Secret Garden in the news!

This is an article by the editor of the Business Journal here in Decatur IL
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Traveling Kindness Bouquet

Every week we select a local business or organization to receive our complementary "Traveling Kindness Bouquet".  This is a tradition we decided to start in April of this year.  It is normally a vase arrangement of fresh cut daisies, alstroemeria, or a blend of hearty flowers.  


Here is how it works-
We deliver the arrangement to the receptionist at a local business.  They keep the arrangement on their desk for about an hour and then they select who receives it next.  It is then passed around the office until the flowers are not up to passing.  


This is why we do it-
We believe that fresh flowers bring happiness, productivity, and a feeling of warmth and love.  Giving flowers to someone brings about those same feelings.  This is our way of showing others what it feels like not only to receive fresh flowers but also what it feels like to give flowers to others.   


How it all began-
When we took over the shop in January we were surprised at the number of people who had not heard of the shop.  We are always looking for new ways to get our name out to the public and show them what flowers can do for them.  One day I was browsing around on Facebook and saw this great idea.  I knew right then that I wanted to do this for our local businesses.  


What we hope to accomplish-
We want to let everyone know how fresh flowers make them feel.   To show everyone how just a simple bouquet can brighten your day.  So hopefully the next time someone needs a pick me up flowers is the first thing they think of.  Of course we would love for that order to come into our shop but that is just a small part of what we are trying to accomplish.  The most important part of all of this is to inform and to spread joy to everyone we can. 


Thank you for your time and we hope to someday bring the Traveling Kindness Bouquet to your business!  If you simply can't wait to see the joy on the faces of everyone in the office simply stop in and order one to take to the office with you!

How to Buy Flowers for Men

Father's Day is fast approaching.  Did you know that flowers can be the perfect gift for Dad?  Yes that's right men like flowers too!  From potted plants to vase arrangements Dad's get a thrill when they are on the receiving end of flower delivery!
Thank you eHow for this insight into buying flowers for men.  What great advice! 

Choosing Flowers for Men

1. 
   
   Step 1
   Consider the occasion when choosing flowers for men. In general, flowers for sympathy or apology occasions should be more subdued in color and design, whereas flowers for birthdays, love, congratulations or holidays can be brighter in color and a more exciting design.
2. 
   
   Step 2
   Choose the color. Most men are attracted to bright, bold colors, whereas pastel colors are more often purchased for women. Choose flowers in red, yellow, orange, blue and purple in their strongest hues. Some excellent choices are gerbera daisies, irises, roses and sunflowers. Also, keep in mind the soothing, gender-neutral color, green. Several types of green flowers are available, including green cymbidium orchids and carnations.
3. 
   
   Step 3
   Look for flowers with interesting shapes. Most men appreciate architecture. What better way to intrigue him than with flowers he's never encountered before? The fascinating and striking designs of flowers such as orchids, bearded iris, lupine and bird of paradise are sure to get appreciative comments.
4. 
   
   Step 4
   Choose masculine scents: spicy, earthy, musky, candy or fruity. Examples of flowers with a spicy or musky scent are delphinium, lupine, certain roses and tulips, carnations and bluebells. As for fruity or candy-scented flowers, try grape hyacinth or snap dragons. Avoid heavily scented, sweet-smelling flowers such as the star gazer lily and hyacinth. All of the flowers listed here come in the vivid colors discussed above in Step 2. Adding a sprig of balsam, eucalyptus, cedar or pine to a bouquet can add a cologne-like, evergreen scent, as well as a splash of dark green color.
5. 
   
   Step 5
   Arrange flowers in a natural, balanced, linear or contemporary design, or advise your florist to do so. Men may enjoy a simple, less frilly arrangement than the typical, elaborate, feminine arrangement. Sometimes less is more. For instance, a single, striking blue hydrangea with trailing, green ivy in a modest glass vase is very appropriate for his desk or nightstand.
6. 
   
   Step 6
   Pick out a simple vase devoid of ornate design or shape. Rectangular vases with a sleek, vertical design are a safe bet, as are plain square or round clear glass vases. Keep ribbons and bows to a minimum, choosing a single color rather than multi-color.

Read more: How to Buy Flowers for Men | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5047277_buy-flowers-men.html#ixzz0r3WemQmm

A Florist "Nose"

As most of you know we currently have a booth at The Dance Centre's recital at The Lincoln Theater.  We are selling our wares and meeting lots of new people.  
As we were watching the crowd we saw a gentleman rush by with a pack of fresh lilies from a "big box store".  I noticed right away that the lilies still had the pollen on them, this is a big no no around the shop.  Lily pollen stains EVERYTHING it touches, clothing, hands, the flowers themselves, and anything else it comes into contact with.  The first thing we do when the lilies open is remove all of the pollen.  We playfully call this, "Picking it's noses".  So I turned to Amy and said, "I want to go pick that guys noses".  She looked up at me like I was insane and then noticed the lilies.  She said, "Oh please do!  That is going to get all over the little girls outfit.".  I could not make it to him then but when we saw him come back down with the flowers and start to head outside I rushed to him.  I asked him if I could remove his pollen and he looked at me the same way Amy had just minutes before.  But he smiled as I explained and thanked me.  The woman that was with him placed her hand on my shoulder and said, "Bless your heart, we had no idea!".  I told her that Amy had once had a nightmare issue with pollen against her white wedding dress and she was on a mission to insure that never happened to anyone again!  

The moral of the story: When a florist asks to pick your nose, let them!

As a florist we know things that those big box stores either don't know or don't care about.  We know about the care of flowers and most importantly we CARE about your flowers!  When we see all of those beautiful bouquets wilting without water we care that they are not going to last long, thus the reason we supply our customers with water sources.  These are just little things that florists know.  We may not compete in price and location but we win hands down when it comes to caring about you and your flowers.

Wedding ~ Things to do before you call your florist

It's wedding season!  We wanted to write a little bit about what to expect at a bridal consultation. First a little about us:

We are a full service florist, offering you a wide selection of fresh flowers as well as silk flowers and balloons.  In addition we offer rental items such as candelabras, floral baskets, centerpieces, and arches.  These pieces are available not only for the ceremony but for the reception as well.  We also offer delivery and set up of all of your wedding day items.

The Secret Garden is limited to only fifty on-site weddings a year so book as soon as possible to guarantee your date.

Now for the fun part~ Before you schedule your appointment you will need to have the following tasks completed.

Wedding Date:______________

Ceremony Location:____________________________

Contact Person at location:_____________________

Reception Site:___________________________

Contact Person at location:__________________

Photographer:___________________  Time of Photos:___________________

Caterer: _______________________  Set up Time:_____________________

Cake Decorator:_________________  Set up Time:_____________________

Theme or Style of Wedding, Color Scheme, and the number in the wedding party.

____ Brides dress purchased

____ Attendants dresses purchased

____ Grooms attire picked out or decided upon

____ Groom's attendants attire decided upon

____ Mother of the Bride's color scheme decided upon.

One of the most important things in making the floral selection is your dress.  The style of your dress sets everything into motion. 

We pride ourselves on our one on one attention we give to each bride.  This is why we only schedule one on-site wedding each week.  We want to make your day the wedding of your dreams and this insures our undivided attention. 

One thing that we prefer not to do is give a price quote over the phone.  The factors that go into pricing a bouquet range from type of flowers all the way down to what type of ribbon will hold it all together. Your wedding day is one of a kind and so are your needs.  We will gather all of the information we need to give you the most accurate quote at your consultation.  


If you are looking for a "budget friendly" wedding we encourage you to see what we have to offer.  We are now offering packages that may work well for you.  It is possible to add to the package or remove items that are not needed.  You can visit our website here for details.

Also keep in mind that not all flowers are in season year around.  The way flowers are grown now, it is possible to get most of the flowers you want anytime of year but at a greater cost.  For example, roses at Valentine's day would not be the best choice as far as cost goes.  But we will work with you on prices and selection at the consultation.

Expect your consultation to last about 2 hours.  First you will look through books to give us an idea of what size and shape you are wanting your bouquet to be.  Then we will walk through a check list to make sure we cover everyone from the Mother of the Bride to the servers.  Everyone in your wedding is special and goes into making your day perfect. Then we will discuss decorations, flowers for tables, pew bows, rented items, and so on.  Be sure to bring with you any pictures, samples, swatches, and ideas that you may have to help the process along.  

We sure hope this helps lay out what to expect at your bridal consultation.  If you would like to schedule yours today give us a call: 217-875-9038 or stop by: 1215 E. Pershing Rd.

Decisions.... Decisions....

Well as most of you know my husband and I took over The Secret Garden in January this year.  Today, with the help of the shop manager Carol, I will pull together our first ever clearance sale.  We are scanning the shop and figuring out what we would like to see move to make room for new and exciting merchandise.  Our fall shipments have all ready started coming in as well.
So now comes the hard part what do we want to move... this or that?  It is really a matter of what we have had around the longest and what is just not moving well for us.  This is actually the fun part.  We get to walk around the store and think about what we can do with items to make them more appealing to the customers.  Can we do a silk in this?  How can we use that?  It gets the creative juices flowing.  


The items that we choose for our clearance sale are all great items but for one reason or another just are not moving as quickly as we like.  We have some Christmas items, some silk floral pieces, some of our discontinued Bearington Bears, a few wallets, some of this and some of that.  At the end of it all we wind up with a great clearance selection.  Now the fun continues!  We get to sell it all! 

Through the 15th of the month our clearance is 25% off, then we go to 50%, for the last 4 days it will be 75% off!  We will add to it as the items sell to keep it full and always changing.  Creating a fun and inviting sale is always great not only for our shoppers but for us as well.  We will keep you all posted on facebook as we add new items so that you will always be the first to know.  Thanks for stopping by and we hope to see you in the shop soon :)

Gearing up for another busy season

Mother's Day is on the way and we have already started the count down here at the store.  We are figuring out ways to say I love you, Thanks Mom, and Happy Mother's Day!  We have started designing this years unique arrangements.  These arrangements are exclusive to The Secret Garden and hand made by our designers.  This year we have decided to honor our Moms by naming the arrangements after them!  

We will have, Linda's Loving Blooms, Betty's Touch of Elegance, Billie's Lady Bug Landing, and Evelyn's Butterfly Garden.  These designs will be of limited quantity and we suggest you order early! 

Mother's Day is a day to tell your mom that you love and appreciate all she has done for you.  Mom's young and old look forward to all of those fun hand made crafts from kids and grandchildren.  If the day of Macaroni art are behind you we can help!

Mother's day had it's start in early greek times and found a home here in America over 150 years ago.  It has changed and evolved into one of the most loved Holidays of our time.   Here is the full story brought to you by 123holiday.net:

Contrary to popular belief, Mother's Day was not conceived and fine-tuned in the boardroom of Hallmark. The earliest tributes to mothers date back to the annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to Rhea, the mother of many deities, and to the offerings ancient Romans made to their Great Mother of Gods, Cybele. Christians celebrated this festival on the fourth Sunday in Lent in honor of Mary, mother of Christ. In England this holiday was expanded to include all mothers and was called Mothering Sunday.



In the United States, Mother's Day started nearly 150 years ago, when Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community, a cause she believed would be best advocated by mothers. She called it "Mother's Work Day."



Fifteen years later, Julia Ward Howe, a Boston poet, pacifist, suffragist, and author of the lyrics to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," organized a day encouraging mothers to rally for peace, since she believed they bore the loss of human life more harshly than anyone else.



In 1905 when Anna Jarvis died, her daughter, also named Anna, began a campaign to memorialize the life work of her mother. Legend has it that young Anna remembered a Sunday school lesson that her mother gave in which she said, "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother's day. There are many days for men, but none for mothers."



Anna began to lobby prominent businessmen like John Wannamaker, and politicians including Presidents Taft and Roosevelt to support her campaign to create a special day to honor mothers. At one of the first services organized to celebrate Anna's mother in 1908, at her church in West Virginia, Anna handed out her mother's favorite flower, the white carnation. Five years later, the House of Representatives adopted a resolution calling for officials of the federal government to wear white carnations on Mother's Day. In 1914 Anna's hard work paid off when Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother's Day as a national holiday.



At first, people observed Mother's Day by attending church, writing letters to their mothers, and eventually, by sending cards, presents, and flowers. With the increasing gift-giving activity associated with Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis became enraged. She believed that the day's sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit. In 1923 she filed a lawsuit to stop a Mother's Day festival, and was even arrested for disturbing the peace at a convention selling carnations for a war mother's group. Before her death in 1948, Jarvis is said to have confessed that she regretted ever starting the mother's day tradition.



Despite Jarvis's misgivings, Mother's Day has flourished in the United States. In fact, the second Sunday of May has become the most popular day of the year to dine out, and telephone lines record their highest traffic, as sons and daughters everywhere take advantage of this day to honor and to express appreciation of their mothers.


So this Mother's Day make sure you take a moment to tell your mother how much she means to you. 
For those of you who have suffered the loss of your mother we are very sorry for your loss and encourage you to spend the day with your memories.  We offer a wide assortment of memorials that will let you express your love.  


We will post some great pictures later today of our Mother's Day 2010 collection!  Thank you for stopping in.