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Decorating your front porch for fall

The leaves are changing colors and falling from the trees, the air is slowly starting to cool and every coffee shop is advertising their pumpkin spice drinks – Autumn has arrived.

One of the most exciting parts about the changing of seasons is getting to change your home decor. Welcome fall, and your guest this season, by giving your front porch an autumnal makeover.

Connells Maple Lee has everything you need to achieve your dream fall curb appeal.

Watch our video below to see what we put on our porch:

If you want to recreate this look, we’ve compiled a list of products we used:

We also used hay bales and locally grown pumpkins alongside our products to complete our porch.

We’d love to see how you incorporate Connells into your autumn decor! Share you fall setup by tagging us on Instagram @cmlflowers or Connells Maple Lee Flowers and Gifts on Facebook and using #ConnellsMapleLee

Behind the scenes of our new everyday selections brochure

The everyday selection brochure, which highlights many new products, is finally here!

The 41-page booklet features photographs of our current selection of flower bouquets, arrangements, plants, gifts and more. It’s designed to help flower lovers find the perfect arrangement for every occasion and mood.

There’s many different collections featured including the nautical-inspired “Nantucket” and “Cape May” collections, the thoughtful “Memories” rose collection, the loving and cheery “Tranquility” collection and more.

The Nantucket Deluxe featuring hydrangea, two roses, delphinium, Bells of Ireland, football mums, carnations, daisy poms, viking poms, and solidago graces the cover, evoking memories of beach days from this past Summer.

Our direct ship options, which ship anywhere in the Continental United States and include the arrangement, vase and flower food, are highlighted within the book as well as our direct ship succulent container.

Some of our snack and tea offerings are featured, including the Chocolate & Mug Gift Set and the limited edition “Jubilee” tea collection from Tea Forte featuring 20 tea infusers comprised of 10 different blends. Some of the flavors include Strawberry Hibiscus (Oolong tea), Cherry Blossom (Green tea) and Mango Citron (Herbal tea). 

Our funeral offerings and sympathy gifts are also included. There is a double urn arrangement showcased along with a red rose open heart standing wreath for funeral and celebration of life services. The double urn arrangement is in all whites including hydrangea, roses, stock, alstroemeria, carnations, and daisy poms.

There are also flowers specifically curated to be given as gifts to grieving families.

Gift arrangements for all of life’s occasions are also highlighted. The “Baby Girl” bouquet made of mini green hydrangea, charmelia alstroemeria, a football mum, carnations, daisy poms, baby’s breath is shown. The arrangement comes with a pink stuffed unicorn to help welcome the new baby girl. A “Baby Boy” version featuring a blue and white stuffed cow and a blue and white arrangement is also available.

The “Beary Happy Birthday Vase” arrangement is shown, which includes a “Happy Birthday” stick-in and a tan bear with a party hat. A general celebration arrangement is also pictured, which includes a party horn and noise maker, and is perfect for all of the happy moments.

Plant mom and dads can peruse our new plant offerings, including our vibrant Triple Orchard Planter and tropical-style Bromeliad Planter.

We hope the new look book helps you find exactly what you are looking for. These books can be picked up at your local Connells Maple Lee Flowers & Gifts and are complementary.

Homecoming flower guide: learn how to attach boutonnieres and wear corsages

Homecoming is approaching fast and to help you get ready, we’ve put together a how-to guide for placing and wearing your boutonnieres and corsages and posing with flowers.

Whatever look you are going for, Connells Maple Lee has you covered.

How to place wearable flowers

Boutonnieres

Guys, here’s a step-by-step guide to attaching your boutonniere to your suit or tuxedo. The first step is to decide whether you want the boutonniere on your jacket or your shirt.

Guide for lapel placement:

  1. First, a boutonniere is typically worn on your left lapel. It should be placed in the middle at the widest section of the lapel.
  2. To keep from damaging the flowers, angle the boutonniere so that the flowers are leaning slightly away from you. The flowers should also face you while the greenery should face away from you.
  3. Once the boutonniere is in place, lift the lapel up and push the pin through the thickest part of the arrangement, slightly diagonally and upwards toward your face.
  4. Then push the pin back into your jacket, like it’s a sewing needle. When completed properly, the beginning and end of the pin should be hidden under your lapel.
  5. To check if it’s secure, wiggle the boutonniere gently from side to side. If needed, use a second pin.

Watch our how-to video on how to place a boutonniere on a lapel below:

Guide for shirt placement:

  1. The boutonniere is traditionally placed in the top left area of a shirt (the wearer’s left). 
  2. Pinch the shirt slightly to the right of where you want the boutonniere and stick the pin through both layers.
  3. Repeat the pinching process slightly to the left of where you want the boutonniere.
  4. Slide the boutonniere behind the pin. Do not puncture the boutonniere with the pin for this method.
  5. Check that the boutonniere is secured.

Corsages

The ladies have it a bit easier. Corsages should be secured to a wrist and worn in the same fashion as a bracelet. It should be worn on the non-dominant hand as to minimize the damage it can incur during homecoming.

Opting for a bouquet?

Some homecoming attendees are opting for a bouquet instead. However you choose to incorporate flowers into your special evening, we know it will look beautiful. A bouquet will stand out and can make your photos pop. 

Here are some tips if you’re using a bouquet:

  • The flower colors do not have to match your dress and can instead compliment it. At Royer’s if you show us a picture of your look, we can help direct you to which flowers will give you your dream homecoming image.
  • Stay on the small side. The night will be busy and having a smaller bouquet to carry with you, even if you’re just using them for photos, will make your life easier.
  • If you are bringing a bouquet to the actual dance, have a game plan of where you will store it while you’re burning up the dance floor.

Posing with flowers tips

If you are wearing a boutonniere, make sure it is securely in place before the cameras start flashing. The last thing you want is to look back at the photo and see it was lopsided.

For those with corsages, consider photos that specifically highlight the details. If you had your nails done, this is a great way to show those off too. If you have a date, snap a photo of your hand with the corsage on their chest to freeze the arrangement in time.

If you have a bouquet, the most important thing to remember is how your hands look. Do not grip the bouquet with balled up fists; instead lace your fingers around the front of the bouquet for a more casual look.

The trend for bouquet images right now is to hold it out with one hand in front of a blank background, like a white or gray wall, to capture the details.

We hope these tips help you to have the most magical homecoming. Please share your homecoming pictures featuring your Connells Maple Lee flower arrangements with us on Instagram by tagging us @cmlflowers on Instagram and using the hashtags #HOCOwithConnells & #ConnellsMapleLee. We can’t wait to see them!

The history of Grandparents Day

Grandparents Day is a time to celebrate our mom and dad’s parents and the significant impact many of them have had on us. 

On Grandparents Day people often visit their loved ones, give them a phone call or send them a card. Others use the time to reminiscence about their late grandparents, possibly remembering the days cuddled in their laps listening to their stories.

According to Reader’s Digest, Marian McQuade of West Virginia created the holiday in 1956 after realizing a lot of senior citizens in her local nursing home were not visited by family while she was trying to plan a community celebration of the elderly.

McQuade then made it her mission to ensure they were not forgotten by creating Grandparents Day. It became an official holiday in 1978 when it was signed into law by former President Jimmy Carter.

However, the purpose of the holiday is not meant just for grandchildren to celebrate grandparents, but also the reverse. The National Grandparents Day Council says that the holiday is also meant for grandparents to celebrate their grandchildren.

The holiday is always celebrated on the Sunday after Labor Day in the United States. This year the special day is on September 8. 

This year the official theme is “Grand Minds: Learn, Love, Legacy”. Generations United is encouraging people to #DoSomethingGrand this year with their grandparents and have a list of activity ideas on their website.

Grandparents Day Gift Ideas

We put together a Grandparents Day gift basket for those looking for ideas for Grandparents Day. Check out our basket below!

Here’s the items we included in our basket:

Grove City resident is runner-up in our annual name-the-arrangement contest

Participants in Connells Maple Lee's name-the-arrangement contest in 2024 are asked to give a name to this holiday design. It features carnations, poms and a rose with noble fir and boxwood, ribbon and berries, all in a silver and red tin.

To silver and gold, jingle and jangle, add another classic holiday pairing: “Berries & Boughs”

The last one is courtesy of Joanne Beasy of Grove City, the runner-up in our annual name-the-arrangement contest.

The contest winner was Jennifer Davis of Lebanon, Pa., with the name “Merriment.” Davis entered the contest through Connells Maple Lee’s sister company Royer’s Flowers & Gifts, which has 15 stores in Pennsylvania.

Beasy and Davis each will receive the new holiday arrangement as their prize.

The arrangement features carnations, poms and a rose with noble fir and boxwood, ribbon and berries, all in a silver and red tin. It will be available for purchase after Thanksgiving.

Congratulations to Beasy and Davis and thank you to everyone who participated. We look forward to doing this again next year!

You could name Connells Maple Lee’s new holiday arrangement

Participants in Connells Maple Lee's name-the-arrangement contest in 2024 are asked to give a name to this holiday design. It features carnations, poms and a rose with noble fir and boxwood, ribbon and berries, all in a silver and red tin.

Christmas in July is giving way to the holiday arrangement of August.

This year’s Conells Maple Lee Flowers & Gifts name-the-arrangement contest focuses on a new holiday design.

The arrangement features carnations, poms and a rose with noble fir and boxwood, ribbon and berries, all in a silver and red tin. What it lacks is a name.

To view the arrangement and enter the contest, visit cmlflowers.com/contest. Limit one entry daily per email address, through Aug. 18.

One winner and one runner-up will be selected from entries submitted to Connells Maple Lee and its sister company in Pennsylvania. Both the winner and runner-up will receive the arrangement (retail value $39.99) as their prize.

Lewis Center’s Shea Berridge wins Connells Maple Lee birthday card design contest

Shea’s design will adorn the birthday card that all members receive in the coming year. The third-grader “just loves to be creative and outgoing,” her mother said.

In the year ahead, members of the Connells Maple Lee Flowers & Gifts Kids Club will celebrate a “hoppy” birthday courtesy of Shea Berridge.

Shea, who is turning 9 and entering third grade, is the winner of this year’s kids club birthday card design contest.

Her design features a bunny wearing a flower tiera and will adorn the electronic card that kids club members receive in the coming year. Her prize is a free flower delivery.

She is the daughter of Shawn and Christi Berridge, who live in Lewis Center with Shea and her older brother.

“She just loves to be creative and outgoing,” Christi said about Shea, who is active in dance, cheer and the Girl Scouts.

The kids club is free for children ages 5 to 12. Parents may register their children at any Connells Maple Lee store or at cmlflowers.com/kidsclub. Kids club benefits also include a membership card, online activities and a quarterly e-mail newsletter.

Ask the florist: common questions we get from customers

This shows a florist reviewing notes while standing at a table adorned with roses, tulips and ribbon.
If you have a question about flowers, don’t hesitate to contact your local store.

Besides providing the freshest, most beautiful product we can, Connells Maple Lee Flowers & Gifts prides itself on delivering top-notch customer service before and after a sale.

We’re always happy to discuss a specific situation, but here are answers to some of the most common questions we receive from customers.

Q: I’ve heard of homemade flower foods, including mixing Sprite with aspirin or placing a penny in the bottom of a vase. Do these options work as well as your flower packets do in prolonging flower freshness?

A: No, our flower food is formulated with ingredients to help lower the pH levels, antimicrobials to help prevent stem rot, and sugar to provide energy for buds to open. Home remedies won’t achieve those ends.  

Q: Is this item appropriate for this occasion?

A: We answer this question with questions of our own. For instance, will a recipient be home enough or attentive enough to care for a plant, or would fresh flowers be a better option requiring less of a commitment?

Funerals prompt many special requests, such as adding pictures or personal items to a funeral arrangement. We help families decide the best way to honor their loved one.

Q: What is wrong with my plant?

A:  Most of the time there is an issue with either too much or not enough water. Other times the cause is with bugs or disease. We usually can figure it out with the help of a picture.

Q: Do you carry blue or black roses?

A:  Unfortunately, neither grows naturally. Right now, we offer a blue rose that has been died and dried. We don’t recommend using floral spray to achieve those colors because the spray can shorten the vase life of the rose. We typically suggest complementing the rose with babies breath that has been sprayed blue or black or adding an accent ribbon in the desired color.

Q: What do the flowers (especially roses) mean?

A: A red rose symbolizes love; a yellow rose is for happiness/friendship; a pink rose is for admiration; a white rose represents peace, sympathy and hope. (You’ll find more on flower meanings here.)

Of course, if you have a concern not addressed here, please don’t hesitate to contact your local store. We’re always  here to help you. 

You’re going to fall in love with this year’s rose sale

This is a photo of red roses.

Roses are most associated with Valentine’s Day in February, but June is National Rose Month.

In June, roses are in bloom, popular at weddings and a symbol of beauty and passion as spring gives way to summer.

They’re also a great value as evidenced by Connells Maple Lee’s annual rose sale, which runs May 22 through June 15 in our stores and online.

Natural growing cycle

Roses are available year-round, but they’re a particularly good value in June thanks to their natural growing cycle.

A rose farm typically harvests its crop every six to eight weeks, or about the amount of time between Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day in May. But while there’s another big crop of roses in late spring, there is not a corresponding holiday to absorb all of them.

The sale

That leaves a thorny situation in which supply outstrips demand, making roses more affordable for florists and, by extension, our customers.

Our sale comprises:

  • One-dozen rose bunch for $9.42 (in-store only)
  • A Rosie arrangement featuring one-dozen or two-dozen colored roses for $46.99 or $56.99, respectively
  • A Rose Delight arrangement with four-dozen colored roses for $99.99, or $15 off the regular price.
  • Three-dozen arranged long-stemmed red roses for $149.00, or $20 off.

Whether you’re giving them as a gift to someone else or showing yourself a little love, roses are ready and at an even better value through June 15.

Flowers have always been at the center of Memorial Day

What we call Memorial Day originally was known as Decoration Day, and it may have begun in Boalsburg, Pa., near Penn State University.

Boalsburg calls itself the birthplace of Memorial Day, claiming that the custom of decorating soldiers’ graves began there in October 1864.

While the New York Times noted that several places make similar claims, what’s not in dispute is the central role that flowers have played throughout the history of Memorial Day.

In Boalsburg, three women – Emma Hunter, Sophie Keller and Elizabeth Myers – were said to have placed flowers and wreaths on the graves of men who died while serving the Union during the Civil War.

“The holiday grew out of the Civil War,” the Times wrote in 2023, “as Americans – Northern, Southern, Black and white – struggled to honor the staggering number of dead soldiers, at least 2 percent of the U.S. population at the time.”

The war ended in spring 1865. Soon after, in Charleston, S.C., at a service to commemorate the lives of Union captives buried in a mass grave, 3,000 schoolchildren led the way carrying roses. In 1866 in Columbus, Miss., women placed flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers.

The first national commemoration was in 1868, when Gen. John Logan, the commander in chief of an organization of Union veterans, called for May 30 to be “designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country.”

National Poppy Day

Red poppies became associated with Memorial Day by way of World War I, specifically the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written by Canadian physician, writer and soldier John McCrae. He noticed poppies growing among the graves of soldiers buried in Belgium.

“In Flanders Fields the poppies blow,” he wrote, “Between the crosses row on row.”

The American Legion adopted the poppy as its official flower in 1920 and began distributing fabric poppies nationally in 1924. At the American Legion’s urging, Congress designated the Friday before Memorial Day as National Poppy Day.

After World War II, the holiday became better known as Memorial Day and officially in 1967. Memorial Day was observed on May 30 until 1971, when it was enshrined as the last Monday of May to ensure a three-day weekend.

While officially meant to honor the service and sacrifice of America’s fallen soldiers, Memorial Day has assumed broader meaning for some, who use the occasion to pay tribute to family and friends who have died.

One constant remains: flowers.

Flowers of Remembrance Day

Perhaps no greater example exists than Arlington National Cemetery, where the nonprofit Memorial Day Flowers Foundation has placed flowers on graves since 2011. That first year, the organization had enough money to buy flowers for 10,000 of some 300,000 headstones.

In 2023, the foundation announced that it could afford flowers for only half of the graves. But last-minute donations and help from the floral industry, according to Stars and Stripes, likely ensuring a flower for each grave.

“We are so grateful to the American public and the generosity of our floral importers, who are literally donating thousands of flowers by the pallet, to ensure our fallen military heroes are honored this year,” said Ramiro Penaherrera, executive director of the foundation.

Thousands of volunteers place the flowers on the Arlington graves on Flowers of Remembrance Day, the Sunday before Memorial Day.