Archives for Seasonal

Our long-time customer and friend, Jerry from Extra Touch was featured on the Today Show.

The segment “Business is blooming for Valentine’s Day flowers amid pandemic” covers the incredible logistical process of transporting flowers from the farms in South America to Miami International Airport, the largest receiving hub of fresh-cut flowers.

The story covers how the flower industry is booming despite the pandemic. Reports from UPS Airlines indicate that there is a 48% increase in flower boxes from 2020 to 2021. Around 73 flights were added to accommodate the 21 million extra stems being shipped to the U.S. than before the pandemic began. That’s 850,000 more boxes than the last year (2020).

The spike in flowers is due to people skipping outings and gatherings, and spending more on floral arrangements to send to their loved ones.

Jerry from Extra Touch located in Palm Beach, Florida has been our client since 2007. To meet the demand this year he had to hire 21 new employees.

Watch the entire segment. (Jerry’s interview minute 1:20)

Source: https://www.today.com/video/business-is-blooming-for-valentine-s-day-flowers-amid-pandemic-100853318000

Prom Season Corsage Flowers

This wedding season will be more fragrant, more nostalgic, and more romantic. Our weekly garden rose program has been a success since partnering with Alexandra Farms based in Colombia. The quality and freshness of the product is outstanding, and Jose Azout’s passion for cultivating these highly regarded roses is one reason we sought Alexandra Farms as our supplier.

Garden roses will be at peak demand for weddings and events. We recommend booking early in the season to accommodate your design needs. Your account manager will need a list of varieties about two or three weeks before the occasion to coordinate with the purchasing department. Tip: Create a backup list of floral varieties. In the event we do not have availability, we can substitute the variety with another flower.

Some of the classic colors requested for weddings are pastels, coral and peach. We will have popular varieties throughout the garden rose season from April 1st through October 31st, 2015.

Virgin Farms Garden Roses

David Austin Varieties

Juliet
The most popular variety is the subtle peach Juliet garden rose. It is formed into a classic cup shape, revealing romantic rosettes once it blooms. The stems are sturdy and upright, making it a great variety to design bouquets and arrangements.

Patience
For brides who want a classic bouquet, Patience is a breathtaking variety that symbolizes purity and innocence. It has an enchanting citrus aroma that captivates the senses. Combined with leafy greens and foliage, makes a divine contrast of colors and textures.

Constance
This garden rose is the epitome of romance and nostalgia. The coloration of Constance goes from a blush pink to a lighter peachy-pink center. It blooms out to a shallow-shaped cup and has a fruity fragrance.

Other Varieties

The Piano Series
The piano garden roses have side shoots that never bloom, giving the garden roses a hand-picked aesthetic. Bridal Piano is relatively new, and is a deep cup-shaped bloom. The guard petals are slight minty green, while the bloom itself intensifies from light to a richer pink toward the center of the rose. For a classic romance style, Red Piano is a visually sensational variety. Also a deep cup shape, this variety has a slight fragrance and has a lengthy vase life. Pink Piano is solid pink, or as Alexandra Farms best describes it: strawberries and cream pink. This rose is a great contender for vase work, outlasting other varieties.

The Antike Duo
Romantic Antike has a dusty pink-terracotta coloration that evokes an old-fashioned appearance. It blooms lush and has lovely rosette shaped petals, which fills space in a bouquet. Caramel Antike is Romantic Antike’s sister rose, that is identical in shape but has more of a butterscotch hue. It combines beautifully among pastel flowers for a heavenly bouquet.

Do you know why the shamrock is a symbol of St. Patrick’s day? It all began in the 5th century when 16 year old Patrick was kidnapped from his aristocratic home in Britain and enslaved in Ireland as a shepherd. He spent seven years overseas and in solitude, and found refuge in religion, eventually embracing Christianity.

According to legends, Patrick heard a voice in his dream urging him to flee Ireland. He managed to escape on a ship back to his homeland, and was reunited with his family. Patrick studied Christianity for 15 years and became ordained as a priest. Ironically, he returns to Ireland and dedicates his life to converting pagans to the Christian faith. It was not an easy mission, and he was often beaten and harassed by opposers.

Sadly in A.D. 461 on March 17th, the priest passed away. His story lived on in Irish legends and folklore, and centuries later he was named the patron saint of Ireland. On March 17th, 1762, St. Patrick’s day was officially celebrated in commemoration.

So, how does the shamrock relate to the holiday? The three-leaf clover, and not the four leaf clover as the holiday often suggests as lucky, was used to represent the holy trinity: the father, the son & the holy ghost. St. Patrick incorporated Irish customs and rituals to smoothly introduce the Christian ideals to pagans. Three-leaf Clovers are wild and germinate in the spring.

St. Patrick’s Day Floral Varieties

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with green flowers! Some varieties to inspire the Celtic spirit are Bells of Ireland, the novelty rose Limbo, green ball dianthus, green ranunculus, kale and succulent plants. You can make a terrarium and recreate the story using figurines like sheep, and celtic crosses to place inside like a scenery. They make cute gift ideas, and a conversation piece at your Irish feast while guests chug a pint of Guinness and eat corned beef and hash!

Follow us on Pinterest for party inspiration & Irish-themed floral decor! 

In about two weeks, sweethearts everywhere will be celebrating Valentine’s Day. Although delectable chocolates, romantic flowers, and poetic cards have become symbolic of the holiday, it actually did not originate as a celebration of love at all.

Back in the third century in Rome, Emperor Claudius II held the notion that young, single men made the best soldiers because they had no ties to wives or children. To enforce this, he outlawed marriage to this group. A young priest named Valentine saw how unfair this was and defied the Emperor by performing marriages for young lovers secretly. Eventually the Emperor discovered Valentine’s betrayal and demanded that he be sentenced to death. During Valentine’s imprisonment, he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. Before his death, he sent a letter to his love signed, “From your Valentine.” The young priest was executed on February 14th, 270 AD. Eventually Valentine was named a saint, and later in the 5th century Pope Gelasius declared February 14th St. Valentine’s Day.

The tradition of sending flowers began much later. In the Victorian era it was against moral conduct to reveal feeling towards one another. In the 18th century, Charles II of Sweden began the custom of exchanging floral bouquets. Each flower had a meaning, so bouquets were given to one another to send non verbal messages. If you gave a flower with the right hand it meant “yes” and in the left hand meant “no.” Roses are the choice flower for Valentine’s Day, and in particular, red roses since it was the flower of Venus the Goddess of Love, as well as the color of the heart.

Language of Flowers-Valentines Day

 
Now that you know the meaning of flowers and colors, you can get creative mixing varieties to convey hidden messages just like in the Victorian era! 

It’s the season of love and stress! In the floral industry, January is preparation month for Valentine’s Day. At Virgin Farms we begin planning as far back as December. We look at trends and statistics from previous years to project this year’s goals, make improvements, and prebook inventory with our farms. We always recommend florists to book as early as possible throughout January. As we draw closer to February, the colors or varieties you may need will be limited.

Tips for Valentine’s Day 

• Book your flowers early.
• Return your order confirmation form promptly.
• Start advertising! Consider Facebook ads, as they are effective and inexpensive.
• Clean up your shop and order your supplies.
• Hire seasonal staff for deliveries, cashiering, or designing.
• Plan your delivery routes. It saves time & gas!
• Relax! Even though Valentine’s Day is a stressful season make the best of it. Take breaks every 90 minutes if possible. Stay hydrated & eat healthy snacks that boost energy. Drink plenty of vitamins to keep your immune system strong under stress.

Floral Expressions Box 2016

Floral Expressions Box

Our most popular boxed floral package is ‘Floral Expressions.’ This box contains assorted varieties of fillers and focal flowers to create unique designs that express love in a myriad of ways. Most of the varieties such as kale, hyacinth, callas, lisianthus and such are from our partner farms in Holland, which have been in the floral industry for years and supply the freshest and highest quality flowers internationally.

If you are interested in the Floral Expressions box or any other floral special, please call 1.888.548.ROSE.

For inspiration and design concepts for Valentine’s day floral arrangements, follow us on Pinterest! Our friend at Marathon Florist styled flowers for a beachside photoshoot courtesy of Care Studios. Pin our latest additions to your boards to keep those ideas in mind when you’re designing.

Pinterest: Virgin Farms Direct

This year Valentine’s Day is on a Saturday. With some creativity, this may be an opportunity for twice the sales if you think outside the vase. Marketing trends reveal that today’s consumers make purchases that deliver a message and tell a story. For instance, they want to know where their flowers were grown because it adds sentimental value to their purchase.

We have compiled some Valentine’s Day marketing tips for florists that may be useful.

 Create a Buy One, Get One Bouquet Deal

Most people like to receive their flowers at work to show it off to their co-workers. Let’s be honest, it’s also a romantic gesture! Since Valentine’s Day is on Saturday, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on floral delivery sales. Create a packaged deal for customers: Send a bouquet to your sweetie at work on Friday, and get the second one for Valentine’s Day at a discount.

Sell Flowers to Restaurants

Many florists have told us that they get extra business from local restaurants. Offer small bouquets made of roses, carnations, leather leaf and gyp or single stems of roses. Restaurant owners usually offer a free rose or small bouquet to couples that dine in on Valentine’s Day.

Tips for Buying Wholesale Flowers

Custom Packed Flowers

In the flower industry, Valentine’s Day season begins right after the New Year. We strongly encourage customers to pre-book as early as possible in January. For floral designers, this allows you to get first pick from our inventory at a good price. Red roses in particular always increase in price, and in general for all flowers in demand as we get closer to Valentine’s Day.

When choosing a ship date, consider how long it will take to prep and process flowers, as well as design the arrangements. At Virgin Farms, the busiest ship days begin the week before Valentines Day up to a few days before February 14th. Our Ecuadorian roses and Dutch flowers are known for the lengthy vase life, premium quality and freshness. Your account manager will guide you through every step until you receive them at your door.

Advertising Your Valentine’s Day Floral Arrangements

Social Media
Most people are active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Take advantage of the fact that it’s free and effective in creating word-of-mouth. Share photos of your shop, employees and floral arrangements and gifts. Facebook allows you to create ads and target specific segments based on age, interests, and gender among some options.

Instagram is a great social media platform if you’re targeting the younger crowd. Create a contest in which they share a photo of their Valentine’s Day floral arrangement using your company name as a hashtag (example: #VirginFarms). Hashtags allow people to search photo posts by topic as you would in a search engine. The key is to gain followers to create brand awareness and drive consumers to your floral shop even after Valentine’s Day.

Mobile Shopping Apps
List a deal or voucher on daily deal apps such as Groupon and Living Social. “As of September 2014, Groupon is the most-visited coupon website in the United States with approximately 30 million unique monthly visitors and accounts for 59.1 percent of the U.S. daily deal market.” (Source: http://www.statista.com/topics/824/groupon/)

MailChimp Email Marketing

Email Marketing
Capture emails from your website visitors or on social media. MailChimp is a free platform for sending newsletters. Create a landing page in which visitors can sign up to receive emails in exchange for a coupon. Most email marketing platforms have built-in analytic reports that determine if the your campaign was effective. You can see which subscribers opened your email, what they clicked on, and if they visited your site.

Begin sending emails the last week of January introducing popular floral arrangements and useful information such as ideas for Valentine’s Day gifts, the meaning of certain floral varieties and colors, or curate a list of local events taking pace on February 14th. The week before Valentine’s Day, include coupons and promotions for loyal subscribers and customers. Include a call to action button directing them to your website’s e-commerce page.

What are your methods of promoting your flowers and gifts for Valentine’s Day? Share in the comments.

Chilean peony season has begun, and we are excited for you all. Fall and winter weddings get a touch of elegance with an abundant bouquet of heavenly peonies. This season will last from November to early January. As the weeks advance, different varieties will rotate in and out of production, but you’ll get to see an array of colors—more than any other season.

We are starting November with four lovely peonies in white, coral and pink shades. Be sure to prebook peonies in advance being they are a popular item, especially for weddings. Always have a back up plan in mind using peonies for events. Depending on production, some varieties may or may not be in production. Check with your account manager every week to be sure the color you need will be available.

Coral Sunset is a lemonade pink color and a semi double bowl shape. It has a lengthy vase life lasting about one week.

Festiva Maxima is a pure white peony with some streaks of red. This is a popular variety for weddings especially around Christmas. The double shape overflowing in wispy petals gives bouquets an enchanting aesthetic.

Gardenia is double peony. The petals are a creamy white in the center and the layers around are a soft blush with darker tones of pink.

Kansas is an intense raspberry color, also a double peony shape. If you want your floral designs to pop and capture the eye, then Kansas is the perfect variety.

As the weeks progress, more varieties will become available. Follow us on social media for updates and pictures! Be sure to tag @VirginFarms on Instagram.

Halloween, as we know it, is celebrated every 31st of October. This year it falls on a Friday, giving ghouls and ghals the chance to host spooktacular parties. You can get creative with decor and props to stage the perfect setting for your invited guests. We have compiled floral varieties that will make your centerpieces and event designs boo-tiful!

Explorer Rose

A new variety, Explorer is a gorgeous scarlet red. The petals have a velvet appearance and is similar to the rose Black Baccara–but not as dark. It blooms tight and has a lengthy vase life.

Inspiration: Get creative and recycle old glass bottles to make “potion” vases for your flowers. Add some labels from which you can get from Martha Stewart’s craft collection for Halloween.

Blue Eryngium

Blue Eryngium is a unique filler, and is used in bouquets and boutonnieres. Also known as thistle, this flower is also available in green.

Inspiration: Eryngium is naturally eerie-looking, which is suitable for the occasion. Getting a bit more creative, use floral paint in black to make it resemble spiders.

Purple Intrigue rose

Purple Intrigue is a novelty product. The roses are sprayed lightly on the tips with purple spray to give it a slight coloration.

Inspiration: These novel roses are excellent for Halloween designs. Make a purple intrigue rose wreath and embellish it with black feathers.

Celosia

Celosia is availbale in many colors. This interesting flower closely resembles a coral you would find at the bottom of the ocean reef.  The velvet

Inspiration: The curvy shape of celosia also looks like a brain. If you think outside the noggin, you can create a fun centerpiece for a Halloween gathering. Get a skull head and arrange the celosia in the vase to give your skel-o-head a flowery brain!

Eternal Rose Dark Purple

Eternal roses are quite an interesting product at Virgin Farms. They were once living roses, but they were cut at the bloomed stage and preserved to last forever. Many are in natural colors, but the advantage with eternal roses is that you can dip it in any color dye you wish.

Inspiration: Eternal roses are excellent for craft projects. They still have a life-like texture and appearance, but the roses can be glued to surfaces or foam without compromising the flower. The best part–no water necessary and it lasts for an eternity. 

Halloween is creeping up in a few weeks! Whether you’re having a boo bash party or designing spook-tacular floral arrangements, we have the varieties that will knock ‘em dead. We’ve assembled an inspiration board with our most popular flowers themed around the occasion.

Follow our Harvest & Halloween board on Pinterest for more flower arranging inspiration, event themes and décor ideas.

Purple Intrigue

This rose is “spray tipped” in violet paint. It’s a science the farms have perfected to get the effect of an exotic bi-color rose. Incorporate eryngium into the design—get creative, and spray them with black floral paint to make them look like eerie spiders.

Hearts

Red roses have always been a staple during Halloween often associated with graveyards and vampires. Hearts is a dramatic crimson hybrid tea rose with intricately shaped petals. Continue the dark theme by pairing it with Magical Hypericum Universe.

Orange varieties

Santana, one of our newest varieties, is a rich pumpkin color. It is a large blooming rose. Mix it among green foliage and fruits for a harvest-themed centerpiece. Ornithogalum dubium is a fantastic variety with a long vase life. Tulips are also a popular flower to use during autumn. If you look closely, the gradation of orange to yellow resembles a candy corn.Tulips are thirsty flowers, so make sure to re-cut the stems and hydrate often.

Fall Novelty Pack

This tray is available for shipments now through Tuesday, November 26th, 2013. The rich bronze, gold, and yellow colors create a sense of comfort and warmth that autumn radiates.

Share on Social Media!

We want to see your creativity using our flowers. Send us your pictures on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and mention @virginfarms –we’ll follow you. We’ll also feature your designs right here on our blog and our Facebook page!

Most floral designers can agree that peonies are the highly regarded. A majority of brides dream of a lush, luxurious bouquet, and usually peonies are on the wish list. One detail to keep in mind is that peonies are seasonal. At Virgin Farms, we source peonies from three countries allowing us to offer them frequently throughout the year. The Chilean peony season is November through early January. Israeli season is Mid January through March, and peonies from Holland are available April through July.

This year, the first shipment of peonies from Chile arrives October 26th. Production has a significant effect on the varieties that will be available. Tentatively, we will have coral peonies for October 2015. As the weeks progress into November, other varieties will surge: Festiva Maxima, Kansas, Red Charm, Gardenia and Pecher. In late November, we should also have Mother’s Choice, Red Sarah, Sarah Bernhardt, Karl Rosenfield, Gilbert Barthelot, and Shirley Temple.

We have two useful charts for your reference. Download and keep them handy:
Chilean Peony Photo Chart
Chilean Peony Production Program 2015/2016

Follow us on social media for updates and photos!

Coral Charm Peony

Autumn season has officially begun, and many retail floral shops and event planners are getting busy. Window displays are decked out in harvest decor, pumpkins and earthy hues. Every year we create boxed specials containing colorful and unique fresh cut flowers in season.

Please contact the Sales Department at 1-888-548-ROSE, to pre-book any of the available autumn floral specials. (Refer to flyer below)

Boxed floral specials available for 2014 autumn season.  codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–> codes_iframe–>