Greenery Day

Greenery Day originated in Japan in 1989 to celebrate the birthday of Japanese Emperor Hirohito. It's intended as a day to commune with, appreciate, and be thankful for the natural world around us.

Visit us today at Paul Wood Florist to browse our selection of plants, dish gardens, and flowers. Perhaps you'll find something for yourself or for someone else that reminds you to appreciate nature today.

New Website Layout

If you've visited our general business website, www.paulwoodflorist.com, any time in the last few days, you've noticed some changes to the layout and design of the site. We're excited to share the latest features with you!

We now have a Delivery button (in the blue navigation bar near the top of the screen) where you'll find a list of zip codes, businesses, and surrounding communities around Fort Collins to which we make deliveries. Remember that the list is not comprehensive, and call with specific inquiries about making deliveries.

Our Weddings button (in the blue navigation bar) takes you directly to our wedding website, which was created back in February. Feel free to browse all the fantastic information there!

There's now a Blog button (in the blue navigation bar) that takes you directly to this blog, Floral Notes, from our general website.

We've added a scrolling feature for some of our products on our home page. Down below in a box, you'll still see two or three Deals of the Week, featured products that we've marked specifically for this week, but above that, you'll also see a slideshow with several other arrangements, plants, and dish gardens. The pictures move through one at a time, but you can use the arrows on either side to go backward or forward and see the previous picture or the next one in the show.

Our announcements, which used to be centered near the top of our home page, are now in a column on the right side of the product slideshow on the home page. We hope this change makes for easier reading for you!

We've also added a product category (in the green navigation box on the left side of your screen) under the Shop by Product label that is specifically for dish gardens. (Click here to access that page directly.)

Our color scheme is updated, with the blue navigation bar at the top and the green navigation box on the left side of the screen, to make it easier for you to find what you're looking for.

Finally, the bottom of the home page has a couple of paragraphs of information about Paul Wood Florist, along with our physical (mailing) address and phone numbers, and several links on the left side that are full of helpful information about plant and flower care and types.

Please feel free to let us know what you think, or if you have any questions!

Administrative Professionals' Day

Secretaries' Day . . .

Administrative Assistants' Day . . .

Call it whatever you like, but remember to express your appreciation for your office assistants!

This Wednesday, April 23, is Administrative Professionals' Day, and we at Paul Wood Florist in downtown Fort Collins want to help you express your appreciation the best you can.

Call or come in, or visit our website, to discuss your many options for how to say "thank you."

Consider a dish garden, like the Cheerful Ceramic Dish Garden, which is the perfect size for a desk top, office space, or home office.

Or think about a floral arrangement. We have a beautiful assortment from which to choose, like Dedicated Support, a lovely, showy arrangement that says more with colorful flowers than you might be able to say with words alone.

Another popular option is to consider a green or blooming plant. The Tropical Bromeliad Plant is an exotic choice that will brighten any office space.

In other words, the sky is the limit when you're looking for ways to say "thank you" this week. Just give us a call or visit our store or website to find the perfect gift.

Featured Spring Designs (Part II)

Welcome to our second post about our new, made-for-2014 featured spring designs. You can find all these designs, and more, on our website here, and under the Spring category here.

Just Daisies

Designed by popular demand, this arrangement, in a leaf-wrapped vase, includes a vibrant mix of Gerbera daisies and daisy poms for your enjoyment.

Rainbow Bright Cube

Enjoy a vividly colorful rainbow of spring flowers --- carnations, daisies, tulips, and more --- in a leaf-wrapped cube, perfect for a centerpiece, office desk, or side table.

Spring Awakening

Delight with us in this towering array of spring flowers in soft pastels from white and pink to peach and blue.

Stay tuned for featured Easter designs, coming soon!

Remember the Easter Corsage?

Do you, or someone you love, remember a time when the Easter corsage was a standard order? When a beautiful spring mix was a gift to that special mother, aunt, grandmother, or mentor in your life?

We at Paul Wood Florist remember well. This year, we're bringing back the Easter corsage.

We have a beautiful array of spring flowers and will be happy to custom-design a mixed spring corsage for your order.

Haunted by visions of "just spray roses" from your high school prom? Don't worry! Our designers are accustomed to thinking outside the box, and we have dozens of lovely flowers to choose from.

If you, or a loved one, would enjoy a stunning spring corsage for Easter Sunday, give us a call at 970-482-9121 or visit us in Old Town (downtown) Fort Collins to discuss your options and to place your order.

Remember, Paul Wood Florist will be CLOSED on Sunday, April 20, in honor of Easter, so order early and arrange to pick up your corsage by Saturday. (Our Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for your convenience.)

Make someone's Easter that much happier with a custom-made corsage this year!

Featured Easter Designs

With Palm Sunday yesterday, today is the start of Holy Week, the trek to Easter Sunday. We've designed four new Easter arrangements this year that we want you to know about.

Flowers in My Bonnet

You'll appreciate the unique textures and bright pastel colors in this arrangement, accented with a brightly colored Easter egg.

Risen Morning

Royal purple flowers celebrate the majesty and significance of Easter Sunday in a classic one-sided design.

Easter Brunch

Need a gift for the hostess of your Easter breakfast or brunch, or something for your own buffet? Consider this eye-opening design, with a head of ornamental kale and complimentary flowers.

Easter Pastels

Nothing says springtime quite like the wide range of beautiful pastel-colored flowers like hydrangea, scented stock, snapdragons, and iris. This design combines them all.

Call or come by today to Paul Wood Florist in Old Town Fort Collins to order your Easter arrangement, and let our designers help you choose the perfect flowers to make the holiday significant for you.

1,000 Page Views!

Thank you to all our loyal Paul Wood Florist customers for helping us reach 1,000 page views on our blog!

We want to continue to provide you with timely information and updates about future events, upcoming sales, new merchandise, seasonal designs, and much more, so stay connected with our blog, our general website, our wedding website, our Facebook page, and even our new Pinterest account.

Please let us know if you'd like to see more or less of something on our blog, and don't hesitate to contact us with questions.

Stay tuned for special offers, coming soon (and published only on this blog).

We are proud to be Paul Wood Florist, your Old Town Fort Collins florist for more than eighty years!

Love Your Brother or Sister?

We at Paul Wood Florist hope you do!

Today is National Siblings Day. If you have a close relationship with your brother or sister, or both, think about sending them a gift item, plant, dish garden, or flower arrangement to let them know how much they mean to you.

Why wait?

Featured Spring Designs (Part I)

The Spring category on our website has six new seasonal designs for you to order. Today, we're featuring three of those designs here on our blog!

Primary Colors

A vase full of mixed spring flowers in all the usual Crayola crayon colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

Bright as a Button

We accent this vase with burlap ribbon and bright buttons, and then we fill the vase with a cheery spring-themed design.

Rejuvenation

Spring flowers in bold, feminine colors with scented lilies make a vibrant statement: spring is here!

Celebrate with us!

April 20 Is Easter Sunday

Our Easter category went live on our website this week! Click here to visit the category product page and see our new Easter arrangements, or come in today to design and order your own arrangement.

Need a centerpiece for the table for a family dinner that Sunday? We can help!

Crystal Cross Bouquet

What about flowers for the side table or the buffet for the party you're hosting? Call us!

Tulip Eggstravaganza

Are you attending an event at someone else's house? Bring flowers or a plant to suit the occasion and express your thanks!

Azalea Plant

With all our fresh spring flowers now available, we at Paul Wood Florist are ready to help you plan exactly what you'll need to celebrate Easter Sunday.

Prom Flowers: A Buying Guide for Guys (Part II)

We at Paul Wood Florist in Old Town Fort Collins are continuing our two-part series for guys buying prom flowers for their dates. With the preliminary preparations out of the way, the rest of the process is easy. You only need to know something about flowers.

Main Flowers

For corsages, spray roses are a girl's best friend. (Diamonds work, too, but spray roses are less expensive.) These baby roses are relatively inexpensive and are the most popular corsage flowers. They come in colors like white, cream, peach, orange, yellow, red, and different shades of pink, and they're small enough that most corsages are created with a cluster of spray roses, sometimes with greens and other (filler) flowers.

(image courtesy of wholeblossoms.com)

If you or your date prefers variety to convention, you are only limited by your own imagination. Consider these unique possibilities:

> Calla   This is a specialty flower and therefore more expensive than others, but its sleek, clean lines are the epitome of elegance. It comes in a variety of colors (red, pink, white, orange, yellow, purple) and in two sizes: choose the miniature calla for a corsage. A calla works best as a pin-on corsage instead of a wrist corsage.

(image courtesy of flowers.pacficicallas.com)

> Freesia   These scented flowers (be aware if your date has allergies!) make delicate but beautiful corsages. They're most popular in white, but they also come in pink, orange, and yellow.

(image courtesy of flower-arrangement-advisor.com)

> Orchids   These are also specialty flowers and are therefore pretty expensive, but it doesn't take more than one or two to make an exotic statement in a corsage. They hold up well in corsages and come in white, yellow, pink, red, purple, pale green, and a tie-dyed teal-blue-purple combination.

(image courtesy of wholeblossoms.com)

Filler Flowers

Most corsages include greenery or foliage of different types, and some also include what are called filler (accent) flowers, which are smaller, less showy blossoms used to accent the main flowers. Excellent filler flowers include things like baby's breath, which are tiny white flowers that add an airy quality to any corsage; waxflower, which usually comes in pink or white and smells like citrus; and hypericum, which is actually a green, red, peach, or cream-colored berry that adds an unexpected, fun texture. Other filler flowers include heather, solidago, Montecasino asters, and misty blue.

Notes

Keep in mind that it is also just fine to walk into a flower shop and give them the color of your date's dress, and let them take it from there. Paul Wood Florist has many talented designers who would love the opportunity to custom-make a corsage to complement your date's attire.

Also remember that there are many other main flower options; one of Paul Wood Florist's most popular corsages is a mixed spring corsage with daisies, alstroemeria, miniature carnations, and more. Feel free to ask us about mixing and matching flowers for best results!

Conclusion

When you walk into a florist shop like Paul Wood Florist to order your date's corsage, don't be intimidated. We are more than willing to answer questions and make suggestions. Armed with this guide, you will ensure that every detail of your prom experience is as close to perfect as it gets.

Disclaimer: Not every flower listed here will be available in every color listed here. Order early for best results, and call directly to inquire about available colors and product.

Prom Flowers: A Buying Guide for Guys (Part I)

Now that the madness of Valentine's Day is over, and with prom season just around the corner, many high school-aged guys are making plans for that big dance.

If you're one of these guys, you're already under a lot of pressure --- find the right girl; develop a sixteen-step plan involving a hot air balloon, a yacht, and a private jet to ask her if she'll go with you; implement the plan; rent a tux; arrange for dinner and transportation; coordinate (or not) with other couples. Why panic about something like the corsage you know she's going to want to match her dress and nail polish exactly when you've already got everything else under control? Demonstrate your prowess with this handy, no-fail guide for buying her the perfect flowers to make her night, and yours, complete.

Preparations: Gathering Information

Life will be much easier if you know what you're looking for before you walk into a floral shop like Paul Wood Florist in Old Town Fort Collins. Keep these tips in mind:

> If your date expresses a preference for a particular flower, take that information straight to the florist. Your work here is done.

> If your date does not express a preference for a particular flower, find out the color of the dress (and/or nail polish) she plans to wear. Most girls will be so determined to get a corsage that matches perfectly that they will bring you a fabric sample. Take that sample straight to the florist. Your work here is done.

> Find out whether your date is allergic to any flowers. Speaking as someone who is allergic to several varieties, there is nothing less romantic than going home from prom with a full-blown sinus infection. Do your homework.

> Corsages come in two basic styles: wrist and pin-on. Wrist corsages are most common these days. Find out from your date, though, which kind she would prefer, which will have a lot to do with what kind of dress she's wearing (e.g., a pin-on corsage on a strapless dress will be both awkward to attach and potentially painful. Bloodletting is not intended to be a ceremonial part of prom preparations).

> Wrist corsages come with many different kinds of wrist bands. The basic or standard style at Paul Wood Florist is a white pearl bracelet. If you prefer, or if she would prefer, we offer many upgrades, including beaded and jeweled bracelets.

> Unless you or your date are going for a very simple look, corsages also come with loops of ribbon, sort of as a backdrop for the flowers themselves. Ribbon is available in a variety of colors, so match it to your date's dress or to the flowers you choose.

> Bling is the term for all the sparkly, shiny, and/or glittery accents that a girl could wish for in her corsage. If your date consistently drips with jewelry when you see her in everyday settings, gemstone stickpins nestled into the roses in her corsage will probably be appreciated.

Stay tuned for Part II, when we talk about specific flowers.

Going to Prom?

Students, buy your personal flowers (corsages and boutonnieres) from Paul Wood Florist in Old Town Fort Collins. We promise quality product, and our knowledgeable employees will walk you through the ordering process to ensure that you get the best possible options.

Visit our website (here for corsages; here for boutonnieres) to order or for ideas. Also feel free to call or stop by the shop at 111 West Olive Street, just a block west of College Avenue in Old Town, to look at flowers, ribbon colors, and accents (like rhinestones and beaded bracelets).

We regularly update the product options on our website, so check in often.

Think Paul Wood Florist for corsages and boutonnieres for prom this year!

April 23 Is Administrative Professionals Day

Our Administrative Professionals (Assistants / Secretaries) Day category went live on our website this week. Click here to see our suggestions for how best to express your gratitude to your assistants for all that they do! Their holiday is on April 23, but it's never too soon to start planning ahead.

Dedicated Support

Available from $44.99 and up

Interested in Classes at Paul Wood Florist? Take Our Poll!

For about the next two weeks, on the right side of the screen in this blog, you'll see a question about classes you might be interested in taking sometime from Paul Wood Florist.* We want to invite you to select an answer from the three options below that question and then click the "Vote" button at the bottom of the poll.

If you, personally, wouldn't be interested in a class, but you know someone who might, let them know about the poll, or vote on their behalf. (If your wife is interested in floral design, for instance, and you're looking for a gift idea for her for an upcoming birthday, anniversary, or other holiday, a class with Paul Wood Florist might be just the thing to keep in mind!)

The poll will be available until Friday, April 18, at 11:59 p.m., so you have some time to get your vote counted before then. The poll has a count-down feature (currently, it says "Days left to vote: 16") so you can keep track.

If you have questions or other ideas for classes, then by all means please contact us at Paul Wood Florist in Old Town Fort Collins at our general website, here, or by phone at 970.482.9121, and mention the poll on our blog in your call or email. We'll be happy to take suggestions!*

*Disclaimer: The manager and designers at Paul Wood Florist reserve the right to make the final decision about which classes will be offered and when those classes will take place. However, your feedback and questions are greatly appreciated as we work to provide you with the best experience with a florist possible!

Celebrate Spring!

Welcome to April!

Come in to Paul Wood Florist in Old Town Fort Collins to see our spring decorations, silks, and gift items. We've also got Easter products (plush bunnies and ducks, eggs, and more) and fresh spring flower arrangements available.

Spring has sprung, and we're celebrating! Join us!