May Lily of the Valley

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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.