Flower-infused drinks have been around for centuries, but they’re enjoying new popularity today!

Over the last couple years you may have seen flower-infused drinks popping up more frequently at bars and restaurants, and on television, social media and more. Flowers like rose, lavender, hibiscus, and daisy are leaving their mark on the shelves, but is this beneficial for florists?

With Spring just now arriving, why not learn how to floral infuse not only food but beverages as well!

Floral Drinks—Is it Possible?

Infusing floral notes into any beverage can be a simple process depending on the method you choose. Not only can you infuse flowers into drinks, but florals can use them as garnishes or rim dressing on glasses.

Oils that give flowers, herbs, and spices their aroma, flavor, and other beneficial properties, are soluble in alcoholic spirits, which makes them the perfect mix-ins for a cocktail that is functional and gives you that artistic feeling!

Flowers With Flavor

So what edible flowers give the best flavor, and which edible flowers pair with what? Think of it as an experiment! There are some tried-and-true floral infusers that work well, and a some that don’t pair well. You just have to try and taste. You may prefer some floral infusers over others.

(Make sure when selecting flowers that you choose flowers that have not had any chemicals or pesticides used, or were growing in a pet “potty” area!)

For a list of edible flowers and what parts won’t make you sick, please click here!

How to Make a Floral Simple Syrup

Simple syrups are the best way to sweeten a drink. Use the basic 2-to-1 ratio of sugar to water, heated to a brief boil in order to dissolve the sugar. You can add any edible dried flower, herb or spice into the simmering syrup to extract flavor and aroma your cocktail.

An example of a floral simple syrup:

Violet Simple Syrup

• 2 Cups of Sugar
• 1 Cup of Water
• 1 1/2 Cups of Violets

Dissolve sugar in water over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a simmer.

Place flowers in a nonreactive bowl (glass, enamel, or stainless steel).

Pour hot syrup over top and let stand for at least 30 minutes.

Strain mixture and discard flowers.

Simple syrups can be stored in the fridge for 1 or 2 months. If it begins to crystallize, simply heat it again until smooth.

Out With the Water, In With Tea

Some drink recipes call for a water mixer. For water, mixer tries substituting the recipe with a tea-infused flower, herb or spice of your choosing and that best fits the drink you are making.

Want to stock up for a warm day—amaze your friends, family, co-workers and more by freezing some of your floral-infused drink in an ice cube tray.

Flower It Up!

Many of you have seen the sugar or salt-based garnish on the rim of a cocktail glass at restaurants and parties. This garnish is called a “rimmer” and it provides a sweet or savory garnish to enhance the taste of the cocktail.

Add a bit of crumbled or powdered edible flowers, herbs and spices that work well with your cocktail to your glass to give your drink even more artistic appeal and additional flavor

An example of a floral rimmer:

Frozen Hibiscus Margaritas 

• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp dried hibiscus flowers
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• ½ cup sugar
• Zest and juice of 3 limes
• Juice of 1 orange
• ½ cup tequila

Place hibiscus flowers and vanilla bean in a saucepan with the cup of water and bring to a boil. After water is boiling, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes.

Strain mixture to remove hibiscus flowers and vanilla bean. Add mixture back to pan and add sugar.

Simmer for about 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add lime zest, lime juice, orange juice, and tequila. Chill the mixture until it has cooled completely.

Once the mixture is cool, pour over ice in a rimmed margarita glass (or freeze and eat as a sorbet)!

Use zest of lime, hibiscus flowers, and salt to rim the glass.

How Can Florists Tap Into This?

So can florists really tap into this trend? It all depends on your source of flowers. Reach out to your wholesaler or flower market to see what flowers have not had chemicals or pesticides sprayed on them. These flowers can be used or sold for infusing with beverages, food, and decorating.

Also, remember the 2019 unexpected trend of dried flowers we discussed last month? Well, this is another way to incorporate edible dried flowers in your business.

So why not tap into this additional revenue source? If the resources are there, this could be a great tactic is working with local restaurants, bakeries, bars, and more to offer edible flowers whether it be drinks or food. This is a great marketing tactic and gives those businesses a source to come to your business to purchase flowers and increasing your business sales.

Florists, are you working with local companies in regards to edible flowers or seeing a trend in edible flowers? If so, share your comments below!

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

Flowers can be tasteful to the palate, not just the eyes!

Anyone in the food industry recognizes that the human palate is an ever-changing thing, and we are always more than ready to take a bite out of anything remotely edible. Delicious food is more than just delicious on the tongue, it can be tasty to the eye.

Restaurant-quality food is more than the taste, the way it’s presented is part of the experience. Now, the flower industry has something food fanatics might consider to enhance that experience: edible flowers.

Edible Flower Trend

Ripped from the pages of the Great British Bake Off recipe books—which once featured a botanicals week—and Michelin five-star chefs, edible flowers have gained a lot of traction because they still do what they do best even when paired with food: looking pretty and dainty.

Social media platforms, especially Instagram and Pinterest, have also bolstered the trend, spreading awareness to all food fanatics all over the world. Who can resist such beauty and delicacy served right in front of you?

Edible Flowers Not Just For Looks

Edible flowers are about more than just the looks, they actually add a subtle taste to the food, much like herbs. Each flower has its own taste too, and the variety of flavors rivals that of herbs. This characteristic also complements the current trend of people preferring subtler flavors. What makes this deal even better is that edible flowers go well with food and drink both.

These floral edibles are also healthy, organic, and sophisticated. Plus, just like any other plant or flower, you can also grow them right in your backyard or purchased as stems from a florist.

Types of Edible Flowers

For a quick start on the world of edible flowers, we’ll be listing five notable ones and their flavors, as well as other characteristics you might find interesting. Remember, it’s important to check whether chemical preservatives or pesticides have been used on your flowers before using them in cooking.

1. Chamomile: A common tea flavor, you can eat this flower raw, or dry it to brew tea
2. Japanese honeysuckle: The only edible part is the flower, not its toxic berries, and it has a sweet nectar-like flavor
3. Marigold (calendula): Its peppery flavor goes well with almost anything, and it looks beautiful when garnished on salads
4. Nasturtium: One of the more popular edible flowers, nasturtium have a sweet, floral flavor with a peppery finish, and its bright blooms would stand out well as garnishes
5. Violets: Another garnish favorite, their sweet taste goes well with salads, desserts, and even drinks
   

For more of a complete listing of edible flowers, Click here!

Explore Your Floral Palate

At the end of the day, we need food for energy and to get the nutrients we need. However, that doesn’t mean we should just settle for the bare minimum—try out combinations of all things edible. Edible flowers add more variety to your choices and more. Beauty and delicacy come together to satisfy more than just your stomach and eyes, but the entirety of the experience.

Explore your palate and see where it takes you. You never know, the better-tasting ones might be lying right there at your garden or at your local florist, waiting to be garnished on your next meal!

Florists, have you tried edible flowers or seen the trend pick up around your area? Share your comments below!

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

The 2019 Florist Valentine’s Day Survey Results Are In! 

A big thank you to everyone who participated in our annual Valentine’s Day survey. Once again we received a strong response from our readers and members.

Results were based on the 347 retail surveyed by Floranext between February 15th through February 17th. 

Were 2019 Valentine’s Day Sales Better Than Last Year? 

• Lower – 20.8%
• Same – 17.9%
• Higher – 61.3%

Were Valentine’s Day In-Store Retail sales greater than last year?

• Yes – $65%
• No – 35%

Aside From Red Roses, What Were Your Top-Selling Products This Valentine’s Day?

• Arranged Flowers – 71.4%
• Hand-Tied Bouquets – 11.4%
• Other Roses – 16.6%
• Other – 0.6%

What Did you Charge For  Dozen Long Stem Roses Arranged

• $88.00 (average total from participants)

Did You Sell Short Stemmed Roses? 

• Yes – 42.2%
• No – 57.8%

How Many Extra Temporary Drivers Did You Hire This Valentine’s Season?

• 0 – 9.7%
• 1 – 14.3%
• 2 – 25.1%
• 3 – 21.1%
• 4 or more – 29.7%

How Many Extra Temporary Shop Staff Did You Hire This Valentine’s Season?

• 0 – 16.7%
• 1 – 23%
• 2 – 25.3%
• 3 – 14.9%
• 4 or more – 20.1% 

Did You Use/Rent Delivery Vehicles / Trucks This Valentine’s Holiday?

• 0 – 61.3%
• 1 – 6.1%
• 2 – 16%
• 3 – 5.5%
• 4 or more – 11%

When Did Your Floral Business Start Receiving Valentine’s Day Orders?

• First Half Of January – 6.9%
• Second Half Of January – 32.6%
• First Week Of February – 45.7%
• Valentine’s Day Week – 14.9%

What, If Anything, Would You Do Differently Next Valentine’s Day? 

List of a few randomly selected comments:

• “More budget friendly walk-in options.”
• “Have more staff and grab & go items ready.”
• “Order less colored roses. Make even more premade arrangements.”
• “Pre-make more arrangements.”
• “Get more drivers to deliver early.”
•  “Keep marketing as much as possible, locally & with technology.”
• “Order less being that it will be a Friday next year.”
• “Hire an Additional Designer.”
• “Not panic that you did not receive very many pre-orders. This year I wrote it down when the guys started to order.”

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Florists, was this Valentine’s season successful and resulted in more sales? What would you consider to implement that next year? Do you have any feedback on your 2019 Valentine’s Day sales season? Your fellow florists would love to hear about it—please feel free to share in the comment section below.

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

With the overwhelming amount of orders and questions that build up before Valentine’s Day, this time of year can be quite stressful for florists. Sometimes we just have to stop and smell the roses before continuing to work hard and provide the best quality service we can to our customers.

Sometimes you just need to read something that is inspirational or just to put a smile on your face. Remember, laughter is the best medicine.

We wanted to give you a little stress reliever and offer some inspirational quotes and funny puns to keep you entertained during this busy time of year. Who knows, maybe you can provide these as suggestions to your customers as a card message!

Inspirational Flower Quotes

• “Where flowers bloom, so does hope” –Lady Bird Johnson
• “The rose is the flower and handmaiden of love—the lily, her fair associate, is the emblem of beauty and purity.” –Dorothea Dix
• “Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities in the world.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine for the soul.” –Luther Burbank
• “If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden.” –Claudia Adrienne Grandi
• “Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same.” –Helen Keller

• “Minds are like flowers; they open only when the time is right.” –Stephen Richards
• “Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities in the world.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “A rose can never be a sunflower, and a sunflower can never be a rose. All flowers are beautiful in their own way, and that’s like women too.” –Miranda Kerr
• “Love is flower like; Friendship is like a sheltering tree.” –Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• “A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.” –Max  
• “Life is the flower for which love is the honey.” –Victor Hugo

• “Earth laughs in flowers.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Flowers don’t tell, they show.” –Stephanie Skeem
• The butterfly is a flying flower, the flower, a tethered butterfly.” –Ecouchard Le Brun
• “Flowers don’t worry about how they’re going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful.” –Jim Carrey
• “The flower that follows the sun does so even in cloudy days.” –Robert Leighton
• “Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Funny Flower Puns

• I hope thistle show you how much I love you!
• Hey bud, how’s it growing?
• You’re my best bud!
• I will love you till the end of thyme.
• I love you mum, you’re the best!
• You had me at aloe.

• We should put our tulips together this Valentine’s day.
• What’s up, buttercup?
• I love you tulip much!
• I really lilac you.
• We’re mint to be.
• Not a daisy goes by where I don’t think about you.

• I can’t wait to see our love grow and grow and grow.
• Just wanted to say aloe!
• I love you a lily more each day.
• My love for you blossoms every day.
• Life would succ without you.
• Don’t stop beleafing.

Florists, what are some inspirational quotes or funny flower puns that make you feel inspired or laugh? Please share your comments below.

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

A 4,000-year-old trend is making its rounds again!

That’s right—preserving or drying flowers date back 4,000 years ago to the Egyptians. These dried flowers were presented in funeral ceremonies, with each flower being chosen for a symbolic meaning within their religion.

From Ancient Egypt to Victorian England, dried flowers are making their way back in 2019. The growing DIY movement and popularity of natural products is allowing dried florals to see a new light.

This is a great opportunity to let customers know after receiving or purchasing a fresh arrangement, they can hang and dry their flowers to give them more time to appreciate the arrangement.

So where can we expect to see these dried florals in 2019?

2019 Dried Floral Trends

image via pexels.com

Preserved Stems and Greens: Preserving larger stems and greens like eucalyptus is a great way to add to a vase and make it a focal point in a room such as a living room or bathroom.

Pressed Flowers and Greens: Beside floral arrangements, pressed flowers and greens are preserved in frames or shadow boxes. If you love the idea of having dried flowers a part of your decor but do not have space, this is a perfect solution for you.

Not only can you keep pressed flowers in a frame or shadow box, there are now clear phone cases that can display pressed flowers, putting a modern spin on the trend. This is becoming especially popular among Millennials.

Image via @tarrnationflowers at photoramium.com

Wreaths: Ideally these wreaths are for indoors, as the flowers need to be stored or kept in dry place. Try adding simple dried flowers that have a fragrance, like lavender or oregano.

Types of Preservation of Flowers

Drying and Hanging: This is one of the earliest-known methods of preserving flowers. The simplest way to dry most flowers is to remove all leaves, tie them in small bundles and hang them upside down, out of direct sunlight and in a warm and well-ventilated place.

Each bunch should only contain one type of flower with larger bloomed flowers are to be dried individually by the stem. Stems may need to be re-tied during the process as they tend to shrink. The drying process can take anywhere from one week to several weeks depending on the flower, humidity, and where the flower is being store.

Silica Gel Drying: Ever wonder what those little packets are that come in shoe boxes? That’s a small amount of silica gel, a substance that helps remove moisture in the box so the shoes’ leather and foam stay in crisp good condition. It is white, but some types contain blue crystals that act as an indicator of the amount of moisture that has been absorbed.

Silica gel dries florals very quickly. To dry flowers using silica gel, spread on open pans a layer ½ to ¾ inch thick, place the flowers on top and bake in the oven. Once crystals show moisture removed, flowers must be placed in airtight containers.

image via @wildlinggirl via Instagram

Pressed: This floral preservation method started in the Victorian era. Pressing flowers involves using one of many different types of presses, depending on the flower type. The art is then framed in a flat frame, to hang on the wall.

Other Methods: Of course, there are other methods of preserving methods like freeze drying, but we recommend choosing the best and cost-effective method for you and your floral business.

Image via Pexels.com

With most customers viewing social media and online for inspiration and references, We can guarantee customers will start asking about dried florals in your flower shop.

Florists, do you sell or use dried florals in your business? If so what are other ways you incorporate dried florals? Please share your comments below!

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

Image via mrflowerfantastic on Instagram

Have you considered using flowers not just in design, but as an art medium?

Image via mrflowerfantastic on Instagram

As florists, we use flowers for designing arrangements for customers’ everyday events and milestones, but have you thought about designing as a floral artist and creating beautiful artwork?

One artist who uses flowers as an art medium is Mr. Flower Fantastic. His floral art can be seen in magazines, art galleries, on Instagram, and more.

image via mrflowerfantastic via Instagram

Meet the Floral Artist

Mr. Flower Fantastic wears a mask and gloves, but not to hide his identity—it’s essential for his health. He is highly allergic to flower pollen, which goes to show that if you have a passion for something, nothing should stand in your way. Mr. Flower Fantastic’s hidden identity allows us, viewers, to focus more on the art piece rather than the artist, a technique used by other artists like Banksy and Daft Punk, going all the way back to Homer.

image via mrflowerfantastic via Instagram

Flowers as a Visual Art Medium

All of the flowers used in Mr. Flower Fantastic’s art pieces are real flowers found locally, nationally or internationally. All the flowers used in each art piece are natural pigment.

When it comes to flowers as an art medium, Mr. Fantastic has an idea of what flowers he wants to use for his designs before heading to the local flower market. However, depending on the season some flowers may not be available and he has to rework is original plan on what is available at the market or another flower may stand out more compared to his original vision.

In an interview with Solecollector, Mr. Flower Fantastic has stated “I have a spiritual connection with florals—I can’t make flowers, only God can make flowers. All I have done is taken what he has already made and position them differently. I’m not really the real artist here, I’m just kind of messing with his work. I kind of always want the focus to be on that. It’s not about me. It’s not about what I look like, or what I don’t look like. It’s about the florals.”

image via mrflowerfantastic via Instagram

Floral Art Pieces

Mr. Flower Fantastic made waves a few years back when he turned Serena Williams’ Air Max 97 into a floral showstopper during the  U.S. Open. Since then he has been creating shoe masterpieces out of flowers.  Not only does he do designer shoes but also floral art of our favorite logos, and icons working out of his New York Space.

Mr. Flower Fantastic flower arrangements are rare, however, keep an eye out on his Instagram page and prints of the art masterpieces he has created can be purchased online at mrflowerfantastic.art

Not only does Mr. Fantastic share his beautiful work online, he sometimes leaves his arrangements in random locations in New York and other cities by creating kind of a treasure hunt for his Instagram fans, offering clues through his Instagram stories.

Florists, what fresh and innovative ways are you taking on with the classic flower arrangement? Leave us a comment below!

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

In this age of technology, florists need to step up their design game to stand out from the competition. Below are some design resources for florists to help you brand your business.

As a florist, you have a good idea of what makes a beautiful floral arrangement, and how to communicate with types of flowers and their placement.

The next step is to achieve awareness of your floral brand. You need to look different, striking, and eye-catching to rake in these customers just like your floral arrangements. The question now is, how?

There are many options for graphic design out there, and fortunately he great thing about them is that you can go about it in many different ways, from DIY (Doing It Yourself) to hiring professionals to design your shop’s look. Here is a guide – a set of design resources for florists.

image via pexels

DIY Design Options for Florists

You should understand that doing the design yourself means more than just thinking of the design. You also need to know the technical skills required in using the tools and software needed to make the design. Luckily, these tools are getting easier to learn and use. 

Florist Graphic Design Tools

Design and photo editing software Adobe Photoshop is powerful but the user interface of the program can be overwhelming to first-time or inexperienced users. Thankfully, the Internet is bustling with easy graphic design software:

• Canva
• Piktochart
• Snappa

Image via Shutterstock

The upside of these sites is that they provide templates from which you can start building upon. There’s a huge array of choices available from their catalog, each designed for specific purposes and with modifiable text and/or images. These websites also provide extra graphics assets readily at your disposal. With a theme as flowers, you are sure to have a template or two ready to be edited!

The downside of these is that you have limited control over the assets; most of these websites do not have the full breadth and robust tools that something like Photoshop has. With a badly done design, this can be a disaster. However, you can do most of the work that you want to be done on these sites. Also, free members and guests might need to attribute the design to the website, with some watermark that you don’t want to have. These websites are great for simple work that can be done with a template, and they do it really well.

These websites usually offer these services in memberships, likely in two tiers, a free one and a premium one. Needless to say, free members get limited access to templates and assets, while premium members can access their entire library and even ask for professional help in the website.

image via pexels

Graphic Design Templates for Florists

If you are confident with your editing skills, you probably wouldn’t be here. However, if you are willing to expand your skill set, you can take a swing at learning Photoshop or Illustrator (a similar program, used to open most assets from design sites). You can actually get decent work done after a few YouTube tutorials or so.

Of course, Starting from scratch is a monumental task. You can take a look at several graphic design sites like Freepik and Creative Market and see some templates that you can modify. Graphical assets like icons are also readily available in these sites. You can download these files and modify them in the program, making it into the design you want.

This can be the most taxing option available, because of the nature of these programs that are aimed at professionals. Plus, just like the maker websites, you will need a premium membership to access all their assets. This option is certainly not for quick jobs, but if you want to really do it yourself, then you can just make it yourself.

Image via Shutterstock

Hiring Design Professionals for Your Floral Design Needs

In all honesty, we don’t have the luxury of time to actually do the design ourselves. Plus, the design can easily go horribly wrong in the hands of inexperienced users. Hiring professionals for graphic design services can be quite the number in your financial account, but for the sake of exposure and gaining customers, this can be a worthy exchange.

image via Shutterstock

Contracting a Graphic Designer for your Flower Shop

The easiest way to hire professionals is to go to a freelance website and scroll from the long list of freelancers willing to do your bidding in a heartbeat’s notice.

Consider using a freelance platform like:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• Behance
• Dribbble

Upwork and Fiverr have a healthy population of freelance graphic designers that would jump at your job posting. Behance and Dribbble also have designer portfolios, though are harder to navigate. The positive thing about hiring freelance graphic designers is that the price can be relatively cheap, and you can state that they do not hold any rights to the work done.

However, revisions with freelancers are usually also paid, unless stated otherwise beforehand. You need to talk with your freelancer before getting the job done.

The first thing to look for in a freelancer is their portfolio. Freelancers usually have them posted in their profile, and you can also ask for samples during the interview phase. This helps you identify the right freelance graphic designer whose style that you prefer, although most professional designers should be able to do what you want to be done.

Because freelancers work in contracts, hiring them is great for designing quick things like posters for an upcoming promo. Turnaround times are also good because the competition in the market is rather tight. 

Image via Shutterstock

Hiring an Graphic Design Agency or Team for your Flower Shop

This is as professional as professional design can get. These teams offer packaged deals in graphic design, like getting a logo, poster templates, and business cards done for one payment. These deals are also usually very flexible, like letting you order just a logo, or letterheads and business cards. They also allow revisions of the design, in case you didn’t like the first designs.

Out of all the options presented, this one is the one that you can get the most professional designs from. With design teams, one person may be doing the design, but then passed on to another for quality checking in order to maintain a standard set by the team internally.

Well-established teams also have great customer support, in order to create a positive reputation around themselves. Having a design team make your creative works also makes any design to be done, with little to no effort at your side. Of course, this convenience may come at a high price. 

Design teams usually have a dedicated website, and you can easily scroll their portfolio to see if they are a great fit to your job. They are great for having work done about your brand, and they can produce design materials like templates that you can use for the future. Plus, you hold all rights of the designs, so you need not to worry about copyright. 

How to Work with a Designer? Florist Design Requirements

What do you need to be designed? For a field as varied and subjectively beautiful as design, you need to clearly delineate your requirements and express what you want to see in your design.

If you have a particular design in mind, clearly communicate this with your graphic designer:

• Write down a design brief explaining your business and what look and feel you are aiming for
• Find inspiration from the design work of other places.
• You can also do a rough sketch and present it to them.

The idea here is that you explicitly told them of what you expect from them; this helps build a clear understanding of your end-goals.

image via pexels

Floral Design Resources Summary

We hope our how-to guide on floral design resources was useful – there are lots of tools now to design it yourself or hire a professional. But more than ever, for the floral industry branding and design are at the heart of a businesses’ success!

Florists, what are some ways you use graphic design in your business and what options do you use? Please post your comments below!

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

In Lieu of Flowers is perhaps the most detrimental 4 words in floral business

Conveying compassion and respect for one’s passing is traditionally defined by sending flowers. The utmost disappointment is that customers take “In Lieu Of Flowers” literally. We understand it does say “In Lieu Of Flowers,” however,  that in no way means the family does not want flowers at the viewing/funeral service.

As floral professionals you understand how somber a viewing/ funeral service would be without flowers. The added beauty of sympathy flower arrangements is there to offer comfort to the visitors and also pay tribute to the deceased.  The terminology of “In Lieu Of Flowers” has caused an uproar in the floral community as it should, this is awfully mistaken too many times by customers.

The Future of In Lieu Of Flowers

What is a floral business owner to do with the phrase “In Lieu Of Flowers?” We do not pretend to have all the answers, however, maybe it’s time once and for all the floral industry with working with funeral businesses to boycott this phrase altogether.

Although many florists have expressed their frustrations with local funeral homes, the “In Lieu Of Flowers” phrase offers a direct message not to send flowers and undermines the floral business. This is absolutely unacceptable, besides that, the true meaning of giving flowers is lost here. Regardless if someone wants to convey sympathy with flowers or not, there is no reason for the subliminal message!

Educate Customers

So how can you educate customers? First is take the steps to post a blog on your floral website explaining to customers what “In Lieu Of Flowers” really means.  Have a small write up on the sympathy section on your website as well. Don’t be afraid to also post on social media as well!

Write A Letter To Your Local Funeral Homes

This may or may not work, however, all it takes is one funeral home director to understand the importance of re-wording “In Lieu Of Flowers” and make a difference. Changing wording to “Send flowers and donations here,”  “Memorial contributions can be sent here, ” completely changes the playing field.

There are so many different phrases that can be used to convey a less discriminatory message. What the floral community is asking for is not to make people send flowers for funeral services, but to leave tradition alone and allow people to make their own heartfelt decision.

Why Flowers Are Important At Funeral Services

There truly is no other sentiment you can send for a memorial service be it, charity donations or even money itself that can express as many emotions as flowers do.

Since the beginning of time flowers have been displayed for the deceased as a symbol of condolences, sympathy, and love. Thousands of years ago, they were used for their wonderful fragrances and soft beauty. In this time of mourning when words are forgotten the flowers offer comfort to its surroundings. Flowers also represent one’s life’s cycle, from one’s birth to one’s passing.

Taking the flowers out of memorial service will make the ambiance look dim and murky. The flowers are there to create an environment which is more comforting for people when mourning.

We could go on and on why flowers are so important at memorial services, the simple reason is flowers are natures miracles, and florists are natures miracle workers. Nothing in this world expresses the same sentiment as flowers do when given as an expression of sympathy. Let’s encourage people to respect tradition an appreciate flowers.

What is wrong with doing both?

Back in the day, some may remember, it was acceptable to give a monetary donation and flowers, a mass card, food and flowers for someone’s funeral service. No matter how you looked at it flowers works hand in hand with any other expression of sympathy.

Why are things different now? Do people have less money? Why not donate to desired charity and send flowers together?

In certain circumstances, if you cannot beat them, then intrigue them! Perhaps the future of the floral business is to partner up with charities.  Sympathy flowers can be sent to the memorial service and florists can also donate to the respected charity on the customer’s behalf.

Although this may sound far-fetched, there are ways to accomplish this by directly participating with well-known cause affected charities

Florists, Has “In Lieu Flowers” hurt or has had a very little effect on your floral business?  Please share your feedback in the comment section below. If you have any questions please post below as well!

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

Halloween is one of the top holidays for business retailers, with sales outperforming every holiday other than Christmas.

An ever-increasing number of individuals share in this fun occasion by spending millions of dollars per year on sweets, home decor, costumes, and more. Couldn’t florists take advantage of Halloween?

Is it because of lack of inspiration or interest, or is Halloween outside the brand? Not everything needs to be in black and white…or purple and orange!

Instagram is a great source of inspiration for some frightening floral arrangements that can generate some interest with customers while helping you stay true to your brand and style.

Arrangement and Image by @houselarsbuilt

Arrangement and Image by @myglendaleflorist

Arrangement and image by @bernsflowersandgifts

Arrangement and image by @violetrosefloral

Arrangement and image by @itsallarranged

Arrangement and image by @sallyrosestudio

Arrangement and image by @bloomandwild_de

arrangement and image by @kendallsflorist

Arrangement and Image by @houselarsbuilt

Arrangement and image by @nwaifdchapter

Florists, are you selling Halloween arrangements at your flower shop? Are you seeing an influx in sales during this holiday? Share your comments below!

Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

We would like to say thank you to all the florists who participated in our “What do Florist Recommend?” survey. 

Florists, were you surprised by the results? What would you recommend to customers or other florists?

Please share your recommendations, feedback, or questions below in the comment section.

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Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.