Top 10 Gift Ideas for a Housewarming Party

When your friends or family members move into a new place, it's time to celebrate. Often folks will invite their pals over for some dinner and drinks, to show off the fresh digs. Housewarming parties can be a great way to catch up with the gang, and for the new home or condo owners to show off the results of their hard work and purchase.

It's customary in North America to bring a small gift of some sort that the hosts can either use with the dinner they're serving (if they are) or something that they can use around the house as a decorative item. Food, flowers or drinks make great choices.

Here are our top 10 gift ideas for a housewarming party.




Old Fashioned Cheesecake: 
$44.99
A delicious dessert is always appreciated.

Basket of Mixed Flowers:
$69.95
You can't go wrong with this gorgeous arrangement of multiple types of flowers.

Fruit Harvest: 
$49.95
A fruit basket is a lovely gesture and likely to actually be useful to the recipient.

Funky Bouquet:
$49.95
A vibrant way to brighten up any space, particularly if the homeowners haven't gotten around to painting the walls yet.

Peanut Butter Cookies:
$19.95
Delectable cookies are perfect for the new homeowners to snack on.

Phalaenopsis Orchid:
$59.95
A trendy, decorative piece for those whose tastes veer toward the modern.

Purely Orchids Bouquet:
$105.99
Pure elegance. 

Sweet Memories Gift Basket:
$27.49
A great, affordable gift basket that's sure to make a great impression.

White Centrepiece:
$54.99
This beautiful centrepiece is perfect for the winter season and can be used the night it's given for the dinner party.

Wine and Cheese Basket:
$59.99
The perfect housewarming gift, traditional and affordable. 

A Thanksgiving Flower Idea

Though it's still a month off in the United States, Canadians will celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, with the big day taking place on October 14, 2013.

If you're scrambling for flower ideas, allow us to offer up the following: our Glorious Autumn Combo Special. This beautiful, rustic bouquet contains a stunning mix of Sunflowers, Gerbera Daisies, a Rose, Daisy Spray Chrysanthemums and Carnations in the colours of the season. Best of all, it includes a free vase and a greeting card.

Bloomex delivers to nearly every part of the country so you can be sure your flowers will arrive fresh and on-time. Here's a photo of the bouquet, which along with the vase and greeting card, goes for just $39.99 for a limited time.

Want to find out more? Here's a link to the Product Page where you can purchase it, if you'd like. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

5 Fanciful Facts About the Daisy

Daisies are a wildly popular flower. While we generally think of the classic white daisy when discussing this flower, it belongs to the same family as Sunflowers and Asters, and the Daisy itself has an incredible amount of variations. Gerbera Daisies have become an increasingly popular choice for fresh cut flower bouquets in recent times, particularly as part of vibrant wedding arrangements.

Classic Yellow & White Daisy Bouquet

Here are five interesting facts about the history of the much-beloved daisy.

- Daisies are traditionally used to convey a sense of innocence, or sometimes, a child-like sense of purity.

- Daisies close up in the dark (at night) and open in the morning; it's thought that the flower received its name as a shortening of "Day's Eye" in reference to this. And because of it's resemblance to an eye, it was thought to be an effective eye treatment.

- The oldest record of daisies are thought to be from stone carvings from Ancient Egypt, around 3000 BC.

- It's likely that the earliest Daisies evolved about 50-60 million years back.

- It was used for medicinal purposes by the Egyptians, as well as throughout the middle ages in England. King Henry VIII was a fan of eating them, as they were thought to cure stomach pain.

Get Ready for Fall and Thanksgiving With Bloomex

Well, it seems as if the weather is finally starting to cool off and the leaves are changing colour here, which has us excited about fall.

Autumn Glory bouquet

Canadian Thanksgiving is this coming weekend and we wanted to let you know about our array of products, flowers, centrepieces and baskets available for your big family gathering. Whatever your gathering involves -- families, friends, football, turkey (we hope!) -- a touch of decoration will help put it over the top. Using the warm rustic colours of the season is advised to add a festive flair to the proceedings, and Bloomex has plenty to offer in that regard. Let's get caught up, shall we?

First, here's a few lines from our press release from PRLog.

Bloomex has introduced specialized products in celebration of the big day in Canada. For example, there's the Burst of Autumn Centrepiece, featuring shades of rustic reds, oranges and lively yellows. Included are an assortment of Gerbera Daisies, roses, Snapdragons, Lilies and Chrysanthemums, accented with fresh greens and a pair of candles reaching out of the middle.

And Bloomex has also introduced special Designers' Collection arrangements just in time for the autumn season. The Designers' Collection puts the choices into Bloomex's talented designers hands, which could work very well for someone looking to take one more thing off their plate as Thanksgiving approaches. There are four models, priced from $25 to $75 with each containing beautiful mixes of flowers.

Bloomex has added almost 30 different products to its Thanksgiving page...

Now, from our Pinterest page:  Some Thanksgiving ideas, and some less specific Fall-styled bouquets.

Not on Pinterest yet? Don't worry, we've got a nice gallery of fall bouquets up on Facebook as well.

Meanwhile, if you're getting married, here are some lovely bridal bouquets with shades of orange and red for a classic Autumn look.

Whatever you choose, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this autumn season.

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK (Oct. 7 - Oct. 13): Friday "Only" Rose Special

This week's Bloomex product of the week is our Friday "Only" Rose Special.

Roses maintain a special place in the hearts of many people, being the most consistently popular flower that we give to each other. With this gorgeous arrangement of a dozen of them, it's easy to see why.

Because roses are so popular, we offer a line of rose bouquets that are half-price for delivery on Friday. It's an ideal way to get the weekend started off on the right foot.

This particular arrangement features a dozen long-stem roses of mixed colours. And while most of our bouquets in the "Friday Special" line are half-off, this one's priced even lower, offered for $19.99 -- down from its regular price of $59.99.

It all adds up to a great deal for customers, and a thrifty and thoughtful way to work your way into the heart of that special someone.

Price: $19.99
Size: 12 mixed roses
Ideal for: Love & Romance, Saying Sorry, Birthdays, Anniversary

Bloomex Australia Is Aces!

One of the great things about Bloomex is that in addition to serving Canada, we proudly serve the United States and Australia.

Australia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and Bloomex is happy to be able to serve the great blokes and sheilas (ahem, brush up on your Australian slang) of the great nation. Bloomex's product lines in Australia include many of the same or similar gorgeous mixed bouquets and gift baskets that we feature here in North America. But Bloomex Australia also features specialty Australian flowers and other products specific to Oz, and is very popular in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

We're working on getting the Australian site's Twitter and Facebook presences up and running, so give us a look and a follow if you're visiting us down under.

'Til then, hooroo!

Fun & Uplifting Balloon Bouquets

Balloons date back centuries. The earliest known existence of balloon-like objects are said to be medieval court jesters inflating animal entrails and twisting them into "amusing" shapes. Yuck! Thankfully, those days are long gone. In 1824, the rubber balloon was invented by Professor Michael Farraday, and a novelty revolution was born.

By the early 20th century, balloons were available to general consumers, but it wasn't until the 1930s that companies began to experiment with novelty-type balloons (prior to that, balloons were usually cigar-shaped, many of which were intended for self-assembly.)

Balloons have become a necessity at any sort of party, and Bloomex has all the options you'll need to express sentiment with our fun and fantastic balloon bouquets.

All of these 'bouquets' are $19.99 for four, and $24.99 for six. Click the bouquet names to go to the product pages:



 HAPPY BIRTHDAY

A colourful arrangement of six balloons, three of which have "Happy Birthday" with accompanying graphics printed on. A perfect play for their special day!

IT'S A BOY! / IT'S A GIRL!
What a nice gesture for the birth of a special little guy or girl. Send these blue or pink balloon bouquets for a lovely welcome to the world.


I LOVE YOU
This is an excellent way to express love by thinking outside of the box. Comes with three heart shaped balloons and three circular ones. Wonderful to send instead of chocolate and flowers, or as an accompaniment.

CONGRATULATIONS
Whether it's a job promotion, a graduation or anything else, these Congratulations balloons are sure to send a smile on to the face of the recipient. Three of the balloons feature Congratulations and a star design printed on it. 

GET WELL SOON 
If you know someone that's feeling down, or has injured themselves or is sick, send this bouquet to lift their spirits. Features three "Get Well Soon" balloons mingled with three orange-gold coloured balloons for an uplifting appearance.

HAPPY FACE
Whatever the occassion, you can't go wrong with this classic design. 

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Lilies

Lilies come in so many different shapes, sizes and varieties that the possibilities seem endless. Like the Sunflower and the Iris, Lilies have a long and interesting history, from ancient times to modern day.

They've been an important marker of religious symbolism; have a history of being misidentified; and have been purposefully grown for several millenia.

Here are ten interesting (we hope!) facts about this elegant, beautiful flowering plant:

Extra Large Lily Beauty Bouquet

1. Specific reports seem to vary, depending on the source, but it’s likely that there are over 100 species of Lilies.
2. Mistaken identity, part 1: Many flowers that are commonly known as Lilies do not actually fall under the classification. For example, what’s commonly known as a Voodo Lily is not actually a Lily at all.
3. Mistaken identity, part 2: You know the Quebec symbol, the fleur de lys? That translates to lily…but in fact, it’s a depiction of an Iris. 
4. Mistaken identity, part 3: Lilies were thought by several groups throughout history to have medicinal properties – claims that have been pretty much debunked.
5. Some types of Lilies can grow up to six feet in height.
6. Careful with your kitties! Some types of lilies are known to be very toxic to pets.
7. Lilies are thought to have been cultivated for over 3,000 years. 
8. Most lilies grow in the northern hemisphere, and until some 500 years ago, only one type grew outside of Asia. 
9. In China, particularly Shanghai, Lily Bulbs are used in the local cuisine.
10. Some of the more popular types of commercially-available Lilies include the Easter Lily, the Stargazer Lily, Calla Lilies, Tiger Lilies and Day Lilies.

Check out Bloomex's selection of Lilies here.

Send a Spa Basket to a Loved One's Door (or just treat yourself)

Let's face it -- for everything that's great about the holiday season, they can be a stressful time. Fortunately, Bloomex has you covered.  

Our main site offers 5 spa baskets, priced to sell, with a variety of different products tailored to the needs of different people. From babies, to significant others, to moms and dads, there’s a spa basket for you.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the options:

BABY SPA BASKET

$24.95

Want to pamper your child, niece or nephew? Allow us to suggest this basket. It’s perfect for anyone from a newborn to a 5 year old. The basket contains two types of Baby Oil gel, Bath Foam, Lotion, Baby Oil, a Foaming Wash, and Band-Aids branded with the popular SpongeBob SquarePants.

MEN’S SPA BASKET

$24.95

Maybe your man is loathe to admit it, but he likes to be pampered too. This kit is ideal and should save him some money for a while on grooming supplies. It features AXE Body Spray, a hand sanitizer gel, lotion, a facial cleanser, some vaporizing chest rub and 3 bars of Ivory Soap.

DELUXE SPA BASKET

$24.99

This is the first of three gorgeous, amazing baskets that are priced at 50% off for amazing value for the holiday season. The Deluxe Spa Basket features lotion, two types of body wash, two types of bath foam (Tropical and Tangerine) and a scented candle for an indulgent experience.

SUPREME SPA BASKET

$34.99

Features a variety of 8 essential luxurious items, again, priced at half-off for the holidays. This basket includes lotion, two different types of body wash, body lotion, hand wash and bath foam.

ULTIMATE SPA BASKET

$49.99

An incredible value for the special lady in your life, or perfect to treat yourself to. Features an array of 12 products, including lotion, body washes, bath foams, body loation, Aloe body cream, Anti-Wrinkle cream, hand wash, and to top it off, a wonderful strawberry-scented candle. Pure luxury.

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK (Sept. 30 - Oct. 4): Signature Arrangement

This week's Bloomex product of the week is our Signature Arrangement basket.

This elegant arrangement pops with the faded colours of fall, yet retains a certain bright shine to it, making it the perfect intersection between rustic and chic.

The Signature Arrangement is one of Bloomex's most beloved basket arrangements from its customers. Ordering it, you can expect an assortmant of Chrysanthememums, Gerbera Daisies, Lilies and Sunflowers, adorend with greenery and filler based on the fall season.

With an array of yellows, oranges and reds, this vibrant basket is available at an unbeatable price and is sure to bring a smile to the recipients face, brightening up any room its in with the joy of autumn colours.

Product page - Click to view

Price: $59.99
Size: 12" x 14"
Ideal for: "Thinking of you," Halloween, Thanksgiving, Just Because.

5 of the Prettiest Autumn Bouquets to Send In Canada

Well, it's that time of year again. Even though much of Canada's eastern half is currently experiencing pretty warm temperatures (24 degrees in Charlottetown today? Wowsers!), much of the country has already experienced some cooler-than-seasonal temperatures. And as the calendar flips over from September to October, it's inevitable -- Autumn is here.

We've seen great response around our Autumn-styled bouquets around this time of year, and this year is no different. Many of these bouquets feature colours that mimic the changing of the leaves and gorgeous flowers that can bring a charming, rustic look to any room in which they're placed. Plus, with Thanksgiving coming up in a couple of weeks, many of them would make for a perfect adornment or centrepiece for your dinner table.

We all know winter will be here before we know it. Instead of battening down the hatches and going in to hibernation mode, let's make the best of this season that, from coast-to-coast, is an emphatic reminder of how beautiful of a country Canada really is.

Here are 5 of our favourite bouquets, designed especially for this season.

BURST OF AUTUMN


Price: $29.95

This assortment shines for its simple palette, yet it is a beautifully complex arrangement. The Autumn Burst arrangement features  roses, daisies and orchids in all the colours of the season.

AUTUMN GERBERAS

Price: $39.95

Gerberas continue to be a trendy, popular choice with our customers, and part of their popularity can be chalked up to their versatility. In this arrangement, yellow, red and orange 'Gerbs' are contrasted by an assortment of rustic greenery. 

AUTUMN GLORY


Price: $44.95

This arrangement is just the perfect blend of traditional and contemporary styles. Classic Sunflowers and Chyrsanthemum is offset by the popping colours of Gerbera Daisies and Roses for an elegant, lovely bouquet.

AUTUMN RUSTIC

Price: $49.95

The Autumn Rustic bouquet might not be what's expected, but it's a fresh take on the rustic theme, with unexpected splashes of colour complimenting traditional reds, yellows and oranges.

ARTFUL AUTUMN

Price: $69.95

This bouquet is an eye-catching work of art. Beautiful Sunflowers serve as a pastoral, picturesque focal point, complimented by shades of burnt orange, red, and backed by assorted greenery and filler. Just perfect for a Thanksgiving dinner centrepiece, and in fact, dazzling for any occasion. 

Sunflowers: An Incredible History and Interesting Facts

Sunflowers are one of the more popular flowers in North America. Their bright, vibrant appearance brings light into any room, and their ability to grow to massive heights in a wild environment make them one of the more rewarding flowers for gardeners or cultivators.

Sunflower photo from Creative Commons user
L. Shyamal

Sunflowers have a rich history and interesting history and a variety of practical uses in everyday life. But their history stems back much farther. They were used as a symbol of worship by the Aztecs; they were a crucial ingredient in 18th century Russia; and they have been brought back and forth between the "Old World" and "New World" so many times throughout their history.

Let's take a journey through some interesting facts and information about this beloved plant (beloved by everyone but farmers, that is!)


-Sunflowers are thought to have been first cultivated in what we now know as Mexico. But even prior to that, they were likely used by primitive peoples as a readily available source of fat.

-They were eventually brought back to Europe, and in the 18th century, became wildly popular in Russia, as it was a way to skirt around the Orthodox Church's insistence on not consuming oil during Lent (sunflowers were not "on the list" as they were exotic and foreign at the time.) Here's a great link if you're interested about the fascinating history of the sunflower.

-Oil from Sunflowers has been extracted for hundreds of years, and is a trendy alternative in modern Western society as a lower cholesterol alternative to other cooking oils like Olive Oil and Vegetable Oil.

-The middle portion of the sunflower always grows in the same spiral pattern, and there is even a mathematical formula to express the specific formation of the growth.

- Sunflowers are a part of the Guerrilla Gardening movement, where people plant flowers in public spaces,

Sunshine Sunflower bouquet.

usually without permission or direction, in an effort to beautify typically run-down urban landscapes. Since 2007, every May 1 is International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day, and over 5000 people signed up for the event in 2010.

-Other historical and modern uses for sunflowers include: animal feed, eating the seeds as a snack food, removing toxicity from compromised soil, the making of paper.

-The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas, and the national flower of  Ukraine.

We have a variety of Sunflower bouquets available in our store online if you're interested in sending some to a loved one.

If you love these bright and cheerful plants, here's a great way to learn even more about sunflowers. Enjoy!

5 Coffee Baskets to Send in Canada

What could be better for the coffee lover in your life then to be surprised with a gift basket chock full of 'joe,' and accompanying treats?

If you're looking to send coffee in Canada, Bloomex is the best option around. Coffee makes for a unique gift, stays fresh through delivery and is a product that the recipient will undoubtedly make good use of. Many of these arrangements include lots of delectable snacks and treats. With so many options, you might want to even treat yourself!

Check out some of our coffee gift baskets, with links to their product pages on bloomex.ca. Click on the products' names to check out the details.

Classic Coffee Basket$29.99

A thoughtful assortment that won't break the bank but will definitely bring some morning joy.
Contains 7 Items

Coffee & More

$34.95
A similar assortment to the above arrangement but includes some Truffle Chocolates and Cappuccino.

Contains: 

-Premium Imported Expresso Coffee 

-Napoleon Private Label Coffee 

-Golden Pack of Flavoured Coffee 

-Pack of Imported Instant Coffee       

-Cappuccino Coffee 

-Chocolate Candies 

-Dark Chocolate Bar 

-Coffee Cookies

Extra Large Coffee Lover Basket

$49.99
What an awesome assortment of products, all for less than 50 bucks.

Contains:
Napoleon Coffee, Assorted Flavoured Colombian Coffee, Private Brand Bloomex Coffee, Cappucino Coffee, Extra Large Cappucino Coffee pack, Instant Colombian Coffee, Italian Expresso Coffee, Assorted Sampler Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Extra Large Pack of Ground Colombian Coffee.

Joy of Java 

$64.95
A mix of treats that will have the joy delivered right to the recipients' front door.

Contains:

Gourmet Coffee

Gourmet Expresso Coffee

Premium Green Tea

traditional Orange Pekoe Tea

Coffee Candies

Tuscany Crackers

Pepper Blend Crackers

Premium Crunchy Candy

Cafe Latte mocha drink mix

Premium Fudge

Premium Chocolate Waffers

Delicious Cookies

Savoury Snack Mixture. 

Extra Large Coffee & Chocolate Basket
$69.99
Hey, we've all got our vices. And if coffee and chocolate are some of your special someone's they'll be absolutely thrilled to receive this incredible assortment.

Contains:
Extra Large Assorted Chocolate Box, Large box of Truffle, Extra Large pack of European Cookies, Milk Chocolate Bar, Hazelnut Chocolate, Assorted Gourmet Sampler pack Coffee,  Premium Colombian Expresso Coffee, Private Brand Bloomex Coffee, Mozart Napoleon Coffee, Golden Flavoured Colombian Coffee, Instant Coffee Jar, Cappucino Coffee and Premium  Extra large pack of Imported Ground Coffee

Follow Bloomex On Social Media

We love to keep in touch with our valued customers. Make sure you follow us on our social accounts. Here's the information:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomex

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bloomex_canada

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/bloomexflowers

What're you waiting for? Follow us for info on Bloomex products, special offers and exciting contests to come!

Press Release: Bloomex Has Served Over 1,000,000 Customers

An e-commerce success story: how a small Canadian Start-Up grew into Canada's Largest Florist -- and changed the game along the way

Bloomex, Canada's largest florist, has served over 1,000,000 customers since launching in 2006. The company, whose main site is located at www.bloomex.ca, is heading into another Christmas season with business booming thanks to its quality products, on-time delivery, centralized model, being first on the scene with a new business model, and low prices.

The story of Bloomex begins in 2006. With the boom in new technologies, and Internet access becoming available to virtually every Canadian, many industries had undergone rapid change to cater to this new world of the web. From music and movie rental stores to the postal service, there were few corners of Canadian business left untouched by the influence of the Internet.

But for every example of the way that society quickly adapted and changed their consumption habits under the mantra of “cheaper, faster, better,” just as many industries were slow to react. Take the venerable local flower shop, for example, which had remained more-or-less unchanged for a century. And in an industry that’s estimated to be worth over $100 billion worldwide annually, it’s easy to see why the local florists were somewhat resistant to change. Even as consumers began to turn increasingly toward e-commerce in Canada, and these shops began to dip their toe in to online waters, their old-school models of existing florists fulfilling orders through wire services remained successful – for the florists.

They were less of a success from the consumer perspective, though. The cost of supporting their online operations and a physical storefront drove up overhead for the florists. And the fact that it took an importer, a wholesaler, and the florist themselves to get the flowers from the farm to one’s door only added to the end cost for the consumer, and didn’t jibe with the way things were moving in the fast-paced, online environment.

That’s what made Bloomex, a scrappy Canadian start-up founded in Ottawa in 2006, a game-changer – maybe not a revolution, but certainly a significant evolution, eschewing the traditional florist models in several ways. For one, the convoluted chain of middlemen, each taking their own cuts, was abolished in favour of a simplified direct-from-grower approach. The idea of a costly brick-and-mortar storefront, which only added to overhead costs for local florists, was replaced by a website and a centralized customer service model.

Almost immediately, the new model paid dividends for Bloomex. With the proof of concept in place, the early success of the company allowed them to open production/distribution facilities in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.  That put them at a competitive advantage, spreading their footprint wide throughout the country and providing shipping points within a short radius of the vast majority of Canada’s population centres. The introduction of the centralized model also meant the business was easily scalable for international operations, with the company opening production and fulfillment facilities in the United States and Australia.

The success of Bloomex’s model has inspired others to join suit, but being first on the scene in Canada has paid off for the company. While e-commerce now accounts for over $120 billion of sales annually in Canada (2012), in 2007 e-commerce sales were less than half of that.  It was a calculated risk, but with great risk comes reward. And with other sites working out their growing pains, Bloomex has become a mature business with over 20 employees working out of their Ottawa headquarters, and fifty more scattered throughout the country and internationally. Bloomex has now served over a million customers, and can rightfully lay claim to being Canada’s largest florist – largely because of an e-commerce gamble that’s paid off big time.

Great Reasons to Use Bloomex

With many options out there for your flowers -- from local florists, to online competitors -- Canadians are spoiled for choice. So we thought it might be a good idea to lay out all the reasons why Bloomex offers the highest quality flowers at the best prices you'll find.

So...

Why use Bloomex?

Let us count the reasons...

WE OFFER THE HIGHEST QUALITY FLOWERS IN THE COUNTRY:

• We buy our flowers directly from growers, so they don’t go through a lengthy chain of middlemen to get here.
• We assemble our bouquets and arrangements at our own production facilities.

WE DELIVER... ON-TIME:

• We ship directly to your doorstep.
• Our facilities are located strategically in eight major Canadian cities – allowing fresh, on-time delivery to the overwhelming majority of Canadians.

WE OFFER THE BEST PRICES IN THE NATION:

• We cut out the importers, wholesalers and local florists, eliminating all the fees, margins and markups that go along with the ‘traditional’ florist model. That’s bad news for them… but good news for you.
• Our successful business model has afforded us tremendous buying power. We pass those savings on to you.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU TELL ME?

• Our corporate offices are in Ottawa, Ontario, where the company was founded in 2006.
• We have production facilities in the following Canadian cities: Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. With this national footprint, we are able to deliver on-time to basically any place in Canada.
• We also have production facilities in Miami, Florida and Sydney, Australia.
• We’ve served well over 1,000,000 customers since 2006.
• Click here to check out what we call the “F3” advantage – with even more information on how we do business.

Still have questions? Give us a call today at 1-888-912-5666, or click to CHAT or CALL via Skype with one of our customer service representatives.

7 Fascinating Facts About The Iris

The Iris is a popular flower with Bloomex customers and it’s easy to see why. Versatile and beautiful, the Iris is generally hardy and able to grow in cooler climates. It also doesn’t require a large amount of cultivation, generally more able to survive and thrive without human intervention than many other delicate-looking flowers.

The Classic Blue Iris Bouquet

They’re found naturally in most parts of the world, and in fact can be found growing on every continent except for Australia. The flower has a rich history, from Ancient Greece, to Ancient Egypt, through colonial-era France and into modern times. Likely due to its toughness, the Iris has persisted as an exotic, gorgeous flowering plant that today makes for a well-admired flower as part of bouquets or a garden.

Here are some more interesting facts about the Iris.

1. Irises are named for the Greek Goddess Iris, due to the many different colours that they come in; Iris is the Greek word for rainbow, and the Goddess was the personification of a rainbow.
2. The Iris is a state flower of Tennessee, and the town of Greeneville in that state holds an annual Iris festival.
3. The fleur-de-lis, an emblem of Quebec and Cajun culture is a stylized version of an Iris. The Iris is also the official flower of the province of Quebec. As well, a fleur-de-lis is the symbol of the New Orleans Saints NFL football team.
4. Other stylized Iris’ used in symbolism include the flag of Brussels, Belgium, and the coat-of-arms for the Ukraine.
5. The Yellow Iris is used in water purification systems, where the roots of the plant is planted in lava-

   

   The provincial flag of Quebec
   features stylized Irises. 

   stone.
6. Irises are used in oils for modern aromatherapy, was commonly used in perfumes and medicine during ancient times, and are used as flavouring in some brands of modern Gins.
7. The Iris species consists of upwards of 300 variations, divided generally into 6 subspecies for the sake of classification.

Check out our Iris page and send some for less today, with on-time delivery and low prices available throughout Canada, the United States and Australia.

Celebrate World Gratitude Day With Bloomex!

Have you heard? September 21st is World Gratitude Day.

You can be forgiven if you haven't heard of it before. It's actually been going on since 1965, and there's a bit of an interesting story about its history.

Here's the scoop, from thegratitudelist.org:

A Brief History of World Gratitude Day: World Gratitude Day was launched in 1965 at the International East-West Center in Hawaii during a Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by meditation guru Sri Chinmoy. Those in attendance, including delegates and high-ranking officials from more than a dozen countries around the world, pledged to celebrate gratitude and to count blessings from their home country every September 21 following. Chinmoy, director of United Nations Meditation Group, celebrated Stateside. In 1977, the UN Meditation Group celebrated nine world leaders for their generous spirits and philanthropic works. Chinmoy, who passed away in 2007, worked to foster peace, compassion, and gratitude throughout his life and work.

It's really a nice message, and a chance to show how grateful you are to that special someone in your life.

What better way to show your gratitude than with Bloomex? Allow us to humbly suggest a few ideas to honour the spirit of the holiday this Saturday.

• Here's a post from our blog on 7 Great Ways to Say Thanks.
• Half-Priced Bouquets...To Make Someone's Day. (The recipient doesn't need to know that it was half-price -- it's the thought that counts :))
• And here's one more post on 5 Amazing Foods to Send for Under $50.
• Browse our entire collection of "Thank You" Flowers and Gifts