At Flowers 4 Nelson, we are now starting to plant our spring bulbs to produce the flowers for your spring bouquets. Freesia, Anemone, Ranunculus and Hyacinth bulbs are all being planted at the moment and we will stagger the planting dates over the next two months to hopefully provide a continuous supply of the blooms for floral work.
It is amazing how often I hear the words ” These beautiful flowers have really brightened up my day”. I hear it when I deliver flowers someone has ordered, and when i go to a friends house and take a few flowers for them with me. People really get a kick out of someone giving them flowers. Flowers lift peoples spirits. No they won’t last forever; but the memories of receiving flowers from someone do last forever; and those memories are pleasant ones.
You can easily make lasting pleasant memories for you friends and relatives by sending them flowers. At Flowers 4 Nelson, we do that for you every day.
Summer is the time when we can use the beautiful dark blue gentian flowers in arrangements. For those who love blue flowers these are not to be missed.
These individual flowers were removed from the bottom of the long flower stems and so i decided to make this simple but interesting water bowl arrangement with blue gentian individual flowers, and short stems of Amaranthus flowers.
Nelson Anniversary Day traditionally is the timing for the Richmond Playcentre’s fair day at Washbourne Gardens. This year was no exception and a beautiful sunny Nelson day greeted visitors to the fair. The gardens where looking beautiful a real credit to the staff who look after them. Flowers 4 Nelson had a promotional stall at the fair, and we had a great day meeting the locals and visitors to the region and giving out our beautiful business cards, and selling a flower or two.
Lovely blue Gentains and our home grown Amaranthus are both in flower now and we had a stunning arrangement in a ceramic pot on display at the fair with both of these flowers in it. ( see photo).
Always popular at fair days our “pocket posies” sold well and the pretty pink tones of the arrangements delighted many. I only had one left which i was able to give to our elderly neighbour for her table. The flowers i used in them most had not seen before and I name them here for your interest. the rounded pink balls are Gomphrena and the pink spiky ones are Celsoia ‘Xantippe’, both of them are also good flowers for drying.
We have good stocks of flowering or in bud Hippeastrum (or better known as Amaryllis). These are fun to grow with the huge bulbs planted with only the bottom 1/3 of the bulb under the soil, the top part of the bulb is exposed and from it arrow shaped flower buds emerge before any foliage is evident. The flowers are large and trumpet shaped and in a wide range of colours. Native to South America, the bulbs can be grown outdoors in Nelson in areas that have no more than moderate frosts. Often grown in pots for indoor decoration over their summer flowering period. Hippeastrums like a well drained soil with plenty of compost. The strap shaped leaves appear after the bulbs have flowered. To order one for yourself or a friend go to the potted plant section of this web site. 
Box arrangements are the best option for sending to hospital or people who are sick at home, as they wont need to worry about finding a vase because these arrangements come complete with water filled foam inside the box. All the person recieving them needs to do is place the box down where they want it.
Once every two or three days depending on how warm the days are; carefully add about half a cup of cold water to the centre of the arrangement.
The Paeony Rose season is in full swing now with lots of those lovely big blooms available for your bouquets; make the most of it now, as the season is short and will have finished by mid December.
My interest of flowers started very early, as on the wall at my Grandparents home always hung a very engaging antique print ( probably early 1900’s)of a young girl with long dark hair offering bunches of sweet violets from her basket.
The expression on the girls face is captivating; asking “Do you want to buy a bunch?” That painting was a familiar part of a visit to my Grandparents, and is well remembered by the extended family.
This print would be around 100years old, by the British artist G E Hicks. Depicts a pretty girl with blue eyes selling her violets. It is signed by GE Hicks 99. It was painted in Launceston Tasmania, Hicks met this child on a casual trip and was enchanted with her…and asked to paint her.
The owner of the face was in tears when the painter tore her sleeve in order to get the proper waifish look.