Pugh’s Flowers Blog

Well by now you are probably all followers of Pugh's Flowers on Pinterest but if not you are missing a great opportunity to see a wide variety of images that can inspire you to create beautiful tables, door decor, personalized gifts and so much more. Pinterest is a great way to see what is trending in any area and we have gathered a lot of flower and event images to stimulate your creative juices! Here is one great example of a Fall table that's beautiful. Pumpkins make wonderful flower containers! Check out our Pinterest Tablescapes board here! Happy Pinning!

Fall is here and everyone loves to see all the color changes and leaves falling, it's a beautiful time of year. Fall also gives us quite a few opportunities to spread good cheer. Here are some upcoming holidays to celebrate the people who are special to you. October 8, 2012 Columbus Day October 16, 2012 Boss's Day October 20, 2012 Sweetest Day October 31, 2012 Halloween History of Bosses Day (wikipedia) Patricia Bays Haroski registered "National Boss' Day" with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958. She was working as a secretary for State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois at the time and chose October 8 because she forgot that the birthday of her boss, who was her father, was actually on the 16th. Four years later, in 1962, Illinois Governor Otto Kerner backed Haroski's registration and officially proclaimed the day.[citation needed] Hallmark did not offer a Boss' Day card for sale until 1979. It increased the size of its National Boss' Day line by 28 percent in 2007.[citation needed] National Boss' Day has become an international celebration in recent years and now is observed in countries such as Australia, India, South Africa, Ireland, the UK, and Egypt. Note that Egypt celebrates their equivalent holiday on 10 December every year.

We have a busy Fall and it's all wonderful. First thing to mention is that Pugh's Flowers was the title sponsor for the Rose Cup Soccer Tournament that was held this past weekend out at the Mike Rose Soccer fields. Pughy was there to hand out candy and coupons, we supplied a fun corn hole game and winners got to take flowers home! Next fun thing to join us in is the Camp Good Grief 5K, which is held on October 7th, 2pm. Sign up here and be a part of helping to send grief striken kids and teens to a warm and loving camp where they can learn to deal with their grief from a recently lost loved one. It's the only camp of it's kind in the mid-south and it's free for the campers. Another great thing that we are sponsoring is the 2nd annual Viral Video Contest, going on now through November 10th. Simply submit your home made videos about the world of flowers to us, we will ppost all the videos on our YouTube Channel and then the voting begins. Views equal votes, and the videos that are short and funny usually get the most views! Kids learn about making videos and the winning school gets $2500! Get creative and have some fun Memphis.

There is a lot of talk today about donating to charities instead of sending flowers to send your condolences.  While some families request this flowers are still a valuable part of the healing process.  There is a new director in town, Todd VanBeck of Forest Hill Cemeteries, who has written a wonderful and informative guide to the ins and outs of funeral flowers and he has graciously shared his work with us.  Following is an excerpt from  his article and it has some great information. By: Todd VanBeck SYMBOLISM AND FLOWERS          Through history, flowers have been used to symbolize almost every aspect of the life cycle, from birth through death. In death, flowers are used to symbolize how the beauty of creation is temporary and, as sure as the flower must be cut from the stem, so it is with life—we all, too, must have our life cut from the stem, so to speak.          Flowers also have a particular aesthetic value in the face of death, for the beauty of the flower helps balance our emotional response to the sharp contrast of the perceived ugliness of death. Flowers help soften the raw data imagery that death leaves with survivors.          The fragility of life is also symbolized by a flower. Flowers, to be healthy, require the proper condition to grow and expand – just like human beings.          And finally, the color of flowers has a specific symbolism, particularly in religious thought.          A.  A purple flower is a symbol of penitence and royalty. This floral color is used during the preparatory and penitential seasons of Advent and Lent.          B.  A white flower is the symbol of joyous and celebrative color of light. This floral color is used during the festive seasons of Christmas and Easter, and on high days during ordinary times.            C.  A green flower is the symbol of nature in the freshness of growth – hence our green cemeteries. This floral color is used, except on high days, during ordinary times, the seasons after Epiphany Pentecost.          D.  A red flower is the symbol of fire and blood, and is used on the Day of Pente­cost and on other special occasions when the work of the Holy Spirit or the blood of Christ or of martyrs is being commemorated.          E.  A black flower is the symbol used for Good Friday, though red flowers are also sometimes used.          Flowers, as we have just discussed, help the person think in symbolic terms, which is the way that much of the information concerning death is communicated.

Are you ready for some fun? Get creative Memphis and show us what you've got! Pugh's Flowers is  hosting our second annual Viral Video Contest this Fall. Entries can be submitted any time in September or October. By October 21st, we will gather all entires and submit them for viewing on our You Tube Channel, then the viewing/voting begins. The funnier and more creative the better! The kind of videos we are looking for are short, funny, and feature flowers in a differnt and exciting way. We got some great entries last year and you can see examples HERE. Please tell your schools that we welcome videos and think of this project as a teaching tool, and a way to get $2500 for your program. Get creative Memphis students!

Here are a few links to two new videos that we made to help our customers take good care of their flowers and plants after receiving them as gifts. It's just common sense, but you can meet two of our designers, Karen and Laura.  Hope you guys enjoy the videos!   How to make your floral arrangement last longer by Karen How to take care of your house plants by Laura

How to Find the Perfect Spot for Your Plant Wondering what plant to put where? Here's an indoor plant lighting guide to four categories of light exposure for house plants. What is a sunny (direct sun) location? Within 2 feet of a south- or southwest-facing window. Window sills flooded with sunlight. A sun room (If you have one, lucky you!) What is a bright (indirect sun) location? Within 4-5 feet of an east- or west-facing window. 3-5 feet from a window that faces south or southwest. Any place where the sun shines into a room for several hours. What is a partially shaded (low light) location? An east-facing window where the morning sun shines into the room for only a few hours. Morning sun is cooler than afternoon sun, so you don't have to worry about overheating your plant. At least 3-5 feet away from a window that faces south or southwest. Directly in front of a north-facing window gives a plant low-to-medium light intensity. What is a shady location? More than 6 feet away from a south- or southwest-facing window. Hallways, staircases, and corners of rooms. Near windows that are shaded by trees. Getting Indoor Plant Lighting Right:Not Enough Light...or Too Much? How do you know when your house plant is not getting enough light? It will tell you. Here are some things to look for: Growth is spindly, with long spaces between leaves New leaves are smaller than existing ones Lower leaves turn yellow and fall off No growth or slow growth Flowering plants fail to bloom or bloom poorly Variegated leafy plants turn a solid green New shoots reach out and grow toward the light Here are some signs that your plant is getting too much light: Brown scorched patches on leaves Leaves look faded or washed out Plant wilts at midday Leaves become dry and fall off Growing House Plants with Artificial Light If your rooms don't have enough light for your house plants, artificial indoor plant lighting may be the solution. It can supplement natural daylight -- or even replace it during the winter months when the days are shorter and the intensity of light is much lower. Artificial lights provide the sun's spectrum of wavelengths, which we identify as colors. For example, white light carries all the colors of the rainbow. Plants need the cool blue and violet hues of the spectrum for foliage, and the warm red and orange for flowering. Reading light is mostly green and yellow -- two colors that plants don't need. Fluorescent lights are efficient because they provide the type of light (the blue and red parts of the spectrum) that plants need for photosynthesis. A good setup includes a half-and-half combination of cool-white and warm-white fluorescent tubes mounted under a reflector. They should be 40 watts each. Keep foliage plants at least 12 inches below the lights and flowering plants 6-12 inches below the lights. If it's not practical to lower the light fixture, you can raise the [...]