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‘Wow!’ factor: bridal event honors Royer’s

Posted on by Neal

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.

Here’s how to extend the life of your Easter blooms

Posted on by Neal

Even after the Easter Bunny has visited and the last eggs are hunted, Easter plants will bring beauty and color into your home. In fact, you can make the flowers last a lot longer by following some easy steps.
What’s more, after your bulb plants – such as daffodils, hyacinths, tulips, crocus and narcissus – have finished blooming, you can transplant the bulbs into the ground and watch the flowers come up next year.
The key to making the flowers/blooms last longer – perhaps twice as long – is to keep the plants in a cool place, such as at night. This will stall the normal aging process, extending the life of the blooms.
While you’re sleeping, place the plants in your garage or out on your porch (but don’t let them freeze), and then bring them back inside your house in the morning. For smaller plants, such as a single-bloom hyacinth, you might even have room in your refrigerator.
Of course, it’s also important to keep the plants watered.
Once the blooms peak, let the plant die back into itself, nourishing the bulb. Keep the bulb in its pot and store in a cool, dark place. In early fall, separate the bulbs and plant them in your garden in anticipation of their blooming again next spring.

Getting hip to the hop: Cable-11 visits corporate complex for Easter

Posted on by Neal

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

Posted on by Neal


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.
 

Forcing hyacinth bulbs for Easter

Posted on by Neal

Did Easter sneak up on you this year? Being on March 31 [this post originated in 2013], it is earlier than usual.
As a florist, we don’t have the luxury of being surprised by the calendar. Planning and logistics are the lifeblood of our business; they are fundamental to giving our customers high-quality products and excellent service.
Easter is a great example of this.
While most flowers today are grown in South America, Royer’s continues to grow its own hyacinths. Forcing the bulbs (as this is called, essentially getting them to grow on our timetable), is a family tradition that dates back 50 years or more.
As with every holiday, timing is of the essence when it comes to Easter hyacinths.
The process actually began in June, when we ordered some 13,000 hyacinth bulbs from a wholesaler in Holland. In October, a two-person Royer’s team planted the bulbs in pots, which were placed in a refrigerated trailer (set at 40 degrees) at our corporate complex in Lebanon.
The goal was to get the bulbs to grow, but just a little bit. In December, when most people were running around getting ready for Christmas (Royer’s included!), the bulbs were sufficiently rooted such that we could lower the trailer temperature to 34 degrees. At that temperature, the bulbs are more or less in a state of suspended animation.
Soon after Valentine’s Day, we began to transfer the pots into a greenhouse. We gradually increased the temperature so as not to shock the bulbs and to mimic what occurs in nature as winter turns to spring.
The bulbs emerge from the trailer as small, yellowish plants just breaking through the soil. Within days, sunlight turns the plant green and it starts to grow. Soon, the flower blooms: pinks take a few days longer than blues and whites.
We have to be careful, though, because if the plants get too much indirect sun, they begin to stretch for light. In no time, they can get too tall and lanky – and customers won’t want them. Sometimes we have to cover them in black plastic to keep that from happening.
When Easter is early as it is this year, temperatures outside tend to be colder. As a result, it takes longer to “force” the bulbs. Of course, we know this going in and factor it into our schedule.
We want the hyacinths to reach 10 to 12 inches in height, at which point they are ready to be sold in pots and decorated baskets.
Don’t worry if Easter snuck up on you. Our stores will be ready when you are, filled with beautiful, colorful hyacinths and other Easter plants and arrangements.
Just as we planned it.

Royer’s Stems Hunger to return June 21-29 to benefit food banks

Posted on by Neal

Royer’s Stems Hunger, which has collected nearly 2,500 pounds of non-perishable food in its first two years, will return June 21-29.
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The event benefits the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank.
Customers receive a free carnation for each non-perishable food item they donate, up to a maximum of six carnations per family per visit. Food collection barrels are placed in each Royer’s store during the event.
In conjunction with Royer’s Stems Hunger, the Royer’s Kids Club will host an event for children ages 5 to 12 in all Royer’s stores on June 22.

Decorate hyacinth basket at free Royer’s Kids Club event on March 16

Posted on by Neal

Royer’s Kids Club will get the Easter season hopping with a free event on March 16 at all Royer’s stores.
Royer's Kids Club hyacinth basket
Children ages 5 to 12 will be able to decorate a hyacinth basket for Easter. They can take the plant home and watch it bloom. Participants also will receive a balloon.
Time slots are available at 10 a.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. Click here for locations and contact information.
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Flower tips for any wedding budget

Posted on by Neal

When it comes to weddings, tears of joy are one thing; crying over a broken budget is quite another.
Barry Spengler of Royer’s Flowers participated in Fox 43’s wedding week in February. He shared with host Courtney Laydon tips on colors and textures that can work with any sized budget.
“What I love about this is a lot of people think flowers and they think, oh my goodness, it’s going to be so expensive,” Courtney said. “But it doesn’t have to be, right?”
“If you have a little budget, that’s fine,” Barry said. “If you have a big budget, that’s fine.”

Getting the most out of your Valentine’s roses

Posted on by Neal

Valentine’s season can last well beyond Feb. 14. In fact, by following some simple steps, your roses should provide you with a week or more of enjoyment.
All Royer’s arrangements arrive in vases that contain a mixture of water and flower food (FloraLife, in our case). You just need to make sure that there is enough water over time as roses are surprisingly thirsty.
Other tips for getting the most out of your roses:
13-V2For roses that arrive in a vase:
• If your roses don’t begin to open within a few days, remove them from the vase, re-cut their stems and return them to the vase. Although not necessary, cut the stems under water if possible.
• Keep the flowers cool: the cooler they are, the less water they will lose through their stems and petals.
• Add water in a sink so that any spillage will not damage a table or other furniture that the roses are sitting on.
For roses that arrive in a box or loose:
• Put water in the vase and add the packet of flower food that came with your delivery.
• Cut approximately one inch off the bottom of the rose to create a fresh pathway for water to work its way up the stem.
• Remove any foliage or thorns that may get stuck when the stems are placed in the vase.
• If you add any greens, make sure that any foliage is above the water. Foliage under water promotes unwanted bacterial growth.
By following those steps, you’re ready for the final, most important step of all: enjoy your roses!
 

Love comes to town

Posted on by Neal

With less than one week to go until Valentine’s Day, roses arrived en masse this morning at Royer’s distribution center in Lebanon. We captured some of the many sights as employees prepped the flowers for use by the central design department, which will create thousands of arrangements for the holiday. Meanwhile, vans arrived from Royer’s stores to pick up still more flowers.