Ballard Blossom Blog

Spring is a season for new beginnings. And what better way to celebrate than by sending spring flowers from Ballard Blossom in Seattle, WA ? April is full of holidays and special events, and each one offers a unique reason to send blooms. Here are some of our favorite reasons to send April flowers this year along with a few of our favorite flowers for each occasion! Easter - Sunday, April 17 Easter is a time for family, friends, faith, and flowers! But did you know that Easter is the fourth biggest floral holiday of the year? And while it may not get the same recognition as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, or other national holidays, flowers and Easter plants have long played a very important role in Easter and Passover observances. They are synonymous with the holidays in both home decorations and as gifts. Ballard's Skagit Valley Tulips Bouquet Our favorites Easter flower arrangements include Easter lilies, tulips, and daffodils. Lilies are popular symbols of Easter as t...

Did you recently get engaged? Are you planning your wedding and feeling overwhelmed? No need to worry, you're not alone. Planning a wedding can be stressful and intimidating at first, but it can - and should - also be a lot of fun!  If you're planning a wedding, you know how important it is to have beautiful flowers. But what if you're not sure how to go about working with a professional florist? Here are some pro tips from the experienced floral wedding designers at Ballard Blossom in Seattle, WA that will help make the process easier and ensure that your wedding flowers are absolutely perfect on your big day! Tip #1: Work with your florist to create a custom theme that reflects your personality and style. Your wedding day is all about you and your spouse-to-be, so it’s important that your flowers reflect your unique personality and style. Work with your local florist to create a custom wedding theme that you love. This will be the starting point for all of your other wed...

Valentine's Day is just around the corner which means it's time to start thinking about flowers! If you've ever received flowers, you know the feeling of excitement that comes with seeing a beautiful arrangement delivered to your home or office. But what if the joy of receiving flowers could last longer?  Most people know the basics for keeping flowers alive longer: changing the water, keeping it in a cool place, and not leaving them in direct sunlight. But here are a few pro tips from the experienced floral designers at Ballard Blossom in Seattle, WA that will help make your flowers last as long as possible. 1. Choose a clear vase One of the most obvious ways to make roses and other flowers last longer is by using a clear vase with a lot of water. Why clear? Because opaque vases make it much more difficult to monitor the water level - which almost always leads to under-watering and faster perishing flowers. 2. Condition your water (use flower food) Beautiful Love Bouquet ...

After a year of indecision in 2021 when the Pantone Color Institute couldn’t decide between “Illuminating” (yellow) and “Ultra Gray” as Color of the Year, the “color experts” at the Pantone Color Institute returned to their customary selection of a lone color to represent 2022. Their choice? Very Peri (PANTONE 17-3938), a shade of blue with violet red undertones, not unlike what most people call periwinkle.  How did the color experts choose Very Peri for the 2022 Color of the Year? Pantone Color Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman explains: “As we move into a world of unprecedented change, the selection of PANTONE 17-3939 Very Peri brings a novel perspective and vision of the trusted and beloved blue color family, encompassing the qualities of the blues, yet at the same time with its violet red undertone, encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expressions.” Pantone chose bright and soothing colors last year to symbolize a renewed sense of hope and optimism following the w...

December is here once again. That means the time is now to start planning your holiday shopping (if you haven’t already) in order to avoid picked-over store shelves and lengthily shipping delays closer to Christmas.  Holiday shopping does not have to be difficult or stressful. In fact, holiday shopping can be a simple one-stop shopping experience if you know the best place to shop for holiday gifts in Seattle, WA. Ballard Blossom has all of your holiday gift ideas covered with an incredible variety of holiday flowers, centerpieces, and plants available now in-store, as well as countless other holiday gift ideas including candles, chocolates, ornaments, and more!  Whether you’re holiday shopping for a loved one, friend, co-worker, or business associate, we have unique holiday gift ideas that everyone on your list is sure to love!  5 Holiday Favorites from Ballard Blossom Poinsettias A lovely poinsettia plant is an excellent traditional holiday gift idea they will cherish a...

The holiday season is a time for celebration and family. It’s the time of year where we deck the halls and decorate our homes and offices with holiday décor.  But finding time to decorate during the holiday rush can be difficult, and the longer you wait, the less options you have. Most people wait until after Thanksgiving to start thinking about holiday decorations, so your best bet is to have your designer booked before they start getting too busy.  That means right now is the best time to start planning your holiday decorating. If you’re looking for holiday decorating ideas or are in need of on-site florists that can help you get your home festive-ready before December 25th then Ballard Blossom should be your first stop!  We offer services to any budget big or small and our floral designers are experts in helping customers find the perfect holiday decorations for their home or office.  Our design team will decorate your home  Everyone loves decorating for holi...

  Fall is a wonderful time of year. The leaves are changing, the air is crisp and cool, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Give thanks this season with fall flowers from Ballard Blossom . Flowers can be given as gifts or used to create festive centerpieces for the Thanksgiving dinner table.  There is nothing more heartwarming than a bouquet of fresh flowers on the Thanksgiving table. We have a wonderful assortment of fall flowers that will make your Thanksgiving table look spectacular. From roses to poinsettias, we have something to please everyone on your list including bouquets with traditional autumn colors like oranges and browns, as well as brighter tones such as yellows and reds. Creating fall-themed flower arrangements is one of our favorite parts about this season because there are so many possibilities thanks to all the different types of flowers available during this time - from chrysanthemums and marigolds to mums and poinsettias! When it comes down to it,...

Flowers are fascinating. Like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike and each one stands alone as a magnificent work of art. But when you combine several flowers together in a bouquet , the magic truly comes alive with a dazzling array of colors, shapes, and scents that are just a bit different than anything ever created before. Its alluring display will catch your eye from across the room, inviting a closer look after eliciting your emotions. Perhaps one of the reasons we are so drawn to the beauty of flowers is the emotional response they provoke. There is no feeling in the world quite like receiving a dozen red roses from someone you love. In that moment, no words are even necessary because the flowers say it all.  They help in other times too when we can’t find the right words to say. Sympathy flowers and plants serve as a perfect memorial that not only solidifies the love and devotion of family and friends, but also helps to provide a tranquil, peaceful setting for the remembr...

Grandparents Day is a national holiday or observance, celebrated each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. This year it takes place on Sunday September 12.  Contrary to popular misconception, Grandparents Day was not invented by greeting card companies, florists, restaurants, or any other business interest.  Serene Comfort by Ballard Blossom - Seattle WA Instead, the origin of Grandparents Day can be traced back to 1956 when a mother from West Virginia named Marian McQuade helped organize a community celebration for people over 80 years of age. In doing so, she realized how many elderly care facility residents had been forgotten by their families.  She envisioned a holiday that would not only bring attention to the elderly population but would also honor all grandparents by celebrating the connections between generations. Her work paid off and in 1973 West Virginia became the first state to set aside a special day to celebrate grandparents. Three years later – in 197...

  It’s almost that time of year once again! Back-to-school sales are starting to pop up everywhere, and teachers are busy preparing for the start of school year unlike any we’ve experienced before. With summer winding down, now is not only the perfect time to show your appreciation to those who have been taking care of your kids during the break, but also a fantastic opportunity to start the school year off right with a gift of flowers for the teachers, facility, coaches, and staff who will be enriching their lives during the next nine months. To some, it may seem like the summer flew by too fast while others have been counting the days until the new school year begins. Regardless of how you feel about your kids going back to school, we hope your summer was filled with adventure and learning experiences that can’t be taught in schools. If there are any nannies, babysitters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, camp counselors, clergy members or coaches who influenced your summer, flowers a...

The 4th of July is a summertime celebration filled with fireworks, parades, picnics, and a lot of patriotic pride. While our original Independence Day took place way back in 1776, the party didn’t really get started until a year later when the first official celebration took place in Philadelphia. That celebration included many of the same festivities we still observe today.  If you want to celebrate July 4th in style, do it with flowers! Decorating for this holiday is as easy as red, white, and blue – but that certainly does not limit your options!  At Ballard Blossom we specialize in utilizing a variety of flowers in unique ways to really accentuate the spirit of the holiday. One of our favorite parts of any holiday is the symbolism that goes along with some of the traditions. One example is the symbolic colors of the American flag. Red in the flag is said to symbolizes courage, bravery, and passion. White serves a different purpose at it represents purity and innocence, a...

Flowers have a special way of bringing joy. So why wait for a special occasion to make someone smile ? There is no need to wait for another birthday or anniversary to roll around in order to surprise someone with a gift of flowers. Some of life’s greatest gifts are the ones we least expect. One great thing about flowers is that there doesn’t have to be any reason at all to give them to someone. And sometimes, flowers say things and help convey feelings for us when we can’t find the right words ourselves.  Something else is fantastic about flowers? Aside from the memorizing beauty and an instant ability to brighten someone’s day, their versatility and variety knows no bounds and makes them a perfect gift for almost any occasion - big or small. Informal Flowers At Ballard Blossom we specialize in happily ever after's , and comforting loved ones with offerings of sympathy . But you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to spread lots of joy with flowers. You can do that today ev...

Mother’s Day is less than a week away, but the good news is you still have time to find the perfect gift for mom and have it hand-delivered to her door in time for Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 9. Even better news is that you won’t have to travel far to find a gift that is so unique and special that we can guarantee she has never seen anything like it before. All it takes is the click of a button and a little faith the experienced floral design team at Ballard Blossom. Click to order a Designers' Choice bouquet for Mother's Day from Ballard Blossom, Inc. Seattle Ordering flowers online with the national retail companies can often be a frustrating experience. First you see a beautiful image of a perfect bouquet of flowers with a “special” price that seems too good to be true.  The further along you get in the ordering process, the more fees, and charges you manage to rack up until you finally end up paying nearly as much in mysterious service and convenience fee as you did for t...

One of the many wonderful things about flowers is their fascinating ability to help us express our feelings at times in life when words are simply not enough.  We send a dozen red roses when saying “I love you” doesn’t seem strong enough. A heartfelt “thank you” goes a long way, but a handwritten thank you note attached to a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers does a much better job of conveying our appreciation.  This is especially true when we have to say, “I’m sorry.” Those words never seem like enough in any situation, especially when they are used to express feelings of sorrow instead of offering an apology. Fortunately, sympathy flowers from Ballard Blossom can help in a big way when we cannot find the words ourselves.   Things to consider when selecting sympathy flowers The experience of grief effects everyone in different ways, and every situation is unique. So, (with a few exceptions) there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to selecting appropriate sympat...

We’re just days away from March 20 - the first official day of spring! After a long, dark winter with plenty of grays and browns, it is time once again for some springtime color! While spring’s arrival signifies the season of rebirth and growth, a few seasonal floral superstars stand head and shoulders above the rest. Here are eight of our favorite spring-blooming flowers to brighten up your world while we celebrate the first day of spring.   Peony Loved throughout the world for their extravagant blooms, Peonies are colossal flowers that have an elegant natural beauty and a delicate, unforgettable aroma. Peonies make perfect companions for other spring flowers such as iris, alliums and roses and are a popular choice for spring and summer wedding bouquets. The peony’s distinctive feature is its large, eye-catching flowers that have 5 to 10 petals each. Depending on the variety, their color can vary from pristine white to “bubble-gum” pink, and also bright red and gorgeous sh...