Saturday, January 4, 2014

How to Keep Your Phalaenopsis Orchid Happy

Happy Winter, friends of Flora!

Brrrrrr!  It's cold out there!  One highlight of winter, however, is that it's prime orchid blooming time!  Thank goodness something is in bloom this time of year-- I don't know how we would have much patience for the season, otherwise!

Orchids are known to be rather finicky little plants, so I thought we would dedicate this blog post to learning some proper care techniques, and how to coax new blooms into existence each year.  There are lots of different types of orchids, and a wide spectrum of instructions on how to care for each individual variety.  All of the orchids we carry in the Flora shop are Phalaenopsis orchids, so that's what we'll focus on in this blog post.  If you have a different variety, be sure to do some research on its light, water, and fertilizer preferences.

Phalaenopsis Orchids:


  • Watering:  Phalaenopsis orchids like to nearly dry out between waterings--- but be sure not to let it dry out completely!  Generally, every 5 to 7 days is an appropriate watering schedule, however, keep a close eye on your plant at the beginning when you're just getting to know each other.  :)  When watering an orchid, you want to be sure not to let any water get on the leaves, or in the leaf axils (this is the deep joint where each leaf connects to the central shoot).  If you accidently get some water in these areas, you can soak it up with a swab or towel, but if water sits here, it will likely rot your plant.  Another thing to be mindful of, is to not let your orchid sit in a puddle of water in its pot (This will cause the roots to rot).  Orchids should be potted in a vessel that has great drainage!
  • Fertilizing:  Don't forget to feed your plant!  You'll need to add some orchid food to the soil about once per month.  This will help keep your plant healthy and growing.  Don't get impatient and over-feed your orchid!  Too much food in the soil can hurt your plant!  I guess Goldilocks had a few things in common with orchids.....
  • Re-potting:  It's a good practice to re-pot your orchid every 18 - 24 months.  However, it's important to keep your orchid in a relatively snug-fitting pot-- Otherwise, the plant will expend all of its energy increasing the size of its root mass, and it will be too tired to grow new shoots and blooms!
  • Blooming:  The best part!  Peak blooming time for orchids is around February/March, and an orchid can bloom anywhere from about 4 to 12 weeks!  Getting your orchid to bloom again the following year, is one of the issues we hear about most frequently.  Typically, when you purchase an orchid, it is in bloom.  When it finishes blooming, cut the shoot(s) down to about 1/2" above the base.  You also might need to reduce watering and fertilizing during this period because the orchid will rest a bit right after it finishes flowering.  However, once you see new leaves and new shoots start to grow, go back to your normal watering and fertilizing schedule.
  • Keeping your orchid happy during this dormant phase is really important so that it will bloom again the following winter.  One thing to do that will often help coax an orchid into re-blooming is to give it some exposure to the changing temperatures outside in the late Spring/Summer.  Orchids love being exposed to alternating warm days and cool nights (though try not to expose it to temperatures outside of the 60 - 95 degree range)-- And don't forget to keep its moisture level in check if you allow it some time outdoors in the fresh air.
We hope this will help you navigate the intimidating world of the Phalaenopsis Orchid this season!  Remember, if you ever have any questions about ANY of your plants, or if you've got a potted friend who's looking a little under the weather, bring it in, and we'll get our expert gardeners on the case!  We also have a plant hospital in the studio-portion of our shop where we often nurse plants back to health.  We're always here for you!  :)

Happy New Year!  We wish you many blooms this year!  <3 div="">

Friday, December 13, 2013

Happy Holidays from Flora



Happy Holidays !

Wishing you peace, joy and cheer on your coming year!

We have lots of new additions to our shop for the holiday season! We have new vases, perfumes, lotions wallets, notebooks, terrarium tools, wreaths, hanging terrariums, lavender buds, paperwhite bulbs and much more--perfect for any holiday gift!


If you are having a hard time deciding on the perfect gift for your friend or loved one, We are offering gift certificiates! Come by the shop and get one, its an easy and very thoughtful gift!

We are also announcing a holiday special! We are offering a flower CSA with three options! 

Monthly: an arrangement delivered every month or for one year (350 dollars)
biweekly: an arrangement every other week for three months (180 dollars)
weekly: an arrangement every week for a month (150) 

In order to be able to offer this service at a discounted rate we must be able to have the vases returned so we can recycle and reuse them! Please come in and provide us with your friend or loved ones name and address and you will be able to give the gift that keeps on giving and brighten their week, month and year with the gift of flowers!





Friday, September 27, 2013

FALL is Here!!

We are SO excited for Fall here at Flora!  It's a beautiful time of the year for weddings in these mountains, and it means a complete change in color palette for your everyday arrangements!  Check out some of these gorgeous Fall colors we have in the shop:

 

 

As the warm weather is winding down, it's important to keep your environment cheery in order to survive the chilly months ahead!  Oh, what happiness flowers bring!

We are also looking forward to the upcoming holiday season!  Flora is no stranger to tablescapes, wreaths, dinner party flowers, mantle decor, and adding some festive floral to homes and businesses! Cheers to Fall, Flora fans!  



Thursday, September 12, 2013

Terrarium Building Workshop - September 30th!

We're excited to announce our first Flora workshop!

Enclosed Terrarium Building
Monday, September 30, 2013
FLORA (428-B Haywood Rd., West Asheville)
7:00 - 8:30 P.M.
$60.00

Flora's owner and expert terrarium designer, Melissa, will walk you through the process of building your very own enclosed, planted terrarium.  You'll learn the best techniques and tools for planting in small and unique vessels, what varieties of plants work harmoniously with this planting style, and how to maintain and care for the petite ecosystem that you create!

The $60.00 class fee covers everything except your vessel.  All plants, tools, soil, and planting materials will be provided.  If you would like to select a vessel to purchase from The Flora shop, you may do so during the workshop.

Sign up by calling Flora at (828) 252-8888, or simply stop by the shop.
(Please reserve your spot in advance, so we can assure we'll have enough materials for everyone!)






Saturday, August 10, 2013

COME WORK WITH US!


Hey Friends of Flora!-- Tell everyone you know!

Flora is seeking an intern for the Fall season! Come learn what the Floral Design industry is all about! You'll gain experience across the entire spectrum of what it means to be a floral designer--- From the nitty gritty (i.e. washing vases, heavy lifting, event breakdowns), to the fun stuff (floral design, planters, weddings, & making people oh-so happy!). We are seeking a dependable, hard worker who is eager to learn! Flora has a close-knit family of staff members, and we would love to find someone who values friendship in the workplace, so that our work family can keep growing!

Approximately 10 to 15 hours per week, including some weekends.
Please send a resume, and a brief paragraph telling us a little bit about yourself, and why you would like to intern with Flora to florabellissima@live.com by Sunday, August 18th.

We hope to hear from you!!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Help Us Beautify Haywood Road!


Hello Friends of Flora!
We wanted to share a project with you all that we just began, in an effort to raise some funding to help beautify our West Asheville neighborhood.  Follow the link to donate!  http://www.gofundme.com/3soab4

Located across the street from our shop are two giant publicly-owned medians that sit at the corner of Westwood Pl. & Haywood Rd. Up until about a week ago, they were looking fairly neglected, and were overrun with weeds. Our hard-working team of gardeners has started the makeover process (as you can see in our photos below), but these medians still need lots of love to be on par with how much we love our neighborhood!

Our plan is to use the space for blooming bulbs, plants, succulents, ground covers, edible flowers, flowering bushes, etc.! 

We are happy to step up to the plate as far as the labor, and year-round maintenance go for this soon-to-be-stunning green space, but we would appreciate some help from the community in terms of initial costs. 

We've set our goal at $1,250.00 -- this money will go completely towards this project, and will help cover the cost of the plants, and will help Flora with the yearly costs of mulch, fertilizer, and maintenance. 

Thanks to your generosity and help, our neighborhood will be bursting with blooming life in no time!

Here are some photos we took after we tore all the weeds out, and gave the existing plants a good pruning:

 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Crazy days of summer!

This summer has been quite a wild one so far! The rain seems to never stop and neither does the photoshoots, the weddings, the gardening and the calls for deliveries! Itseems like we have never been busier and it's such a great feeling!

We recently did a photoshoot at the arboretum with studio Mathewes photography, which was very exciting and colorful! Coming up this week we have a couple weddings and the Asheville indie wedding photoshoot! 

The garden has been bursting with blooms! We have been very fortunate to pick peonies, roses, hydrangeas, allium, tulips, herbs, lambs ear, dusty miller, clematis, astilbe, iris, poppies, flowering branches and many more from our gardens! Thank you to all that have helped us and shared your blooms with us!

We also have a lot of new inventory in the shop! Many flower pots, planters, terrariums, etched mercury votives, and hanging hobnail vases and lanterns! We also have several handmade flower girl baskets and ring bearer pillows to our etsy site!

Come by the shop, join our mailing list, like our Facebook, and browse our etsy site!

Love,

Team Flora

Saturday, June 22, 2013

THE FLORA GARDEN

Happy Summer, Flora fans!

We can't stop "ooh-ing" and "ahh-ing" over the beautiful blooms popping up in our garden this season.  We LOVE using local blooms, and strive to as much as possible, but it doesn't get much better than home-grown!  Here's what's blooming this week!  Stop by the shop sometime, and we'll show you in person! <3 div="">

 


  

Thursday, April 11, 2013

The Flora Garden!


We put a lot of love into our Flora garden last week!  Seeds were planted, an entire bed was relocated for more sunlight, and we weeded, mulched and fertilized to ensure we'll have some BEAUTIFUL blooms within the coming months!  Stop by the shop, and we'll take you on a tour!

Look what's coming up already!......



Thursday, March 7, 2013

Have You Seen Our Terrariums?


Here at Flora we love terrariums of all kinds- plants, succulents, open-air, enclosed--You name it!  We're gearing up for Spring, and are preparing to teach some terrarium building classes in our shop where we'll teach the basics of terrarium-building and what goes into making them live forever!  

In the class, you'll get to practice your new-found skills, and take home a living, breathing terrarium of your very own!  

Check back soon for more information on this, and other classes we'll be offering for kids and adults this Spring!