Everyone hears me talking about minimalism in their floral arrangements and everyone asks me “what the heck” am I talking about.  Floral trends, especially for weddings, follow the “less is more” mantra.

If you look at your mother’s or grandmother’s wedding photos you’re going to see lots of babies breath and greenery.  If you look at pictures of your friend’s weddings….not so much.  When it comes to wedding flowers most brides are going for minimalistic arrangements which means little or no greenery and babies breath.  Instead they utilize natural items like stones and only use a six to a dozen flowers and frankly, it looks great.

It’s important to keep this in mind because it can sometimes save you money or allow you to have even more pieces at your wedding.  I know I say this time and time again but tradition isn’t so popular anymore.  Brides are liking bolder colors, sleeker styles and more creative and original themes.  If you like traditional….GREAT!  If you don’t….GREAT!  Because all that matters is that you like what you have.

There are 168 days until Thanksgiving, so you’d better hurry if you plan on decorating this year. For a cornucopia of color, get your seeds in the ground before June 15, popping in everything you need to stuff that horn in November.

Start by planting two staples of fall décor — miniature gourds and tiny pumpkins. These must-have accents nestle into centerpieces and are easy to grow in our hot, dry summer. Each vine produces enough decorative fruit to make any decorator happy, but because they like to ramble, give them room or train them up a trellis.

…Small to medium sized sunflowers are cheerful in dried arrangements, and keep long into the fall once prepared. Harvest when flowers are partially open, cutting the stem off at the length you want for arranging. Then bundle the sunflowers into groups of three, making sure the heads aren’t touching, tie with twine and hang them upside down in a cool, dark place to dry. The flowers will unfurl as they dry.

Try the pollen-less Pro Cut sunflower series; the orange, yellow peach and bi-color blooms were developed for cut flower use. Johnny’s Selected Seeds has them.

From the Daily Camera:  Make your own fall wreath or swag with broomcorn (Sorghum bicolor). The name is misleading — this isn’t corn — but the seed sprays of this sorghum come in bronze, burgundy, black, and cream. Harvest after the seed heads have colored up but before the stalk becomes hard and woody. Cut the stem, then hang the sprays upside down to dry. But if you want them to have a decorative arch once dried, stand them up in a vase for drying.

[Read the full article here...]

A Mother’s Day tea May 14 at the Wesley Chamberlin Mansion drew moms, daughters, other relatives and friends to celebrate the holiday with a luncheon, entertainment and shared memories.

Denice Geinapp, director of WesleyLife Adult Day Services, opened the program by welcoming guests. Guest soloist Lisa Cole sang “I Hope You Dance” and “Mother,” and the blessing of the high tea was given by participant Shelia Wright.

The high tea was served with a tray that included chicken Waldorf salad, chilled blueberry soup, mini-cherry walnut and mini-lemon blueberry muffins.  [Read more here...]

Most of you probably don’t know this but June is National Rose Month.  Considering we’re your favorite florist in Central Iowa we’d like to announce the best deal on Boesen roses.

This month only, get a dozen roses for only $39.99 and get a second dozen for just $5.00.  You can either combine your arrangement into a two dozen bouquet or get them separately.  Add $10 to each arrangement if you want them delivered.

Enjoy the best roses around to celebrate National Rose Month.  Just give us a call or come on in and we’ll set you up with the best roses you’ll find.

Remember, $39.99 for the first dozen and $5.00 for the second!  Add $10 to each you’d like delivered.  Local Deal Only

Put a blooming smile on your face by visiting our Beaverdale Garden Center with the most beautiful and hardy plants you’ll find anywhere. Stop by soon and join our growing list of loyal customers who know to shop early for the best selecton… The weather’s warming up. Now is the perfect time to stop by our Beaver Avenue Location and browse our 30,000 square feet of greenhouses bursting with color and fragrance.

Bring your own pots and we will custom-plant them.

The items below are still available, however, due to the unique nature and large selection, we encourage you to call or stop by so we can make sure you are 100% SATISFIED. Thanks for letting us be your florist and garden center!

You can see some of our selections in the Garden Center here.

Check out our new jingle here:

You all probably saw on KCCI.com how the Iceland Volcano could keep us from getting our tulips in this year in time for Mother’s Day. As terrible as this might be for some due to the popularity of tulips on Mother’s Day, I assure you we have some other great options for flowers you can surprise your Mother or Wife with that will still blow them away. We’ll be posting our Mother’s Day specials here shortly.

You can read the rest of the story by clicking here.

Boesen the Florist has been serving Des Moines, Iowa and the Nation delivering flowers and happiness to households everywhere since 1923. Here’s the Boesen story.

Drop off supplies to Boesen the Florist and get a free rose! See below for drop-off locations and what items they need!  Donate through March 31st!

An Iowa soldier is trying to help the children of Afghanistan get an education at Cowles Elementary in Windsor Heights, students are on a mission.

“They just need supplies,” explains seventh grader Etienne Porras, “So we’re giving them supplies.” For them, it’s simple. Other kids need this stuff, so they’re going to send it to them.

“There aren’t as many things there,” says fifth grader Chloe Moorhead, “The stuff we take for granted, they don’t have.” You probably think Chloe Moorhead and her classmates are talking about Haiti, but this mission will help people in a different part of the world.

“We ask him what he needs and he says pencils to make others’ lives better.” Dave Dkystra is talking about his son, Kyle — a Sergeant with the 82nd Airborne, serving in Afghanistan.

“The Taliban prey on the uneducated and people with no means,” Sgt. Dykstra explains on the phone. It’s his second deployment and he keeps hearing the same thing from the Afghan people. “We could definitely use improvements on the schools,” is what they tell me, “there are no supplies, no formally trained teachers.”

The desire for education is there but the resources are not. According to the CIA the overall literacy rate in Afghanistan is just 28 percent. Fortythree percent of males over the age of 15 can read and write, and only 13 percent of females can. In the Uruzgan province where Sgt. Dykstra is based, the literacy rate is less than 20 percent.

“The impact education can have is huge,” says Sgt. Dykstra, “Is it going to win the war? No, but it can have an impact.” He’s seen it firsthand, it’s why he now has two missions in Afghanistan — security and school supplies.

“It makes me feel good,” says third grader Tes Paxson, “Afghanistan is a poor country and this really helps.” Tes is doing more than bringing backpacks or crayons to school. “I went to church and set up a table at coffee hour and they’d drop money in a bucket.” So far Tes has raised more than $100 for the school supply drive, and her enthusiasm is contagious. “It makes me happy,” Marie Angier says with a smile, “We’re doing stuff for kids that don’t have what we do.”

Sgt. Dykstra’s dad isn’t surprised. After all, a mission like this is what Iowans do best. “We’re always looking to make others lives better,” says Dave Dykstra, “If we can do that by donating a few pencils to kids in Afghanistan, well that’s not much of a
cost.”

By Erin Kiernan

Project Sponsors:

• Friends of Sgt. Kyle Dykstra
• Boesen the Florist
• Cooney’s Tavern
• Cowles ElementarySchool
• Grace United Methodist Church
• Walnut Creek YMCA

Drop Off Locations -  Boesen the Florist on Beaver Avenue, Ingersoll and in Clocktower Square.

Items Needed…

• Paper
• Notebooks
• Pens
• Pencils
• Backpacks
• Anything that will help a child succeed in school.