Would you like to win a flower delivery to your door? You could if you enter the Royer’s Kids Club birthday card design contest.
The winning design will adorn the birthday card that each kids club member receives on his or her special day. If we pick your design, you will receive a flower delivery on your birthday.
The contest is open to kids club members, ages 5 to 12. If you aren’t a kids club member yet, you can register here.
Now, download the birthday card contest entry form here, create your design, and drop off the entry at your nearest Royer’s store by July 12.
Good luck!
Kids club event takes bite out of hunger
Participants in the Royer’s Kids Club event on June 22 demonstrated a “can”-do spirit in the fight against hunger.
Thanks to the more than 130 children and their parents who came out in support of our annual food drive, Royer’s Stems Hunger. We asked participants to donate a canned good or other non-perishable food item as the price of admission in conjunction with the food drive, which benefits the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank.
You can see photos from the event below.
Meanwhile, the remaining 2013 kids clubs events and their themes are:
- Aug. 17: Back to school
- Oct. 26: Halloween/Bouquets for Books
Ephrata
Ephrata
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Ephrata
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Ephrata
West York
Carlisle
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Camp Hill
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Summertime flower fun for kids
It’s summertime, which of course means that the kids are home from school and looking for things to do.
Barry Spengler of Royer’s Flowers stopped by Fox 43 Morning News to offer some crafty and fun ideas involving flowers that have the added benefit of not costing a lot to make:
Royer’s Stems Hunger: summer is a time of need for food banks
While we often think of hunger during the holiday season, it’s a year-round problem.
“Many people in central Pennsylvania think of summer as a time of harvest and a time of plenty, and while that is true at least somewhat, it’s also a time of great need, especially for children,” said Brad Peterson, director of communications and marketing for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.
“Children who rely on school lunches and breakfasts during the school year, don’t have that opportunity during the summer. So those children are coming to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank for more of their nutritional needs.”
Our annual food drive, Royer’s Stems Hunger, is June 21-29 and will benefit the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank.
In this video, Peterson describes some of the items on the food banks’ wish lists:
Royer’s voted ‘Best of Harrisburg’ by Susquehanna Style readers
Royer’s Flowers & Gifts is the florist of choice for the readers of Susquehanna Style magazine.
The glossy monthly publication dubbed June its “Best of Harrisburg Edition,” featuring the best local businesses as voted by its readers.
Royer’s has two Harrisburg-area stores and one in Camp Hill among its 17 stores in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties.
Click here for the complete list of locations.
Get to know: Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
Our annual “Royer’s Stems Hunger” food drive returns June 21-29 to benefit the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank.
Brad Peterson, director of communications and marketing for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, said there is a misperception that most of the people it serves are homeless. In fact, he said, they account for less than 3 percent of the people accessing food.
“Roughly a third of all the people who receive food from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank are children,” Peterson said. “About 10 to 12 percent of them are seniors and well more than half are working families. Families with at least one working adult who are struggling to put food on the table.”
You can see more of the interview in this video:
Feed me, Seymour
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.
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.
Customers help our Carlisle store raise $270 for March of Dimes
After participating in their local March of Dimes walk in 2012, employees at Royer’s in Carlisle decided to get more involved this year.
Not only did four of them join the April 28 walk, but in the three weeks leading up to it they set up a collection box for March of Dimes on the store’s counter.
Every customer who made a monetary donation was eligible to enter a drawing for a silk arrangement.
“No donation was too small,” said Liz Mohler, manager of the store at 100 York Road. “And every donation was greatly appreciated.”
Thanks to customers and employees alike, the store collected $270 for March of Dimes.
Royer’s also donated 25 carnations that were handed out to families that were walking in memory of a loved one.
Kids club event June 22 will kick off ‘Royer’s Stems Hunger’ to benefit food banks
The Royer’s Kids Clubs event on June 22 will help kick off the annual Royer’s Stems Hunger food drive.
Children ages 5 to 12 are asked to donate a non-perishable food item as the price of admission and to bring an empty food can to fill with flowers.
Participants also will have an opportunity to enter the kids club’s birthday card design contest for a chance to win a flower delivery.
Time slots are available at 10 a.m., 2p.m. and 3 p.m. at each of Royer’s 17 stores in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties. Registration is required by calling your nearest Royer’s store.
Royer’s Stems Hunger is June 21-29. Food will be collected at all Royer’s stores to benefit the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank.
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