Can’t Go Wrong with Flowers from Tipton & Hurst – as featured on AJ Wears Clothes blog

Tipton & Hurst was recently featured in the Valentine Gift Guide article on the popular fashion blog AJ Wears Clothes.

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When listing the best presents to give for Valentine’s Day, Tipton & Hurst was the only florist mentioned:

“Flowers are always the ultimate Valentine, and now that Tipton Hurst has joined The Promenade, it’s easier than ever to pick up a bouquet. They have cash & carry in store, or you can order ahead of time and pick up – or better yet, have them deliver! They also have an impressive selection of gift baskets.”

Read the full article here.

Grandparents Day is coming up, don’t forget the flowers!

Foreget-me-not flowers
Forget-me-not flowers. Photograph taken at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, France by David Monniaux. (Wikimedia Commons)

Did you know that the first Sunday after Labor Day is National Grandparents Day? It’s a day set aside to honor our grandparents and appreciate all they have done for us. This year is it September 9.

Grandparents Day was officially recognized as a US holiday in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter. A tenacious woman by the name of Marian McQuade was the driving force behind the official recognition of our elders. She wanted to “champion the cause of lonely elderly in nursing homes” as well as “persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide.”

The official flower of Grandparents Day is the forget-me-not but when it comes to showing Grandma and Grandpa how much you love them, most any flower will do. Here are some ideas for incorporating flowers into your Grandparents Day celebrations.

  • Order an arrangement for their home. If they live in a retirement center, be sure to check with the staff about any restrictions regarding flowers.
  • Give Granny a corsage and Papaw a boutineer that they can wear to church.
  • If your grandparents have already passed on, this is a perfect time to honor their memory by visiting their graves and leaving some flowers.
  • Donate a flower arrangement to your grandparents’ church in their honor or memory.
  • Ask your grandmother what her favorite flower is and surprise her with a corsage or arrangement featuring that flower when you take her to lunch.
  • Volunteer at a nursing home and give a rose to each of the residents.

Got any more ideas? leave them in the comments!

Feeling down? Flowers are a natural pick-me-up

Hand-tied bouquet of fresh flowers
Hand-tied bouquet of fresh flowers. Photo Courtesy Society of American Florists www.aboutflowers.com

You probably don’t need a scientist to tell you that receiving flowers makes people feel good. But did you know that there’s a scientific research that backs this up? It’s not necessarily the gift-giving that boosts your mood but the flowers themselves that are a natural mood enhancers.

Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director director of the Emotions Laboratory at Rutgers University has spent a lot of time researching the way that flowers make us happy, as well as make us generally more satisfied with life.

“Common sense tells us that flowers make us happy,” says Dr. Haviland-Jones. “Now, science shows that not only do flowers make us happier than we know, they have strong positive effects on our emotional well being.”

A study by Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, found that people feel more compassionate toward others, have less anxiety, and feel less depressed when they have flowers in their home.

“As a psychologist, I’m particularly intrigued to find that people who live with flowers report fewer episodes of anxiety and depressed feelings,” Dr. Etcoff says.

What does this mean for you? If you are feeling blue, buy some flowers! You don’t have to wait for someone to give them to you. Keep a fresh arrangement or two (or more!) in your house not only to beautify your house but to for lasting mood enhancer.

And if you know someone who is feeling down or just had a bad day, give them the gift of a better mood. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, a simple bunch of fresh flowers will do the trick!

 

Gifts that keep on giving

Flower arrangement in a decorative, reusable pitcher
Flower arrangement in a decorative, reusable pitcher. Courtesy of Society of American Florists, aboutflowers.com

Flowers make wonderful gifts, no matter the occasion, but their beauty is temporary. All fresh flower arrangements will eventually whither and die, even if you follow your florist’s recommendations for keeping them looking good. There are alternatives, however, that still have the beauty of flowers but are less temporary.

If you really want to give fresh flowers—they are always a good gift after all—consider the container in which they are arranged. You don’t have to use a standard glass vase. Container choices are as endless as the flowers they hold. Your florist likely has teacups, coffee cups, bamboo pots, baskets, ceramic vessels, silver bowls, and other less-than-traditional containers already on hand.

There’s no reason to limit your creativity to what is in the floral shop, however. Your florist can most likely order anything you can dream up, with a little notice, and may even let you bring your own container to use for an arrangement. Here are some idea’s to get your creative juices flowing:

  • A flask or beaker for a doctor/researcher/lab technician
  • Pyrex measuring cup for a cook or baker
  • A Mason jar for someone with a country decor or someone who likes to make preserves
  • A silver ice bucket for a wine lover (maybe include a bottle of champagne if the occasion calls for it)
  • A watering can for a gardener

Another option to consider is giving a plant instead of fresh flowers. Plants can last for years with proper care and can remind the recipient of your generosity every time he or she looks at it. Whether the plant is intended to live in a pot inside the home or be planted in the yard, some are easier to take care of than others so talk to your florist about the best plant for the recipient of your gift, as well as the occasion.

With a little outside-of-the-box thinking (a wooden box might make a good container!) you can come up with a gift that is both beautiful and long-lasting. Don’t be afraid to ask your florist to help you come up with the perfect container or plant to make your gift memorable. After all, that’s what they are here for!