Have you ever noticed how many pictures of flowers you will see everywhere you look, from paintings to photos, they are everywhere. Flowers are copied in image due to their individual unique beauty, their colors, and their amazing and intricate designs.

The great thing about photography of flowers is there is always an abundance to capture. They are everywhere and the colors, textures, and intricate designs make for stunning pictures.

Any one who owns a camera can create stunning pieces of photography through photographing flowers. Even when you look at the many social media outlets on the Internet, you will find hundred upon thousands of people using flowers in their backgrounds and even as profile icons.

You do not need to be an expert photographer to snap pictures of flowers and capture pure beauty. You don’t even need a fancy camera, any camera will work. The perfect picture is always there in flowers – you only need to click the camera allowing the shutter to capture it.

From taking singular flower shots to a bed of flowers, you will capture the beauty that only flowers behold. After the first time when you capture the beauty of a flower in print, your creative juices will start to flow and you will find yourself with hundreds of flower pictures. You may find yourself creating flowerbeds in your mind around the pictures you have snapped. You may find yourself creating gifts used out of pictures of flowers you snapped, using them in scrap-booking, making cards, creating your own floral stationary, or even using them on the Internet. Capture the true essence of flowers through photography and really see their true beauty.

Stressed? Then just breath in the sweet fragrance of flowers. Studies have proven that by merely enjoying the fragrance of flowers you can reduce your stress. There is scientific evidence that certain fragrances alter gene activity and blood chemistry that reduces stress levels. So next time you are feeling stressed, order some flowers. Or better yet, keep flower in your world at all times to lessen stress in your environment.

Enjoy this article about how flowers scientifically reduce stress published on Science Daily.

Stop And Smell The Flowers — The Scent Really Can Soothe Stress.

Did you know there are many things in your kitchen that can make your flower garden perk up and even prevent or cure diseases? Well it is true.. For example, that left over pickle juice in the bottom of the pickle jar when poured at the base of your gardenias stand up and take notice producing even bigger and brighter blooms!

This little tonic will help your roses blooming all summer long beautifully. Just mix a couple tablespoons of instant tea, a tablespoon of dry red wine, half a teaspoon of fish emulsion, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of iron ( you can get it at any garden center) in a gallon of warm water in a bucket and treat your rose bushes to a quart of the mixture every three weeks during the growing center and you will experience roses like you never have before!

Next spring when you start planting your annuals and perennials, give them a healthy energy boost and a great start by making a mixture of 1 cup of sugar, three cups of bone meal, and one cup of Epsom salt in an old bucket. Now, before planting your seedling, just sprinkle a pinch or so in the bottom of the hole and you will between last years plantings and your current flowers when they grow faster and stronger and provide more blooms!

Another cure for black mold I didn’t mention before comes in a cleaning solution mixture of 1 cup of antiseptic mouthwash, one cup of chamomile tea, and one cup of Murphy’s oil soap in a 20 gallon hose end sprayer. Spay down all your treasured beauties and repeat every two weeks through out the growing season and you will have the best looking flower beds around!

Do you have any flower secrets you would like to share with the readers? Feel free to do so here!

Gray mold is one of the most common types of diseases that afflict flowers. It is more prevalent during periods of high rainfall and cool temperatures. It has an appearance of a powdery mildew that is gray in color, thus its name. It appears primarily on old and dying leaves and flowers. When water sits on plants without the natural ability to dry within a reasonable time frame a gray fuzzy coating begins to appear – gray mold.

To care for plants and flowers affected with gray mold, remove all diseased flowers and or leaves right away and spray with a beneficial bacterial control. To prevent gray mold keep your garden bed flowers spaced to allow for plenty of air circulation and well weeded. Also avoid overhead watering.

Gray mold can also present on trees, shrubs, and small fruits like strawberries. Recommended disposal of affected leaves, flowers, and fruits is burning, but since many urban areas do not allow for burning, burying the affected plants is also acceptable.

We got a request to answer a flower problem one of our readers asked. The reader was questioning what a powdery mildew was on her phlox leaves. I took this as an opportunity to answer that question for anyone who may be dealing with this in their flower beds.

In Mid to late summer is when gardeners will begin to see signs of plant diseases. Powdery mildew on your plants leaves is just one of the diseases you may encounter. Over a period of seasons, this mildew will weaken your plant until it no longer produces or dies.

This condition can be isolated to just the flowers leaves, but if severe can move onto the plant stem and flower as well. Although not instant detrimental to your plant, it isn’t very attractive and if left unattended will eventually kill off your plant.

Annual flowers that are particularly susceptible to powdery mildew include zinnias, snapdragons and verbena. Perennials that are commonly infected include delphiniums, lungwort, bee balm and garden phlox.

This fungal disease is spread by wind and splashing water. To help prevent the onset of this fungus avoid getting water on the leaves and flowers, water in the early am to give leaves plenty of time to dry during daylight hours.

Most fungal diseases are spread by microscopic structures called “spores” that are transferred on wet foliage. However, powdery mildew flourish in high humidity. By keeping plants well-spaced and removing weeds will help ensure good air circulation and reduce the humidity around plants thus lowering risks of this fungus. .

To control this fungus there are several different things you can try – use a horticultural oil, insecticidal soap or another spray. Begin applications at the early onset of the disease and when treating make sure to treat all foliage. Repeated applications are usually necessary right through the duration of the growing season

A home remedy that works for some is a mixture of baking soda and warm water. Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda per quart of warm water and spray on plants every seven to 10 days.

If you have a gardening question, feel free to ask! If we don’t have an answer for you we will get one!

The great thing about Brant Florist is you can count on delivery when you need it. If you are planning an event and want to decorate with flowers but are on a budget, rather than order pre-arranged flowers, you can order fresh cut flowers and create your own flower arrangements. You can count on Brant Florist to get you the fresh flowers you need on time.

Once you receive your flowers here are some tips to get you started in making simple arrangements that will please everyone.

Vase proportion to flowers: Bubble bowls, cube vases, and shorter vases require shorter cut flowers. Tall slender vase require longer flowers, like gladiola or veronica’s. Vase should be 1/3 of floral arrangement height, or if using short vases, 50% of the height.

Cut flowers to height gradually: You can always cut off more if need be but you can’t add. Cut stems at an angle and make sure to submerge in water immediately, or better yet, cut under running water and submerge immediately in vase.

Float flowers for a quick floral arrangement: If using short wide mouth vases, simply cut the stems short and “float the flower(s) in the vase. The great thing about this is, if you do not have many matching vases, you can easily use dessert dishes, sundae dishes, etc that you do have a set of and have a nice flow with your flowers! This works especially well if you are entertaining on long rectangular tables as you can space them centered through out the length of the table. Use a table runner down the center first on top of your tablecloth to even give it a fancier appeal.

Color Scheme: The great thing about Brant Florist is you can order cut flowers in any color scheme you choose. This keeps unity throughout your décor and give a great impact to your guest.

Don’t be afraid of color: Feel free to mix colors to give added dimension. It can be a great way of adding drama to your décor.

Play around and have fun with it: Your floral arrangements will express who you are as a person, and that is the most important aspect of any event you are throwing. The great thing about flowers is – no matter what, they will always look beautiful!

Denise B. had entered our April Free Flower Giveaway and was kind enough to send us a wonderful thank you note and a picture of the flowers she received for us to share with everyone.

Dear Brant Florist,

I was so excited to win the beautiful flowers you sent me. I have never won anything on the internet and was beginning to think either I had no luck or all the contest were fake. But you have proved both wrong. Thank you! I was so excited when I received my flowers today at work. I had you send them there so I could brag about winning something online, and to make my co-workers just a wee bit jealous. But most of all, to brighten my day! And they did just that. They are simply beautiful as you can see in the picture. I brought them home after work to share with my husband and family that we have in from out of state. They will make the perfect table flower centerpiece for our family dinner tonight. Thanks for making me a believer again and making my day extra special.

Sincerely,
Denise B
Iowa

You are welcome Denise. We are thrilled that you enjoyed them! May’s Free Flower Giveaway will be posting soon, so let your family and friends know to watching out. Simply have them “Like” (formerly fan) our Brant Florist Facebook FanPage and follow the instructions in the upcoming contest. And thank you Denise for becoming part of our family.

When you order roses, you would like to get roses, and when you order a chocolate gift basket, you would like it to be filled with chocolates, right? Moreover, if for some reason there are no roses at the florist, or no chocolates to fill a gift basket, you want to be informed of such; not simply have the gift you ordered be substituted with just any old thing. How would you feel if you ordered a gift basket of chocolates and received a gift basket of fruits? Not that fruits aren’t tasty, but is it what you ordered? Is it what you intended upon sending or receiving? No.

People work hard for their money and whenever they purchase anything; they expect to get what they paid for and when it cannot be done, not just substituted for whatever else is lying around. They want to be informed on what their money is going to, what it is they are truly purchasing. Unfortunately, that is not always the case as Erica Johnson of CBC-TV’s Marketplace found out when investigating BloomEx.com. Terrie Aylesworth of Surrey, B.C brought the discrepancy that BloomEx.com have in their flower/gift product purchasing for delivery when she was to receive a gift baskets of chocolates from her sister and received a basket of fruits instead. In addition, after several attempts to have this corrected, has yet to receive the correct gift basket. Erica Johnson of CBC-TV’s Marketplace followed up with her own investigation and had similar problems. There have been 420 complaints against BloomEx.com with in the last three years. You can read the full story at CBS Canada Consumer Story – Online Flower Shop Fails to Deliver.

It is unfortunate when someone has problems in a business transaction of any kind. As a florist, are job is to deliver not just flowers or gift baskets but the feeling that the sender is wishing to express with the gift as well. By delivering anything, less is cheating both the purchaser and the recipient of the true experience of gifting and receiving flowers. Brant Florist knows what it means to a person to send or receive flowers. We understand that people work hard for their money and when purchasing something, deserve to get what they have ordered. As well, Brant Florist understands that the gift of flowers is more than just flowers, it is feelings, it is a celebration, and it is a full experience being delivered. Anything less is not acceptable. Customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance with Brant Florist. Anything less than 100% customer satisfaction will not do.

I am pleased to announce we have a winner for our very first BrantFlorist Free Flower Give Away! Denise B. from Iowa participated in the contest and was selected out of the random draw as our first winner. Brant Florist would like to thank everyone who participated and helped our Facebook BrantFlorist FanPage base grow. However, if you were not the winner this month, there will be plenty of other opportunities to win a free flower arrangement delivered to your door from Brant Florist. So stay tuned! Once again, thank you to everyone who participated!

Today is your last chance to get your entry in for the free flower giveaway. The drawing will be held and winner announced tomorrow! Here is the contest again and the link to the blog you will need to enter Brant Florist Free Flowers Giveaway Contest or you can enter on our fan page on the discussion board after fanning the BrantFlorist FanPage.
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Brant Florist Free Flowers Giveaway Contest
Who loves flowers? Who loves flowers delivered to them? Who love free flowers delivered? EVERYONE!! Would you like to win free flowers delivered to your door?

If you would like to win a beautiful flower arrangement from Brant Florist valued at $50.00 delivered to your door, make sure to enter into Brant Florists Free Flower Giveaway.

Here how you can enter to have a chance to win a beautiful flower arrangement from Brant Florist valued at $50.00 delivered to your door:

Basics:
No purchase necessary.
Flowers delivered only in the US or Canada
All you have to do is:
1) Follow us on our Brant Florist Facebook FanPage, Brant Florist “The Florister Blog”, or Brant Florist Twitter
 

2) Leave a comment on either Facebook Brant Florists Free Flower Giveaway Discussion thread or on this blog about the most memorable flower delivery you have ever received.

3) Check back on Brant Florist Facebook FanPage or Brant Florist “The Florister Blog” to see if you won!

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. SWEEPSTAKES BEGINS 12:00 AM PACIFIC STANDARD TIME (“PST”) ON March 31st, 2010 AND ENDS AT 11:59 PM PST ON April 14th, 2010.

1. ELIGIBILITY: Brant Florist Facebook/Blog Sweepstakes (“Sweepstakes”) is open only to legal residents of the United States and Canada who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. Winners of a sweepstakes by Brant Florist within previous six (6) months prior to this Sweepstakes are not eligible. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Brant Florist’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. Brant Florist reserves the right to verify eligibility qualifications of the winners.

2. HOW TO ENTER: Visit the Brant Florist “The Florister Blog” located at http://theflorister.com/ or Brant Florist FaceBook Fan Page located at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Brant-Florist/192057682380?ref=ts and post a comment on your most memorable flower delivery. Fan the Brant Florist Facebook Fanpage or Subscribe to the Brant Florist “The Florister Blog”, or Follow Brant Florist on Twitter at http://www. . Limit one (1) entry per person/e-mail address/household for the duration of the Sweepstakes. Automated entries by script, macro, or other automated or mechanical means are void. All entries become the property of Brant Florist and will not be acknowledged or returned.

3. PRIZES: One (1) winner will be randomly selected from among all eligible entries and shall receive a Brant Florist flower arrangement valued at $50.00. Brant Florist will arrange to deliver the Prize to the winner within fourteen (14) days of when the winner accepts the Prize. The Prize (or any portion thereof) is non-transferable, non-negotiable and not redeemable for cash, credit or merchandise. No substitutions or cash redemption of the Prize is permitted. Additional restrictions may apply.

4. DRAWING: The potential winner will be selected in a random drawing held on or about April 15th , 2010 from all eligible entries received. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. The potential winner will be notified by e-mail. Potential winner must respond within one week of notification or prize will be forfeited and another name drawn. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for Sponsor and its designees to use each winner’s name, city, state, likeness, voice and biographical information for purposes of advertising, promotion and publicity in any and all media, now or hereafter devised without limitation and without additional notification or permission or compensation, unless prohibited by law. All information collected will be treated in a manner consistent with Sponsor’s privacy policy and the consent given at time of entry.

5 WINNERS LIST: The winner’s name will be posted on the Brant Florist “The Florister Blog”, Brant Florist Twitter, and on Brant Florist Facebook FanPage. Last name will be emitted for privacy of winner and Last Initial will be used instead.

6. SPONSOR: Brant Florist 2010 Maria St. Burlington, ON L7R 1K5 Canada