Check it out this bouquet is taking a rose petal bath! Mmmmm… sexy!

I have designed with roses, ranunculus, lisianthus, apricot parrot tulips, and dusty miller. Finishing it off with some neutral burlap wrapping.

Just to be fair, I designed something fun for the groom and groomsman as well ~ Cute ranunculus boutonnieres with moss!

Hope you enjoyed this week’s great colour combo – Yellow and Grey!

Tossing and turning, I couldn’t fall asleep! New ideas always kick in when I am calm and still – usually it’s my beauty sleep time. Insomnia may bring lots of stress to most people, but not for me. I feel good when creative ideas are flowing, swirling, and collaborating in my brain. Then I will get off my bed and draw them down with extra excitement! I know it’s passion and determination!

The first design idea was triggered by one of the photo frames on my desk. I wanted to build a garden photo frame to capture the beauty of ranunculus and the movement of the plum blossom.

The second Idea is winter. It has been snowing for the last two nights and I am just feeling white birch! I built this birch container using my trusty hot glue gun.

Before and After

Love love love the garden roses, haworthia, dusty millers, and hellebores.

Can’t wait to work tomorrow!!!! I meant today! It’s 4AM!

To read about why these reviews could have been “filtered” check out Yelp’s FAQ.

Thank you so much to our awesome customer’s who took the time to sign up for Yelp and write us a positive review, we really really appreciate it!

After meeting many people at event and wedding trade shows, chatting with floral suppliers who regularly visit every florist in town and hearing feedback from our customers, it has come to our attention that what we do is not common practice around Vancouver.  Here are a few ways we strive to be an eco-friendly florist.

1. Painted the shop GREEN

We did some research and realized this didn’t do anything.

2. We Compost Everything

We partnered with Waste Management to come collect all our compost each week.  We found that this was the most environmentally friendly method, as compared to our van taking a specific trip to the Vancouver South Transfer Station all the way from our store in Kitsilano.

3. Recycle Everything

We receive a lot of catalogues, junk mail,  and card board boxes from our suppliers.   We hoard them all and use them to pack our arrangements to be safely delivered to their destination.  When they are ready to be retired, we put them into our recycling container and Waste Management comes each month to collect it.

4. Only Use Eco-Friendly FSC Certified Paper

Everytime we receive faxes, print out new order sheets, or need to print out documents, we use FSC certified paper.  It costs a lot, so if you are one of the companies who faxes us advertisements for things completely unrelated to the needs of a flower shop, please just email us!!

5. Recycled Greeting Cards

We sell greeting cards that are printed with soy based inks on heavy cover stock containing post consumer recycled content.   They come with a 100% recycled envelope sealed in a biodegradable corn based clear bag. Check out my favourite card!

6. Tree Free Business Cards

You can get some too, check out Club Card’s Tree Free Recycled FSC certified business cards that use soy based inks. If you order about 100,000 cards the price is pretty reasonable.

7. Environmentally Safe Bleach Used to Clean Vases

It is crucial to properly clean vases and buckets used to display our flowers, this is so that each stem can last as long as possible. But it’s not crucial to use the cheapest and most harsh bleach we can find at the grocery store.  We found this company to suit our needs quite well.

8. Reuse Every Drop of Water

For the same reason that we clean our vases to the point that they can be used store scalpels in hospitals, we also change the water in our vases frequently to ensure our flowers last as long as possible.  The water from the vases and the water from our cooler all goes to water our plants and garden outside in the back.  To the person who stole our tomato tree, please bring it back, we put so much effort into growing it!!

9. Paperless Office

Our customer’s can choose to receive their invoices and receipts via email, rather then a paper copy.  Just let us know you would like a PDF version of your receipt, and we can email it to you in just a few clicks.

10. Source B.C. Grown Flowers Where Possible

By sourcing as much local flowers as possible, we can minimize transportation and its associated carbon emissions.

Our work to becoming Vancouver’s most eco-friendly florist is a daily challenge and we are always looking for additional ways to reduce our carbon footprint and minimize our impact on the environment.  When you order from us, you know that we have done our best to make your order in the environmentally cleanest way.

]]> http://gardenpartyflowers.ca/ecofriendly/feed/ 0 http://gardenpartyflowers.ca/why-choose-us/ http://gardenpartyflowers.ca/why-choose-us/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:45:15 +0000 Caley http://gardenpartyflowers.ca/?p=237 We know there are a lot of florists all over Vancouver, a quick search on Google Maps shows over 170 shops, so why choose us?

Our flowers

We are a custom flower shop which means that we pick our blooms ourselves directly from the flower auction with your order specifically in mind, therefore the options are endless with Garden Party Flower arrangements.  We go to the flower auction twice weekly, sometimes three times to ensure our flowers are the freshest they can be, no matter what day you walk in or order them.  We get to the auction an hour before it starts so that we can examine each stem we buy, making sure we buy from the best growers and get the best quality.  This ensures your custom arrangement or bouquet is at its most beautiful, freshest and healthiest when it arrives at its destination.

Our florists

Garden Party Flowers florists are all highly experienced, creative, funny and reliable. We specialize in modern and funky floral designs and we are extremely passionate about flowers, protecting our environment and ensuring our clients are very happy!

Our pricing

Our arrangements are affordable, and our pricing is very competitive. We believe that breathtaking elegance should be achievable on any budget!

Your experience

You are buying flowers because they make you feel good or they make the special someone you are sending them to feel good.  When you come to our shop, you will always be greeted in a warm, friendly and approachable manner.  No tired faces, no stressed out or rushed service, and no leaving the store without us saying “thanks”. When you order with us by phone, let us know if you want us to send you a picture of the arrangement by email.  We are also accustomed to many orders from companies and if you need a PDF of your invoice, it is no problem.

Choose Garden Party Flowers, we guarantee your peace of mind.