask. Although I sometimes prove to myself and others that my ability to do so is not too great, I still love the feeling of trying to be efficient. Well if you’re like me, I have an idea for you. This Friday, August 14th, we will be having an employee bake sale here in our shop. All of the proceeds will go to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research. Not only that, but all customers who buy a bake sale item will receive a free rose too. Talk about multi tasking! You will be able to make a small charitable contribution, take home a beautiful rose, and satisfy the typical Friday afternoon sweet tooth craving!

Men, what a way to end your day??? Come in and get a sweet for you and take home a beautiful rose for your wife, all while contributing to a good cause as well! Women, you know you crave those sweets, (especially on Friday afternoon) well this Friday afternoon at Humphreys you can totally justify that craving with benefiting a good cause and getting a free rose! I don’t think that I would be able to resist such a great, and efficient, little stop—so make sure you don’t! Make Humphreys one of your Friday lunch break stops, and you’ll be glad you did!

Triathletes in Training!!!

2009-07-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Has anyone heard of the Sports Barn’s Quintana Roo’s Triathlon? Everyone here at Humphreys sure has! In fact three of us (one being the owner, Mr. Rob Johnson) are actually participating in it. It’s a sprint triathlon where each participant first swims 1/4 of a mile, then bikes 8.2 miles, and finishes it off by running 2 miles. Whew!
Although all of us are new to the triathlon process, we are still busting it trying to prepare ourselves to have our times posted online! Our training process has not been easy, and because of our different schedules, training together has proven to be nearly impossible; however, we are all training hard on our own. Hopefully by the race day we will all be sufficiently prepared to at least finish strong—if not win! Regardless, we eagerly look forward to next Sunday August 9th with great anticipation and hope to have you there cheering us on!

Jackson Showcase

2009-07-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday our country recognized and mourned the death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Tragic though it was for many, his service was nonetheless watched and appreciated. Amazingly, there were even tickets that were won by way of a lottery in order to determine the people who could attend his service. When the friends, family, and lucky lotto winners arrived, the stage was a spectacular sight to behold. The floral arrangements that lavishly framed the backdrop and front line of it and covered and cascaded over the gold casket collected the attention of even an untrained eye— paying homage though fine display. And this was indeed a fine display.
Many of us here at the flower shop noticed the spectacular display immediately. After the service, some of us thought it may be interesting to estimate the value of the casket piece alone. Well, this task proved to be extremely challenging due the limited point of view from the cameras, and simply from the high number of roses used! However, a rough estimate for the piece of this magnitude, at an adjusted eastern rate, would probably run approximately $1500 in our neighborhood—which would be a steal in California. The average casket piece ordered here runs about $150-300—just a small difference.

Gorgeous Graffiti

2009-07-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

So have you noticed yet? Our fun new mural on the front of our shop is coming together beautifully! We are all super excited to see the final product when our in house artist completes the masterpiece. Our very own, Alicia Rainwater, has been working diligently to create a gorgeous graffiti gem! She has displayed her amazing artistic abilities at multiple Chattanooga locations--one being just on the other side of our building! This well liked mural has been the recipient of many well deserved compliments, and the initiator to Alicia’s sought after talent. Another one of her stunning murals, displaying her ability to captivate any onlooker, can be seen at the Sugar’s Ribs in St. Elmo. So next time you’re near Sugar’s you should check it out, and make sure you come by Humphreys soon so that you can see the progress of the new one too!

Eventful Trends

2009-06-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Last week at Humphreys Flowers we had the privilege of arranging the floral decorations for the grand opening party for Mountain View Nissan. Now this was not just a cute little center piece for a little buffet table . We called upon the expertise of our head designer, Butch Ferney, to work his magic!

And he sure did! Once again, I was amazed at how he was able to create something that was very different and yet still amazing. I was stunned by his incorporation of bold color, wispy height and a completely unique shape. His ability to experiment with different floral combinations to create something that has its own look is unprecedented. This is true for all of our amazing floral designers. Although they each have their different specialties and favorites, they can do it all! Make sure to check out these amazing pictures of the stunning centerpiece!

It's Summer!!!

2009-06-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

It’s summer! Well, not officially, but with only a few days lacking the commencement of the season and with the warm sun gleaming down, the lazy feel of summer is here! However, the busyness of work and daily responsibility continues. The positive side of this does mean that the it’s time for all of those summer festivities. Evening cookouts, pool parties, outdoor weddings, and many other fun events are reasons enough to get all of your friends together. For us here at Humphreys Flowers, we look forward to the excitement of designing for weddings, big events, and even backyard birthday parties! One of the highlights of working here in the summer is getting to see all of the beautiful arrangements for all of the fun upcoming events. It’s so neat seeing all of the centerpieces for parties, or bouquets for weddings before they ever get to their destination. The best part is getting to see the beautiful arrangements at the particular event for which they are intended. Just last weekend one of my former roommates got married. She had wisely decided to get her bouquets from Humphreys, and they were beautiful! Before the wedding I was able to see the gorgeous bouquets here at the shop and couldn’t wait to see them at the wedding. Later though, just to see her walk down the aisle with such a unique design, perfectly custom to her elegant and fun taste, made them even more beautiful! It’s amazing how much fresh flowers add to an event. Having them as a centerpiece on any kind of table at an event says so much. It gives a completed, polished look. They brighten up the appearance of any gathering or party and add a completely new element. So don’t forget to add that polished touch to the next event you plan!

Fresh Flower Fast Lane: A Change of Pace

2009-06-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

Men, have you ever felt stuck in a rut when you send roses? I mean, you know that you are supposed to send roses for anniversaries, birthdays, and days when you have put yourself in the dog house, but does that really show her that you have thought about her? Does that make her feel special when you simply revert back to what you know is safe and easy? Maybe. That might be all you have to do. But, don’t you want to show her that she means more to you than just the cliché dozen?
What I am suggesting is that you branch out. A woman loves flowers, even if she says she doesn’t. She loves the idea that you bothered to take the time to get them for her. She loves to look at them and think about how beautiful they are, while thinking how wonderful you are. So why not give her that feeling on a whole different scale?
I know this idea scares a lot of men, but it’s really not hard. For instance, you call in and tell us that the recipient of the flowers is a younger, more contemporary girl who is really cheery. Some things that we might suggest are some arrangements or plants that look something like this:

These bright, vivid colors, and more unique flowers make a bold statement; sure to show the recipient that you had her in mind when you ordered.
Lets think of another instance. You call in and are looking for something for your mom. Now, she’s not old, but she definitely has an appreciation for a more classical look and elegant feel. We might recommend a few things that have this kind of look:

Offering both beautiful colors and a more sophisticated look, all while being fun and vibrant, these arrangements give you a great place to start.
So next time, for whatever occasion, we can help. Just remember that you can branch out and try something new, and she’s sure to love it!

Fresh Flower Fast Lane: Intiation Day

2009-06-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first of many Humphreys Flowers blog entries! Our desire for this blog is to keep you updated on all of our upcoming events and provide you with helpful and purely fun, interesting information. We want you to be able to:

read about the newest trends for floral accessorizing
learn how to best care for you plants and prolong the life of your fresh flower arrangements
find suggestions for what to send to the special woman or man in your life
be introduced to more unique, thoughtful, and "out-of-the-box" ideas
feel acquainted with our "seasonal specialties"
be well informed about upcoming local events at which we will be present
learn much, much more.

As a local business, we want to provide you, our valued customer, with an unparalleled experience in all avenues of business. For these reasons, we do hope that you find this new blog to be of great help and interest. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and make sure to look forward to the next Fresh Flower Fast Line coming to you soon!