Today we show this “love and reverence” by creating handmade cards, making breakfast in bed, and often sending beautiful floral and plant gifts.  In fact, Mother’s Day continues to be one of the biggest days for flower sales, greeting card sales, and long-distance telephone calls.  So whether the Mother in your life is near or far, flowers continue to be the one special way to say thank you for everything you do on Mother’s Day.

Here are some great options for floral gifts this Mother’s Day:

Hats Off to Mom will totally charm her this Mother’s Day.  What Mom wouldn’t love a bouquet of pink roses?  They are the perfect way to say I love you Mom.  Even better, the arrangement comes in a darling ceramic hat box.  She can use this from year to year to fill with new fresh flowers, silks, or as Mom always does, special treats for the kids.

The Lavender Dreams Watering Can is perfect for the garden loving Mom.  Arranged in a keepsake watering can, this piece showcases roses, button mums, queen anne’s lace, and an assortment of other fresh cut flowers.  Topped with a butterfly, it will bring the outdoors right to your dinner table.  What Mom wouldn’t love this cheerful, purple bouquet?

A decorative planter filled with outdoor plants is the perfect for garden enthusiasts, or someone who just wants a little outdoor color on their porch or deck.  A mixture of annuals and perennials will put a smile on any Mother’s face.  Other basket and novelty containers also available.

Make sure to view our Mother’s Day video for more great ideas and a special offer at the end!

More sweet than sour, our lemon lime arrangements feature spring colored gerbera daisies and hydrangea.  We’ve added playful elements by stringing lemons with design wire and submerging cut lemons into a Jell-O filled vase.

Another favorite includes radishes nestled in curly lettuce and pink garden roses.  We added some Easter flare by etching “hop” into the radish heads.

Inspired by Pinterest, Rockcastle has created our own version of the Peep bouquet.  Pair this with some of our Target finds, edible Easter confetti and grass, to bring Easter basket fun to the “kids table”.

Other arrangements include fresh eggs, grapevine, and jelly beans.

In addition to incorporating food into your arrangements, try adding your own Easter decor this holiday.  Placing these in arrangements can refresh your look from year to year, and add something extra special to your centerpiece.  You can even use fresh cut bulb flowers, which are already blooming!

Consider adding other arrangements around the house.  A large display on your sideboard or buffet will greet your guests while their going through a fabulous Easter dinner buffet line.

Mix up your typical decor this Easter with these flowers & food ideas.  The arrangements will bring Spring right to your dinner table, even if it is cold outside!

Animal Prints

For dresses on the wild side, try pairing with a natural wrist corsage.  Consider adding feathers, earthy tones, and animal print ribbon.  Some of our favorite flowers for this look are alstroemeria and dendrobium orchids.

Peek-a-Boo

This dramatic style can be paired with the more traditional corsages.  Try shaking up the typical arrangement by choosing wax flower instead of babies breath.  Add some bling for and extra touch of glamor.

Romper Dress

Mix up this fun and flirty style with a flower ring.  Add some wire or bling to stylize this floral touch.  Our favorite looks include Kermit mums, spray roses, and daisies.

Layered Ball Gown

A big dress calls for a big floral statement.  Try pairing a fingertip bouquet with your dress.  You can go with soft romantic colors or have a bright and playful look.

Grecian Style

The more casual Grecian style can be paired with an assorted flower corsage.  Try mixing different flowers together to get a garden like effect.  It’s a natural and elegant touch for this simple and romantic dress.

High Low Hems

This cute and playful look is begging for a coordinating wrist corsage.  Try a gerbera to pair with the popular high low hem style.  Add to the whimsy with wire, feathers, and vibrant ribbon.

So here are some alternatives for those women who fall into the 62%:

At Rockcastle Florist, we see pink as a strong trend for roses.  This feminine color has been seen throughout the year in varieties ranging from an pale white pink to a deep hot pink.

The light pink roses symbolizes grace, gentleness, and happiness.  They are perfect when paired with heather or other purple toned filler flower.

Deep pink roses represent gratitude and appreciation.  Try mixing up the arrangement by adding some bright green accents, like the hypericum berry.

Another popular color we see at the shop is yellow.  This bright and cheerful color is often symbolic of friendship.  Maybe not the best color for valentines day, but if your special someone loves yellow it could be the choice for you!

Looking for that perfect alternative to red this Valentine’s Day?  Look no further than the lavender rose.  This symbolizes enchantment, desire, and love at first sight.  Try pairing this stunning color with some eucalyptus and other varieties of greens.

Perfect for a bride-to-be or a newly wed Valentines, white roses are known as the bridal rose.  These roses represent humility, reverence, and purity.

The last of red rose alternatives is orange.  Orange roses range from a peach to a warm, vivid color.  Their vibrant tone symbolizes passion and excitement.

So this Valentine’s Day, consider another color in place of the traditional red roses.  You can send a whole new message to that special someone in your life.

To purchase roses this Valentine’s Day, visit our rose shop here.

This past weekend we designed a tablescape at The Wedding Affair by Well Wed Magazine.  Our booth highlighted Natural Elegance, a modern interpretation of romantic design featuring a timeless new color scheme, highlighting robin’s egg blue, cherry red, peony pink, and organic green.

Our arrangements featured lush peonies, garden roses, hydrangea, and spray roses.  The whimsical colors looked simply elegant in the natural birch vases.  For height we used black colored branches adorned with pearls.

The tablescape features a silk black linen and lacy, bead embellished overlay with a turquoise table runner.  We finished off the table with a natural birch frame and birch inspired escort cards with the help of Pauleenanne Design.

Aside our beautiful flowers, Priscilas Cookies & More LLC added to the Natural Elegance with a lovely fondant cake and robin’s egg frosted cookies.

We hope you are inspired as we are by the whimsical look of Natural Elegance.

If you are one of those brides, or even know one, join us January 21st at the Memorial Art Gallery for The New York Wedding Affair hosted by Well Wed New York.

If you can’t make it to the show, check out this gerbera daisy wedding below.  It was featured in one of our Well Wed advertisements.

Located at Bristol Harbor, the venue was a perfect backdrop for this destination wedding.  Our Canandaigua location works frequently with Bristol Harbor, and out of the many weddings we do there, we love the chocolate and hot pink mix.  These trending colors allow for high contrast with a casual elegance.

The bouquets & decor were designed with gerbera daises, kermit mums, and monkey tails.  All add a playful yet beautiful touch to the overall wedding look.

Before you even choose a florist, try to visualize the overall theme of your wedding.  Ask yourself a couple of questions:

• How will my personality and lifestyle be reflected in the wedding?
• How many, if any, of the “wedding traditions” will I want to incorporate into my ceremony and reception?
• What time of year do I want to be married?
• How much of “my story” do I want woven throughout the wedding?
• Will I prefer a large wedding or an intimate affair?
• Will this be a formal affair or will it be more relaxed and casual?
• What colors will I choose?
• Have I chosen the style of the wedding attire?
• What flowers, colors and styles do I like?
• What is my floral budget?

The last two questions will most likely be the hardest for you to answer without further research.  Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Robin, one of our Wedding Design Specialists helping a Bride plan her wedding flower decor. This photo and others were featured in a Floral Management issue hi lighting our wedding consultation services.

Surf The Web

The best way to research flowers, colors, and styles is to spend as much time as possible to peruse bridal magazines and web sites.

As you are surfing these sites and publications look for shapes, sizes, colors and flowers that appeal to you and fit with the style of your wedding.  A variety of different ideas can be combined to achieve your look.  The more visual information you can share will allow the designer more creativity in capturing your vision.

Some of our favorite blogs and websites include:

• The Knot
• Style Me Pretty
• Brides
• Well Wed New York
• Inside Weddings

Consider Your Budget

Think about what you are comfortable spending on flowers.  Most couples come to us without a budget in mind.  The more direct you can be about what you are interested in spending, allows the designer more latitude in the options he/she can offer you.  You should feel comfortable enough with the Florist to share that information.

It won’t be difficult to find someone who will offer wedding flowers at a lower rate than a professional florist.  If you decide to go that route you will be giving up some of the quality, craftsmanship and creativity that an experienced professional will provide.  A reputable floral designer will also be prepared to handle any situation that may come up along the way.

Some of the most beautiful weddings have been designed on a shoestring budget!  There are alternatives to large, showy floral pieces and a trained professional will do their best to keep you on track.

Coming even more in touch with their roots, Liz & Gabriel spent their honeymoon in Africa.  During their visit the couple spent some time at schools supported through a special organization, The HOPE for Ariang Foundation.  Founded by husband Gabriel, this organizations mission aims to make “education accessible to all children and adults in Sudan by removing cultural and socio-economic barriers-One village at a Time.”  Support HOPE by liking their Facebook Page or making a donation.

One of the newest additions are the Kuvasz Companies Inc. greeting cards.  Each of the cards have been created with original artwork by local artists.  The art is inspired by animals, flowers, and other sentiments.  And even better, a portion of the proceeds of each card are donated to Lollypop Farm.

So be sure to pick up a special card that supports a great cause.  It will be perfect with any holiday arrangement.  Below are just a few of our favorites:

White Heat by Mike Tanoory

Facci Elms by Brooke Churchill

White Angel by Christine Mitchell

Kobee II by Kristine A. Greenizen

All The Little Piggies… by Mike Tanoory

Hi my name is Julius (in the Santa hat).  I was adopted from the Verona Animal Society three years ago.  I have a happy home.  This is my “sister,” Lisa.  I visit her and my friends at Rockcastle every week for treats.

Each year the employees at Rockcastle Florist choose a charity to support during the holiday season.  This year we have selected the Verona Street Animal Society and will be collecting donations to fill their “wish list.”

The Verona Street Animal Society supports the local Rochester area by providing resources to Rochester Animal Services, allowing them to serve the public through animal care and control, pet adoption, and many other services that benefit the furry friends in our community.

We will be collecting donations at our Greece location (870 Long Pond Road) during store hours, Monday – Saturday 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM.  So feel free to stop by now through December 13th and help us complete the following wish list:

• Collars
• 6-foot leashes
• Professional grooming clippers
• Heating pads (for newborns and injured animals)
• Liquid laundry detergent
• Laundry baskets
• Sturdy chew toys
• Pig ears
• Pet brushes and shampoo
• Pet carriers & training crates
• Puzzle feeders
• Pet treats
• Pet care and animal reference books
• Can openers
• Cat litter scoopers
• Liquid dish soap
• Cool mist humidifiers
• Rubbing alcohol
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Cotton swabs
• Spray nozzles for garden hoses
• Kitchen drain stoppers
• Standard brooms and dust pans
• Hand brooms with dust pans
• Large plastic storage bins with lids
• Large kitchen spoons
• Folding chairs for off-site events
• Fruit-scented air fresheners
• Puppy training pads/Chux/underpads
• Unopened cat food and cat litter (for foster homes)
• Empty prescription bottles
• Baby food (meat varieties only)
• Pet Oxygen Masks www.petsamerica.org

Help other pets like me live a happy and healthy life.

Love,

Julius