8 Tips for Christmas Flower Delivery to Your Best Customers

One of the best ways for a small business to enjoy continued success is to maintain a loyal customer base. And one of the easiest and most effective ways of doing that is to simply say thanks for their loyalty around the holiday season. This year, make the extra effort toshow customers or clients your appreciation by sending them flowers. The gesture will not go unnoticed, and you can rest assured that it will be well-received.

Here are eight tips to keep in mind when sending flowers to your best customers this holiday season:

1. Choose your flowers
Picking out flowers can be a fun process, especially in the winter months. Instead of sending lilies or daisies more appropriate for warmer weather, select flowers that are more in line with winter. Carnations and chrysanthemums are excellent holiday flowers. Try Teleflora’s “Let It Snow” or “Holiday Splendor” arrangement. If you’re looking for something a little more unique that still captures the
holiday spirit, shop our PEANUTS Christmas collection. Sign Up for a chance to get FREE Flowers at Teleflora. Click here

2. Include a card
Sending your customers something over the holidays is a great idea, and including a small card is an excellent way of getting your message across. Including a note with your gift is the most effective way to show your appreciation for people who support your business around this time of the year. Think of it as sending “Thank You” cards to your customers. This simple step can go a long way in strengthening relationships with your clientele.

3. Send the right message
Choose your words carefully when writing cards to individuals. The message shouldn’t be overly complicated, and you should make an effort to be concise. It can be something as simple as wishing the recipient happy holidays or thanking that individual for his or her loyalty as a shopper. Try to add an element that makes your clients feel special. In other words, do your best to avoid saying the same thing to everyone.

4. Handwrite it
It’s the little things that count. Taking that extra couple of minutes to write out your message by hand will show that you care. Your customers will feel even more valued if they receive a handwritten card because it means you took the time and made the extra effort.

5. Add accessories
Don’t hesitate to add other goodies to your floral arrangements. Teleflora has plenty of options for you to choose from, including balloons, chocolates and stuffed animals. If you think it’s appropriate, try sending some wine or desserts with a bouquet. The more it feels like a holiday gift, the better.

6. Pick the right delivery time
This may be a little more difficult if you don’t have a personal relationship with the customer, but try to choose a time that you know an individual will be there to receive the flowers. If you don’t know how to find out, play it safe by having them delivered sometime during the standard business day.

Fruit and Poinsettia Gift Basket

7. Select an appropriate location
Odds are, you have a billing address on file for your customers and clients. Now is the time to use this piece of information to your advantage. Do your best to find out if the address your customer provided is a business or residential one. Send flowers to an individual’s home if you want to add even more of a personal touch.

8. Don’t forget special instructions
Add any special instructions the delivery person will need. If you have a customer who’s hard of hearing, include a note to know loudly and maybe more than once. Teleflora is here to try to best meet your every delivery need.

Check out our Christmas flowers category for more choices.

Teleflora’s Merry Amaryllis Christmas Plant

DIY Pumpkin Centerpieces for Halloween

Whether you’re hosting an elegant masquerade or just want to give your home some festive autumnal cheer, a pumpkin centerpiece will always be a great decor option. Teleflora has a variety of gorgeous Halloween flowers, complete with seasonal keepsake vases, to fit your needs, but if you’re looking for a way to display the flowers you’ve grown this fall, here are a few ways to create a table centerpiece with real or plastic pumpkins:

Flower Covered Pumpkins
If you have a surplus of flat fall flowers, like mums or dahlias, and want a eye-catching centerpiece for a party, try covering your pumpkins with the flower’s blooms. While this kind of centerpiece won’t have a very long life span since you’ll be cutting off the flower’s water supply, it’ll last for the duration of the party, and people will love it! Simply snip the flowers off of the stems and use a hot glue gun to attach the flowers to the pumpkin. Cover the whole surface with flowers. To create a more elaborate display, vary the size of the pumpkins, the color of flowers, and the stand you display them on.

Real Pumpkins as Vases
Since pumpkins are so bulky, the best way to decorate with one as a vase is to create a busy, lush fall flower arrangement. Be sure to include some greenery and maybe even twigs and golden leaves. You can do this with any size pumpkin, as long as you trim the stems to the appropriate length. Simply empty the pumpkin of all of its insides – saving the seeds to roast – and coat the inside flesh with petroleum jelly to keep it from molding. While you can fill the pumpkin itself with water, you can also use flower foam or dirt to keep the flowers in place and also extend their lives. If you have a plastic container that’s a similar size of the pumpkin, place that inside the pumpkin to keep water in without having to get the pumpkin wet. Just make sure your bouquet is large enough to cover the container!

Plastic Pumpkin as Vases
You know those plastic jack o’lanterns  you get for your kids to take trick-or-treating each year? Would you believe you could make an elegant centerpiece with it? Well, there are a few ways to do so. You probably don’t want to display them as is, in their bright orange glory, so a simple coat of spray paint can allow you to customize them. If your Halloween decor focuses on black and silver, spray them a metallic silver, but if you have more of a harvest theme going on, consider gold instead. You can house a bouquet inside, following the above instructions, or even fill the plastic pumpkins with dirt and plant some succulents inside. Some plant-safe spray paint can allow you to customize them even more, for a spookier Halloween aesthetic! Some black echiveria in a silver pumpkin would be an awesome nontraditional decoration!

Of course as we mentioned earlier, we have you covered if you don’t want to make the decorations yourself. From a fangtastic trick-or-treat bouquet to a heartwarming fall wishes bouquet, we have just what you need to pumpkin your house out. 10 best Teleflora Flowers coupons and promo codes

Make Your Own Potpourri at Home

Many people believe that you’re able to enjoy the bouquets you receive as a present is for a limited time – while they’re alive on your dining room table. Even changing the water, placing your blooms in the refrigerator or using old wives’ tricks to prolong the life of the flowers can only keep them alive for so long. However, even after your flowers have begun to die, you can preserve them for a variety of projects. Try taking your fall flowers and turning them into potpourri to keep for yourself or give as a gift this holiday season!

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How to Dry Flowers for Potpourri
Making potpourri isn’t as simple as letting your flowers die and spraying them with perfume. There’s an art to making a perfect creation. If you’re making it out of flowers that you’re enjoying for their aesthetic value, wait for the flowers to droop slightly to snip them off of the stems. Don’t let them to get too droopy though. Bruised or damaged flowers may not be able to absorb enough essential oil. There are a few methods for drying these petals:

• On a tray: If you live in a warm climate, you can dry your flowers on a windowsill in the sun. Place them on a tray and cover them with a paper towel. Each day, flip the petals over. Do this until the petals feel slightly brittle, but not crumbly. It will likely take a couple of weeks.
• In the oven: If you want to expedite the process of drying your flowers, simply place them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 2 hours.
• Hang them: Hanging your flowers is a classic way to dry them. However, this process takes quite a bit longer. To do this, leave your blooms on the stems, and hang them upside down in a warm place. Once the flowers are dry, you can remove them from the stems.

Ingredients for Homemade Potpourri
While dried flowers are absolutely essential to your potpourri, they’re not the only option when it comes to making your creation beautiful. Try adding some savory herbs, if you don’t want your potpourri to smell to sweet or floral, and spices. If you decide to dry your flowers by baking the blooms in the oven, you can even dry some slices of citrus or cinnamon sticks along with it.

You’ll want to decide what kind of scent you’d like your potpourri to take on. This is how you determine which essential oils you use.  If you’d like something sweet, for an autumnal potpourri, try a warm vanilla essential oil and cinnamon or clove. If you want something for the holidays, a good option is mint. For all-year use, lavender is always a good choice. Rather than saturating your potpourri with oil, add the oil to a spray bottle filled with water, and mist the potpourri. Don’t add too much at first – it’s easier to add more scent later than to take the smell away.

Packaging for Potpourri
Packaging your potpourri is another opportunity to get creative! Many people enjoy having multiple sachets of potpourri that they can use at their leisure, in suitcases, drawers or other places that could benefit from a little bit of scent. You can purchase pretty sachet bags at your local craft store, or you can keep a bowl of potpourri out in the open. If you choose to make sachets, be sure to store ones that aren’t currently in use in an airtight container so they don’t lose their smell.

While we know that your flowers won’t last forever, we love sharing ways that you can get the most out of your bouquets. We think you should be able to enjoy them for as long as possible.

How to Make Flower Bath Bombs at Home

We don’t always have the time or money to treat ourselves to a day at the spa, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get the chance to enjoy a nice, relaxing bathing session. Bath bombs are a hot trend in home spa sessions. They’re typically made up of citric acid, baking soda, corn starch and various essential oils for soothing scents and moisturizing properties. If you have a Teleflora flower bouquet that’s on it’s last leg, try drying the petals out for some DIY flowers to add to your homemade bath bomb. Teleflora Promo Code: Save 50% on Flowers From Teleflora.com Plus an Extra $10 OFF with ... Halloween Coupons ... Teleflora Coupon Codes November 2016. http://coupon4share.com/store/teleflora.com

 Here’s how to make one:

Ingredients for a DIY Bath Bomb
You’ll need two cups of baking soda, one cup of citric acid, one cup of corn starch, and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, for a bare-bones bath bomb. However, you’ll have a lot more fun if you add some essential oil and color to it! Many essential oils also have therapeutic properties and are used in aromatherapy. Here are a few to check out before you make your final decision:

• Lavender: Calming. This scent is good for a bath bomb you’ll use before bed.
• Peppermint: Stimulating. Make a peppermint bath bomb for someone for Christmas, or use it during a morning bath to perk you up for the day.
• Eucalyptus: Soothing. This oil is also antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, so it’s a great choice if you’re easing aching muscles or have a cold and are trying to clear your airways.
• Lemon: Invigorating. If you want a summery-smelling bath bomb, lemon is a good choice. Don’t use too much, though, as it’s a very powerful scent.

Other popular scents include rose, sandalwood, orange blossom, almond and patchouli.

Adding Flowers to Your Bath Bomb

If you want to add flowers to your bath bombs, be sure they’re dried. They add a lovely aesthetic appeal to the bomb, and would be an especially good addition if you used lavender essential oil in the recipe. Pluck the petals from the flower before they completely die, and bake them in the oven on a baking sheet, or leave them to dry in the sun on your windowsill. If you prefer to keep the flowers on their stems simply hang your flowers upside down to dry out naturally.

To keep the flowers a surprise, put the dried petals in the middle of a ball of bath bomb mixture, so once it begins to dissolve, the flowers will be exposed. However, you can simply toss the petals into the mix as well.

Additional ingredients 
Of course, there are plenty of other additions you can make to your bath bomb mixture, whether you just want the bomb to look pretty or if you’re looking for more soothing elements. Adding some oatmeal will soothe your skin and Epsom salt will ease any aches or pains. You can also put a couple of drops of food coloring into the mix, but don’t go too overboard because you don’t want the color to rub off onto your skin.  Mix all of the dry ingredients together first, then add the oils. After you make your mixture, you can form balls with your hands, or put your bath bomb mixture into a mold to harden. They’ll take about a day or so to cure, but if you want to speed it up, you can bake them in the oven for about a half hour. This will make your home smell heavenly!

This is just another way to repurpose your fall flowers to get the most out of their beauty. Now go forth and treat yourself!

New Baby Flowers You Should Send as a Gift

When a friend or family member has a new baby, the excitement is overwhelming. Chances are, you can’t wait for your chance to meet the new bundle of joy but you don’t want to show up empty handed. Since the new parents have likely received all of the supplies they need to take care of their new child at the baby shower, a baby present is meant to be more thoughtful than useful. A new baby flower bouquet is always a good option, especially if you aren’t located in the same state or can’t visit soon. Teleflora can make sure the flowers are delivered in a timely manner and looking beautiful. Today's top Teleflora Flowers promo code: Free Service Fee On Halloween Bouquets. Get 28 Teleflora Flowers coupon codes and coupons for 2016.

Check out a few tips when you are buying flowers for a new baby:

Picking Your New Baby Flower Bouquet

You may have known the baby’s gender before he or she was born, or the parents could have wanted it to be a surprise. If the parents have already told everyone the baby’s gender, maybe by hosting a gender reveal party or announcing the sex in an informal way, you may want to specifically deliver a bouquet of baby girl flowers or baby boy flowers. Bouquets made to celebrate the birth of a baby girl are complete with pink roses and lilies, white daisies and purple alstroemeria, and lavender in gorgeous vases and baskets. On the other hand, bouquets for baby boys utilize blue delphiniums and hydrangeas along with white daisies. These bouquets also come in vases perfect for the occasion; many complete with pink or blue ribbons.

However, it’s becoming increasingly popular to not place a lot of emphasis on a baby’s gender. Just because the parents aren’t making a big deal about whether their new bundle of joy is a boy or girl, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have a lovely bouquet delivered. Instead of choosing a specific “Baby Girl” or “Baby Boy” floral arrangement, choose a gender neutral bouquet complete with oranges, greens, yellows and reds.

When Not to Send New Baby Flowers

In most cases, a new mom and her baby will be in the hospital from one to four days after delivery. If you’re very close with the mother and know when she will be discharged from the hospital, feel free to have flowers delivered right to her hospital room. The first couple of days with a new baby can be a real whirlwind, so she would surely appreciate some cheer in her hospital room. However, there are times that you should hold off on having flowers delivered to the hospital. If there were complications with the delivery or if the baby was in the NICU, you don’t want to have flowers delivered. The doctors and mother would likely prefer to keep the room as sterile as possible, and flowers can bother the baby. If this is the case, it’s advisable to wait a couple of weeks and have the flowers brought to the new mom’s home after that. After a couple of weeks, chances are, the baby will be doing well and the mother will be up for accepting deliveries.

Sending flowers is the perfect way to welcome a new addition to anyone’s life. If you want to make it extra special, write a custom message inside the card that can be kept forever. Check out this list of card message suggestions if you need any help!

Celebrate Courage: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Fall might be known for its vibrant colors of red, orange, and yellow, but pink is the real star for the month of October. As many of you probably already know, this month is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we thought we would share a very special partnership we have with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. You might be thinking to yourself that October is essentially over, but this means so much to us, that we actually work together all year long. What I am talking about? Read on to learn about our fight for a cure:

Cancer Divides, We Unite

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s mission is to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world’s research. Did you know that every two minutes a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer? That is a scary amount and something BCRF wants to make a thing of the past. This year, BCRF is investing $57 million in research to support 250 researchers in 14 countries. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation spends 91 cents of every dollar on research, remaining one of the most fiscally responsible nonprofits, and is the only breast cancer organization with an “A+” from CharityWatch. As of right now, there are nearly three million breast cancer survivors, and they want that number to keep rising! So the more money BCRF is able to raise, the more research that can be done to find a cure to fight breast cancer.

Think Pink

Whether you have a breast cancer survivor in your life who you want to celebrate or just want to do your part to find a cure, our partnership donates 15% of your purchase of our Pink Grace Bouquet to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s efforts! This pretty in pink bouquet of roses, spray roses, carnations, and alstromeria adds the perfect pop of color to any room and is not only limited to October. Yep, that’s right! All year long, if you purchase this flower arrangement, you could be changing the future of breast cancer research forever.

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Help us create a world with more survivors by gifting this beautiful flower bouquet to a loved one in your life. Celebrate courage and send flowers online of beauty and hope!

The Most Popular Christmas Flower & Teleflora Promo Codes for Christmas

Poinsettias are the most popular flower to see around Christmas time. The red color of the poinsettia flower is perfect for Christmas and is used in all kinds of decor around the house over the holidays. But do you know where the poinsettia comes from? 

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A flower from our neighbors
Although they’re all over the U.S. as decorations around the holiday season, the poinsettia plant actually has its roots in Central America. More specifically, they are native to the Aztecs of Mexico. In fact, the Aztecs had all kinds of uses for the poinsettia, from dying clothes to using the sap as medicine. The flower didn’t make its way north to the U.S. until the 1800s, when the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Robert Poinsett liked the flowers so much on a visit that he sent some back to the U.S.

Red Poinsettia plant is potted in a 6-inch pot and presented in a natural basket decorated with wide velvet ribbon.

A Christmas legend
The poinsettia flower is a popular one around Christmas because of the Mexican folk legend about it. The story is about two children from a poor family, Pablo and Maria, on Christmas Eve. According to the legend, the youngsters were on the way to church services that night and wanted to find a gift for Baby Jesus in the manger scene. Since they had no money, the two settled for picking some weeds they found on the side of the road on the way to church. As they placed the plants around the figurine, the green weeds turned into the bright red, star-shaped petals of the poinsettia. It’s because of this Christmas legend that the flowers are still used so frequently around the holiday season.

Although the most common kind of poinsettia is probably the red colored one, there are several varieties of the flower. In fact, you can find poinsettias in pink, white and peach colors, too. That said, the care for each type of poinsettia is the same. It’s relatively simple: Place your poinsettias in a bright room, but not anywhere that would leave them in direct sunlight. At night, move the poinsettias to a cooler place. Check the soil daily and add water if it’s dried out. Do your best to keep your plant away from a heater and air conditioning unit, as extreme temperature changes aren’t good for it. Poinsettias should stay healthy in your home for about six to eight weeks.

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