Bluebonnets

Bluebonnet season is here. The true bluebonnet pastures are west of Tyler, but we do have some beautiful landscapes here. I never saw many people have success with them years ago. Now, lots of homes have them in their yards during the Azalea Trail. There is a home one block of the shop that has a yard full of Azaleas and bluebonnets. It is an old victorian style home. As you drive by, you can almost see a carriage coming from around back.
The bluebonnet was voted in as our state flower in 1901. There are actually 5 different kinds growing in the state. As the picture above shows, they cover the ground in a beautiful field of blue. Usually there are some other wild flowers mixed in. As in this picture, there are some Indian Paint Brush. The flower actually resembles the bonnets pioneer women wore to sheild the sun. They are an annual plant. This means that the plant dies each year, but returns from seed the following year.
They are a beautiful plant, and if you have time you should take a drive towards the southwest and see the fields. There are a few places here in Tyler to see them. Mostly on the Azalea trail. A couple of places I personally know about are at the corner of Front & Fannin downtown, and out Rhones Quarter Rd south of town. Both homes have some beautiful plants.

It's time once again for Dogwood Trees to bloom. They are absolutely beautiful with the other blooming flowers in east Texas. Dogwood trees always seem so fragile and delicate to me. Actually, they are one of the strongest hard wood trees around here. In pioneer days, they used them for a lot of household purposes. I can remember my Grandmother reminicing about her mother using the branches for a broom in the house to keep the sand fresh.
There is a legend of the Dogwood Tree in Christianity. It states that the Roman soldiers used the trees to make the crosses for the crucifictions, at that time they grew tall and stately. When Jesus was crucified, He felt the shame and humiliation of the tree. He told the trees that they would now grow short and gnarled so that the soldiers would not use them for that terrible purpose again.
Now days, Dogwood Trees are one of the most widely used in landscaping design. With their small stature and abundant blooms, they add height to an outdoor arrangement. They generally grow to a height of 20-30 feet over many many years. A typical lifespan is about 30 years. At that time, the bark is usually gnarled and the blooms are sparse. They like to be in the shadows of the larger oaks and other trees. Dogwoods are easy to grow, requiring little maintenance. They always treat their owners with a beautiful display of blooms in early spring. I have two white and one pink in my yard, and my neighbor has a pink. This time of year with the other blooming plants, the dogwoods add much character to the yard. I'm always excited in spring to check my trees and see if the blooms are getting ready. I'm not much of a winter person, so when I see the first signs of spring it's exciting. Take a drive down Paluxy and see all the Dogwood Trees blooming on either side of the road. They are beautiful!

Azalea And Spring Flower Trail Kicking Off Friday

Azalea And Spring Flower Trail Kicking OffFriday Once again it is time for the Azalea Trail. If you have never driven or walked this trail, you should take time this year to do so. The weather is supposed to be the best we have had in the past few years. The atmosphere is so alive with history and charm. The brick streets are teaming with tourists and cameras. Azalea Belles are on the corners waving at passers by. They are quite lovely in their period costumes complete with parasols. In fact, we have an Azalea Belle among our staff this year. If you take the historic home tour, their are guides in each home to tell you the history of the home. Tyler is actually quite rich with a diverse and amazing history. So take a few minutes in the next few weeks to take an adventure on the Azalea Trail. There is a link on this page to a recent article in the Tyler Paper. The people on the trail are so giving of their time and resources to make this event so wonderful. You will not be disappointed with the beauty of all the blooms.

Birth Month Flowers

January – Carnation
February – Violet
March – Daffodils
May – Lily of the Valley
June – Rose
July – Larkspur
August – Gladiolus
September – Aster
October – Calendula
November – Chrysanthemum
December – Narcissus
There are many uses for birth month flowers. Some people use them to create theme gardens. You can have a memorial garden honoring those you love with their birth month flowers. They make thoughtful birthday gifts. Also, you can use them for a fun baby shower theme. Just decorate with flowers from the baby's due date! Tall and elegant, with sword shaped leaves, gladiolas comes in many different colors and varieties. Most originate from southern Africa, though there are a few varieties from Europe and Asia. The name “gladiolas” comes from the latin “gladius”, which means sword.
The gladiolas is a member of the Iris family. It grows well in sandy loam, but can tolerate a variety of soils. It prefers a slightly acidic soil, and cannot overwinter outdoors if the temperature drops below freezing.

Teleflora Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Talking Valentines Day Flowers Com...

New Direction

We at The Flower Box are excited to see our business go in a new direction. It has been 14 months since we launched our own website hosted by Teleflora. Our website has really started bringing in new customers and repeat customers. We're so thankful for every order ya'll give us from the website. When I say it is hosted by Teleflora, I mean they supply the templates and pics, and we supply the actual in the shop designs to match the pics. We couldn't do it without their help. I'd like to take a minute to explain how ordering flowers online works. If you order from a 1-800 or .com "florist", you might be reaching a clearing house of computer operators that know nothing about flowers or design. They charge you the price listed on the website, then a "handling" fee of usually 15.00$. They then send the order to a local florist in the town specified for the florist to create the design you selected. The problem comes when the florist receives the order and they don't have all the specified flowers or the container pictured. We then have to contact the clearing house and tell them of the problem. They then call the customer and explain. They then either email or call the florist again to let them know what to do. As you can see, this can be quite a lengthy process and can result in the delay of your flower order. Another problem with these companies is the way they "drop ship" flower "arrangements". You see a beautiful picture on their website. But what you don't realize is these flowers will be delivered to your location in a box with a vase strapped in. The recipient then has to "design" their own arrangement. What fun is that? You get a present, then have to build it. Now for ordering off of our website, or another local florist website. If you see something on my site you like and you place your order online, if I have to substitute I can call you direct and have the go ahead from you in a matter of mins rather than waiting hours for response times. Any time you need to send flowers just google "florist in _________ _______. Add the city and state in which you would like something sent. There is no middle man. You speak directly with the florist, they can tell you exactly what they have in their shop and what would be appropriate to send for your occasion. When you use a local florist you know that they will take pride in what is sent on your behalf. So, thanks for choosing our website and always use a local florist.

Well, we made it through another Mother's Day holiday rush...what an adventure!!! We made close to 400 deliveries in 6 days. In comparison, we make about 150 deliveries on a normal week. All the arrangements were made by myself, David and Regina..that's an amazing feet. We worked late Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. By late, I mean 11:00pm or so. By Sunday, we were walking zombies. Flower orders are so different than they were years gone by. In times past, we made arrangements, and the customer came by or called in and bought them. Now days, the customer picks an arrangement on a website, then we have to create it. So much planning has to go into a holiday now. We started watching for new pics on websites at least 6 weeks ahead of the holiday. We ordered flowers according to what it seemed like you, the consumer, wanted. It's a very tricky business now. But thanks to all of you shopping on our website, we had a great holiday. It's always so interesting to hear the stories of the person you're ordering for. How you want to send something to you're favorite, Aunt, Cousin, In Law etc, or especially your Mom. We enjoy helping you tell them how much they mean to you. That's what we love to do. :)