Seasonal Merchandise Closeout

50% off

all Seasonal Merchandise

Help us make room for our new Spring merchandise!  Stop in and stock up on gifts and tree trimmings for next year.

Silk Wreaths ~ Centerpieces ~ Christmas Ornaments ~ Christmas Decore and more!

Hurry in Sale Ends ~ December 30th!

Being Independent

As many of you already know we are no longer a member of Teleflora, or any other "wire" service.  We are 100% independent and we love it!


One of the things we used to love about being a member of Teleflora (and let me tell you things we loved were few and far between) was our website.  They would update it, create the banners, change the product, and we just had to sit back and wait for orders to come in.  That was all well and good but we had no creative control over it.  We may not like the designs, color choices, or containers they were featuring.  So we started adding our own product.  It didn't take us long to see that people were choosing our unique designs over the other designs offered.


So now we are free, free to do what we want, free to create our own designs, free to choose the flowers, containers, and more.  Let me tell you, we LOVE being free.


Here is what we have created for this Holiday.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it all.

Polymesh is FUN

So we have been experimenting with a new product here at The Secret Garden.  It is called Deco Polymesh, and we LOVE it!  


We made this tree for the front of our building.  Don't let the picture fool you, this tree is about 6 feet tall.

Then we made this wreath for our shop, and then another, and another!  

Then our first custom order arrived and we made this fun purple one.

We even decorated a couple of indoor trees with it.  You should stop in and see how cool they look in person.

Sometimes it's really fun to try something new.

Save 30% on Christmas Silks & Gifts

This week's special is 30% off any Christmas silk or gift!  Stop in and see what all we have to offer.  It's time to start thinking about all of those people on your list.

Or take our virtual tour on Youtube. 


Hurry in offer ends ~ December 17th, 2011


Excludes ~ Fresh flowers & Plants

The Season of Giving

We believe it is better to give than to receive.  This December we are proud to give to Dove Inc.  


Dove has been helping women and children in the Decatur area for over 30 years.  This year they contacted us about our fundraising program and we were pleased to say, "YES".  


For the month of December when you mention Dove when you place your order or make a purchase we will donate 10% to Dove.  If you want to learn more about what Dove offers visit their website here.


We hope you join us during this season of giving.

10% Off The List

This week we will be offering 10% off any item on the list!  Hurry in offer ends December 10th!

THE LIST

Here it is... what you have been waiting for!  The List has been revealed ~

A Tour of Our Store

We know we have friends, family, and friends near & far.  So we have made a Holiday Tour of our shop just for you.  Take a walk through The Secret Garden with us... enjoy your stay!

Weekly Holiday Deals 2011

Here are the much awaited Secret Garden Holiday Specials.  Each week you will find a new way to save with us. 

The Secret Garden

Weekly Christmas Specials 2011

Buy 2 ornaments get One FREE! November 28th - December 3rd Valid in store only Second ornament must be equal or lesser value. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. The Secret Garden 1215 E. Pershing Rd. Decatur, IL 62526	10% Any Gift on Our Top 10 List December 5th - December 10th Valid in store only Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. The Secret Garden 1215 E. Pershing Rd. Decatur IL 62526
Save 30% off Christmas Silks & Gifts December 12th - December 17th Excludes Flowers & Plants Valid in store only. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. The Secret Garden 1215 E. Pershing Rd. Decatur, IL 62526	Buy any Christmas Silk get one 1/2 off December 19th - December 24th Valid in store only. Half off item must be equal or lesser value. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. The Secret Garden 1215 E. Pershing Rd. Decatur, IL 62526

Planning...

So many things are taking place around The Secret Garden.  


All fall merchandise is now 40% off, excludes flowers & plants.


We are working on our Holiday Top 10.

Small Business Saturday is just around the corner!


Our first EMAIL blast will be hitting mailboxes on Monday.  Don't miss out on these folks they are going to be full of great deals, information, and more!


We are updating our website to show off our Holiday arrangements.


And we still have time to create beautiful Thanksgiving arrangements for all!


Hope you find time to stop in and see us.  The holidays are such a busy time for all of us but we always have time for you!

Fall goes 40% off Today

All of our Fall Merchandise is now 40% off!  Take a look at our virtual tour then stop on in and pick up what you need.


1215 E. Pershing Rd.

Excludes fresh flowers & plants.  

We are now on G+

Google+ has launched their business brand pages and we are among them.


We are trying to come up with a creative way to use our new brand page... we want it to be something different from our Facebook & Twitter.  Watch for exciting things like video's, question and answer sessions and more.


Come join us on G+, add us to your circles.  Watch us develop & grow!

Secretgardendecatur

on Google+

Care for your Thanksgiving Centerpiece

It's that time again, time to decorate your holiday table with one of our fresh floral centerpieces.  


Here is a short video on how to keep that Thanksgiving Centerpiece looking fresh longer.

Holiday Email Blast

This holiday season we have so many events, specials, and products to share we want you to be a part of it.  Sign up to receive our email blasts so you don't miss a single event.


We have plans to send about 10 - 12 emails from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  Be sure your name is on the list by filling out the form below.


When you fill out the form you will be entered to win an Arrangement of the Month for a year! 

Small Business Saturday

We are proud to be taking part in Small Business Saturday.  This is the 2nd annual Small Business Saturday sponsored by American Express.  You can see more about it here.  

As a small business owner we know that Black Friday belongs to the big box stores.  They have LONG hours and HUGE discounts on their door busters.  But this year we hope that you will join us for the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  

We will be offering you a chance to relax and enjoy the sounds and scents of the season.  You will find samples of gourmet coffee, treats from Wild Flour Bakery, and the scents of pine and fresh flowers.

• $5.00 off of every $25.00 you spend
• Free Gift with every purchase
• Door Prizes
• Exclusive Preview of our Top 10
• And So much More!

Small businesses are the backbone of the economy.  They donate to your schools, organizations, and give back to the community.  Take this opportunity to show your support for the small business all over Decatur. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

We will be closed on Friday the 25th to prepare for Small Business Saturday.

Inspiration From TV

Inspiration can come from anywhere, even a T.V. show!  This week while Michael and I were watching Covert Affairs I saw an arrangement like this sitting on a desk.  I couldn't wait to get back to the shop and create my own.  

Using a Calla Lily, Circus Roses, and Mambo Spray Roses we created an identical bouquet.  It has gotten rave reviews from the visitors to the shop over the weekend.  

While you watch your favorite shows keep your eye out for bouquets that catch your eye.  You will be surprised at all the flowers you can spot in shows you watch.  They make a "set" look more like a home and spruce up those boring hospital rooms on shows like Grey's.  

What's Growing on November 2011

If you missed our email newsletter this month here it is ~ 

Flower of the Month ~ Chrysanthemum

One of our most requested flowers is the Daisy.  Just about daily someone will say, "She Loves Daisies!".  Did you know Daisies are part of the Chrysanthemum family?  There are hundreds of type of Chrysanthemums.  All of the different types can be found here.  

A little history:

 

Chrysanthemums can trace their history all the way back to 15th century (BC) in China.  It started as a flowering herb, but now it's so much more.  The Chrysanthemum even became the "official seal" of the emperor of Japan in the 8th century.  The original color was golden; now it has so many different shades, shapes, and variations.

Arrangement of the Month

Our Arrangement of the Month this month is named, "Thankful for You".  It was, once again, named by our Facebook friends.    It features Carnations, button mums, daisies, alstroemeria, cat tails, and fall leaves.  It is arranged in a wicker cornucopia.  The perfect fall gift!  You can order it herefor just $36.99.

Small Business Saturday

After you have enjoyed the turkey, family, and friends, it's time for Small Business Saturday!  Black Friday belongs to the Big Box stores but as a small business Saturday belongs to us!
To celebrate we will have hot apple cider, tasty treats, some fantastic deals, a free gift with every purchase, and even extended hours!  On that big day you can shop with us from 8am to 4pm.  We will send out a special email the Friday before, so be on the lookout.  For previews, be sure to follow us on Facebook.
We now also accept American Express, and they have some great offers for shoppers on this day as well.  You can see what they have going on here.

Thanksgiving Centerpieces

Spending time with family and friends all gathered around your table is a wonderful feeling.  Add flowers to your table and that feeling is multiplied!  This year make your table one they will talk about for years.  Add a centerpiece from The Secret Garden.
We are working to get all of our centerpieces on the website soon, you can see our growing selection here.  Order your centerpiece early to insure best selection.
Remember you can phone in a custom order 217-875-9038.

We are preparing a special list this year...   We are making our list and checking it twice... and it will be revealed soon. Don't worry, you will be among first to know.

  

Pumpkin Chunkin Starts Today

So Halloween is over and those pumpkins have to go!  So today we are taking a fun approach to our care and handling page ~

We bring you... pumpkin chunkin... cause throwing your pumpkin in the trash is so boring!

Thankful for You

In case you din't know... fall is our FAVORITE season.  The colors of fall are amazing, it inspires us daily.  So when it came time to making our Arrangement of the Month we knew the perfect thing...

Our Arrangement of the Month this month is named, "Pumpkin Bumpkin".  It was, once again, named by our Facebook friends.  

 It features Carnations, button mums, daisies, alstroemeria, cat tails, and fall leaves.  It is arranged in a wicker cornucopia.  The perfect fall gift! 
You can order it herefor just $36.99.

The List

The List is coming.... 

Want to be among the first to know?  Sign up here and you will be!

Flower of the Month Chrysanthemum

The flower of the month of November is the Chrysanthemum. There are hundreds of species of chrysanthemums, from the button mum to the daisy we love them all.  Here is a little history about this versatile flower.


Chrysanthemums can trace there history all the way back to 15th century (BC) in China.  It started as a flowering herb, but now it's so much more.  The Chrysanthemum even became the "official seal" of the emperor of Japan in the 8th century.  The original color was golden, now it has so many different shades, shapes, and variations.


Chrysanthemum blooms are divided into 13 different bloom forms by the US National Chrysanthemum Society, Inc., which is in keeping with the international classification system. The bloom forms are defined by the way in which the ray and disk florets are arranged.

Chrysanthemum blooms are composed of many individual flowers (florets), each one capable of producing a seed. The disk florets are in the center of the bloom head, and the ray florets are on the perimeter. The ray florets are considered imperfect flowers, as they only possess the female productive organs, while the disk florets are considered perfect flowers as they possess both male and female reproductive organs.

Irregular Incurve: These are the giants of the chrysanthemum world. Quite often disbudded to create a single giant bloom (ogiku), the disk florets are completely concealed, while the ray florets curve inwardly to conceal the disk and also hang down to create a 'skirt'.

Reflex: The disk florets are concealed and the ray florets reflex outwards to create a mop like appearance.

Regular Incurve: Similar to the irregular incurves, only usually smaller blooms, with nearly perfect globular form. Disk florets are completely concealed. They used to be called 'Chinese'.

Decorative: Similar to reflex blooms without the mop like appearance. Disk florets are completely concealed, ray florets usually don't radiate at more than a 90 degree angle to the stem.

Intermediate Incurve: These blooms are in-between the Irregular and Regular incurves in both size and form. They usually have broader florets and a more loosely composed bloom. Again, the disk florets are completely concealed.

Pompon: *Note the spelling, it is not pompom. The blooms are fully double, of small size, and almost completely globular in form.

Single/Semi-Double: These blooms have completely exposed disk florets, with between 1 and 7 rows of ray florets, usually radiating at not more than a 90 degree angle to the stem.

Anemone: The disk florets are prominently featured, quite often raised and overshadowing the ray florets.

Spoon: The disk florets are visible and the long tubular ray florets are spatulate.

Quill: The disk florets are completely concealed, and the ray florets are tube like.

Spider: The disk florets are completely concealed, and the ray florets are tube like with hooked or barbed ends, hanging loosely around the stem.

Brush & Thistle: The disk florets may be visible. The ray florets are often tube like, and project all around the flower head, or project parallel to the stem.

Exotic: These blooms defy classification as they possess the attributes of more than one of the other twelve bloom types.

Thank you Wikipedia for this information.

We use Chrysanthemums in our work just about every day.  They add color, texture, and they last for a long time.  We even have a "sunshine bouquet" that is made up of chrysanthemums and it sells for just $4.99. 

Here are a few things we have made using chrysanthemums, you can see the variation in not only the color but the textures as well.

Convey Your Sympathy

When our client called and said that they needed a sympathy arrangement for an outdoor lover we were inspired.  Sheryl selected the fish, the rod, and the rocks.  The wicker basket reminds us of a fisherman's basket, and the cattails add to the "riverside" look.  The bass looks like it is jumping right out of the water and onto the shore.  

Sympathy arrangements do not have to be bland, they can be tastefully creative.  When you are looking for something to express your loved one we can help you find inspiration too.  We have used golf clubs, pictures, playing cards, quilting squares, and even looms. 

We honestly feel that personalized tributes provide great comfort to the family.  Looking at this arrangement the family had fond memories of their loved one and his love for the outdoors. 

We would be honored to help you pay respects to someone in your life.  Just let us know what they enjoyed, bring in memories, or let us help you find the perfect item from our shop.  

Extended Holiday Hours

It's that time again!  Time to start thinking about Holiday shopping.

Starting November 1st we will have extended Holiday hours.  We feel that it is important to be open when you need us.

Monday - Friday   8:30 - 6:00

Saturday             9:00 - 3:00

Stop in and see us at 1215 E. Pershing Road for all of your Holiday gift giving occasions. 

Wedding Choices

There are so many choices for brides today.  Some brides want to go the DIY route, others want to have every detail handled by professionals.  At The Secret Garden we have something to fit every brides idea of a perfect wedding.

Choice One ~ Full Service Wedding.  From creating your bouquets, to setting up the flowers at the reception we will take care of it all.  For brides with hectic schedules this may just be the way to go.  We will handle all of the details and you can enjoy every second of your big day.  You can preview some of our work here.

Choice Two ~ The Budget Friendly Bride.  Want to have beautiful flowers for your wedding but you are working on a limited budget?  This is the option for you.  We have packages that include, Roses, Gerbera Daisies, and even Fresh Seasonal Flowers.  You choose the color we do the rest.  You can see some of our packages here.

Choice Three ~ DIY Bride.  You want to create the wedding of your dreams all by yourself.  We are here for all of your floral needs.  The Secret Garden offers bulk pricing on all of our flowers, and discount prices on all floral supplies.  If you would like to learn more about our DIY option click here.

Choice Four ~ DIY Hybrid.  Sometimes our brides want to make the reception pieces but like for us to handle the bouquets and boutonnieres.  We are more then happy to assist with your wedding anyway you need.  You can even purchase your DIY flowers at bulk, and have us take care of the rest. 

Whatever you choose we hope that you will allow us to be part of your big day.  If you would like to schedule your consultation simply fill out this form and we can get started.

Introducing Our Free Reminder Service

Have you ever forgotten a birthday or an anniversary.  Let us help keep you from doing that again.  Introducing "My Special Dates".  

How it works ~ 

• Click on this link and give them your special dates.  Don't worry about the floral code, it's covered in the link.  
• You can set up reminders for as many occasions as you would like.  It will even remind you when holidays are coming up.  
• Then you tell them when you would like to be reminded, a few days before, day of, or however you would like.  
• Then you tell them how you want to be reminded.  By Phone, Text, or email.  
• Let My Special Dates do the rest.

When you sign up for email or text alerts they will even include a link to our website for easy ordering.   And you will receive an offer code good for 10% off your purchase just for signing up!

The best part ~ It's FREE.  Free to sign up, free to use, and free from worries.  

Don't let an important date slip through your fingertips, sign up today!

Spooktacular Pets

Calling all proud pet owners!  Enter your pooch or cat in our "Spooktacular Pets" contest.  Simply email us a picture of your pet all decked out for Halloween.  We will post it to Facebook and our fans will be the judges.  The winner will receive a $50.00 gift certificate to PetSmart.

Contest Starts October 15th and runs until October 25th.  We will then make a Facebook album off all of the pets for judging.  You will be emailed a link to the album for easy access.  Ask your friends, family, and fellow pet lovers to come vote for your pet.  Judging will end on October 30th.  The winner will be announced on October 31st.

To enter email us your pets picture to customercare@secretgardendecatur.com

Include your name & phone number in the email.

Good Luck & Have Fun!

Two Great October Holidays

Did you know that October has two opportunities to tell others how you feel?  Well it sure does.  We have Sweetest Day on October 15th and Boss's Day on October 16th (observed Monday the 17th).  So here is a little more about these upcoming Holidays.

Sweetest Day ~ According to Holiday Insights : "When: Third Saturday in October

Now here is a day dedicated just for your sweetie. It exists as an opportunity for you to recognize that sweet and special someone. It doesn’t matter who that person is, or what their relation to you. They just have to be "sweet" in order to get a little recognition.

Herbert Birch Kingston, a Cleveland, Ohio philanthropist and candy company employee started Sweetest Day. He wanted to bring happiness to orphans, shut-ins and under-privileged. His intent was to show these people that they were not forgotten.  In 1922, he started this holiday by giving candy and small gifts. He often used movie stars to distribute the gifts.

The popularity of this holiday quickly spread. Today, is celebrated with loved ones and friends."  

So what do you get someone for sweetest day.  Well sweets are always nice, you can find some of ours here.  Also flowers are always appreciated.

Boss's Day ~ According to Time & Date.com: 

The concept of National Boss Day began in 1958 when Patricia Bays Haroski, then an employee at State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois, registered the holiday with the United States Chamber of Commerce. She designated October 16 as the special day because it was her father's birthday. Haroski's purpose was to designate a day to show appreciation for her boss and other bosses. She also hoped to improve the relationship between employees and supervisors.

Four years later in 1962, Illinois Governor Otto Kerner backed Haroski's registration and officially proclaimed the day. The event’s popularity is growing outside the United States and is now also observed in countries such as Australia, India, and South Africa.

So what does the boss want?  How about a nice dish garden for their desk?  A bouquet of fresh flowers, or flowers in a coffee mug would be ideal.  

Visit our website for more great gift giving ideas. 

Thank you Decatur

When we got the call this year from Edward Jones to assist them in collecting food for the WSOY Food Drive we said, "absolutely, how can we help."  The bags were dropped off at the store and we went to work.  We wanted something that would thank the community for their help, and to collect at least 100 pounds of food.  I had read about a great idea in a florist magazine and the plan was put into place. After several calls to wholesalers to insure we would have enough roses to go around, the plan was in motion.  We went live with our 2+10=12 event on Monday the 26th of September.  


Then we sent out press releases to the local media.  We received a phone call from Brian Byers on Tuesday morning and he stopped in to discuss it with us.  He offered to help spread the word, and we agreed to run some advertisements on his show to help get the word out.  Now we were cooking.  


When all was said and done we had collected 210 pounds of food (100 pounds over our goal), and we had sold over 900 roses!!!  


We extend a heartfelt Thank YOU to all of you who came and donated food.  We had people coming in with bags of food instead of just 2 cans.  We were so excited to see the boxes fill up.  It was amazing to see the amount of food we collected. 


Next year we plan to do it all over again!  We can't wait to start planning our 2nd annual event.  

Pumpkin Bumpkin Our Fresh Flower Pumpkin

It's that time again!  Time for pumpkin carving and our favorite arrangement of the season!  Our live pumpkin is prepared right here in the shop.  We select the perfect pumpkins, clean them, and then add beautiful fresh flowers.  These are perfect for fall gift giving.  


This year our pumpkin is called, "Pumpkin Bumpkin".  It was named by our Facebook friends in one of our contests.  


It holds, Carnations, Mums, and fall leaves.  When the flowers start to fade it will be time to dispose of the pumpkin.  Now how neat is that, a gift to enjoy and no mess of cleaning the pumpkin yourself!  


We have a limited amount of pumpkins each year so it's best to order early.  Here is a link to our pumpkin on our website for easy ordering.  

October Flower of The Month Marigold

Marigolds have a special place in my heart.  When I was growing up my Grandma had a lovely path of marigolds all along her sidewalk.  Every fall when they would go to seed, we would pick them all and store them to plant in the spring.  This was one of my favorite things to do with my Grandma.  We would talk and laugh while we picked the seeds.  So this month I was excited to see that the Marigold was the flower of the month.

Marigolds have four species:

African (Tagets erecta)

Triploids Hybrid (Tagetes erecta with Tagetes Patula)

Single (Tagetes Tenuifolia)

French (Tagetes Patula)

Marigolds come in so many colors they are sure to brighten any flower bed.  You can find them in yellows, oranges, red, maroon, and cream.  They make a great edger, like my Grandma used to do, or you can plant entire beds of them.  They grow great in pots too so you can plant them and give them as a fall gift.  

As the buds start to fade, pinch them off and save the seeds for the next year.  They like moist, well drained, soil.  They grow best in a sunny area so avoid planting them under trees or in shaded areas.