Sending Smiles ~

Welcome Spring with us here at Monday Morning Flower and Balloon Co. by making your own bulb garden!  Our in-store events have become such a great way to enjoy a night out and meet other locals.  Join us in our Princeton location on March 20th to learn how to create and maintain your bulb garden with our talented designer Alanna.  Whether you love floral design, or have never given it a try, our hands-on instruction will allow you to learn something new and get crafty! Your garden will surley bring an earthy, natrual element to your home or office.  This is a great event to do with friends or family, so bring someone along with you to enjoy the night.  We want to give you the best instruction and space to get creative and be comfortable, so of course space is limited.  Call 609-520-2005 today to sign up, or use our website www.sendingsmiles.com  to reserve your spot online. This event is only $75 - with all materials, wine, and snacks provided for you. Let's hope creating a

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. As for me, it was a great day off and I wanted to share a peek into our morning at Longwood Gardens. It's become our tradition for Kevin and I to visit the gardens for just an hour or 2 before heading to family and this year was once again a sight to see!  I know I'm surrounded with the flowers 7 days a week but I admit that I can't get enough. Blue is my favorite color so I especially love the blue flowers like these Salvia and baby blue eucalyptus.    I fell in love with Camellias and because we usually only use the foliage in our floral designs (the flower blooms for such a short time it does not make a great cut flower for commercial use) it was so nice to see the actual flowers blooming on the plants.    This had to be my favorite part of the display this year! This long "dinner" table was set with a moss runner and then begonia and orchids running the entire length of this enormous table. I especially love

We love getting rare and unusual flowers here at the shop and Banksia is one of them!  Banksia is a genus of around 170 species plant family Proteacea. If you have ever seen our very cool Pincushino Proteas at the shop, they are from the same plant family. These Australian wildflowers are easily recognized by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads.  Heavy producers of nectar, Banksias form a vital part of the food chain in the Australian bush. They are an important food source for all sorts of nectariferous animals, including birds, bats, rats, possums, sting less bees and a host of invertebrates. Furthermore, they are of economic importance to Australia's nursery and cut flower industries.  When we purchase these super cool flowers, they come by way of the Dutch Flower Market. Long lasting and quite large, our designers love making arrangements with them. If you are looking for something a bit unusual, perhaps ask us to add a few

This past weekend the hubby and I were out and about with a family function, so of course, I had my camera. I just can't walk anywhere without taking a picture of any flower I see. This one above was a single gladiolus stalk that was in front of a restaurant in Hamilton, NJ. This single bloom was gorgeous and as you can see against the blue sky, the color was very striking. I personal love this flower but sadly many of our customers won't let us use them in our design work. :(  Now, this is obviously some kind of daisy and was found in my Mother-in-Laws garden. I especially loved the pods, which I think is the left over center of the daisy once the petals fall off. Sadly, I don't know much about growing flowers but love designing with them. If I could buy these for the shop, I would but they are most likely just a garden variety meant to be enjoyed like this and not a flora culture variety meant for cutting. :( Once again, we are back at the restaurant and this