A little while back, a customer purchased cut hydrangeas from one of our stores. A brunch was being held in honor of her mother-in-law, and the customer was making hydrangea centerpieces for the occasion.
We placed a special order for the South America-grown flowers, so we knew they were as fresh as could be. Yet the customer was back in our store within 24 hours, her hydrangeas having wilted.
We replaced them so that her needs were met, but in the meantime we recut the original flowers and put them in water with cut-flower food. Within hours, they looked gorgeous again.
The moral to this story? If you’re going to work with cut hydrangeas – lots and lots of consumers are these days, and with good reasons – then don’t skimp on flower food.
Garden feel
Hydrangea flowers have big heads – a single one can be 4 to 8 inches wide – and make a bold statement with great ease. Just plop them in any kind of water-holding container (canning jars are popular) and they look terrific, bringing a garden feel indoors.
Clearly, hydrangeas are popular these days: You’ll find lots of evidence on Pinterest, the online bulletin board. In fact, we incorporated them into a number of our arrangements and deliver loose hydrangeas to our stores a couple of times each week.
Once you get the flowers home, make certain that they have plenty of water that has been mixed with flower food. You can purchase packets of food from your local florist; mix one packet per quart of water.
Hydrangeas represent a great value because you don’t need many of them to make a big impression and, with proper care, they last a long time.
Category: Flowers
Mums the word year-round
Many of us decorate porches and patios with hardy mums in the fall. But a little bit of loving and some attention to the calendar can help you get the most out of your mums and even keep them blooming in a garden for years to come.
If you planted mums in the ground back in the fall, then the summer months are important in their growth cycle.
Pinching: By July 15, you should pinch the top growth back 1 to 2 inches. This will ensure that your mums bloom in the fall rather than during the summer.
Feeding: From spring through July, nourish your mums twice a month with an all-purpose garden fertilizer mixed in water. Stop feeding in August.
Controlling pests: Aphids are the most common pests that afflict garden mums. These are small soft-bodied insects about the size of a pinhead. They range in color from green to yellow to black. They make their livings by sucking the sap out of tender new growth. To control them, spray an all-purpose insecticide or insecticidal soap on the plants once a week for a couple of weeks. Take care not to spray plants in direct sun or when the temperature is above 90 degrees.
Now, if you are thinking about planting your potted mum for the first time, here are some steps to take:
• Be sure to water your potted mums daily as warm days will make them thirsty. At the same time, too much water can damage the roots; provide drainage in decorative pots or baskets.
• It’s best to plant the mums in October so their roots have time to grow before cold weather sets in.
• Once the mums are planted, water them thoroughly a couple of times each week through mid-November. This will encourage the roots to grow deeply. The deeper the roots, the stronger the plants will be.
• In late spring, cut the plants down 6 to 8 inches above the ground. This will give you bushy, compact plants with lots of flowers. As spring gives way to summer, follow the instructions above relative to feeding and pinching.
Design conference inspires new wedding ideas
We have some exciting news to share with you about our wedding plans.
Not a specific wedding, mind you, but rather the new wedding styles and flowers that we’re working to offer brides and grooms.
If you’ve followed this blog, you know about the extra effort – namely, regular trips to South America – we make to ensure the highest-quality flowers for our customers.
Similarly, earlier this year we sent several Royer’s representatives to a wedding design conference offered by floral wholesaler Florabundance Inc. The event, called “Inspirational Design Days,” took place on Dos Pueblos Ranch, overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Santa Barbara, Calif.
Cheryl Brill, Royer’s vice president of retail operations, was joined on the trip by Holly Newpower and Jennifer Stout, Royer’s store managers at Camp Hill and Shillington, respectively.
The experience gave them an opportunity to work with beautiful product that they typically don’t handle, Cheryl said, and to design in a natural, unconstructed way without concern for budgets, costs or recipes.
The participants designed wedding bouquets; beachside ceremony decorations; and a 30-foot-long centerpiece comprising mossy birch branches, strands of ivy gathered in the adjoining woods, and small vintage vases filled with groupings of garden roses, tulips, cut hyacinths, clematis, accented with candelabra and votive candles.
It was akin to a spa day for florists – or what Cheryl called a “guiltless playground.”
As a next step, we’re training our wedding consultants on the flowers and styles exhibited at the Florabundance seminar. We’re also redesigning the wedding content on royers.com.
Our intent is to provide more options for our wedding-planning customers.
“We must serve our more traditional customers as we always have,” Cheryl said, “while still keeping abreast of the newest trends in the industry. Inspirational Design Days was a great opportunity to do just that.”
Royer’s teams with WSOX to honor 20 administrative professionals
Royer’s stores opened a half-hour early on Administrative Professionals Day, making it easier for customers to pick up flowers on their way to work.
Meanwhile, listeners of greatest hits radio station WSOX (96.1 FM) had a chance to nominate a co-worker to receive a free floral bouquet compliments of Royer’s. WSOX’s yellow van delivered the bouquets to 20 surprised and delighted administrative professionals in Lancaster and York counties.
You can hear some of the reactions by listening to these clips:
Clip #1
Clip #2
We’ll handle your long-distance Mother’s Day order
Flowers are a time-honored way of letting mom know just how much you love her. But sending flowers long distance can be confusing and sometimes disappointing, especially if you are not familiar with the process and some of the pitfalls.
The Internet has given rise to thousands of flower-delivery options. But how do you know you’re really getting a good price and high-quality service? And will the flowers arrive on time?
That great price might not be so great
Many websites touting great prices show you a gorgeous arrangement – only to deliver a bunch of flowers in a box that mom still has to put in a vase. In many cases, what is delivered is similar to what you’ll find in a grocery store or at a street vendor. It might be a nice bouquet but not arranged in a container; often, the container costs extra.
After adding extra charges such as service and delivery fees, the great price that first got your attention might not be any better than what a local florist would charge.
Beware of unscrupulous companies
Perhaps you know of a florist where mom lives. But be careful if you use a search engine to find contact information for that florist. Many unscrupulous companies make themselves appear to be local florists – maybe the one that you’re familiar with – by using a similar name or even a local phone number (that ultimately rings to another state).
These companies tend to charge high service and delivery fees, only to hand off the delivery to someone else. They charge you fees that they didn’t earn, and you don’t get what you paid for.
Call early – and call Royer’s
You can avoid these hassles and ensure the best results by placing your order early – and by calling us when you do.
We’re proud to be your local florist, but we also are one of the largest senders of long-distance orders in the country. Other florists want to keep us happy because they want to continue receiving our business. We also foster our relationships with them through our regular participation in national florist meetings.
In short, we can resolve the rare problem when it occurs. What’s more, we have strong ties to FTD and Teleflora, the two largest wire services that florists use to transmit their orders, and they will step in if necessary to make sure that problems are addressed to our customers’ satisfaction.
Sending flowers long distance can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. Just call us, and we’ll make the process easy. We’ll handle your out-of-town order with the same care and attention it would receive if we were delivering it ourselves.
Royer’s acquires business operations of Lebanon Valley Flowers and Gifts
Effective today, Royer’s has acquired the business operations of Lebanon Valley Flowers and Gifts.
Lebanon Valley Flowers’ store at 1140 State Route 72 North has closed and its customer list, standing orders and phone line will transfer to Royer’s flagship store at 810 S. 12th St., Lebanon.
Lebanon Valley Flowers’ stand at Lebanon Farmers Market will remain open but will focus on giftware.
Lebanon Valley Flowers’ owners, Peggy and Steve Progin, approached Royer’s shortly after Valentine’s Day to express their interest in selling, said Greg Royer, president and CEO of Royer’s.
“Peggy and Steve and their team have worked hard to build a loyal customer base,” Greg Royer said. “We are grateful that the Progins looked to Royer’s when they decided to sell.”
Royer’s is sending a letter to Lebanon Valley Flowers customers to welcome them into the Royer’s family. Recipients can take the letter to any Royer’s store to receive a free rose.
Royer’s celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2012. Andrew Royer, manager of Royer’s in Lebanon, represents the fourth generation to work in the family business, which his great-grandmother Hannah Royer started.
“We’re eager to meet the Lebanon Valley Flowers customers and welcome them to our store,” Andrew Royer said. “This is a busy season with proms, Mother’s Day, graduations, weddings. We’re here to provide excellent customer service no matter what the need is.”
Royer’s Lebanon store is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The store can be reached at 273-2683.
Prom time players
Spring is in the air, and prom season is upon us.
Barry Spengler of Royer’s joined Fox 43’s Morning News to talk about the latest floral trends for proms, from keepsake bracelets and floral rings to wrist cuffs and arm corsages. And for the guys, there are boutonnieres that attach with a magnet.
You can view Barry’s visit with Ashley Palutis below.
Meanwhile, Royer’s in Camp Hill is holding a “prom party” from 4 to 7 p.m. April 16-17. It’s an opportunity to see the latest design trends, colors and flowers, and to receive a 15 percent discount on corsage and boutonniere orders. Refreshments will be served.
‘Wow!’ factor: bridal event honors Royer’s
The Premier Bridal Event 2013 took place on Jan. 20, but Royer’s brought the warmth and colors of summer to the Eden Resort in Lancaster.
In fact, Royer’s display – decorated for a summer wedding – recently garnered a “Wow! Award” from the event’s sponsor, Weddings Year Round Bridal Magazine.
For the display, which occupied most of the ballroom, we decorated a gazebo, archway, altar, centerpieces, cake. Royer’s worked closely with Eagle Rental of Stevens, Pa., which provided the hardscapes that we decorated.
Meanwhile, Royer’s also brought home a Public Choice Award from the bridal show. Our Valentine’s Day-themed centerpiece took first place in the Lancaster/Lebanon/Berks Division.
Below, you’ll find pictures of our Valentine’s Day centerpiece, of our wedding display, and of Cheryl Brill, Royer’s vice president of retail operations, with our awards.
For more information about how Royer’s can help make your wedding day truly memorable with flowers that complement your décor, click here.
Getting hip to the hop: Cable-11 visits corporate complex for Easter
Leave the hiding to the Easter Bunny. We love showing off all of the Easter activity taking place this month at Royer’s.
Visiting our corporate complex in Lebanon today was Blue Ridge Cable 11 News of Ephrata, specifically reporter Peter Taraborelli and photographer John Hershey. They spoke about hyacinths, lilies, hydrangea and other flowers and plants of the season with Barry Spengler, Royer’s vice president of operations.
Record attendance at Saturday’s Royer’s Kids Club event
There’s a spring in our steps after Saturday’s Royer’s Kids Club event, and not just because it involved hyacinth plants for Easter.
We’ve been offering kids club events for six-plus years but never had a turnout as big as the 517 children who joined us this time. Thanks to the kids and the parents who joined us.
This is our biggest year of kids club events ever, with three more to come:
June 22: Royer’s Stems Hunger
Aug. 17: Back to school
Oct. 26: Halloween/Bouquets for Books
Remember that it’s free for children ages 5 to 12 to join the kids club: just stop by any store or fill out the registration form on our website.
We look forward to seeing another big crowd in June.