Lilium Floral Design

Tis the season for holiday parties. Office gatherings, neighborhood parties, luncheons, and church socials compete with school programs, shopping and baking to crowd our calendars this month. In the busyness that often marks the season, don’t forget to show appreciation to that special person who works to plan and pull together a successful holiday celebration: the host or hostess. You will be at the top of the guest list if you show up with a thoughtful gift in hand.

Look beyond the traditional bottle of wine, and consider these options:

Fresh Seasonal Arrangement

Fresh flowers add a festive touch for the party, and the host/hostess can enjoy them for days after the last guest leaves and the leftovers are stored. If you know the party’s theme, request complimentary colors. Is your host/hostess traditional, or have more modern taste? Christmastime is filled with traditions, but florals don’t have to be traditional. Stay within the red, white and green color pallet, or venture into jewel tones. Pick traditional favorites like roses and hydrangea, or step outside the Christmas box with unique tropicals. Adding fresh sprigs of seasonal greenery to the arrangement not only creates a holiday look, it provides subtle fragrances that are sure to put party guests in the holiday spirit. Colorful berries and pine cones are also in season, and add pops of color and texture to an arrangement. Other favorites include potted poinsettias and potted amaryllis, both dressed in festive containers.

Jar Candles and Diffusers In Scents of the Season

Fresh flowers are not the only way to spread holiday scents in a home or office. Lilium is proud to carry the Lafco line of essential oil-based candles and diffusers. The four top seasonal fragrances are Ski House, Tree, Opal Amaryllis and Golden Chestnut. The candles have an average burn time of 90 hours, and their hand-blown art glass containers can be reused long after the candle is burned. The diffuser, which comes in an art glass container with reeds and a bottle of oil for refilling,  is available in the Ski House fragrance.

Gift Baskets

Go the extra mile to show your appreciation to your holiday host/hostess with a gift basket. You might combine luscious Godiva chocolates, a fragrant candle, and fresh flowers, all dressed up for the season in a beautiful basket display. We can add fresh Christmas greens, berries, pine cones or other textures to create a visually stunning arrangement perfect for the gift-giving season.

Customized gift baskets might include Godiva chocolates, a Lafco candle, fresh seasonal flowers and greenery.

Let Lilium help you create a thoughtful gift for your holiday host/hostess this season. Call us at 817-481-1565 or visit our website, www.liliumflorals.com.

In the world we are living in today, it is safe to assume we are dealing with stress, uncertainty, and challenges like never before. COVID-19 has prompted mandates to shelter in place across the country, and for the past few weeks we have been forced to create a new normal. Many workers have transitioned to working from home, while others don’t have that option. One of the first blogs we published several years ago highlighted the link between flowers and emotional health. Given the current climate, we thought it would be timely to re-post it once again.

Following all social distancing guidelines, Lilium remains open. We are making contact-free deliveries and offering curbside pickup. Now more than ever, people need something cheerful, something positive, something encouraging. Something as simple as a flower arrangement has the power to offer these things.

We feel so fortunate to work in an industry in which the products and services we provide bring happiness to others. We see firsthand the smiles on recipients’ faces when we deliver a Lilium flower arrangement. Now we have studies to support what we’ve known all along. Rutgers University recently conducted a 10-month behavioral study that explored the link between flowers and life satisfaction. Their findings show that flowers are a natural moderator of moods and have strong positive effects on emotional health.

A diagram included in Rutger's study shows the effects of flowers on emotions.
A diagram included in Rutger’s study shows the effects of flowers on emotions.

According to the Rutgers researchers, the presence of flowers provides the following benefits:

  • Flowers have immediate impact on happiness. All study participants, in every age group, expressed excitement when receiving flowers. Reactions included surprise, genuine happiness and gratitude.
  • Flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods.  Study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious, and agitated after receiving flowers. They also demonstrated greater sense of life satisfaction.
  • Flowers create intimate connections. Giving and receiving flowers creates positive contact between family and friends.

In the Rutgers’ study, the subjects received deliveries of flowers and other gifts, such as fruit and candles. While most deliveries received a positive response, the highest response rate occurred to flowers. Their studies showed that the positive feelings lasted two to three days.

One experiment involved measuring reactions of both men and women receiving a flower in a public elevator. The most common social behavior in an elevator is to get as much distance from the other occupants as possible. However, when the experimenter offered a single flower to each of the occupants, their demeanor changed. They moved closer to the presenter and to one another. The experiment was repeated using promotional pens as stimuli, but the pens did not receive the same response. It may be concluded that there is something about receiving flowers that draws people closer together.

Color Characteristics

In addition, color plays a big part in the emotion conveyed when sending flowers. According to Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, “Our response to color is intensely emotional, and flowers can be a catalyst for feelings that stimulate more than just our senses of sight and smell.”

Tradition dictates that certain flowers and colors are associated with specific occasions. However, in terms of emotional health, color choices take on different meanings.  Red, traditionally associated with love and romance, has a positive effect on the immune system. Consider sending red flowers to someone who has recently had surgery, or experienced and illness. Red is also an energizing color for those who suffer from fatigue or exhaustion.

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Red and white florals make this circus themed event complete.
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Violet has a calming effect on the mind and nerves. It is uplifting, and encourages creativity.

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Yellow, psychologically, is the happiest color in the spectrum. It symbolizes the sun, and invokes happy and radiant feelings. It is a friendly color that encourages communication. Yellow also stimulates the memory and the nervous system.

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Orange conveys optimism and encourages socialization. It is also associated with determination and success.

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Blue is most often named as a favorite color. Just as the blue sky and the blue ocean are considered constants in our world, blue is perceived as dependable and trustworthy. Blue invokes feelings that are calm, cool and sedate.

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As the most common color present in the natural world, green creates a feeling of tranquility. It conveys a sense of freshness and renewal. Green also signifies prosperity and progress.

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Pink is associated with joy. Brighter pinks, similar to reds, stimulate energy, increasing the blood pressure, heartbeat and respiration. Softer pink hues convey a sense of sweetness and romance.

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White symbolizes openness. White blooms are most often associated with purity, honesty and perfection.

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Do you know someone who could use a lift today? Or maybe you could use an emotional boost yourself. Draw upon the power of flowers to improve your emotional health, or that of someone you love. Give us a call or visit our website, to select the perfect arrangement.

When you purchase flowers from Lilium, you are getting a product that is of the highest quality. From the time the flowers leave the growers until they are delivered to our customers, Lilium oversees every step in the process.

A Lilium flower begins its journey at one of our carefully selected growers. We have chosen sources world-wide based on the quality of their products, shipping practices, and the care with which they process their flowers. When you deal with a perishable product, these details are critical. Before we establish a business relationship with a grower, we test their products and procedures to make sure they meet our standards. Currently, we source from growers in California, Florida, Hawaii, Holland and Ecuador.

Variation Among Retailers

Quality varies widely among florists, and customers should be aware of differences in price versus quality. For example, Lilium offers Rio Roses from Ecuador with stems measuring 60 centimeters. “Long-stemmed” roses from online mass floral services average less than 40 centimeters.

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Lilium roses versus roses from a mass merchant.

When we receive our flower shipments and deliveries each week, we give them a fresh cut and put them directly into our cooler. You may have noticed that grocery stores and mass markets will have flowers sitting out in buckets in a self-serve format. Once a flower is out of the cooler environment, it begins its decline. In addition, flower stems sitting buckets of water at room temperature grow bacteria, which speeds the deterioration process. Lilium does not carry over flowers from one week to the next. We start fresh each week with new deliveries and shipments of seasonal product.

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Floral displays at a grocery store chain.
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When we take an order, we make every effort to obtain all the information we need to create an arrangement that will meet and exceed our customers’ expectations. As a custom florist, we design to our clients’ specifications. We have no unsold arrangements sitting in the cooler at the end of the week, and, because we order product judiciously, the waste at week’s end is minimal.

Educating Consumers

Although our product is perishable, extending the lifespan of our products increases their value and increases customer satisfaction. Lilium believes that educating consumers about properly caring for their arrangement or plant is an important step. On every Lilium arrangement, potted orchid or plant, a care card is attached. In addition, care instructions are printed on the back of our message cards.

We also like to educate our customers about the attributes of specific flowers. When we began using Rio Roses from Ecuador, our customers were not immediately sold on these unique roses (see our January 2016 blog: We ❤️ Corazon Roses). They have sturdy heads that don’t droop, open 4″-5″ across, have more petals than any other red rose, and are long-lasting. What’s not to love? However, when the roses opened quickly, customers thought they were getting old roses. We decided that they just needed a little information so that they could fully appreciate these beautiful roses and their unique qualities. Arrangements going out that include Corazon roses also include a printed information card that lets recipients know what to expect from this Lilium favorite. We also set up a display in our studio so that customers could see firsthand the progression from bud to full bloom. Within a short time, our customers were specifically asking for Corazon roses, and now they are among our best sellers.

Lilium arrangement with care card and Rio Rose information card attached
Lilium arrangement with care card and Rio Rose information card attached
Corazon roses day 1
Rio Roses shown on day 1 and day 7
Corazon roses day 7

Lilium has been recognized as Best of the Best in our area five times and won the 2015 National Retailer Florist of the Year award. Most recently, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named Lilium a 2016 Blue Ribbon Small Business Award winner recognizing the top 100 small business in the United States. We feel that we owe much of our success to our ongoing commitment to offer a quality product and top-notch customer service to our clients. Rest assured, we will continue to seek out the most beautiful flowers of the highest quality for all of our customers.

Blue Ribbon Award
The US Chamber of Commerce named Lilium a Blue Ribbon Award winner as one of the top 100 small businesses in the US.

Moms have always held a special place in our hearts, long before a date was designated in their honor. Ancient Greeks and Romans held festivals to honor maternal goddesses. Early Christians began their own tradition of honoring the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ, during Lent season.

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In the 17th century, England expanded this practice to include all mothers, calling it Mothering Sunday. Following a special prayer service, children would bring gifts and flowers to pay tribute to their own mothers.

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Today’s moms can thank Julia Ward Howe for visualizing Mother’s Day as we know it in the United States. In the late 1800s, Howe, an abolitionist, suffragette and writer famous for penning the Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested a national celebration of mothers that would be dedicated to peace. She encouraged women to rise up against war in her Mothers Day Proclamation, and initiated Mothers’ Peace Day. It was Anna Jarvis, however, who took the concept to the next level. Jarvis, who had no children of her own but wanted to honor her own mother, lobbied for Mother’s Day to be named an official holiday. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated in 46 countries. While many have their own unique traditions, it customary to honor mothers with flowers, cards, gifts and family meals. In Australia, carnations are worn–red or pink carnations honor a mom still living, and white is worn in memory of a mom who is deceased. Chrysanthemums are also a popular choice because Australian mothers are typically called “Mum.” Japanese children present their mothers with red carnations, which represent gentle strength. Here in the U.S., we tend to select flowers we know are mom’s favorites. The Spring season offers many blooms, including roses, tulips, hydrangea, hyacinths, lilies and orchids.

Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Moon
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If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
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Chikka Chikka Boom Boom

While Lilium is a custom florist, Mother’s Day is one occasion when we do design a menu from which customers can order. This insures we have an ample supply of fresh Spring florals to meet the high demand of this special day. This year, our Mother’s Day arrangements are named in honor of our favorite bedtime stories. To view Goodnight Moon, The Giving Tree, Guess How Much I love You and other 2016 Mother’s Day designs, visit our website.

Mother will love our Secret Garden arrangement of pink roses, peonies, hydrangea and berries
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With origins dating back to the sixteenth century, lace reemerged as a fashion trend in 2014, and not only is the trend still hanging on, it looks to be gaining momentum in 2016. Once regarded as a textile for the affluent, lace is now accessible to all in a multitude of patterns and presentations.  Look for lace in all facets of fashion, from head to toe, pony tail to pumps.

Lace is often associated with the bridal market, with this year’s brides choosing a variety of lace in their gowns and accessories. Bridal gown trends range from old-fashioned, high-necked designs to more contemporary dresses with lingerie inspiration. For brides wanting to add just a touch of the trend, they will find many options in headpieces, sashes, jewelry and shoes.

Continue reading All About That Lace

As a full-service florist, Lilium has customers covered for everyday occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, but we also excel in florals for special events. Corporate luncheons and dinners, holiday parties, conferences, and fundraisers are all more festive with the addition of beautiful flowers.

Sometimes a client will have a specific theme that they would like for us to incorporate. We love to get creative with themes in our floral designs. Often, there is a color pallet that will direct us in our flower and vase selections. With an inventory of hundreds of vases, and a vast selection of seasonal florals, we can create a stunning impression, whether it be rustic, contemporary, romantic, whimsical, traditional, seasonal or classically elegant.

Continue reading Lilium Makes Events Special

Love is in the air, and Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. At Lilium, we are in love with the beautiful Corazon rose, and we think it is a perfect way to say, “I love you” this Valentine’s Day.

The Corazon (Spanish for “heart”) is a beautiful, true red rose with qualities that make it unique and highly desirable. The award-winning Corazon rose, from Rio Roses, is grown in Ecuador, where the climate produces superior bloom sizes and quality. They have more petals than any other red rose, and the blooms open fully, similar to a garden rose. Additionally, all of the blooms open at a consistent rate, so you will not have some buds remaining closed while others open.

Each Corazon bloom continues to open for four to five days. When fully open, it measures almost five inches across. Blooms this size need a strong support system, and Corazon roses measure up with their long sturdy stems and strong necks. With roses of lesser quality, the blooms bend and droop in a matter of days, but Corazon roses will hold their shape for up to two weeks.

To show our customers how beautiful and long-lasting these roses are, we created a display in our shop. Customers can see the progression from bud to full bloom, and appreciate the lasting beauty of these spectacular roses. Here are our Corazons on day 1 and again on day 7:

We are so crazy about the Corazon rose, we entered Rio Roses’ “How Do You Say Corazon?” video contest and won first place! Take a look at our winning entry on Rio Roses’ How Do You Say Corazon? You Tube post.

One of our most popular Valentine’s Day selections is a dozen (or two or three) Corazon roses arranged in a vase, with their lush, dark green foliage providing the perfect setting for the rich red blooms. We also love to use them in combination with other seasonal favorites in our fresh arrangements.

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Look for Corazon rose arrangements on our 2018 Valentine’s Day menu. We know you will fall in love with them too.

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New York arrangement from the 2018 Valentine’s Day menu
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He popped the question, and you responded with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” The whirlwind of wedding planning is underway. We know it can be overwhelming, and we are here to help.

Once your date is set and a venue secured, contact Lilium to set up your complimentary bridal consultation. It is important that the date and venue are set, as the season and location will impact the selection of flowers available and the overall design of your wedding florals. Allow 30-45 minutes for your consultation with our experienced wedding coordinator. She will take a few moments to get to know you, to get a sense of your personality and style, before delving into the details.

Have lots of ideas? Bring them! Bring photos, notes and inspiration. Have no ideas? That’s okay too! We can make suggestions that will spark your creativity. If you know the following, you are well on your way:

Continue reading The Bride’s Guide to Planning Wedding Florals