Happy June!

Can you believe that the year is almost half way over? 2011 is definitely flying by. While June is usually a nice summer month filled with family vacations, barbecues, weddings, pool days, etc, there's also quite an important holiday in June too: Father's Day!


It's never too early to place an order for that special dad or father-figure in your life. There's lots of options and many ways that The Plant Shoppe can help you make the perfect Father's Day gift. We can make a special arrangement, send a favorite plant, or send one of these....

A JUNK FOOD BASKET

That's right, we can take your dad's favorite junk food and make an arrangement just for him that's edible. I know my dad would want some Turtles, Whoppers, Peanuts... you get the idea. Why not combine a flower arrangement with some candy?!? We also also accent your order with Thornebrook Chocolate. Yumm!

Call us today to advance order your Father's Day gifts... after all, there's only 18 days left :)

Sarah and Chris: An April Wedding

Sarah and Chris tied the knot on April 3, 2011 at Haile Plantation Golf and Country Club. Jaime at Sweet Serendipity Photography was kind enough to share with us some pictures from the big day.


Here's a shot of the fabulous bride and her bridesmaids with their hand-tied bouquets of yellow tulips.

Check out some of the ceremony decor that we were able to provide. The above arbor is available for rent for any occasion and the best part is after your ceremony, the flowers at the top can be moved inside to serve as reception decor! It definitely makes a great backdrop for any event!



And, finally, take a look at their beautiful cake by KB's Kake Kreations. Now that looks yummy!


Thank you Sarah and Chris for letting us be a part of your big day! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!!

Ceremony: Haile Plantation Golf and Country Club
Reception: Haile Plantation Golf and Country Club
Photographer: Sweet Serendipity Photography
Florist: The Plant Shoppe
Cake: KB's Kake Kreations

Happy Memorial Day

The Plant Shoppe would like to wish you a Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to the all those who have served, are serving or have given their life defending our country. Today we honor your sacrifice and dedication. Thank you for defending our great country and the many freedoms that we have. Happy Memorial Day!!!

Baby Andrew is Here!

The Plant Shoppe is pleased to announce the newest member of the Gardner Family:

Andrew Joseph

He was born at 4:33am this morning (May 17), 7lbs, 12 oz, 20 inch. Momma and Baby are doing well. Congratulations to Betsy, Terry and Big Sister Abbey! Yay!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

The Plant Shoppe would like to wish you a Happy Mother's Day! Whether you are a mom, mommy-to-be, aunt, grandmother or mother-in-law, we hope that you have a great day filled with lots of love, happiness, relaxation and, of course, flowers.

Oh Baby.... Our Blog/Facebook Contest

Did you know that The Plant Shoppe's family is about to get a little bit bigger? To celebrate Betsy and Terry's newest addition that is due this week, we are having a Blog/Facebook contest.

Can you guess Baby Andrew's actual birthday, actual weight, or actual time of birth?
All week long, you can either comment on this blog post or our Facebook page for a chance to win. The closest person to guess each category will win a $20 gift certificate to The Plant Shoppe.

Here's our contest rules:
1. One entry per person per category
2. A date, weight, or time can only be guessed once. Ex: If someone guesses he will arrive Friday, May 13, that day is no longer available for an entry. If a date/weight/time is entered twice, the entry will go to the person who submitted first.
3. Each person can win one category. If you guess all three correctly, you will win one gift certificate, the other two will go to the next closest guess.
4. Have fun and be creative!

Here's our only hint.... Betsy's actual due date is May 14.



We look forward to seeing your entries and hope you are as excited about this week as we are. Once Baby Andrew is here, we'll announce our winners (probably a day or two after).


GOOD LUCK!


Shower Cake: Ms. Debbie
Photo by Yume Photography

Holidays You Should Know About...

This is quite a busy holiday-filled week for us at The Plant Shoppe. Did you know that there are THREE, that's right THREE holidays this week?

Teacher Appreciation Week. Take some time this week to say thank you to your son or daughter's teacher. We know it's not easy to have almost twenty children in a classroom and educating them. It definitely takes someone special. Be sure and make sure your teacher knows you appreciate their hard work... and you can show it too! Here's a great example of what we can do (and deliver too) to that special educator.




Nurses Week. Nurses Week is celebrated May 6-12, however the actual holiday is May 6. Make sure that special nurse knows you appreciate them. After all, where would we be without them? It takes a special person to work with the sick. Wouldn't they love this?!? I know I would!



Mother's Day. Just a reminder, Mother's Day is this coming Sunday. Be sure and contact The Plant Shoppe (early too) to place your order. We will be delivering all week... but we are CLOSED on Sunday! After all, we have families too! Wouldn't your mom love this?



We look forward to hearing from you this week! :)

A Bouquet Fit For a Future Queen

It's no secret that the fairytale wedding happened last Friday. While I was very excited to see the dress... which turned out to be everything I was hoping, there was something else I was interested in. You guessed it, the bouquet.




Each one of her flowers had a beautiful symbolic representation. The bouquet was made up of lily of the valley, Sweet William flowers, hyacinths, ivy and myrtle. Lily of the valley represents the return of happiness, while Sweet Williams represent gallantry. Hyacinths symbolize consistency of love and ivy stands for fidelity, marriage, friendship and affection. Finally, the most symbolic for Royals was the myrtle. The specific myrtle in her bouquet was from the same bush that Queen Victoria planted in 1845. Queen Elizabeth even used it in her bouquet in 1947! Now that's some symbolic and classy history! Did Princess Catherine start a trend in wedding bouquets for the next few months? Only time will tell...

10 Things You Should Know About Mother's Day

Did you know Mother's Day is just around the corner? Here's 10 tips, suggestions and hints from The Plant Shoppe to make your Mother's Day gift a hit!


1. Mother's Day is Sunday, May 8. Yes, this is earlier than usual.

2. We are NOT open on the actual holiday (remember, we have families too!)

3. We suggest not delivering flowers on Sunday (aka Mother's Day). Why might you ask? Mom is not home! She's either at church, with family, at a restaurant, you name it... she's anywhere but home! You wouldn't want your beautiful arrangement to sit outside all alone, would you?

4. Mother's Day flowers can be sent all week long. We recommend sending flowers May 2-May 7. For example, my momma is going to be getting flowers on that Wednesday... totally unexpected, yet early enough for a surprise.

5. We do wire out services. Does your mom live in California? That's okay we can help! The Plant Shoppe can help you find a florist and wire your order to a nearby florist. Easy as pie!

6. Order early! Does your mum have a favorite flower or you have something specific you want to send? Place your order early to make sure we are able to accommodate your needs.

7. Spice up your order... add a balloon, chocolate (yum), stationery, and other goodies to your order.

8. What if my mom does not like flowers? Have no fear, we have plants. Again, order early to ensure we can accommodate your needs.

9. What if my mom lives in Gainesville? We can deliver... or you can stop by the shop and pick up the order and deliver it yourself... that's sweet! :)

10. Don't forget aunts, grandmothers, mother-in-laws, you wife (if she's a mom), expecting moms, etc. You can celebrate them with this holiday too!




Call The Plant Shoppe today and we'll work with you to create the perfect arrangement/gift for your mom!

Happy Easter!

The Plant Shoppe would like to wish you and your family a Happy Easter!

We hope that you enjoy the day with family and friends and your Easter is filled with lots of chocolate bunnies, stuffed Easter eggs and of course, flowers.

Also, as a reminder, don't forget that tomorrow starts Administrative Professional's Week! Be sure and place your order early!

Do You See What I See?: Advice For Brides

Are you a bride-to-be or a future bride to be? Or maybe even a new mom getting ready to decorate a baby's room and you need the perfect color combination? Either situation you have probably have had an experience like the one below:

You pick out the perfect color combination... maybe it's a sunflower and sky blue. Or maybe it is periwinkle and honeydew... and then this happens... you try and explain it to a man. They look at you clueless... they have no clue what you are talking about... and their next question is probably something along the lines of what about just yellow and blue or pink and purple?


That's where this awesome chart comes in....


This little chart says it all. The woman on the left sees so many different and interesting colors in the color scheme... however, the man sees the the colors of the rainbow... blue, yellow, green. That's it.

So brides, our advice... keep this in mind when dealing with your groom, hubby, or favorite man in your life. They can't help themselves... they just don't see it.

Calling All Bosses!

Did you know that Administrative Professional's Day is on the horizon? Don't worry... The Plant Shoppe is here to help you celebrate that special administrative professional in your life. We know you are busy with work, multitasking and keeping the office running smoothly... so let us help you say thank you to your amazing assistants!

Place your order early to guarantee delivery. You can also add a balloon, chocolates, stationary, or other gifts from the shop to make your arrangement say THANK YOU!

Administrative Professional's week will be celebrated April 24-30, 2011, however, the actual holiday is April 27. Below are just a few examples of arrangements perfect for that special employee.





Call The Plant Shoppe today or visit our website for more information and to confirm your orders!

Here Comes Peter Cottontail!

Happy Friday everyone! Did you know that Easter is NEXT WEEKEND? This holiday has definitely snuck up on me, but have no fear, The Plant Shoppe is here! Check out this awesome arrangements that we can do for that "somebunny" special in your life :)


This bunny arrangement is definitely perfect for ringing in the Easter holiday. I love, love, love the vase and the tulips! This definitely would bring a happy vibe to anyone at the office or even at home too!

We also have the featured arrangement below too! This is more of a traditional Easter arrangement with a cross in the middle.

And finally, if you are more of a plant lover, we have Easter lilies!

Be sure and contact The Plant Shoppe early so you are able to get the arrangement of your choice! Don't forget, we deliver too!

Erin and Luke, Part II

Okay, so we are a bit behind in the blogging world... but, that's because we have so many exciting things going on around the shop! After all, we have Easter, Mother's Day, Administrative Professional's Day all coming up....and of course weddings.

As you might remember, Erin and Luke were married March 19. This Part II in of their wedding, starting off with an awesome cake by Ms. Debbie!

That's right folks, this is a WATERMELON cake! How creative! We were able to add hydrangea accents to the cake, but just looking at this makes me hungry!


Up next is a peek at the groom's boutonniere, which is mainly made of cotton.

Here's another example of where mason jars were a part of the ceremony decor.




Here's a candid shot we were able to get of the bride with her bridesmaids and their bouquets! I love how the bride's bouquet matches the bridesmaid's dresses.

And finally, another one of our favorites, Erin's wedding favors: a variety of homemade jams in mason jars. Erin and Luke's engagement pictures are also on the tag of the jars!



Congratulations Erin and Luke and thank you for letting The Plant Shoppe be a part of your special day! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Stay tuned... more wedding and holiday blogs to come in the next few days :)

Ceremony: Private Location
Reception: Private Location
Florist: The Plant Shoppe
Cake: Ms. Debbie

Erin and Luke: Part I

Erin and Luke were married on March 19, 2011 at their private home in Newberry, Florida. We were so excited to not only provide bouquets, boutonnieres and table centerpieces, but also outdoor floral accents on her cake, wreaths, and chairmarkers!!

Below is a picture of the bride and bridesmaid bouquets before leaving shop. The bouquets are made up made up of roses and hydrangeas. Yes, that's real cotton in those bouquets! The bouquets are also hand-tied with burlap.




The guestbook table contained arrangements made up of half gallon mason jars filled with a mix of coral and yellow flowers. Erin made the guest book table banner, which is made out of burlap triangles.

The barn and gates were accented with grape vine wreaths.

And finally, pint-size mason jars filled with flowers served as chair markers.

Check back soon for part two, including another awesome cake by Ms. Debbie! Congratulations Erin and Luke! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day!

Cake: Ms. Debbie
Florist: The Plant Shoppe

Personalized Stamps--The Perfect Gift for Brides

It's no secret that we are in the midst of wedding season. If you drive by Gainesville wedding venues, you will probably find a wedding. With my own wedding only two and a half months to go, I know that soon I will be writing thank you notes to guests for shower gifts, wedding gifts, vendors, pretty much to everyone I know. Which got me to thinking.... I need one of these:

What is that you might ask? It's a PSA Personalized address stamp: the perfect gift for any bride to be. I can't imagine having to write my address on every single envelope I have to send--that just seems like too much work! And, I don't want an ugly address label either! These stamps are perfect--they even have collegiate versions, monograms, you name it. The stamp looks like this: and it's small and compact... and perfect for your home office and can definitely be used after your wedding. This little stamp can even be used to create personalized stationary too. See... it really is the perfect gift! And, if any of my friends are reading this... hint hint ;) For more information, pricing, designs and more, check out The Plant Shoppe's website.

Ana and Chris: A February Wedding

Ana and Chris were married on February 19, 2011 at Sweetwater Branch Inn. Our friends at Platinum Digital Video did a blog post about their wedding a few weeks ago. They were able to catch some gorgeous shots and video of Ana and Chris's big day, including some great photos of their beautiful rose centerpieces and of Ana's bouquet. Check out the pictures that we borrowed from Platinum's blog below.






If you interested in having a videographer at your wedding, contact Platinum Digital Video. What a great way to help you remember your wedding day forever. You can even click here to see more of Chris and Ana's big day, as well as a video sample on Platinum's blog.

Congratulations Chris and Ana and thank you for letting us be a part of your special day. We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!




Ceremony: Sweetwater Branch Inn
Reception: Sweetwater Branch Inn
Photographer: Footstone Photography
Florist: The Plant Shoppe

Connie and Michael

As promised... another wedding to share! Can you tell it is the start of wedding season?!?

Connie and Michael were married on March 5, 2011 at a beautiful ceremony at The Vineyard in Gainesville. The church was decorated with beautiful red rose arrangements as well as rose centerpieces. Red roses also accented their beautiful (and I'm sure absolutely delicious) five-tier wedding cake. Check out some of the pictures below:






Did you know that we rent out vases for centerpieces and other wedding decor like the two pictured above? Contact us for more information on rentals for weddings and other events.

Congratulations Connie and Michael! We wish you a wonderful life together! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day! :)




Ceremony: The Vineyard
Reception: The Vineyard
Florist: The Plant Shoppe
Planner: ADORE Weddings and Events

Lisa and John: A March Wedding

Have you been missing our wedding updates? Well... there's lots of them coming this week... so here's our first!

Lisa and John were married at The Baughman Center on March 5, 2011. They had a beautiful reception at Sweetwater Branch Inn. Their colors, teal and lime green, were accented with beautiful hydrangeas, tulips, and green hypericum. Check out a few pictures below:





And finally, check out this gorgeous cake by Ms. Debbie. We added the hydrangeas, as a topper and an accent on the side. Look at that beautiful detailing!





Congratulations Lisa and John! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness! Thank you for letting us be a part of your big day! Check back again this week, because we have LOTS of wedding updates coming your way. If you are a bride, be sure and contact us on how we can fulfill your vision for your special day!

Ceremony: The Baughman Center
Reception: Sweetwater Branch Inn
Florist: The Plant Shoppe
Cake: Ms. Debbie's Sugar Art

SPRING is HERE!

If you are in the Gainesville area, there's one thing that is happening right now it's... SPRING!!!

What better way to get ready for Spring than by coming to our Spring Plant Sale! YOU are invited to come take a look at a variety of indoor and outdoor plants and herbs! What a great way to spend your Saturday or Sunday! Some of the plants you will find this weekend include hibiscuses, bougainvilleas, areca palms and ficus trees--examples are pictured below. Decorate your home or office with a bit of greenery this Spring... trust us, you'll be glad you did!

The plant sale starts at 8am.... see you there!