Blog
15th February 2012
Flower of the Month February - ROSE
The Rose - it couldn’t be any other flower in February, could it? Red is the colour of love and passion, you know, so red roses are very popular this month. Yesterday certainly proved how loved up the men in Sunbury were feeling as the red 'Freedom' rose bouquets were selling like hotcakes!
If you don’t like red, or want to be a bit different when expressing your love to your partner, we have lots of other rose varieties too! If you want a special shade we can even order a rose to match it for you (unless it’s blue to match your lover’s eyes, then we’d have to dye a white rose.)
There’s spray roses, if you like dainty flowers; Ecuadorian roses, if you want impressive flowerheads and long stems; garden-style roses, if you are nostalgic for old-fashioned fragrance. Just ask us, and we’ll tell you our favourites!
Dennis’ expert tip:
We take the rose thorns off the bottom of any stems we are using in bouquets, so you don’t scratch yourself when you hold them. We might leave the ones higher up the stem near the flower, as it helps the flower last longer.
20th January 2012
A rose is a rose is a rose - isn't it? Choosing the right red rose for Valentine’s Day, with help from your local friendly florist
You might have peeked into a florist on Valentine’s Day and seen one single rose stem for £5. Then you’ve turned on your TV and seen an advert for a dozen supermarket roses priced at £5. What’s all that about?
Let me explain. It’s like when you buy clothes. You might want something cheap; it isn’t made particularly well, but that doesn’t matter as you only want to wear it a couple of times. Or you might want something more classic, that will last longer, and that you can tell is made from better fabric.
Right at this very moment there are dozens of varieties of red rose available to buy as cut flowers. (One company alone offers 11 different sorts to its growers.)
Florists, supermarkets, street stalls and online companies can’t sell every variety - so they choose two, three or maybe four key ones. The varieties they choose, depends on type of business they are.
My customers at van Wonderen Flowers want high quality, long lasting flowers with good long straight stems and a strong red colour. Something classic and well-made, if you like.
Our rose of choice this year is called Freedom. We have chosen this rose as this is a classic Valentine’s florist rose. It’s a real cracker, has a rich scarlet red colour - like a soldier's uniform. Looks very vibrant and lasts incredibly well. We also carry Grand Prix which also has a big open flower head with a beautiful shape, lots of well-formed petals. It has a darker red colour which is also popular with some of our customers.
For people that ask for really dark red roses we offer Black Baccara as this has the deepest reliable colour and a lovely shape to the flowers.
These roses are grown with long stems, up to 80cm long or even more. The flowerheads are large too, in proportion. The cheapest roses you will see are often half the length, and the flowers less than half the size. If you look at the flowers side by side, you can really see the difference in the number of petals, and often the richness of colour. The vase life can be affected sometimes too, because of the way they are grown.
Another difference in price is down to presentation. We carefully wrap and package all our valentine flowers – even if you buy a single rose stem, we’ll giftwrap it for you. We don’t just pop a bunch of flowers in a cellophane sleeve and stick a price tag on!
If want to see what a high quality valentine rose looks like, come along to the shop and we’ll be happy to show you the difference.
16th January 2012
Short of Cash? - Here’s how to get the most for your money this Valentine’s Day, with help from your local friendly florist
Times are tough at the moment and every penny counts.So when you’re ordering flowers for Valentine’s Day to send to your loved one, wouldn’t it be nice to know you are getting full value for your money?
If you order from a national website or relay company, you could loose a large chunk of your money to cover internal administration charges. But when you order direct from a local florist, all your money goes to delivering a beautiful bunch of flowers. Doesn’t that sound better?
I left a big national flower company last year, to concentrate on my local business. It was a big step for me as I may lose some orders. But I know this way I can give full value of every order I do get; and you know you are not paying for any hidden charges or admin fees – all your money is going towards the gorgeous flowers.
As you might guess from my name, I was born in Holland; and I have the Dutch belief in fairness and equality. You might be looking for something truly magnificent and impressive this Valentine’s Day, like Amadora at £169.95. But I know you might also be on a smaller budget – or have more modest tastes – and would prefer Amore Mio at £64.95 or Amadeus at £34.95 
Local florists like me can cater to any budget from the very tiny – such as individually-wrapped single flowers – to the breathtakingly extravagant, because every order we make is unique. Another excellent tip to get best value, is to look for seasonal flowers at this time of year.
Everyone in the world wants long-stemmed red roses for Valentine’s Day. There’s a limited amount available – after all, you can’t stockpile them like baked beans! – and so this means the best-quality roses are in great demand.
If you are short of money, ask for a bouquet of spring flowers like daffodils and tulips with twigs and blossom; or if you must have red, look for alternative red flowers such as a stem of amaryllis or a bunch of cheery gerbera daisies. Our bouquet of the month always offers 30% extra flowers, so even this would be worth a look if you are out to impress.
As well as offering full value for money, your local florist can also save you time at Valentine’s Day. Many carry other gifts such as glassware, champagne, candles, even jewellery and handbags! Van Wonderen Flowers offers 70 different types of Belgian chocolates, which we can giftwrap for you. You don’t even have to buy flowers to go with them (though we’d love it if you do!)
Here’s a further tip to make your money go further. If you live in the Sunbury area, why not sign up to the Village Card scheme which gives all residents a discount in participating shops and restaurants? It’s been a great success in just the first few months. The scheme launched in 2011 for businesses in Sunbury and Shepperton and already it is looking to expand it by linking to Ashford and Staines businesses as well. Cardholders get 20% off their meal in local restaurants, and not forgetting the 10% off all our products. (you could save up to £10.00 on your Valentines delivery!)
So there you have it. Even if your wallet is looking a little threadbare this Valentine’s Day, there are ways to show someone you love them without breaking the bank. And all thanks to your local businesses like ours.
13th January 2012
New Gift Card Range – Award Winning Cards from Five Dollar Shake
Our NEW range of award winning Gift Cards is now in stock. Each card is lovingly made using an array of genuine Swarovski crystals. They are printed on specially selected board made from pulp sourced from sustainable and renewable forests. Each card is hand made, in Britain. Just like you, each card is unique! 
6th January 2012
Customer Service – not a dying art
Automated machines, pre-recorded messages, self-service counters – wouldn’t it be nice to talk to a real living person the next time you go out shopping?
We think so too. One of the nicest parts of running a local florist business is getting to know all the customers. It might be a loyal regular who pops in every week for a little bunch of seasonal blooms, or someone we see a couple of times a year when it’s a special occasion. It doesn’t matter, every customer is a friend.
It’s one of the reasons we get involved in the local community as much as possible. We’re great supporters of the Village Card scheme – click the link if you haven’t already signed up – which helps you save money in local shops and businesses. We also get involved in annual events like the Christmas Market (15 December 2011) where everyone works together to create a great seasonal atmosphere.
Van Wonderen Flowers opened up for a special Christmas preview evening so our customers could see the new flower ranges, meet the staff, place orders – and enjoy a little glass or two of mulled wine! If you’d like an invitation to the next preview evening, sign up for our email newsletter (bottom left under the product categories) or like us on Facebook which gives you exclusive access to these events.
Here’s a photo of winter 2010 – remember that awful snow we had? It didn’t stop us getting to people who had ordered Christmas wreaths or Valentine’s bouquets from us. So we strapped the flowers to a sledge – well-wrapped against the cold – and hiked through the streets to deliver them by hand. You don’t get that with a big national chain!
Hopefully the weather won’t be as severe this year. But even if it is, you know you can count on us to be here – in person.
1st January 2012
Happy New Year to every one.
19th December 2011
Our new website is now live.