The Flower Pot is GOOGLED!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Google and The Flower Pot had teamed up to give one of the first business 360 degree views on Google Maps in Canada.

We're excited to announce that we are finally live! You can now visit our friendly and inviting store from anywhere in the world!

If you are the lucky owner of a pair of 3D glasses, there is even a 3D option when you right click on the image of the inside of The Flower Pot store.

Don't forget to check out our special Summer in Montreal products, and who could forget roses and orchids?! In fact, our orchid sale ends today! Simply enter "orchid" into the Coupon Code heading on the billing information page when you order online from your Montreal florist, OR join Foursquare, like us, and visit our store in Griffintown to unlock the discount.

If you ARE nearby, by all means, come and visit your friendly Downtown Montreal florist located in Griffintown to browse through all our gift options. If you're looking for a more personalized gift, visit our website, call us at 514-938-1234, or stop by our Griffintown shop (1340 Notre-Dame Ouest) for more recommendations and to place your order.

A praying mantis visited us! Why don't you?

Today we had a little green visitor that must have stowed away on some of the plants that were delivered to us this morning.

The Flower Pot gives you, the praying mantis ladies and gentlemen! She was hanging upside down on the very top of one of our gorgeous stalks of bells of Ireland.

I can confirm that it is a female mantis, as Wikipedia states that the males are brown and much smaller. According to them, praying mantises get their name from the position of their forelimbs, that seem to be in a prayer-like pose. 

A praying mantis she might be, but there was nothing humble about her. You can see that she turned her head to pose for the camera, giving us some excellent footage, and giggles besides.

Praying mantises are carnivorous creatures, but have no fear! They do not eat humans. Indeed the biggest animals they manage to prey on are small scorpions, lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, fish, and rodents.

They do so by staying perfectly still and blending into foliage. (Note how perfectly our praying mantis blends into the bells of Ireland. Herbert, the official Flower Pot photographer, didn't even notice it until he zoomed in with his lens!) Once their prey approaches just a bit too much, they pounce, locking their powerful praying arms around their catch to eat it alive if it doesn't struggle or eat it head first if it does.

On to less gory thoughts.

What with this momentous visitation, a very busy phone line and online order process manned skillfully by Vivianne, the end of one sale, and the beginning of another, today has been very eventful.

Last week we told you all about our Sunflower Bouquet discount. Alas, those days are over. Now we have a stunning phalaenopsis orchid plant available, that you could snatch up before August 31st with a 25% discount! Simply enter "orchid" into the Coupon Code heading on the billing information page when you order online from your Montreal florist, OR join Foursquare, like us, and visit our store in Griffintown to unlock the discount.

SALE: Last Chance Honey!

Unfortunately, sunflowers don't last forever. They will only be available until October, so don't forget that our discount on the Sunflower Bouquet is 20% rather than $10. That way, people buying the upgraded arrangement of the Sunflower Bouquet will be getting a better deal. The new discount word is tournesols, so enter it in the Coupon Code heading on the billing information page when you order online, OR join Foursquare, like us, and visit our store to unlock the discount.

A rose's perfume

Last week, Astrid, our lovely designer explained the difference between a perfume, and a smell. In short, all roses have a smell, but not a perfume.

One that does however, is the stunning white O'Hara rose. Although this rose is called "white", it has an ivory cast to it, particularly in the middle of the rose.

Its luscious appearance hints at its heady perfume, and where other equally perfumed roses might die quickly after being cut and arranged in a beautiful bouquet, the white O'Hara has an unusually long vase life.

Astrid explained that for years roses have been bred to be hardy and to last a long time once cut. Creating this long lifespan in roses has eliminated the fragrant component of many of them, hence the notion of a smell versus a perfume.

The roses might last a long time, but as an old man once told Astrid, the first thing someone does when they are offered roses, is smell them. What's the point if they don't have a perfume?

The white O'Hara is very sought after for bridal bouquets, and are only available in limited quantities so they must be ordered from your Montreal florist, The Flower Pot, in advance.

Remember that we STILL have a discount on the Sunflower Bouquet if you enter tournesols when you order online, or when you check into our store with Foursquare.

20% off is better than $10 off!

According to the National Sunflower Association, sunflower seeds is the snack of choice in baseball dug-outs. Before, the players used to chew and spit out tobacco, but now they've moved on to the healthier sunflower option. Check out our last blog post for more fun facts about this amazing flower.

 Last week we were celebrating the pretty and tasty sunflower. The sales continue this week too, but we've decided it's time to up the ante. Now, our discount on the Sunflower Bouquet is 20% rather than $10. That way, people buying the upgraded arrangement of the Sunflower Bouquet will be getting a better deal. The new discount word is tournesols, so enter it in the Coupon Code heading on the billing information page when you order online, OR join Foursquare, like us, and visit our store to unlock the discount.

In the meantime, enjoy the sunflower and baseball cartoon. We sure did!

$10 off our Sunflower Bouquet? WOW!

This week, The Flower Pot is celebrating the sunflower, America's "fleur par excellence", named for its sunny looks. They were first harvested in Mexico, and each part of the pretty flower has a different purpose. The petals can be used as cattle feed, and the fibrous stems, transformed into paper. In 16th century Europe, sunflower seeds and oil became very common cooking ingredients. For example, in Germany, sunflower seeds are mixed with rye flour to make bread.

According to SELF magazine's Nutrition Data website, "this food is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Copper, Manganese and Selenium, and a very good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol)."

One specificity of the sunflower is its heliotropism. Although that sounds like a disease, it isn't. It means that young sunflowers turn their heads to face the sun as it moves across the sky during the day. Another specificity is its flower head. The flower is actually composed of hundreds of tiny little florets. The outer florets (the petals) are sterile while the smaller ones in the middle, called disc florets, mature into seeds. (source: Wikipedia)

This week we're trying something new. For the 2012 sunflower season we're using social media to promote two types of coupons: an online coupon code, and a walk-in Foursquare discount. Both of those coupons provide discounts on the same wonderful Sunflower Bouquet pictured above. The discounts end on August 15th, 2010.

The more people participate, the better! Join Foursquare and come visit our store at 1340 Notre Dame Ouest to redeem your coupon OR order online through our website and enter the following code: 20tournesol12. You can always call your friendly local Montreal florist located in Griffintown at 514-938-1234 if you have any questions!

Social Florists

Social media is one of the most important aspects of a flower shop's marketing strategy. socialmediatoday.com is a great tool to stay on top of the best practices for each platform, and to keep track of which platforms are most beneficial to your company.

The Flower Pot is present on all the best traffic driving platforms, such as Facebook, StumbleUpon, Youtube, and Pinterest.

Twitter, of course is a big part of our marketing strategy. We are currently approaching the 2000 follower mark!

Right now our most interesting social media tool is Foursquare, because we currently have a special running! You get a $10 discount on the $25 Sunflower Bouquet when you check in until August 15th, 2012!

Sign up now, LIKE US, and get active on social media!