Administrative Professionals keep the world turning and they deserve to be recognized for their hard work.
Administrative Professionals Week, recognized every year during the last full week in April, is a time to thank those in your organization who provide administrative support. It will be celebrated April 20-26 this year with April 23 being Administrative Professionals Day.
Who are Administrative Professionals?
These workers should be celebrated during Administrative Professionals Week:
Receptionists
Secretaries
Administrative Assistants
Executive Assistants
Personal Assistants
Customer Support
Gift Ideas for Administrative Professionals:
It is important to acknowledge their contributions to you and your company. Consider one of these thoughtful gifts as a way to say “thanks”:
Flowers
Flowers are a great way to say “thank you”. If you’re not sure which are appropriate to gift, we’ve compiled a list of suggestions to help you make your choice:
Contribute to their snack drawer to show a token of your thanks.
We have multiple snack baskets that are always a great gift idea filled with an array of goodies so there’s something for every taste. Our “Chocolate & Mug Gift Set” is a wonderful two-in-one option – they get tasty candy and something to put their morning coffee in!
A Mug with Tea
If the administrative professional in your life is a tea drinker, put together a mini tea-lovers gift basket. Surprise them with a new mug and a box or two of tea.
We offer a wide selection of Tea Forte tea collections. Each box contains multiple different flavors of tea so your recipient will have options.
A Plant
Plants make great gifts, especially if your recipient has a green thumb. Even if they don’t, there are plenty of low-maintenance plants that make a beautiful addition to any space.
We recommend considering these plants to gift for Administrative Professionals Week:
Easter is just 10 days away! The holiday is a perfect excuse to embrace all things colorful, spring, and floral. If you’re hosting an Easter brunch, dinner, or any other type of celebration, there are so many opportunities to add color to your event with flowers.
1. The Obvious – A Table Center
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. A traditional vase of flowers placed in the center of your dining room table screams spring. It’s a fresh pop of life to celebrate the beauty of the season and should be a staple in your party plans.
2. Seating Chart Helpers
If you’re opting for a more formal Easter brunch that includes assigned seating, consider tying name tags to a single flower’s stem that your guests can then take home as a favor. Even if you’re not seating people in specific seats, this is still a fun idea to include just a little tied card that says “Happy Easter” with the flower on top of the plates.
3. Use Them As A Prize
Are you having an adult Easter egg hunt or playing other party games? Have a colorful bouquet of flowers as the prize for the winner. It’s a perfect spring-themed prize that will be appreciated by all.
4. Craft With Them
Consider crafting with flowers as part of your Easter activities. If your guests are crafty, lead them in a craft including flowers. You can make flower crowns or press the flowers to make art or greeting cards. Your guests would have a fun take-home item to remind them of your party.
These three arrangements, plus our Farmhouse Sunset, Medium bouquet, are decorating the tables in celebration of National Beer Day.
Drinkers and diners can scan the QR code on the sign next to each arrangement to shop the collection. Alternatively, visitors can visit our Royer’s Flowers & Gifts location in Downtown Hershey, about five minutes away from the brewery.
The Sunshine Pilsner (4.5% ABV) exhibits notes of “bright citrus, flowering herbs and honeyed biscuit”, according to Troegs expert brewers. The floral components made this an excellent choice as well as the brightness.
The beer’s name and color also compliments our arrangement, Sunny Blooms, perfectly. The sunflowers and daisy poms bright yellow colors blend perfectly with the yellow hue of the Sunshine Pilsner.
Field Study Summer IPA & Backyard Beauty
Their Field Study Summer IPA, which has notes of ripe grapefruit, pear and melon, features a stunning bottle design made of hop vines – evoking images of a summer garden. We paired our Backyard Beauty arrangement with it because they both remind us of a Summer day spent in your backyard with friends and family. Our Backyard Beauty arrangement created this effect with vibrant carnations, sunflowers, roses and hydrangea.
Perpetual IPA & Wildflowers, Green
Troegs Perpetual IPA is the best-selling craft beer in Pennsylvania. The beer has citrus and pine notes with a subtle grain flavor. The bottle art has two hops, one exposed to show a hidden mechanism of gears, encircled in an infinity sign. It celebrates how Troegs combines art with mechanical beer making skills.
We paired our Wildflowers, Green arrangement with this special beer. The green features in our arrangement, such as the mini green hydrangeas, bells of Ireland and mochi carnations interspersed with white daisy poms compliment the colors of the Troegs bottle art.
Family-centered businesses
Just like Royer’s Flowers & Gifts, Troegs is family-owned. What started as two brothers in 1997 has grown into so much more for the brewery, but it remains a family business. It is inspiring and exciting to work with other locally owned and family-operated businesses with a passion to serve the community.
Beer and Flowers? Why?
Beer exists because of flowers. Hops are the flowering parts of the Humulus Iupulus plant that are used to create beer. They are what create the bitter flavor many beer lovers enjoy.
Flowers, the type we at Royer’s Flowers and Gifts sell, are used to celebrate special moments and bring people together. Beer uses flowers, of course a different type, to do the same thing.
So, head to Troegs and then stop by Royer’s over the next couple of weeks and enjoy the versatility and beauty of flowers.
A behind the scenes shot of us preparing to take an image courtesy of Troegs
Easter celebrations, whether at church, a special brunch, or a family Easter egg hunt all typically have one thing in common – flowers are present.
They add beauty, elegance and whimsy to the celebrations while highlighting the beauty of the spring season. Many of the same types of flowers are used in Easter celebrations year after year, such as lilies and tulips.
This isn’t coincidental; each Easter flower has a reason for being part of the celebrations.
White Lily
Meaning
The white lily is typically the first flower people think of in association with Easter. According to the University of Nevada, Reno, this can be linked to its mention in the Bible. It is associated with rebirth and new beginnings, specifically the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is celebrated on Easter.
Pagans also hold “Easter” Lilies in high regard. Their beliefs connect the flower to motherhood and it is typically given to mothers as a thanks.
The University of Nevada, Reno notes that multiple other religions connect white lilies to purity and grace.
History
White lilies, initially located in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, were introduced to England in 1819 and America in 1880, according to the University of Nevada, Reno.
Today, as a result of wars and political issues, there are only a handful of American growers of white lilies on the Oregon-California border in a location known as the Easter Lily Capital of the World. 95% of potted Easter Lily bulbs come out of this area.
Tulip
Meaning
Tulips are popular Easter flowers because they are in bloom around the holiday and come in a variety of colors, many of which match the aesthetics of Easter. Some of the colors have meanings that are also associated with the holiday.
According to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the colors’ meanings are associated with rebirth and purity. For example, yellow tulips represent happiness and hope. White tulips represent purity and honor.
History
Tulips are believed to be native to the Mediterranean. According to the Massachusetts Horticulture Society, in the 1590s, Charles L’Ecluse planted a tulip in Holland at the University of Leiden’s gardens to discover that it could grow in the harsh Northern European climate.
Tulips became a symbol of the elite because of their rarity in Holland, and their trading became popular. This resulted in what is called “Tulip Mania” in Amsterdam from 1634 to 1637 which caused a single tulip bulb to allegedly cost as much as 12,000 guilders, which was the price of an Amsterdam townhouse at the time, according to the Massachusetts Horticulture Society. Tulips still continue to be important to the Netherlands economy today, in large part to tourism.
Tulips made their way to America in 1642 and were growing in settlers gardens in now-Manhattan. In 1698 according to the Massachusetts Horticulture Society. It was reported that a settler in what is New Jersey today was growing tulips. However, it wasn’t until the American Revolution that tulips were fully established in American gardens.
Daffodils
Meaning
The Farmer’s Almanac states that Daffodils represent new life and became associated with Easter because they bloom around the holiday.
In England, they refer to daffodils as “Lent lilies” because of their long-standing association with Lent.
History
According to Penn State, daffodils were originally from Europe and northern Africa, but did not become popular in ornamental gardening until the late 1800s.
Easter Cactus
Meaning
Although not a flower, but a houseplant that flowers, Easter Cactuses are rooted in Easter tradition because of when they bloom. According to the Farmers Almanac, the Easter Cactus is also a symbol of rebirth, a theme of Easter.
History
The Easter cactus should not be confused with the Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus. The Easter cactus has rounded leaf edges with tiny brownish hairs on the tips of the leaf, as opposed to Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti that have spikey leaves.
The Easter cactus comes from the coast of Brazil and is thought to have been introduced to Europe in the 18th century, according to the University of Arkansas.
Flowers add something special to celebrations, especially at Easter. They bring life and color into gatherings and help create connections and memories when given as gifts for holidays.
Although these are the “traditional” Easter flowers, any flower can help elevate and enhance your holiday gatherings.
Yellow Flower Day, celebrated on March 21, was created from a social media trend. It is also unofficially celebrated on September 21.
March 21 was already a celebration for floral lovers, as it is National Flower Day and the spring equinox, but with the help of social media, especially TikTok, the focus began shifting to yellow flowers.
How it started
A popular Argentine telenovela “Floricienta” is about a woman who wants to be given yellow flowers. It is emphasized that the meaning of being given specifically yellow flowers is that they represent hope and true love.
The show caused a song, “Flores Amarilla (Yellow Flowers)” that was played in the series to start trending as a background audio.
The videos initially took hold in Argentina, where the telenovela originates, but quickly spread to other cultures through multiple platforms.
The other holiday
March 20, the day before, is also International Happy Day. Many people associate the color yellow with the feeling of happiness, so celebrating the period with yellow flowers made sense.
What it means now
The trend seems to have a lasting effect for now, especially in the United States. Significant others tend to give each other yellow flowers to show their love on this day. Friends also exchange yellow flowers on March 21 to express their love for their friends.
Florists can confirm that when March 20 and March 21 come around, yellow flowers are bought up rapidly.
Our Yellow Flower Suggestions
We have a variety of arrangements that highlight yellow flowers that are perfect to gift for Yellow Flower Day:
Books and flowers? Who doesn’t love being surrounded by either?
To celebrate Read Across America Day (March 3), we collaborated with Reading District Libraries, showcasing some of their children’s and teen books available at the Reading Public Library in downtown Reading, PA.
We paired three of our arrangements, “So Happy”, “Smiley Bowl” and “Best Friend Bouquet, Dog” with some of their books.
They have many books about flowers at the library, including nonfiction titles like “What’s Inside A Flower” to help children learn about the science of flowers as well as fun flower-related books like “Don’t Touch That Flower!”.
We photographed the books and flowers in front of the library’s iconic “reading rainbow” to highlight the vibrant colors of our flowers.
The Reading Public Library just revamped its reading corner in the children’s section, which has a fun animal theme. It was the perfect location to photograph our bouquet that features a puppy palm pal stuffed animal.
We paired the arrangement with books about dogs, of course! They had so many fun books about dogs, but we chose “I Want 100 Dogs” and “Love Tails”.
The Reading Public Library also has an expansive teen space where older kids can come hang out with friends, read, and even play Nintendo Switch. We showcased some of their teen titles as well.
The book “Flowerheart” was a great choice for obvious reasons, but “Lore Olympus”, a very popular teen book, had a cover that blended perfectly with the colors in our “So Happy” arrangement.
How Fresh Flowers can affect reading
In 2005, researchers at Rutgers University published multiple studies that showed that fresh flowers can lead to increased happiness, memory, and social networking.
They found that people who worked in rooms with fresh flowers had an easier time retaining information than those who worked in rooms without flowers.
It has also been found that certain flowers can impact focus, meaning some of them can help those who struggle to devote their attention to a book. The scent of the flowers is what triggers this reaction.
Rosemary has been found to improve cognitive function by up to 75% just because of its scent. Lavender is well-known to reduce stress, which makes it easier to concentrate on tasks like reading.
So, if you have a location you typically enjoy reading in your home, such as your living room or a dedicated home library, consider adding a fresh bouquet of flowers to help you enhance your reading experience.
Many think of Valentine’s Day as a day for men to do romantic gestures for the women in their lives, but they deserve to be celebrated too.
To help you find the perfect gift for your significant other, we’ve compiled a Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for Men:
Flowers
Men like flowers too. Just because it’s traditional for men to buy women flowers, many also appreciate a vase of fresh flowers. If you’re looking for something “less feminine” try these options –
Is your man a plant dad? Give him a new plant for his collection. These Valentine’s-themed plants are perfect gifts that will last well beyond the holiday when taken care of properly.
These are just a few of the options we have in store and online to treat your guy for Valentine’s Day.
If you choose to order flowers to surprise your significant other, we have a special offer this year! Have the flowers delivered between Feb. 8-13 and your recipient will receive a coupon for a free dozen roses that is redeemable in-store from March 1-31, 2025.
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching! If you’re still looking for that perfect gift for your special lady we’re here to help.
Women, just like everyone, want to feel special, seen and loved every day of the year, but February 14 is a perfect time to remind them how much they mean to you. We have an array of gifts to say, “I love you”.
Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for Women:
Flowers
Flowers are the traditional Valentine’s gift for a reason. They are an easy, yet meaningful way to show you care. And your significant other will think of you every time they look at them. We have a full selection of Valentine’s Day arrangements to choose from which can be found on our website, Royers.com , but a couple bouquets to consider are:
Give them a little bit of everything. Our gift bag includes a bag of Asher’s chocolate covered pretzels, a 10” white stuffed bear and a red heart balloon. We take care of the packaging with red tissue paper and red shred too.
And guys, don’t forget the card! We have a selection of special Valentine’s Day cards in-store only. You can also have a message sent when you place a flower order in-store, online or over the phone.
If you choose to order flowers to surprise your significant other, we have a special offer this year! Have the flowers delivered between Feb. 8-13 and your recipient will receive a coupon for a free dozen roses that is redeemable in-store from March 1-31, 2025.
We at Royer’s Flowers and Gifts work very hard to bring you the freshest flowers possible. We are diligent in our selection of only the highest quality flowers, work directly with the growers, and go to great lengths to ensure they are handled with expert care once they arrive.
However, there are some steps you can take at home to ensure that our flowers last as long as possible.
Tip #1 – Buy from a local shop that only sources the best quality flowers
If you get your flowers from us this step is already covered. But no matter where you are buying your flowers, it is important that you know where their flowers are from, how they transport them and how they care for the flowers once they receive them.
Don’t be afraid to ask. A good florist will be able to answer these questions for you without hesitation.
Buying flowers from a local florist is important because of the amount of care that is taken in the selection of flowers. While many floral retailers ship their flowers using ocean containers and ships, Royer’s uses air shipping to speed up the time between the flowers being cut and arriving at your doorstep.
Tip #2 – Remove low leaves
If you are purchasing a handheld bouquet, there are extra steps that need to be taken when placing the flowers in a vase to ensure flower longevity.
First, remove leaves that will be submerged in water when placed in the vase. This can lead to mold. Be careful to not remove the leaves that will be above the water line however.
Tip #3 – Choose the right vase
Don’t just pull the random vase out from under your kitchen sink and plop the flowers in. That’s a recipe for failure.
First, make sure that the vase fits your flowers. Ask yourself, will the flowers be able to stand up straight and not tip over? Will all of the leaves be underwater (remember, that’s not good)?
If the vase will fit the flowers, then make sure you clean it if it’s dusty or hasn’t been rinsed since it held its last bouquet. Make sure there is no soap residue left behind before filling the vase with water.
Tip #4 – Use the flower food
Don’t forget about the packet of flower food your florist should have given you when you purchased the flowers.
Read the instructions on the back of the packet carefully as the ratio of water to food is very important and the amount of food you should use will be different for every vase. Mix the food with the water before adding the bouquet.
Tip #5 – Cut your stems
Before placing your flowers in the vase, cut the stems at an angle. This will help with water uptake.
Tip #6 – Keep the water clean
For best results, don’t ignore your flower care after initially setting them up. As you’re admiring them, check that the water is clean. Make sure it’s not cloudy or full of debris. If you notice this, change the water immediately. The quick extra step will extend your flower’s life.
If you follow these tips, your beautiful flowers can last up to two weeks.
Happy Hydrangea Bowl, Lavender & Lavender Mint Fog
Softly Spoken, Pink & Raspberry Italian Cream Soda
Peach Blossom & Iced Cookie Butter Latte
Peach Blossom & Iced Cookie Butter Latte
Simply Said, clear & Americana with Coconut
We recently collaborated with our Lebanon location’s neighbor, The Clay House Cafe, to highlight some of our arrangements and a selection of their drinks from their current menu.
They gave us a list of some of their current drinks from coffee to cream sodas and we chose flower arrangements we believed paired well with them. Because we believe everyone’s morning should start with sipping a cup of locally brewed coffee while admiring a beautiful flower arrangement.
We chose Tuscan Winter to pair with this drink because the warm yellow glow from the sunflower and the orange vase was connotative to mocha and hazelnut to us. The flowers and the coffee are both perfect to warm you up from winter blues.
Soft, purple tones were the theme here. The stark purple of our hydrangeas paired perfectly with the lavender in this drink. The mini green hydrangeas evoke ideas of mint and freshness, complimentary to the mint elements in this drink.
Our Softly Spoken, Pink arrangement was a perfect match to the colors of The Clay House’s Raspberry Italian Cream Soda. The reddish-pink tint of the drink itself matched our pink roses and the white foam on top replicated the white mini calla lilies and the hydrangea.
If you taste the Iced Cookie Butter Latte, the pairing makes complete sense. The sweetness emulates the feeling the roses and mini carnations bring to the arrangement. The color of both the drink and the arrangement are evocative of a golden-hour glow as well.
This drink gets swirled around to create its flavor with each element serving a purpose. Our Farmhouse Sunset features many flowers including roses, a green hydrangea, charmelia alstroemeria, a carnation and statie. Each of these flowers are different, vibrant colors, but together they create a beautiful bouquet, much like the drink.
Sometimes simple is best. This Americana’s star of the show is Coconut with the other elements complimenting the flavor. In Simply Said, clear the daisy poms and baby’s breath are a calming white, giving the carnation a chance to shine.
Why the Collaboration?
Royer’s Flowers and Gifts had humble beginnings in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. We began when Hannah Royer started growing African violets on her windowsill. Flash forward over 80 years later, and Royer’s has 16 locations across Central Pennsylvania. Royer’s continues to serve the community, including Lebanon, as a fourth-generation family-owned small business.
Supporting other small businesses and our community is an important part of our history and who we are today.
The Clay House Cafe opened in Lebanon, just 3 minutes away from Royer’s Flowers, in September 2024. Since then they have been serving our Lebanon community with coffee and kindness.
It’s been beautiful to watch our community grow.
We want to encourage everyone, whether their community is in Central Pennsylvania like us or somewhere else, to support local businesses. They are the backbone of this community.
We send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has ever purchased from us or shared one of our posts on social media. Keep #supportinglocal
