Just Bloomed...

Tulip Season!

2012-01-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

As we dive into the heart of Winter, we look forward to the Season of the Tulip. We will be getting this season's first tulips in this Monday, January 9th and hopefully throughout the rest of March! We will be getting both locally-grown and Oregon tulips.

Boulder Blooms' tulip care tips:

Remove the foliage that would be under water and clean out the dirt that might get stuck around the creases of stem and leaves
Use clean vases and fresh, cold water
Recut the stems every couple of days and change the water frequently
Keep them in a cool room out of direct sunlight for longevity
Tulips are known for their continuously changing stems, so watch as they continue to grow towards the light even after being cut

For more information on tulip care, check out the Big Y: http://www.bigy.com/content/flrl/prep/care_cuttulips.php

Tulip History and Symbolism:

"Originally from Persia and Turkey, tulips were brought to Europe in the 16th century, where they got their common name from the Turkish word for gauze (with which turbans were wrapped) - reflecting the turban-like appearance of a tulip in full bloom. By the 17th century, the popularity of tulips, particularly in the Netherlands, became so great that the price of a single bulb soared to new heights, causing markets to crash and putting into motion "tulip mania."

Although different tulip colors carry distinct meanings:

Yellow tulips symbolizing cheerful thoughts

White conveying forgiveness

Purple representing royalty

A Turkish legend may be responsible for the red tulip's symbolism. The story goes that a prince named Farhad was love struck by a maiden named Shirin. When Farhad learned that Shirin had been killed, he was so overcome with grief that he killed himself - riding his horse over the edge of a cliff. It's said that a scarlet tulip sprang up from each droplet of his blood, giving the red tulip the meaning "perfect love."

The 11th wedding anniversary flower, it's said that the tulip’s velvety black center represents a lover's heart, darkened by the heat of passion. With the power to rival roses in their red variety and the sweet charm to express simple joy when yellow, it’s no wonder that in addition to all its other symbolism, in the language of flowers, a tulip bouquet represents elegance and grace."

- http://www.teleflora.com/tulips/flowers-plants/tulip-detail.asp

This Week's Surprise... (01/09/2012 - 01/16/2012)

Come into Boulder Blooms for a free bunch of tulips or have them delivered for $25 (valid for deliveries in Boulder Proper)

Art... Unveiled.

2010-11-29T07:32:00.001-07:00

Join Boulder Blooms at our new sister store, Art of the Flower, for a Floral Art show on December 10th at 4:00.

Art of the Flower is located right next to The Sink on The Hill in Boulder at 1165 13th Street.

The show will be up from December 10th through December 12th.

We will have live music, hors d'oeuvres and cocktails at our reception on the 10th!

Donations to the Fourmile Fire

2010-09-13T14:58:00.010-06:00

Through Wednesday September 15th, Boulder Blooms and Art of the Flower will be contributing 10% of every order to victims of the Fourmile Fires.

Donations will be made to Foothills United Way a local organization with a fund to directly aid local residents.

From their website:"Foothills United Way's Fourmile Canyon Relief Fund: The fund will be administered by Foothills United Way working in collaboration with service providers in the community to aid in long term recovery. the full extent of the purpose of the fund will be determined as the scope of the damage from the fire is known. It is expected to be used for such things as temporary/transitional housing and medical/health needs among others."

Read more here to find out how you can help of where to get help if you have been affected by this event. Colorado Daily

Gearing Up For Fall

2010-08-21T16:25:00.001-06:00

With school starting on Monday, we have been working really hard getting our location on the Hill ready for the students' return. We have in new, modern furniture, which has provided us with wonderful ways to display our flowers, plants, and sorority merchandise. The black furniture contrasts against our turquoise wall, giving the store a vibrant, contemporary feel that we are very excited about.

You'll have to come check it out!

Succulent in a cork container

Ornamental pepper plant

A money tree

a dendrobium orchid plant

scented votive candles and interesting bud vases with bamboo

We are also thrilled to begin working the the sororities again! Every year we provide the flowers to decorate the sorority houses during their recruitment. We also prepare all of the arrangements for each new member who joins a sorority on initiation night.

Here are some photos of our sorority merchandise.

Alpha Phi and Alpha Chi Omega

Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma

Pi Beta Phi and Delta Delta Delta

Gamma Phi Beta

Alpha Delta Chi and Chi Omega

We also have been passing out coupons for a free plant since Thursday. Tons of people, especially new CU students, have been stopping in to see the new shop and get their free plant! They have their choice between a small green plant or a small succulent. These plants require little water and bright light, so they are perfect for dorm rooms and college students.

So far, everyone is loving the new shop!

These guys were really enthusiastic about their free plant.

Teila Nlanchfield (left) and Erin McMahon (right) were also stoked about their free plants. Thanks for stopping in everyone!

The Steinberg Wedding on June 26th

2010-07-06T15:25:00.001-06:00

Jessica Steinberg has a really sweet, romantic story behind her wedding flowers. She graduated from CU last year (2009), and we made her a lei for graduation out of these blue and purple orchids. Jesse, her husband, proposed to her the day of graduation while she was wearing the lei. Jessica chose these orchids for her wedding because they had such a special meaning for her. We loved the location, the colors, and the flowers in this wedding. She had two different types of centerpieces, aisle arrangements, a chuppa arrangement, cake flowers, cocktail table arrangements, bar arrangements, and of course boutonnieres, corsages, and bouquets. As promised in the last post, here are some photos from the Steinberg wedding on June 26th. Thanks to Jeremy Tatelman for coming along for the journey just to take photos of our work!

We were all ready to light a bunch of candles. From left to right: Clara, Sarah G, Shannon, Matt, Jerrica, Sarah L, Jenny, Teresa

We love each other (and being silly)!

Our Busiest Wedding Weekend: June 25th-June 27th 2010

2010-06-30T16:24:00.001-06:00

Hello All!

Well, this past weekend was super busy for the entire crew at Boulder Blooms. We had two of our most involved weddings of the season. Six people, Sarah G, Matt, Teresa, Shannon, Christina, and Abby, delivered and set up a wedding on Friday at the ever-elegant Lionscrest Manor. Eight people, Sarah G, Teresa, Clara, Jerrica, Jenny, Matt, Sarah L, and Shannon, delivered a much different wedding on Saturday at the Mile High Station in Denver.

The wedding at Lionscrest complemented the decor beautifully; flowers were pure white with subtle touches of blush pink. The next day in Denver we got to play with a much different color scheme, using vibrant blue, deep purple, and glossy black accents with lots of candlelight in a contemporary, urban venue.

Take a moment to scroll through the wedding at Lionscrest Manor! The photos from the other wedding will be posted soon.

Art of the Flower by Boulder Blooms

2010-06-08T16:40:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone! Our new shop has been up and running for about 4 weeks now, and we are loving the new store. Here are some photos of it for those of you who have not been in to see us yet.

Entrance to the new shop. We love being right next to the Sink!

Summer bouquets for only $10

Our work station and cooler full of summer flowers

The lovely, cosy sitting area

Our chalkboard wall where you can write, say, and draw what you want!

The entrance to the sorority gift and plant room

The plants and stuffed animals

The sorority gift side. This room is not finished but it will be complete with new furniture and gift items starting in August!

A beautiful orchid plant. We use these phalaenopsis orchids for our "Contemporary Orchid."

Boulder Blooms Plants

Other Eco-Friendly Boulder Businesses

2010-05-27T12:32:00.001-06:00

Being Boulder's eco-friendly florist, we love when we get to interact with other eco-friendly businesses. Being "Green" is the core of who we are at Boulder Blooms. Check out our website to read more about Our Green Idea. Boulder happens to be the Mecca of eco-friendly practices in Colorado and in America. If you have chosen us as your florist because of our eco-friendly practices, you should consider using some of these businesses because they appreciate and take care of the Earth in the same way we do.

The West End Tavern:
Located in the heart of downtown, the West End Tavern is known for being one of Boulder's best kept secrets. It is a great place to get some good grub, and they also have wonderful live bands occasionally. Their rooftop area is also an extrordinary place to dine because it overlooks Boulder's trademark: the Flatirons. All of their paper products, straws, and trash bags are recyclable or compostable, and all of their electricity is offset with windpower... now that's being green! Check out their website for more information.West End Tavern Eco-Practices

Bloomin Flower Cards:
We love Bloomin Flower Cards! We carry some of their special greeting cards, and we have paired with them to create our own special bookmarks with a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, which says "The Earth laughs in flowers." They manufacture "earth-friendly, handmade, seeded greeting cards." By using post-consumer shred paper, soy-based inks, organic pigments, and green manufacturing processes, Bloomin Flower Cards is the epitome of a local green business. Read more to learn about Bloomin Flower Cards.

REI:
REI is one of every outdoor-fanatic's favorite spots. Being one of America's most effective and functional co-ops, REI truly embodies the spirit of being a locally-owned, family stores. They won the eco-cycle award with us last year, and we could not be more thrilled that they are part of the Boulder community. REI annually cares for the Earth in the same way we do by donating millions of dollars to support conservation efforts. They also teach children environmental ethics and practice being green at all of their locations, reducing their environmental footprint. Learn more about REI.

Boulder Valley Credit Union:
The Boulder Valley Credit Union is the only financial institution in Boulder who strives to live "green." Their main branch is powered by solar energy. They partner with eco-cycle, like we do, to recycle and compost everything they can. They sponsor local tree-plantings with the Boulder Valley School District. The really cool thing they do at Boulder Valley Credit Union is offer eco-friendy pricing and incentives to members on products like fuel-effieient cars and solar panel additions to their homes. Click on this link to learn more about their eco efforts, eco offerings, and their eco partners.

BEWARE of Deceptive Order Gatherers--has it happened to you?!?

2010-03-31T17:07:00.001-06:00

Here lately in the Boulder Blooms family, we have been having some problems with people receiving the flowers they supposedly ordered from us. There is a Boulder Bloom (no "s") that customers have been ordering from, but it is not a real flower shop with a true store front. Customers have been calling the business, placing their order, and then we will receive disappointed phone calls from them because they do not realize that they did not actually place an order with us. If this is something that has happened to you, be sure to call the storefront to make sure they have received your order.

Here is the scam:

This business is called a Deceptive Order Gatherer. Deceptive Order Gatherers piggy-back off of a local florist's name that usually incorporates the town's name (like we have the city of Boulder in our name, Boulder Blooms). This way people think they are getting a local florist. However, these gatherers are usually not located in the town, but they rely on a web presence to attract customers to call and place their order with them. We think this Boulder Bloom is using a service like yellowpages.com or something similar. Once you have placed your order with these gatherers, they skim money off of your order, and through a wire service they relay the order to a local florist. Then, the florist does not have the ability to create your order at full value because they have taken money from your order and paid for the wire service.

With our situation, Boulder Bloom is not even relaying the order, so then our customers' orders aren't being sent out at all!

This is a good reason why you should always call a local florist directly after researching them thoroughly online. When you call direct, you can speak directly to staff members who can see, smell, and touch the very flowers you're sending instead of a middle man! You can also avoid being hit with sometimes exorbitant wire service fees.

Here is some more information written by a member of the Floral Association of the Rockies (of which we are a member!) about this scamming. If this has happened to you...again, we are so sorry; we encourage you to read this article.

http://floralassociationrockies.org/pdf/articles/DeceptiveListers.pdf

Moral of the story... in the background of your conversation, if you don't hear a bunch of people talking and scurrying around a messy store...

...or if you do not hear buckets of water splashing around...

...or the opening and closing of walk-in cooler doors...

...chances are, you should hang up the phone because you are probably not talking to us! We have had a storefront in Boulder for 8 years, and we have become one of Boulder's most trusted florists and eco-friendly businesses. We love what we do, we love our customers, and we love being part of this community. Again, to our knowledge there is no shop located in Boulder called Boulder Bloom, and we urge prospective clients to be sure call us to make sure that we receive your order!

Calling All Local Artists!

2010-03-12T14:16:00.002-07:00

We just joined forces with Art of the Flower on the hill. We also gave it a bit of a facelift, which left the walls completely bare. We want to use local Boulder resources to decorate the shop, which leads us to this question...

Would you like to host an open gallery featuring your creations? We are looking for you!! Every Friday we will be hosting an open gallery displaying your art work in a venue that calls for art. The space we are providing will be free of charge to you. We are searching for botanical art focused on nature or flowers; be it paintings, sculpture, or photography, as long as it is based on nature. We provide the venue, you provide the beauty. You are welcome to invite friends and fans alike. You are responsible for the hanging of and all logistics of your art work. Food, beverages and/or music are also something you need to arrange if you would like to supply these things.

Art of the Flower is the perfect place to showcase your art because it is in a high traffic area of Boulder. Tons of people will be passing by the shop as it is next door to Lollicup and across the street from the Fox Theater. Please reply via email to info@boulderblooms.com with a brief introduction about yourself and your work. Feel free to include pictures as we will need to see samples.

Local Yokel is the way to go!

2010-03-04T14:20:00.001-07:00

Recently we have been getting loads of local Colorado flowers in our shop. Calla lilies, Hybrid Delphinium, Ranunculus, Stargazer Lilies, Asiatic Lilies, Freesia, Snapdragon, Larkspur, Tulips, Dianthus, and Scabiosa, just to name a few! We love getting Colorado flowers because they are so fresh and happy and colorful. We enjoy supporting our local economy and businesses. We also know we are working with growers who are committed to the Earth's health, just like we are.

It is interesting how the same flower family can look completely different if the varieties are from different parts of the world. For example, the Zantedeschia species (calla lilies) have many different looks. The large Callas we get in Colorado look extremely different than the Callas we get from South America. The flowers from South America are more cup-like and closed, while the ones from Colorado are more relaxed and open. Take a look at the difference yourself!

These photos are the Colorado Calla Lilies.

These photos are the Calla Lilies from South America

This is a direct comparison of the two varieties.

The "petals" (the white part of the Calla Lily) are not actually petals. They are part of the plant called a Spathe. The actual flower of a calla lily plant are the tiny nodules are the yellow Spadix, which is the inner yellow part of the flower.

Here's what our Valentine's Day was like...

2010-02-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well another Valentine's Day has come and gone, and as usual, we were extremely busy (especially since we just merged with another Boulder florist, Art of the Flower), so we were doing twice the amount of designing. We hope everyone had a relaxing day that was full of blossoming love and joy, but our day certainly was not like that at all! It was hectic, chaotic, and flowers were flying all over the place, which was actually kind of fun. We love days like Valentine's Day because it helps us spread our passion of providing beautiful portraits of nature to the Boulder Community on an extremely widespread level. Here is a glimpse of what our day was like...

Even with all of our deliveries, our delivery drivers never stopped enjoying the smiles and glowing faces of all of the recipients. We went through thousands of roses, and we meant to take photos of the shop covered in them, but by the end of the day we were so swamped with orders, that it completely slipped our minds. Our cash register and credit card machine even broke. And people were coming in ordering arrangements, so we had to ring them up using our computer, which takes twice as long! In addition to bleeding fingers from all the rose thorns and a broken cash register, our 3 designers, Jerrica, Teresa, and Tim, were up one night designing until 12:30 am. Jerrica says, "I could probably sleep for a week after those 3 days! I only slept for 7 hours within a 48 hours time period. Thats how busy we were, but I had to get those orders done!"

We did an arrangement of 50 red roses that was as large as Jerrica's arm span. That's huge! Probably 5 feet in diameter. Our most popular arrangement was (no surprise here) a dozen red roses in a sleek tapered glass vase. The "Best of the Best" was the second favorite, and all the recipients gasped when we delivered it because it is very elaborate, being 4 feet tall with aspidistra wrapped inside the vase with elegant curly willow branches. In addition to thousands of roses, we also included gerbera daisies, fragrant garden roses, and ranunculus in our Valentine's Day arrangements. Our customers had a tendency to want to send spring flowers, so all of the tulips, iris, freesia, asiatic lilies, and dahlias were bought locally.

So, as you can see, our shop was complete madness from February 12th, 13th, and 14th. Despite the chaos, we loved being able to provide Boulder with hundreds of arrangements for the holiday of love. Now wedding season is right down the road, which means Boulder Blooms will be busy for the next 6 months putting together wedding flowers!

Wedding Wire Bride's Choice Award

2010-02-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

Boulder, CO – February 3rd, 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Boulder Blooms has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ in the category of Wedding Florists.

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Boulder Blooms is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Boulder Blooms is among the very best florists within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

A Lesson in Our Eco-Friendly Floral Tools

2010-01-29T14:20:00.004-07:00

As you all know, we pride ourselves in being Boulder's eco-friendly florist. There are certain basic tools that we use on a daily basis to create our arrangements: vases, floral clippers, scissors, loppers, compostable wax tissue paper, recyclable BlumeBoxes, and the list can go on and on! Here is a glance at some of our behind-the-scenes, eco-friendly tools that we use.

Sweet Huckleberry Instead of Tape
One of the tools that florists often use is tape. Usually it is used to make a grid like pattern on top of a wide-mouthed vase to make working with flowers easier. This grid pattern makes the flowers stay in place when making the arrangement. At Boulder Blooms we do not use tape for this purpose. Instead, we use Sweet Huckleberry, which comes from the North-West. The branches are very jagged, and they get tangled really easily. We wrap it together and place it inside our vases. When we arrange the flowers, the branches of the Sweet Huckleberry are a great source of tension for the flower stems, so they stay in place. We also love to use Sweet Huckleberry as foliage to give some arrangements a sophisticated, edgy look. Best of all, the Sweet Huckleberry is compostable.

Horsetail Instead of Plastic Pitchforks
When you receive a flower arrangement from most florists, you will usually notice a plastic pitchfork that holds the card with your arrangement. You won't see those in a Boulder Blooms arrangement! We use stems of horsetail as our "pitchforks". Horsetail is a type of grass, and it usually grows along the banks of riverbeds. We have even seen it growing along Boulder Creek! It is sometimes grown in organic gardens to attract dragonflies. We cut a slit in the horsetail and that's where we put our cards. We feel they are better than the plastic pitchforks because they are eco-friendly, compostable, and it blends in with the arrangement.

Reduce, Reuse, Re-vase Tags

At Boulder Blooms, one of our main focuses of being eco-friendly is reusing everything we can. This includes the vases we send to you! So, one of our eco-frindly "tools" is to get the community involved in being green as well. We have a program that allows you to return your cleaned, Boulder Blooms vases and we will give you $5 worth of flowers in return. Pretty cool, huh? We think so! Check out the tag that comes in your arrangement, and feel free to bring us back your vase. We would love to reuse it if we can!

Extra, Extra!!!

2010-01-25T20:29:00.002-07:00

That's right, folks. Boulder Blooms and Art of the Flower have joined together. Two locations, free delivery to CU Dorms, and now with free delivery to CU Sorority houses. Come say hello!

Did You Know There Were So Many Edible Flowers?

2010-01-15T16:53:00.005-07:00

Being an eco-friendly florist, I like to think that we have a good sense of working with the earth in everything we do. We really respect everything that comes from our environment, and we try to utilize the local plants and flowers that grow here in Colorado. we also give back to the earth by composting all living plant matter. Since we are so in touch with the nature that surrounds us, I thought it would be interesting to list some edible flowers. Unfortunately, most florist's flowers are not organic because they are grown for their blooms. If you want to purchase flowers for consumption, check with your florist first to make sure they can get edible flowers. Otherwise, farmers markets are a great place to buy them because they are organic and safe to eat. I got this list from About.com: Home Cooking, which you should look at for a more complete list. You might want to think about adding in these flowers in to our next recipe! My personal favorite is how you can steam sunflowers like artichokes!

Calendula*

It has a spicy, tangy, and peppery-taste, and it adds a golden hue to foods, the same way that turmeric does.

Carnation

It is clove-like with a spicy/peppery taste.

Chrysanthemum*

Mums have a slightly bitter taste.

Cornflower*

Like carnations, they are also clove-like with a sweet to spicy taste.

Gardenia

It has a light, sweet flavor.

Gladiolus*

Tastes like lettuce.

Lavender

We love getting lavender in the shop because it makes the whole place smell delicious! Lavender oil may be poisonous, so be careful! It has a slight "perfumey" flavor.

Lilac

It has a strong, lemony flavor.

Marigold

It tastes spicy to bitter.

Rose

The stronger the fragrance, the stronger the flavor. It has a sweet, aromatic taste. Be sure to remove the bitter white portion of the petals before you eat them! Rose hips, the red fruit part of the rose bush left after the blooms have died, are also edible.

Rosemary

Everyone knows this herb! We use it in arrangements as greens and fillers! It is very sweet and pine-like.

Scented Geranium

The citronella variety may not be edible. The taste of a scented geranium can vary from lemon to mint, depending on the variety.

Safflower*

It is like another "poor man's saffron" without the pungent aroma or flavor.

Snapdragon

An interesting fact about snapdragons is they grow towards the light! They have a bland to bitter flavor.

Sunflower*

Okay, so I ate the petal of a sunflower here in the shop, and it really does taste leafy and slightly bitter, like the article says! You can lightly steam the petals to lessen the bitterness. And...the most interesting thing is that the unopened flower buds can be steamed like artichokes! Try those for appetizers at your next dinner party!

Violets

Violets have a sweet, nectar taste

*Only the petals of these composite flowers are edible. The pollen of composite flowers is highly allergenic and may cause reactions in sensitive individuals. Sufferers of asthma, ragweed, and hayfever should not consume composite flowers, and may have extreme allergies to ingesting any flowers at all.

2010 is here!!! Can you believe it??!!

2010-01-05T10:16:00.002-07:00

I cannot believe that 2010 is here. It seems like yesterday we were all freaking out about 2000 and the possibility of computers crashing. I remember exactly what I was doing when 11:59 pm December 31, 1999, became 12:00 am January 1, 2000! I bet a lot of you do too! Well, an entire decade has passes since then, and a lot of things have happened. I have been reading all the magazines lately, and all have their lists of the best and worst moments of the decade. And trust me, we have had some wild, fun, and crazy moments this past decade at Boulder Blooms!

With a New Year always come New Year’s resolutions. I don’t think we really have many resolutions here at Boulder Blooms, because we try to stay on our A-game year round. Being the best we can be is what makes us such a great choice when deciding who to use for your floral needs. So, in case you aren’t familiar with Boulder Blooms, here is a list of reasons why to use us as your florist in 2010.

1) We are Boulder’s eco-friendly florist
we recycle, compost, and re-use almost everything! We only dispose of 35 gallons of trash per week!

2) Our motto is “the freshest thing in Boulder.”

We buy from the best, so you can be assured that your floral creation will be the freshest it can be and last for at least 10 days.

3) We are local

We are a local, Boulder business, so we try to use the flowers that are native to Boulder and the state of Colorado. One of our specialties is making beautiful wildflower bouquets!

4) We are very flexible

If it were not for you guys (the customers), we would not be in business. So, it is our pleasure to work with you until you are COMPLETELY satisfied with your order. We want to please you and provide you with exactly what you imagines. And we are not afraid of complicated orders! We actually like them… it makes our jobs more interesting and fun!

5) Our staff is from all over the United States

Colorado, Massachusettes, Illinois, Louisiana, California, and Florida… Because of this, there are different ideas floating around our shop all the time, giving us loads of creativity for the arrangements we produce.

6) We can do almost anything and everything!

Really tall arrangements, really small ones, huge parties that need loads of flowers, small parties that only need 1 arrangement, massive weddings, small weddings, corsages, boutonnieres, wreathes, garland, arch pieces, standing orders for business and homes, and the list goes on and on… there is nothing we can’t handle!

7) We love what we do

I find that when you really love what you do, the work you produce is much better. This is definitely true at Boulder Blooms. Our passion is flowers and satisfying all of our customers, therefore; we send out only the best of the best!

So, please stop by and see us this year, and we wish you all the very best!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

To our extended Boulder Blooms family- a very heartfelt wish for a warm, safe, and happy holiday season for you all. Thank you for another great year in Boulder! Looking forward to another fabulous year full of exciting things- check back in January for more details.

Deck the halls!

2009-12-08T14:42:00.002-07:00

We are just unpacking our FRESH holly from it's packaging! Teresa was lucky enough to find a small, locally-owned farm while out in Oregon cutting evergreens that grows holly.

We are extra excited about this grower because it is notoriously difficult to get fresh holly. Growers often start cutting their holly crops months in advance in order to meet the winter season's demand. This means that by the time the holly gets to us retailers, it's already months old. This holly was cut especially for us the same day it was shipped!

Holly, like other cut flowers and greens, can be damaged by the especially cold weather we've been experiencing lately. All of the arrangements we send out of the shop are wrapped (and sometimes double-wrapped!) to protect from the cold. If you are transporting flowers or plants and they will be outside even for a short while, remember to cover them as well as you can to prevent them from freezing! Plants are especially suspect to cold damage- even winter favorites like poinsettias.

Holly adds a wonderfully smooth texture to swags, wreaths, or vases of textural evergreens. The small red berries even add a touch of color! Simple vases or vessels that you might have laying around the house can be transformed into long-lasting seasonal centerpieces by adding even just a few boughs of douglas fir, cedar, and touches of holly.

Christmas Greens Are In!!!

2009-12-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

Just came back from four days in Oregon, where I once again got to cut evergreens for the holidays. It all started four years ago when I went to Oregon visiting family and doing decorations for them. My sister turned me on to her friend's Christmas Tree farm. I was so amazed by the quality of the fresh Douglas Fir and cedar that I wanted them for Boulder Blooms. I've been going out every year since!

So when you order a holiday arrangement from us, know that they are fresh cut by me from Bernardi Farm in Beavercreek, Oregon. Oh yeah, and this year, I discovered a holly farm across the street from the Bernardis: Beavercreek Holly Farm. They pick the holly the day they ship. How fresh is that! Teresa

Our New Delivery Vehicle!!!

2009-11-18T18:57:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone! I am Sarah, and I will be writing some of Boulder Blooms blog postings from now on! I am a senior at CU, and being from Louisiana, I love beautiful flowers. One of my favorites that grows in Louisiana is hydrangea, and I love love love when we get them in the store. I've known Claire, who also works at Boulder Blooms, for the past 3 years, and I have worked here since the last June. Working with flowers is so much fun, and it smells delicious! I also love it here because everything we do is done with the environment in mind. As Boulder's eco-friendly florist, we thought we needed an eco-friendly delivery vehicle, so here it is...

Our new bicycle will be used to make flower deliveries to the CU campus and other businesses close to our location. When we use the bike, we love carrying extra flowers with us to give to the lovely people of Boulder. If you see us out on our bike, give us a shout (literally :) and we will give you some beautiful, fresh flowers to take home with you! If you don't see us around town, just give us a call and we will send you home with the freshest thing in Boulder!

Eco-Friendliness at Flower Shop Network

2009-10-31T10:06:00.001-06:00

Just a quick update-

Check out this blog post that Flower Shop Network just posted about the crew at Boulder Blooms!

How Boulder Blooms Took Eco-Friendliness by Storm - By Brynn Jackson

Wedding at Lost Antler Ranch, Estes Park

2009-08-09T20:04:00.002-06:00

August is here, and find ourselves well into wedding season. The weather has been beautiful and with all of the recent rain, things are looking especially lush.

This is a photo of Shannon setting up our Aspen Chuppa at a new venue- Lost Antler Ranch out in Estes Park. It is beautiful, and the staff there are a joy to work with!

Stephanie chose all locally-grown wildflowers for her wedding. They suited the venue just perfectly.

The below images are courtesy of Susan Pacek Photography. Thanks, Susan!

Eco-Cycling

2009-06-03T20:39:00.007-06:00

Well, it seems that we are proud, new owners not only of a brand spankin’ new blog, but of a super shiny frame made of aluminum cans as well!

Boulder Blooms proudly accepted EcoCycle’s “Zero Waste Business of the Year” award in the category of “High Organic Processors” on Earth Day. We’re in good company, too; other businesses that took home awards include REI and Boulder Valley Credit Union.

Boulder Blooms’ history with EcoCycle goes back about five years. We are lucky enough to participate in their business composting Pilot program; they haul off more than 250 gallons of compost for us each WEEK! Yuck.After we were selected as finalists, Erin from EcoCycle came over to the shop to take some photos and learn a bit about us. We had two photo sessions with the folks from EcoCycle and a few interviews. After that, they posted the resulting video on their site for the general public to vote.

While we the votes were being counted, Amanda Long from the Society of American Florists picked up the story and ran an article in their magazine, Floral Management. By entering your name and email address, you can see the article here. We think this is a great way to reach out to an industry that’s been slow to jump on the green bandwagon.

The awards event kicked off a little before 4:00 on April 22nd- Earth Day. Spice of Life hosted the event at their beautiful Event Center. If you’ve never had the pleasure of sampling food prepared by Spice, you’re really missing out. Teresa and I agreed that the Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding hors d’oeuvre was the true unsung hero of the night. We did get down to business eventually, though. We heard some terrific speakers and learned so much- did you know that there is a market for more than 80% of the things we (as Americans) throw away? Someone will actually PAY for that stuff!

After a few awards were presented, it became painfully clear that if we were to win, Teresa and I would have to actually go up to the stage and give a speech. We hadn’t planned quite that far ahead. Fortunately, Teresa accepted our award far more eloquently than I would have- excited as I was!

Next time you're in the area, pop by and see our prize!

Springtime in Boulder!

2009-05-30T15:20:00.005-06:00

Last Monday, Memorial Day, the Boulder Blooms crew got motivated and joined the thousands and thousands of people who participated in the Bolder Boulder 10K road race. We're not a terribly athletic bunch, and decided to walk the race... with large floral structures attached to our heads, of course.

We were psyched to learn that we'd be walking in the same wave as a group of "Leapfroggers"- an ambitious bunch who decided to- yup, you guessed it- leapfrog the length of the Bolder Boulder course. We're not sure how far they made it, but they were a fun crew!

Shannon's arrangement was dubbed the 'Veil of Illusion'. I'm fairly certain she'll hold a grudge against me for a while for making her wear twigs in her face.

Claire rocked a fun piece with electric-purple feathers, purple dendrobium orchid florets, bright green Fuji mums, and a spikey palm frond that gained her about a foot in height.

I stabbed myself in the skull repeatedly trying to put my arrangement together, but liked the look in the end.

Thankfully, the rain held out for us until the walk home. Thanks for cheering us on!