During the study, both males and females in environments with flowers and or plants demonstrated innovative thinking generated more ideas and original solutions to problems than those in environments without flowers and or plants. The study showed males generated 30% more ideas than females; however, females generated more creative, flexible solutions to problems when flowers and plants were present.

Dr. Ulrich has conducted extensive research on the effects of environments on psychological well being, stress and health. He says, “We know the importance of learning how natural surroundings affect drivers, school children and hospital patients.” Dr. Ulrich also states, “To business, it should be equal as important to understand what features can improve performance at work and make employees more productive.”

Professional Secretary’s Week, also known as Administrative Professional’s Week, is a time to recognize support staff for their valuable contributions in the workplace.

For more information on the impact of Flowers & Plants on Workplace Productivity Study, visit www.aboutflowers.com.

Professional Secretary’s Week is April 19^th to the 23^rd. Professional Secretary’s Day is April 21^st.

Listen up guys! Valentine’s Day, February 14^th, is coming up soon. This is your big chance to be romantic, impress your “sweetie” and earn those all-important “bonus points” (to be cashed in when you mess-up later….and you know you will).

Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday this year, at the end of the week. So think about starting the celebration early and building up to this big day. How about sending a surprise to her work on Thursday the 11^th or Friday the 12^th – we will include a “Just Couldn’t Wait ‘til the 14^th “ Valentine Heart. Her co-workers will be ooohhing and aaahhing at the beautiful bouquet of roses, the pampering bath basket, or the romantic combination of flowers, a teddy bear and chocolates. A few balloons will create even more fanfare. She’ll feel like a fairy-tale princess.

There’s a big plus with early delivery before Friday – you’ll be able to choose morning or afternoon…..or specific hours if she works shift or part-time, and we will also make any county delivers before Friday. On Friday and Saturday, we will deliver everything as promptly as possible, but we are unable to guarantee time deliveries…. and there’s the possibility that we will miss her if she leaves to run an errand.

OK guys, you do not want her to be envious of the girls who received their flowers early, while she’s wondering if you even remembered. So, now’s the time for action – place your order early and just relax. We’ll take care of everything and she’ll be so impressed!

Here’s a quick review of the benefits of sending your order early;

• Your “Valentine” is the center of attention at the workplace, while others are still waiting and hoping.
• They know you thought of them early – it’s not a “last minute” effort.
• Hundreds of deliveries will be made from 8-5:30 on Feb 14th….by sending early, your Valentine will feel loved all day.
• A “Just Couldn’t Wait Til the 14th” Valentine heart will be attached to your Valentine flowers or gift.

Remember – The unexpected generates more excitement, and gets more points (hint, hint)!

Looking for an easy way to find flowers that fit into your budget? Meet the “Wedding Flowers Calculator” – your new best friend. It is an easy way to get an idea of how much you’ll be spending on flowers for your wedding, before you even come into the shop.

Wedding budgets are about as diverse as the people who are making them – from the simplistic to the very extravagant.

Remember that the Wedding Flowers Calculator doesn’t take the place of an in-depth consultation with our knowledgeable bridal designers, but it is a good place to start when determining cost options.

During these tough economic times, most of us are realizing how lucky we are to have jobs.  Many bosses are under a lot of pressure to keep profits afloat without laying off employees or closing the doors altogether.  Despite all the “boss” jokes, most of them are honest and fair and try to create a good working environment.

Just over 50 years ago Patricia Bays Haroski created this holiday to honor her boss at State Farm Insurance, a man who just happened to be her father.  She picked October 16^th because it was his birthday and four years later it was declared a National Holiday.

At McAdams Floral we have a few suggestions that are proven to make even the grumpiest boss feel appreciated.  Our famous beer, wine cooler and snack baskets are at the top of the list.  After all, the way to a bosses’ heart is through his stomach.  Of course we also have an array of beautiful bouquets along with fresh green and blooming plants for the home or office.  We can tailor any of these suggestions to the bosses’ personality and hobbies and also to the size of your budget.  You don’t have to spend a fortune to show them they’re appreciated.  Or you can pool several employees’ resources to give them something more extravagant.

In the end, it really is the thought that counts.  So on Boss’s Week, October 12^th thru the16^th, take comfort in the fact that you have a job (10% current unemployment) and say thanks to the person who helps you bring home the bacon.

Visit our store or our website for special Bosses Day Promotions – we look forward to helping you make ‘em smile.

Remember way back in the ’50’s, ’60’s and ’70’s, when high school girls proudly wore their mums to homecoming?  Long ribbons in the school colors, a football trinket if the girl’s date was on the football team, a megaphone if she was a cheerleader, the school’s name applied to the ribbons with glue and glitter?

Some things have changed since the good old days, but homecoming mums are still synonymous with Texas high school football.  They just look a lot different now.

Today, florists still provide the traditional white mum – and of course, they’re huge because we’re talking Texas.  But the flower is usually silk now and the backing is covered with trinkets and gadgets.  Gaining in popularity are the mini-mum – for the boys to wear as boutonnieres, and the friendship or “little sister” mums.  The newest introductions are the mini wristlet mums and mum rings to be worn on the finger or attached to shoelaces.

Peer pressure has always existed, and today the girls want the biggest flower, the most adornments and the maximum number of streaming ribbons.  To accommodate the current trends, florists begin ordering flowers, a multitude of colored ribbons in various widths and textures, and press-on glitzy letters in the early summer.

Accessories for the corsages are limited only by the imagination.  In addition to those little footballs and megaphones of years past, today’s trappings include a menagerie of designer ribbons with helmets, cowbells, teddy bears, feathers, pennants, battery operated lights, glittery stars, chains, whistles, beads, candy, musical notes and instruments.  For the truly extravagant, florists in larger Texas cities provide 14-karat gold jewelry trinkets.

Prices range between $20 to $80 in smaller towns, and the passionate mum-buyers pay up to $400 in large city shops.  Locally in Victoria, McAdams Floral makes it easy for customers to choose from a large selection of custom designed mums, displayed on several walls.  McAdams also presents a display board with all the accessories and ribbon types, which are numbered and priced.  Customers can select their own corsage, adding a bit of ribbon or a few more trinkets to suit their personal taste.

The designers at McAdams delight in expressing their creativity by creating one-of-a-kind selections.  If a customer chooses one of these designer originals, he or she is guaranteed to have a unique style.

For more information, call McAdams Floral at (361) 575-2307, or stop by the shop at 1107 E. Red River in Victoria.

McAdams Floral may have the purr-fect solution. The way to a girl’s heart is through her pet’s love. New to their exclusive Valentine offerings this year are “Puppy Love” and Cat’s Meow”. Valentine toys and treats are cleverly wrapped up in cute ceramic pet bowls that are sure to impress the finickiest feline or bow-wow.

Speaking of impressed…..when one of these thoughtful pet goodies arrives alongside her beautiful bouquet of roses, she’ll know he’s a one-of-a-kind romantic guy. She may even send him a Valentine’s beer basket in return…..now that’s SWEET. To view “Puppy Love” or Cat’s Meow”, or any of McAdams Floral’s Exclusive Valentines ….visit them online at www.mcadamsfloral.com.

Today, Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest floral holidays of the Year. However, the tradition of giving flowers to a loved one did not originate with the February 14th holiday. In fact, a major marketing effort launched in 1911 introduced flowers as a popular gift enjoyed by many. This was credited with making flowers the Valentine’s Day gift of choice and they remain so to this day.

PAPER LACE CARDS

Prior to World War 1 (1914), St. Valentine’s Day, as it was commonly called then, was celebrated by the exchanging of paper lace cards with one’s beloved. The practice of giving flowers to express Valentine’s Day sentiments didn’t begin to catch on until the mid-1910, and grew slowly at first.
In the January 30, 1913 issue of The Weekly Florists’ Review, an article stated “Of all the obvious things of this world, the appropriateness of flowers for Valentine’s [Day] is most perfectly plain.” It needs not argument…..because flowers and hearts go naturally together.

That year, florists in Columbus, Ohio tried out newspaper advertising featuring the slogan, “Let Flowers Be Your Valentine.” These early marketing efforts brought flowers to the forefront, and Valentine’s Day flower sales continued to increase over the years.

ROSES WERE RARE

Prior to about 1930, floral valentines were typically of a single flower type and were arranged into corsage bouquets. Violets, sweet peas, and lilies-of-the-valley were most often selected for the holiday. Spring flowers such as stocks, acacia stems, and pussy willows were also popular, as were spring flowering hyacinths, daffodils, and tulip plants.

It wasn’t until the early 1930s that roses were in demand for the special day. Starting around 1927, rose sales increased gradually for several years and eventually, the rose eclipsed all other flowers in Valentine’s Day sales. By 1940, roses and carnations were considered traditional for Valentine’s Day.

SYMBOLS OF LOVE

As flowers became the accepted form of Valentine’s Day expression, accessories quickly became important design elements. Hearts, lovebirds, and Cupids were commonly tied to basket handles, featured in display windows, and added into arrangements and potted plants.

Novelty containers, especially heart-shaped ones, were all the rage throughout the 1920s and ‘30s. As a result, loose arrangements, in vases, bowls, and baskets, became more common, and the popularity of the corsage bouquet began to wane. By the late 1940s, the gathered, single-flower corsage bouquets of violets or sweet peas had been virtually eliminated from holiday tradition, although body corsages remained fashionable Valentine’s Day gifts until the 1950s.

Despite product diversification and the many flower varieties available for the February holiday, no other flower or product has rivaled the popularity of the red rose for Valentine’s Day; of course, that remains true today. Over the years, mixed arrangements, particularly those featuring premium flowers such as orchids and lilies, have captured some of the holiday market, but red roses seem truly to be unshakable Valentine’s Day icons.

Article adapted from “Holidays,” a chapter written by Dianne Noland in A Centennial History of the American Florist, published by Florists’ Review.

Having lost his father from Cancer, Clay Atchison with McAdams Floral supports the “Stand Up For Cancer” by donating 10% of the purchase price of every Stand Up To Cancer Bouquet. Through the gift of flowers to a friend, loved one, or a cancer survivor… we can all be a part of the movement to help push Cancer research forward.

A Stand Up To Cancer TV fundraising event will be simulcast on ABC, CBS, and NBC on September 5th with each broadcasting company donating one hour of commercial free fundraising broadcast time.

Cancer claims one person every minute of every day in the US, each year it takes the lives of more than a half a million people.

It’s estimated that about 30% of all weddings currently being planned will include the beloved family pet in one capacity or another. Now, as ridiculous as this may seem to some, it’s happening, ….and it is fashionable.

Designing “body flowers” for Fifi does pose a few challenges….especially if the pet is not accustomed to wearing a collar and walking on a leash. When they are adorned with flowers, it usually adds additional bulk or weight…and some pets do not respond well to being dressed so formally. It is suggested that the Bride have a practice run or two with her pet, so they can get the feeling of wearing flowers around their neck or as part of the leash. And of course, there are those pets that would rather eat their accessories than wear them. For them, there is always the option of permanent botanical flowers (silk flowers) with a little bitter apple sprayed on it to deter them from wanting to chew.

In any case, be sure to include every guest – two legged or four…..a pet plays an important part in the lives of a Bride and Groom.

By Suzie Kostick AIFD, MCF, PFCI

*They know you thought of them early – it’s not a “last minute” effort.

*Over 800 deliveries will be made from 8-5:30 on Feb 14th….buy sending early, your Valentine will feel loved all day.

*A “Just Couldn’t Wait Til the 14th” Valentine heart will be attached to your Valentine flowers or gift.

Remember – The unexpected generates more excitement, and gets more points (hint, hint)!

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