Mid-Winter Blues

Say "No" to Mid-Winter Blues

It's mid winter, the cold weather is setting in, the selection of flowers available isn’t great and the prices are high. Schools are on holiday and business is quite. Petrol goes up this week and Madiba is still on life support. Can you just imagine the deluge of positivity that is going to feature in the media this week?

I’m not buying into it. We’re going to have a good news week at Country Flowers. Let’s celebrate winter, plan for spring which is 9 weeks away. Celebrate the life and times of Madiba, how lucky we are to have had the pleasure of sharing our country with such an icon. Who was so wise, level headed and generous! Yes the petrol price will have a detrimental effect on our disposable income, so let’s share cost saving ideas and spread the word of places that offer good value for money. On the flower front I’m going to bring you some great ideas that only use a couple of flowers and make a great impact and let’s not forget flowers last longer in winter.

The truth of the matter is that we are for the most part going to live through this; how I do it is entirely up to me. I think a day without a laugh, a smile or a kind word is wasted and I’m not sure how many I’ve got left so I may as well make each one count.

 

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Christmas Spirit

The silly season is upon us, hold on to your Christmas hat here we go! There are a number of reasons in why I don't usually enjoy this time of year the first being the mad rush , what’s that about? I really don’t see the point of running everywhere, driving faster, rushing around the shops buying things you don’t need, with money you don’t have for people you don’t really care about. Stop, breath enjoy the Christmas decorations, brows the shops and be inspired by the unique gifts that have been put on the shelves. Go into a bookshop or music store and spend an hour it’s good for your soul, if you can’t find the time “Houston, we have a problem”.

My other niggle is the “year end get together”  every person you’ve ever met  or any organisation or club you’ve ever been affiliated to has to get together for lunch, dinner or the never ending couple of drinks. If you’re the proud parents of a couple of children your problems are trebled .Year End concerts, final assemblies, Christmas parties the list is never ending.

This year I’m doing things differently, I’m going to take time and choose my gifts with care. I’m going to the all the Christmas markets I can get to and where ever possible I’m going to purchase all my gifts and festive season goodies locally, so as to improve the season for people in my community instead of adding to the coffers of the multi nationals who wouldn’t know the Christmas spirit if they were run over by it.

 I’m not the gringe who spoiled Christmas I’m the founder member of the “Slow Christmas Movement” the membership is free, all that is required is that you stop and think. Spend time with the people you love, share a smile with people you’ve never formally met and do a kind deed for someone who is less fortunate than you are. Lastly be kind to yourself, you’ve made it.  2012 is nearly in the bag, instead of freaking out about all the things you haven’t done count all the things you have done, great experiences you’ve had and wonderful people you’ve spent time with. Give yourself a pat on the back and a hug while you’re about it, you deserve it.

May the next three weeks in your world be filled with the true spirit of Christmas.

Written by Jackie West-Evans owner of Country Flowers “Living My Dream”

Wedding season is upon us. Once upon a time weddings were big business for florists, but like most things this has changed.  Wedding venues now offer a full wedding package including flowers. On the whole I think this way of doing business is much less stressful for the bride. The only exception is the flowers for the bridal retinue. Thousands have been spent on the dresses and suits, the pictures will be looked at for generations - don’t skimp on the bridal bouquet. Even if you want it to look like an informal bunch of flowers, get a professional to select the flowers, tape and wire each flower and place them perfectly. Ribbons and bows are very important, always go for the ones made in Germany or France; they are much more expensive but can’t be compared to their cheaper competitors.

If you’re planning a wedding, the first step is to go through all your bridal magazines and scour the internet for images you like, this will give the florist a good idea of your taste and a feel for the theme of the wedding.  Remember, in most instances you are going to get overseas images so the flower selection will be different. We don’t get flowers like “Lilly of the Valley” and a lot of Bridal work in the UK is done with Hydrangeas, which although perfect for their summer will last about 5 seconds in our summer weather.  Be guided by an expert.

Next step is to book time with the florist, you need an hour or so to chat and swop ideas. Get a quotation in writing. Once a bride has accepted our quotation I always suggest a meeting a week before the wedding where you can see the exact selection of flowers that will be used in your arrangements. If you’re ordering table arrangements this is the point at which you want to see a mock up. Finalise collection times and make sure everything is in writing. All this preparation converts to less stress on the day.

This whole process is not only about your special day - it’s about building a lasting relationship with a professional who would like you to be a satisfied client who will continue to use their florist services many times in the future. There is nothing like the satisfied “YAY” of a thrilled bride. I have only ever had one unhappy bride, she burst into tears when she saw her bouquet and yelled at the top of her voice “I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!” I will never forget how disappointed I was; I worked on that bouquet like a mad person till we were both happy. That was 16 years ago, since then we have sent her tons of flowers for various occasions -  when she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, came up with some great ideas when she  met and wooed a new love and did all the flowers for her wedding party after she eloped for her second marriage. Nowadays she often pops into the shop on a Saturday afternoon when we both have time for a good old yak. Every bead of sweat I put into making my bride happy was so worth it, I made a customer for life but more than that a friend, and as we all know those are priceless.

Written by Jackie West-Evans owner of Country Flowers “Living my dream”

Gerbera Daisy

Gerbera Daisy, Transvaal Daisy, African Daisy, Barberton Daisy, and Veldt Daisy these are a couple of names for our amazing Gerbera. These flowers are a firm favourite of many a young girl, not surprising when you see the amazing variety of colours they come in. They have a vase life of between 7 to 10 days and are available all year round. When purchasing Gerberas look for unbruised fully round heads with unblemished petals on long, straight, upright stems. They come in two sizes the normal Gerbera and a Mini Gerbera which is half the size and more than half the price. If you purchase Gerbera regularly it would be worth your while to cut a piece of chicken wire to fit the top of a bucket, the flower stems get cut under water and then suspended on the chicken wire into the water without touching the bottom of the bucket. This will ensure the stems are straight and eliminate the out dated idea of wiring the stems.  

The meaning of Gerbera flowers stem from those attributed to the general daisy family. These meanings include innocence and purity. Daisies are also a classic symbol of beauty however the Gerbera variety holds an added meaning of cheerfulness, which stems from the assortment of colours available.

Now for the hard part, growing Gerbera plants, considering they are native to Gauteng this should be easy. Your Gerbera Daisy plant flowers best when it is growing in a small container and is slightly pot bound. Repot growing Gerbera Daisies in April. Use an open, free draining soil mix. When re potting ensure that the crown of the plant is above the level of the soil. Rot will occur if the crowns are buried or the drainage is poor. After repotting keep them in a shaded location until they're established. The best position for growing Gerbera Daisies is in full sunlight to ensure maximum flower production. Keep your plant slightly moist at all times, especially when in bloom, but don't let the pot sit in water. In summer feed regularly every 2 weeks with a weak liquid fertilizer, and regularly pick off the dead flowers to promote further flowering. Indoor growing Gerbera Daisies can flower all year round. Also remove old leaves regularly to prevent fungus infections developing. I feel it only fair to mention I’ve tried all of the above and failed no Gerbera green fingers for me.

Have a happy flower week and remember “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Written by Jackie West-Evans owner of Country Flowers “living my dream”

What is your flower heritage?

Heritage Day is one of our newly created public holidays. It’s a day in which all are encouraged to celebrate their culture and traditions in the wider context of the great diversity of cultures, beliefs, and traditions that make up the nation of South Africa. In 2005 after media campaign we generally refer to this holiday as national braai day. Never underestimate the power of advertising!

Seeing everyone in their cultural dress yesterday made me think of our diversity and our different backgrounds would effect our “flower heritage”. Protea are our national flower and although I now appreciate their beauty this was not always the case and they don’t feature in my flower culture. My earliest flower memory must be the “Yesterday Today and Tomorrow” in my grandmothers, Jessie’s front garden. Strange as it may seem she also lived on Queen Street in Kensington, three blocks from our shop. African Violet plants would also feature as her kitchen was never without one.

I also remember walking home from school and picking the Rthumaleln Creeper flowers taking them appart and sucking the sweet nector. My first introduction to cut flowers came from the” Biggie Best” store in Eastgate, they used to sell bunches of mixed flowers in buckets outside their store and I remember begging my mom to buy me one for my birthday. As a result every time I make a bunch of flowers with Cape Green and Statice my memory is tweaked and I have a smile on my face. I love these triggers that take you back to your past and ensure that you never forget. Mostly I enjoy the warm wave of love and appreciation that engulf you, even for a second.

Be mindful of the fact that you are creating these same memories for the little people in your life every time you interact with them. Teach them to appreciate the beauty of flowers and plants and you might be part of their “flower heritage”

Have a wonderful week and remember everything you do is important as you have exchanged one day of your life for it.

Written By Jackie West-Evans “Living My Dream” 

I want to start this week with a blog about gratitude.  After last week, which can only be described as “horrid” we are moving forward.  I will never understand why we have to be dealt so many challenges in a short time, instead of karma giving you one or two challenges a week. We glided into Secretaries Day week with relative ease, we are always prepared to work long hours and expect a hectic day. True to form the orders started to pour in on Tuesday and after finishing very late on Tuesday night we were good to go. At this point the details get a bit blurred, windows froze on my laptop, the backup didn’t work, our delivery van broke down, the laptop got hit by lightning , the vehicle took a day longer to fix than quoted and one of my precious staff member got arrested in error by a couple of over enthusiastic police officers. Yes this all took place in four days. Why you might ask am I filled with gratitude, well that’s easy, in time we will fix all of the above.  I started last week by watching an interview with Joost Van Der Westhuizen last Sunday night, and although not a fan due to his extra mural activities I was blown away by his positive attitude and fight for life in the face of real adversity. Life happens and although tough to understand at times it really is the way we respond to what happens that will determine our future.

This week we have a whole lot to be grateful for. My interview for the Small Business Awards in this morning at 8:45am, hold thumbs. I’m fully prepared; if I can talk about any subject at length it’s my business. I’m so passionate about our company and industry and have so many dreams that will be fulfilled in time. My only concern is that they have allocated us only 2 minutes with each of the 5 judges, how are they going to shut me up? Tuesday night is the gala dinner where the winner and two runners up will be announced. This whole experience has been invaluable to our business and has opened up so many opportunities going forward. It is wonderful to read all the comments our clients and friends have posted on the 702 website (only able to view from a smartphone) for this I am so grateful.

I hope your week is filled with many blessings I know for sure mine will be. Follow us on Facebook for a week of Gratitude.

Written by Jackie West-Evans owner of Country Flowers “Living My Dream”

What a fantastic week it has been!   The week started with a smell of spring in the air, which put a huge smile on my face - and as the week went by the smile got bigger and bigger.  On Monday we were notified by 702 that we had been nominated by a customer of ours for the SBA.  We were required to complete a document and give them a short explanation of what we do.  I must confess that although I was thrilled, I repeated my learned behaviour of “Yeah right! Like we could ever win something like that”.  On Wednesday I emailed the documents back and thought that would be the end of that.  Late on Thursday afternoon I was doing some paper work - my least favourite job - when I received the call “Kindly hold the line for David O’Sullivan” my heart stopped, I blinked twice and the live interview was done.  We were finalists!

The days that followed have been crazy; the listenership of 702 is beyond amazing. I would go as far as to say there are fewer people who have heard the interview than have not.  The spinoff is multifaceted - from people who have driven past the shop on numerous occasions but never stopped, who came in to meet us, telephonic orders from new customers who heard the interview and tons of congratulations from friends of Country Flowers.  The most fun was a recipient's husband who I phoned to arrange a time of delivery for his wife’s birthday flowers arranged by her best friend, he recognised our company name straight away from our radio spot and asked to be added to our data base. Then there was the call from a girlfriend of my father’s who he hadn’t spoken to for 20 years. “It’s all about spreading the love Dad!”.

The competition will run for the next two weeks and on the 10^th September the finals will be held in the form of a “speed -dating event” which will help the judges determine the winner and runners up. The winner will be announced on the 11^th September at a gala evening held at the Michelangelo. Softline Pastel will award the winner and runners up with a laptop pre-loaded with Accounting, Payroll, HR and other software.  They will also receive a free Pastel training course or seminar of their choice as well as a year’s worth of software support. The winner will also be awarded R100 000 in airtime on 702 Talk Radio. How amazing would that be?

In closing, never again will I doubt what we are capable of, we work hard, are passionate and committed to our customers, our community and our industry. We are in it to win it!  Your comments on the 702 Small Business Awards page would be appreciated http://www.sba.702.co.za/Home/Profile/17.

Written by Jackie West-Evans owner of Country Flowers “Living My Dream”