Expert Tips For Ordering Flowers

Though it may sound obvious, remember that you will, first, need to be clear about what you want. This will help you to chose the right shop for you and it will make it much easier for the order-taker to give you the best service possible.

Before you make the call or stop in, get all your details in order and have them ready. There are so many times when people call or come in to purchase flowers without having this simple info written down. Include the following:

1. Who are the flowers going to?
2. What is their address and phone number?
3. When are they home? (Do they work?)
4. What is the occasion?
5. How do you want the card to read?
7. Do you have a color scheme and style in mind, or are you open to suggestions?

I created the arrangement above as part of a "breakaway" or "tablescape" for a Thanksgiving dinner. A breakaway is a collection of smaller arrangements which can be clustered together or separated and spread further along the table. This gives you the option to alter the flowers to fit your needs. It's a clever approach to floral design, providing a unique and interesting look while being very flexible. After the dinner is over, the pieces can be placed about the room and later taken home by guests.

How do you know which florist to use? As is so often the case for everything, word of mouth is a great way to choose a florist. If your friends have had a good experience with the flower shop, you probably will too. Since preferences can vary, be sure that the person whose advice you are taking has similar taste to your's. While some shops are good with traditional design, others are excellent at a contemporary or more unique look. Some do both well. Ask your friend what it is they like about their florist.

If you don't have anyone in the area to ask for a referral, you can research a florist on-line through their website. This can often give you a very good idea of their style. Do they include examples of their own work? Are the photos of high quality? If you like the look of their site, you will probably be happy.

There are some excellent shops that have not yet invested in a custom-designed website, but use a somewhat generic site generated through one of the nation-wide floral groups. Don't rule them out because of that. Note how long they have been in the business, give them a call, ask them some questions and even do a trial run with them to see what you think. Of course, if you are in the area, visit their store to check them out.

Here are some questions you might ask:

1. Do you have a signature style?
2. What do you do best?
3. Do you ever go to the market to hand pick your flowers? (not all shops are close enough to a do this)
4. When do your new flower shipments arrive each week?

The photo here is of some arrangements I made for a college event using cymbidium orchids, green fuji mums and pincushion protea. Because it was an art school, the arrangements needed to be colorful and a bit unusual.

Many quality flower shops belong to one or more of the well-known, nation-wide "groups" such as FTD or Teleflora. Florists pay fees for their association with these companies. They, in turn, serve the flower shops and the general public by offering visibility, nation-wide promotion, technical tools for flower shop operations and by coming up with standard designs from which you, as a customer, may choose to send anywhere in the country.

In addition to these books of "everyday" designs, holiday specials are offered by these companies each year and include trademark containers, some of which are thought of as "collectible". Local member florists choose which of these designs to offer their customers and they keep these containers and the flowers needed in stock.

Special Tip: It is important, when looking at these designs, for you to keep in mind that in order to show you what is included in the arrangements and to visually present them at their best, these photos will often show all the flowers facing toward you in the pictures, even though it may, instead, be an all-around design. In these cases, the arrangement may look different once you see it. It won't appear to be as jam-packed with flowers as the picture shows. Also, florists may very well not have all the flowers pictured. This is not unusual. They can't possibly keep every flower in every color in stock all the time.

Don't you want to send something unique? What good are these images for, then? These images can be a good tool, especially if you are new to ordering flowers. But, rather than ordering the exact arrangement shown, consider using the photos as a guide to possible styles and/or color palettes. You can refer to them as a guideline, but ask, instead, for a unique arrangement created by a designer on staff. As highly creative, well-trained people, designers are delighted to be able to provide you with something unique. Keep in mind that this may be one of the best options for you, because, in this way, the designer will be able to make choices for you depending upon the market and fresh flower availability in their area. And, the arrangement you send will be a unique piece of floral art rather than an attempt to duplicate a photo. No one else will have chosen that same arrangement to send to your recipient. And, your recipient will not be saying, "Oh, I sent that same thing out to someone once."

You have seen the ads for 1-800 "order flowers from us" (you know what I mean )and it may seem like an easy choice. That option may even come up when you do an internet search for a flower shop in a certain area. The listing will probably use some wording to imply that they are actually a shop in that city. Look closely. They are very likely just a telephone bank of employees---or even people taking calls for a company from their own home. They usually have very little, if any, direct experience with flowers and they have no idea what any given shop may have on hand to offer. The company will take part of your payment as a fee and then just pass the order on to an actual, local shop. The shops they send the orders to have no agreement with the order-gathering company. They are just fishing for a way to fill their "order".

These order-gathering companies may even offer you a coupon or some sort of deal and when they do, they are not authorized by any local shop to do so. They may take the "discount" off of the order for you, but the filling florist will only see the "discounted" final price and you will actually just be getting a cheaper arrangement.

Remember, these non-local "gathering" companies don't fill the orders. They call a local florist in the location you have requested and try to get them to fill it! With each step, your final arrangement may be getting smaller and smaller and smaller.

Make sure when you are ordering that you have reached an actual flower shop located in your desired area.They will have the expertise to help you and you will not be paying a tricky, middle man.

Read the next section for tips on how to tell a local florist from an order-taking phone bank.

Here are some things to consider when choosing the style of your floral arrangement:

If it's going to the hospital, it may be better to choose something that will not take up too much table space.

If it will be a centerpiece to be used at a meal, it is best to keep it shorter than about a foot so that people can see each other over the flowers. "Long and low" is the term to describe a centerpiece for a long table and "all-around" refers to one for a round table.Your florist will know what to do.

If the table is quite long, you may want to ask for 3 arrangements which can span the length of the table rather than a large one in the middle. That way all your guests have a good view of the flowers. For special occasions, consider a teeny vase for a single flower at each place setting.

If it is for an entry table or a buffet which is up against a wall, a one-sided arrangement is best.

If it is for an artist-friend, then asking for something very creative is a good idea.

For a sympathy, consider asking your florist for a gourmet basket. It's a useful and welcome thing at the home of any grieving family.

For a funeral setting, consider bright colors in the lighter tones. Purples and blues usually do not show up well under funeral home lighting. You may be the kind of person who wants to ask for a very traditional, structured floral display, but I think that a looser garden look gives a nice feeling of nature and is pleasant to the eye and calming to the soul. Try it.

Color is probably the most noticed feature of a floral arrangement. Many studies have been done on the effects of color on mood and several have been conducted which specifically study the effects of color in floral arrangements.

One of the most elegant and interesting color choices is monochromatic, or a single color, such as all purples or all yellows. A monochromatic arrangement brings out the beauty of each flower, emphasizing different textures and variations in hue within the color you have chosen.

This yellow, monochromatic (all one color) bouquet features Gerbera daisies, roses, calla lilies and Oncidium orchids.

A striking and classic choice for an arrangement is to use only one kind of flower such as all mini calla lilies, all peonys or all tulips. Ask for the flower heads to be gathered close together with greens that compliment the flower and do not distract the eye. This creates a rich and stunning display and emphasizes the bloom rather than the stem. Consider doing something different when ordering roses and ask for short-stemmed roses in a compact design. This will place the focus on the beauty of the blooms and the patterns that are made as they nestle together and gradually open. You might order this using mixed colors of the same flower or as a monochromatic arrangement of all one color.

Shown here are lavender roses done in a compact style with all the flowers nestled together closely.

Here are some examples of things customers have done when ordering flowers. None of them work well and I don't recommend doing any of them....

1. Place an order for your girlfriend, then order one for your wife, too. Scream at the florist when your wife opens the bill in the mail and asks who "Lisa" is.

2. Ask if the shop can open a personal house account for you because you can't afford to pay this month.

3. Ask them to not reveal to the recipient that you are the one who ordered the flowers. (Only to have the recipient complain to the florist later because you have actually been stalking her.) Then, ask for your money back because the recipient refused to accept the flowers.

4. Go on and on in great detail about exactly how you want the arrangement to look, then threateningly tell them that it had better look good, or else.

5. Ask for the most beautiful arrangement ever for $10.

Almost everyone wants to send roses for Valentine's Day. Its tradition, isn't it?. They are considered by some to be the most romantic flower and it's an easy choice. There are other options to consider, though. Do you know why you might want to think about sending something different? There are some good reasons.

On and around Valeninte's Day, rose prices go up considerably. Due to high demand, growers must force more blooms, driving up prices which are passed on to the retailers and to you, the consumer. By ordering something other than roses, you will get more for your money.

Roses aren't always the most romantic option. I think showing how well you know your sweetie is much more romantic than going with the norm. Be creative. Find out what her favorite flower is then shower her with those. Or, send her a bouquet using everything that was in her wedding bouquet.

Another interesting way to go is to research the messages behind each flower used in bouquets during the Victorian era, when a great deal of communication took place through the giving of nosegays of flowers.

Have fun with it. Men want to play it safe on Valentine's Day, but use your creativity when ordering your flowers and save some money at the same time.

Then, again, there are some women who really want those roses!