Annapolis Royal Flower Shop News
Bring colour indoors over winter - TheChronicleHerald.ca
Tuesday, January 16, 2018I can’t stand the thought of the planters dying, so I bring them indoors,” says McLaughlin, whose love of gardening was nurtured when she was a vendor at the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal.Contrary to what our mothers and grandmothers may have taught us, geraniums do not have to be sanctioned to the basement or porch for winterization. This popular flower is tolerant of both indoor and outdoor environments and, as a result, can be nurtured as a potted houseplant until temperatures facilitate outdoor growth. Water, light, warmth and tender loving care sustain healthy geraniums indoors.Studies on the health benefits of sharing space with fresh flowers are numerous. Flowers contribute to happiness and can even speed up recovery times from illness. Published studies indicate that plants improve indoor air quality, contribute to a healthy state of mind and decrease the effects of anxiety and depression.In office settings, the presence of plants can increase employee productivity and decrease stress levels.Jill Covill, owner and president of Bunchberry Nurseries in Upper Clements, suggests forcing early flowering plants into bloom.“Top of the list is the witch hazel ‘Arnold’s promise.’ It has a lovely delicate flower and fragrance,” she says.Even garden shrubs can be forced into early bloom.“I also force forsythia, quince and willows,” says Covill. This involves a simple process of taking a branch cutting from the shrub and placing it in a bucket of warm water indoors.“I also force some of my leftover bulbs. The dwarf daffodils work well,” she says. “I also force hyacinths, but I will keep them in a cooler room in a warm spot. The fragrance can be a little overwhelming.” Bulbs require a cooling time before planting.“You could plant them and find a spot in your refrigerator for the cool period. They don’t have to freeze; just low temps,” says Covill.The amaryllis is a quick growing flower that is available in a variety of vibrant colours and is purchased as a bulb during winter months. Bunchberry Nurs... http://thechronicleherald.ca/valleyharvester/1537050-bring-colour-indoors-over-winter
Relay: Where Have All The Flowers Gone? - East Hampton Star
Tuesday, October 11, 2016The guy in the booth shrugged, gave a weak smile, and turned away. Obviously, they are not as sentimental as I am at the East Hampton Cinema about phone numbers and Peanut Chews. I moved home from Nova Scotia last year, after seven or eight living in Canada, and have spent the last 18 months complaining about changes around town, much to the irritation of my children. I feel like Rip Van Winkle. What happened to the red rosebushes on the fence at Odd Fellows Hall (a.k.a. Gordon Peavy’s dance studio, a.k.a. Eileen Fisher)? How did they become so meager?The matching, velvety-red roses on the fence at the train station? I can guess what happened to those ones: The evergreens someone planted to “beautify” the space parallel to the platform grew so tall while I was away in Canada that the rosebushes no longer get enough sun. The train-station-fence roses are a frail shadow of their former glory. Who is in charge of the roses? Can I write a letter to someone?When did people start calling the East Hampton Town Board the “town council”?Am I the only one who is unhappy with the newfangled Halloween ritual of marching children store to store for trick-or-treating instead of letting them run (somewhat) wild and (relatively) unchaperoned through darkened neighborhoods?I have accustomed myself to the sight of the men and women in pseudo-Moroccan caftans or Vilebrequin swim trunks who whiz down the street on bicycles or skateboards as they simultaneously fiddle with their phones, eyes down, but I do worry I will run one of them over with my car.The parking lots at the ocean beaches this summer were, predictably, even more crowded than they were eight years ago, but, weirdly, the water was emptier. Why aren’t there more swimmers? Do people only swim in pools nowadays?Furthermore, where is the white corn?Winston Churchill — supposedly — said, “If you’re not a liberal when you’re 25, you have no heart. If you’re not a conservative by the time you’re 35, you have no brain.” I have to admit I must be middle-aged now. I will never be conservative politically, but I’m a radical conservative when it comes to preservation of any sort, even of things like Peanut Chews, the natural-born right of Americans to jaywalk, and telephone area codes.I’d like to turn back time to the summers when small children didn’t wear string bikinis. A functional one-piece maillot or,... http://easthamptonstar.com/Columnists/20161006/Relay-Where-Have-All-Flowers-Gone
Canadian Food Gift Basket Services For The Foodies In Your Life - Huffington Post Canada
Tuesday, September 06, 2016Out of towners that want to get to know a bit more about Canadian cuisine, or the Canadiana fanatic that just can't get enough of local Canadian companies.Company: Sweet Jane's Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Services: Specializing in sweets and special events, Sweet Jane's is a staple in Halifax for all kinds of special occasions. Most gift baskets come in themes, such as "Summer Fiesta" or "Paris Picnic," so you're bound to find at least one basket for that hard-to-shop-for person on your list. Perfect for: Any special occasion.Company: Thirty Bench Wine Club Location: Beamsville, Ontario (Niagara region) Services: Give the gift of a membership to the Thirty Bench Wine Club designed to grant wine lovers access to Small Lot wines based out of the Beamsville Bench in Ontario's Niagara region. Every three months, members receive a shipment of a couple wines with tasting notes about each, and members also receive access to free tastings at the wineries themselves. Perfect for: Wine lovers.Company: Pacific Basket Company Location: Vancouver, B.C. Services: This gift basket company has pretty much every kind of possible basket under the sun, from country living, lemon and BBQ themes to the traditional fruit basket. The site is easy to search and baskets ship out of Vancouver to all over North America. Perfect for: Literally every occasion. Think weddings, welcome home parties, anniversaries, birthdays, baby/wedding showers, gifts for the golf fanatic, sail boat enthusiast and more.Company: Boodles Of Baskets Location: Windsor, Ontario Services: This gift basket service specializes in every kind of food and gift theme imaginable. Find baskets filled with fudge, popcorn, cookies, cakes, candy bouquets and more, and there's even a monthly gift basket club with gifts suited to each holiday or season, so your loved one can receive gifts throughout the year. Perfect for: Someone who doesn't want to think about gift giving throughout the year — it's already covered!Company: Naked Snacks Location: Vancouver, B.C. Services: This snack delivery company sends out wholesome, healthy snacks to your office for a special treat during your work day! You can send a single box or get a three-month or six-month plan which includes five bags of snacks, or 20 portions containing everything from ch... http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/08/31/food-gift-baskets-canada_n_11787682.html
Dean's Flowers owner has thorny experience with Google AdWords - CBC.ca
Thursday, February 18, 2016Google search for the 97-year-old business, deansflowers.ns.ca is not the first result that pops up on the screen.Three other businesses, that read as Local Dean Florist, Halifax Flowers Delivery and Nova Scotia Florists are top searches that appear on the page."When people do a Google search [for Dean's Flowers] a website that looks like it should be us and says it's locally owned and operated comes up so they place their order," said Holly Winchester, owner of Dean's Flowers, about flowershopping.com.Winchester said she hears from customers who mistakenly do business with other sites after a bad experience, either with the quality of their order or paying in U.S. dollars for what they believe is a Canadian sale."When people are dissatisfied with the service [from these other companies] they call us to complain and they say I ordered a $100 flower arrangement and you charged me $135," said Winchester. Google AdWords give some a leg upThe first three sites that pop up have purchased Google AdWords, a feature sold by Google that allows companies to purchase key search words, which give them prominence in Google searches.That's the main reason Dean's Flowers is fourth on the list when customers try to find it online."If you scroll down the web page you might find us but people think when they see this website that they're on our site," said Winchester.Peter Sickles, owner of Alphasearch, a search engine optimization company, told CBC News there is nothing illegal... http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/online-shopping-google-ads-1.3420914
A Snowstorm Can't Stop Halifax's Flowers From Blooming - Huffington Post Canada
Thursday, July 16, 2015The first day of spring is coming to Nova Scotia, whether nature allows it or not.Neville MacKay of Halifax floral shop My Mother's Bloomers had seen flowers on March 19 every year leading up to the present day.And he'd be damned if he was going to let snow stop them this year.Instead of waiting for massive piles of snow to clear from his yard, he painted some lovely flowers over top of them and gave people some respite from a miserable winter that just won't seem to end.The photos were posted to his Facebook page, where they had drawn nearly 600 shares as of Friday afternoon.There are so many ways you can deal with winter. You can let it bury you, depress you and ruin your day. But you can also turn it something beautiful.Way to go, Neville! Like Us On Facebook Follow Us On TwitterALSO ON HUFFPOST:CloseAdvertisement... http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/03/20/halifax-snowstorm-flowers_n_6910912.html