Spring Flowers!!!

by smiths on March 5, 2009

Yea!  We love this time of year… bust off Old Man Winter and get that first fresh breath of Spring.

And with the approaching renewal of the Earth, the first hint of Springs arrival come Tulips, Iris, Daffodils, Larkspur and more… bright, vibrant colors to brighten the mood, senses and any de’cor.

Smiths Flowers, in Midland MI is fully stocked, with fresh shipments coming in every day.  Tulips in 10-15 colors, grown in Virginia.  These Tulips rival even the best Europe has to offer.  Vibrant colors, 12-14″ stems and they last.  I have honestly had them on the kitchen counter for a week or more.

Telstar Iris in purple, blue, yellow and white are awesome too.  Snap Dragons in white, yellow, pink and burgandy, grown in Canada are a delight.  Long sturdy stems, large flower heads and again they last very well.

We are constantly sourcing new products and suppliers to offer you the best possible quality at the best possible prices.  Yes others may sell for less, and yes there truly is a difference in the quality available, but we feel we would rather pay a little more, and get a higher quality product than to cut corners and costs and end up with poor quality, short lived flowers.

Keep an eye on our blog, we’re currently testing a new rose supplier, one we worked with several years ago.  We are planning on a shift to their very high quality roses in the next couple weeks if everything works out.  They offer many, many colors.  8-9 reds alone, 7-8 yellows and many more.  They are one of, if not the last commercial rose grower in the United States, and they do a fantastic job having been around for more than 70 years.  We’ll bring you updates as soon as plans are set.

Thanks for loking in today, we’re glad you’re here, and hope you have an enjoyable Spring!

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Weddings by Smith’s

by smiths on February 26, 2009

More and more, it seems that there is no longer such a thing as “wedding season”.  Smith’s has had weddings every month for the last year and we getting many bookings for Spring and Summer 2009 already.  We like weddings!  We like being a part of your special day, and we take great pride and care to make sure your special day, really is special.

Smiths Flowers, in Midland Mi just recently added a Wedding Contact Form to their website SmithsFlowers.com in their bottom links to help brides looking for information to be able to contact the store at their leisure 24 hours a day.  The form asks preliminary questions to allow Smiths to get an idea of the bride and grooms wishes even prior to talking to the couple.

Those brides looking to set up an appointment with a Smiths Wedding Consultant are requested to fill out the form and then a Smiths representative will contact them to get further information and set up a personal appointment to further discuss the brides dreams for her special day.

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Proflowers for a funeral?

by smiths on February 17, 2009

We get it, we do understand, “we” being florist’s that is.  We know many consumers are duped into thinking that they will get a good quality experience with fresh flowers when they order “direct from the fields” as claimed by Proflowers.com and other direct shippers of perishable product.

But, when you ordered from Proflowers.com did you really intend to send your emotions in a box?

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Yes, ladies and gentlemen this unsuspecting customer ordered from Proflowers.com for a funeral.  And yes, this is an actual picture taken in a Philadelphia PA, funeral parlor recently.  I do not doubt for one minute, that the sender intended to send a beautiful bouquet.  Proflowers.com pictures many nice looking designs on their site, but they come, as shown above in a box.

And before you think this is an isolated case, think again.  This type of thing happens time and time again, day in and day out all across North America.  Unsuspecting consumers trust a beautiful picture to convey their emotions, but receive something much different.

We can’t blame the funeral directors either.  They are not floral designers, what would you expect them to do?  They either have to leave the box out back in the garage or flower room, or simply set it in the parlor so that the family knows it’s there.  Usually they leave them out back, and give them to the family when they are leaving to go home.  But, in some cases as you can see above, they place them in the viewing room for all to see.  I certainly would not want the grieving family to know I did not care enough to find a local real florist, and sent flowers in a box.

When you need to send flowers either in town or out of town, give us a call, or visit the florist directory on our site and select one of our recommended real florists.  Flowers in a box just don’t cut it…ever.

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Valentines Roses

by smiths on February 7, 2009

One week guys!  That’s all you have until Valentines Day to get ready to show here just how much you care.  And once again this year, roses are the top dog for gift giving once again.  Smith’s Flowers will be fully stocked and ready to send your love and admiriation to your sweetheart either at home or at the office.

Our red roses from Royal Flowers are awesome!  We only sell the “Freedom” variety of red roses.  From our tests they preform far better than any other red rose on the market today and while they do cost us a bit more, once again we will be offering our dozen red roses vased at our normal everyday excellent price of $50.00 a dozen with greens.

freedom-roseEither stop by, call or order online from Smith’s soon to be assured that we have the gift of love you want to send.  Once again this Valentines, we are offering Free Valentine Delivery on orders in Midland delivered February 12th and 13th.

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Blossom Springs is here!

by smiths on February 4, 2009

Well, you’ve been patient and it’s time for your reward, well actually time to reward your plants.  Smith’s Flowers, Midland Michigans only retail outlet for Blossom Springs™ finally has it in stock for you to purchase.  You can purchase online, or stop by the store to get this newest evolution in the fertilizer product category.

Blossom Springs™ is a “Natural Growing System“  develped right here in Midland MI by Gantec Advance LLC.  In test after test, ornamental plants, both green and blooming grown in the Blossom Springs™ Natural Growing System are reported by users to be more full and vibrant, to have larger or more numerous flowers, to resist stress and disease, to mature more rapidly and to hold their blooms longer.

blossom-springsAs you can see in the image above, the  plant on the left that was treated with Blossom Springs™ is much larger, fuler and has more flowers on it.  In our own testing here at Smiths over the last year we saw the same thing on green plants and the orchids we tested on.

blossom-springs-tomatoesFor you outdoor gardeners, you too can take advantage of the benefits provided by Blossom Springs™.  In the photo above, it’s obvious which plants were treated (on the right) and which ones were not.  You can easily see the difference in growth sixe, color and health of these plants.

blossom-springs-apple-treeFruit growers too can benefit from Blossom Springs™.  It’s been tested on several varieties, and I  hear that the Blue Berries are wonderful, plumper, more numerous and more resistant to bugs and disease.

blossom-springs-peace-lilyHome owners… YOU NEED THIS PRODUCT!  The Peace Lilies above are the very ones that I ran my test on in the store last fall.  The treated plant is on the right.  Both of these plants were from the same  batch, watered exactly the same, in the same location, light and care.  You can see the big difference, but what you can’t see is the things we noticed in the store.  The Blossom Springs™ treated plants were much more resistant to drought.  The difference was amazing.  Not only did the treated plant flower more, it held it’s flowers longer too, but when we drought tested, (no watering for 2 weeks) the untreated plant wilted down to the pot in 5-6 days, and the treated plant remained upright and beautiful a full week longer before showing signs of weakness.  And when they were watered again, the treated plant came back so fast you could almost see it before your eyes.

Stop into Smiths and check out our plant selection for your home or office.  All of our plants are treated with Blossom Springs™ and we are the only florist in the Tri-Cities so far utalizing this revolutionary new product.

Over the next few months we’ll bring you more information on Blossom Springs™,  like where the ingredients originate, stories on the people in Senegal Africa (where Gantec has put more then 100 people to work) and the whole Blossom Springs™ “Natural Growing System” story.

blossom-springs-people

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Boxed Flowers for Valentine’s Day?

by smiths on February 2, 2009

If you can make this:

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Out of this:

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Then we want to talk to you about designing for us!

Seriously though, all too often consumers are duped into thinking they are getting the beautiful roses pictured in the top image, and when their gift is delivered they receive the later, a bunch of roses, wrapped in cardboard and a vase (maybe) in the box.

Sites like FTD.com show a bouquet of colorful roses in a vase, but unless you read the whole page, and click on their delivery policy you don’t know they come in a box via UPS.  And the price… $19.99… seriously, what kind of quality are you going to get for that price?  Not to mention, flowers delivered in a box, in Michigan in February?  Transported in the back of an unheated UPS truck?

Roses and other flowers do not like to be in temperatures below 35-40 degrees for too long.  Most UPS trucks leave and are out on their routes for the whole day, and if your roses are one of the last stops, they WILL be frozen.

Smith’s Flowers roses for Valentines Day are premium 70cm Freedom Roses from Royal Flowers Inc.  We sell nothing else and nothing less.  Yes we pay more for our roses than FTD sells theirs for, but we want our customers to receive the best roses, of the highest quality available.

Processing too is an important part, Smiths’ s spends hundreds of dollars a month to make sure the flowers we sell are processed correctly.  Our buckets are sterilized daily, we use Aqua Fresh for flower longevity and go to great lengths to make sure you receive the best, freshest flowers possible.

Once again this year, Smith’s is offering free delivery for Valentines orders delivered February 12th and 13th, so surprise your loved one and order from Smith’s, we will treat your order with care.

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Awesome Azaleas

by smiths on January 29, 2009

Every year they seem to get better and better.  Azaleas are in, and fully budded ready to bloom for many weeks until Spring arrives.

6' Azalea Bush

Florist quality azaleas like Smith’s sells are ideal for use in the home or on the patio, anywhere you’d enjoy a splash of color. Whether placed in a sunny window, gracing an elegant table, or as an outdoor accent, these wonderful plants are the essence of the term “living décor.” Beautiful and long-lasting, florist azaleas are not hardy outdoors at temperatures below 30°F, but will bloom for up to six weeks indoors, or in warmer outdoor weather, offering enduring color and enjoyment.

6" Topiary Azalea Tree

Braided azalea trees make any occasion a special event. With the same outstanding keeping quality and bloom time as regular Keepsake® azaleas, these unique and striking plants offer an almost “topiary” accent, indoors or out. Place them in pairs to accessorize a table, entry way or porch. Use them to grace the ends of pews at a wedding. These gorgeous plants invariably turn heads, no matter where they’re used, and will keep on blooming when other plants have faded.

Care Tips for Maximum Enjoyment:

  • Keep soil moist; water thoroughly when soil is dry to the touch, drain off excess water.
  • Azaleas prefer bright diffused sunlight, but not direct sunshine.
  • Place in cool location, avoiding excessive hot and cold areas as well as drafts.
  • Protect furniture with a saucer or dish.

We have several colors of azaleas in stock and get new shipments twice a week.  There is a limited supply on the topiary’s this season, but right now there in and looking awesome!

Stop by Smiths soon, brighten a spot or a whole home with our healthy, Blossom Spring treated plants.

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Lampe Berger

by smiths on January 28, 2009

Lampe Berger Logo

Smith’s Flowers is Midland Michigan’s only Lampe Berger retailer, and we’re stocked up and ready for the last few months of winter with new lamp’s and new fragrances.

Lampe Berger are more than just a pretty “air freshener” they are “air purifiers” that add a decorative touch to home or office, and serve a purpose too.  They actually clean the air of bacteria as they scent the room with a mild, long lasting fragrance.  Home fragrances give an additional dimension to our homes.  They invent a new landscape in the home, draping our homes in new sensations.

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Lampe Berger send up intangible walls of flowers and precious woods, ocean breezes and wind, dew drops and fruits, not covering up odors but eliminating them and combining technology to diffuse the scent in a light even manner that adds to a room rather than over powering it.  Their catalytic burner system actually burns without a flame and cleans the air as it scents the room.

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There is a Lampe Berger for any decor.

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And to brighten any corner, bath room, kitchen, den.

Lampe Berger’s new “Air Pure System 3C” brings improved fragrance diffusion, better preformance in efficency and increased odor destruction.

For Valentines Day Smith’s offers these Lampe Berger models in limited edition.  Sure to become collectors items.

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The red heart or jewel for her, and the “T-shirt” for him.  Yes, even men like Lampe Berger, they can choose from many “manly” scents for their offices at home or work.  They are especially effective in the basement.

Great too if you have pets, litter boxes or smokers in the home, Lampe Berger will eliminate those embarassing odors, and leave your home smelling fresh, and scented as you want it to be.

Smith’s currently has 29 different lamp models in stock, and 25 different fragrances as well as neutral which is an unscented fuel, that can be used to either dilute a scent to lessen it’s strength, or burned alone to remove the odors but leave no scent behind.

lampe-berger-lamp-fuelBe sure to only burn Lampe Berger Parfumes in your Lampe Berger, other lamp oils will not work, and will damage your stone.

Stop by Smith’s Flowers and Gifts for a demonstration of Lampe Berger and to see all the models we have in stock.

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Sexy Little Succulent’s

by smiths on January 27, 2009

Happy Tuesday!  A little warmer out there today, which is nice, and we’ve seen the sun a little more than of late.

Just wanted to share something new we’ve added into our new green plant area.  Some smaller variety plants, many succulents that would be perfect for offices, and desks that don’t have quite as much light.

succulentsWe have many different varieties to choose from, and many different ceramic containers which they can be planted into to fit the decor of the location they are being placed in.

succlent2The above version is only about 5 inches by 5 inches so you can see there would be no problem finding space on your, or your co-workers desk for a little bit of nature.

jadeLarger sizes too are available, like these beautiful 6″ Jade plants that are a great addition to a window sil, or orther setting in your home or office.

Stop by Smith’s Flowers in Midland soon to see all that’s new in green plants for your home or office.

Special orders welcomed, and encouraged.

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Green Plants Everywhere

by smiths on January 26, 2009

It’s that time of year again, winter is upon us in full strength, and the sun only pokes it’s head out once in a while.  People are getting restless and ready for Spring…I know the staff and I are.

With that, nows a great time to get some new green plants for your home or office, to add a little life back and bring in some green.  Smith’s carries Midland’s largest selection of green plants in many different sizes for any area of your home or office.

Green Plant Display

We’ve redone our plant area too, to include part of our second floor area to expand the space we have for plants so that we can be sure to stock those varieties you want most.

Green Plant Display

All of our plants are treated with Blossom Springs fertilizer and insecticide upon arrival to Smith’s and then weekly as long as they are here, giving them a strong healthy start and you the confidence that you are buying a top quality plant that will grow for years to come in your care.  Even if you think you have a brown thumb, all you need to do is water them.

Stop into Smith’s Flowers and Gifts today and check out our new plant area and pick out a plant or two to brighten your home or office.

Special orders welcome.

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