Connells Maple Lee Flowers & Gifts will salute military veterans on Nov. 11 with free red, white and blue bouquets.
The Veterans Day bouquets – featuring a red carnation, a white carnation and a blue bow – will be available in-store only at 3014 E. Broad St., Bexley; 2033 Stringtown Road, Grove City; and 8573 Owenfield Drive, Powell. Click here for store hours.
“Honoring the men and women who protect our freedom has become a favorite tradition in our stores,” said Tom Royer, president and CEO of family-owned Connells Maple Lee. “We are forever thankful for the dedication and sacrifice that our veterans and their families have made for all of us in our great country.”
Non-veterans may purchase the bouquets for $2.20 each.
Marigolds, or Cempasuchil, are a central part of Day of the Dead celebrations.
The Mexican holiday is observed Nov. 1 – Nov. 2 and it is believed by its celebrants that during the Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, souls are released from Heaven to rejoin their loved ones. To celebrate this special time, people leave offerings to their deceased family members at gravesites and on ofrendas, such as the dead’s favorite food.
History.com states that ofrendas typically feature images of loved ones who have passed and are decorated with candles, marigolds and red cock’s comb.
According to npr, marigolds are used in the celebration to help guide ancestors back home. The spirits use the scent of the marigolds to find their way from their burial place to their families ofrendas.
Although Day of the Dead is primarily celebrated in Mexico, it is also observed throughout South America and in the United States by those with Mexican heritage.
Select Royers locations including Reading, Lebanon, Chambersburg, Camp Hill and Carlisle are offering a limited selection of marigolds this year to assist in Day of the Dead celebrations.
Plants are the perfect decor all year round. They brighten rooms and provide multiple mental and physical health benefits.
Although often overlooked for the fall season, there are many plants that give off “spooky” vibes that will compliment Halloween decorations. Consider including these plants in your Halloween decor this year:
This rare plant gets its name from the spectral-like coloring of its leaves. Green and “ghostly” white patches are dotted along the leaves of this plant. The red and orange petioles also compliment the season’s colors.
This plant screams dark academia. The pink splotches amongst the dark green create an eerie and dramatic effect. It’s a show stopper and would pair nicely with Halloween decor.
The White Wizard looks like someone cast a spell on the plant causing parts of its leaves to turn white. Each plant is unique in its coloring and can range from white dots on the green leaves, half of the leaf being white or a full white leaf. Some of the leaves seem like they were dipped in white paint.
This would be a nice plant to pair with ghost decorations and white pumpkins.
This plant has unique holes in the leaves that give it a creepy and ghostly look. The white spots also add to the effect. It looks like something that could come from the Little Shop of Horrors.
This next list includes plants that aren’t spooky themselves, but with creative containers and effects, have been curated to seamlessly integrate into any Halloween scene.
Imagine if a witch cast a spell on a cactus to grow legs like a spider, but the cactus got stuck in the cauldron. That’s what this plant setup looks like. The cactus and cauldron act as the “body” of the spider and are held up by eight thin and long legs, giving the spider effect.
Consider sitting this on top of a mirror to enhance the “creepy, crawly” image.
These three zombies have swapped their brains for air plants! The trio features three green zombies meditating – one with his arms by their side, one with their hands in a prayer pose at their chest and one who is holding their head over their body. Find your inner zen this Halloween with these unexpectedly calm creatures.
Frankenstein, a witch and a pumpkin are featured in this group. They each have an air plant protruding from their head and mischievous looks on their faces. They would add a unique touch to any Halloween decor and their air plants can be removed and placed in other containers after the season.
This scary cute ghost comes in a variety of expressions and includes a succulent. The succulent is simple to take care of and will last well beyond Halloween.
Sweetest Day is celebrated every year on the third Saturday of October, this year falling on Oct. 19.
Not everyone celebrates Sweetest Day, but it is a prominent holiday in Ohio because it was born in Cleveland.
According to Ohio Memory, the predecessor of Sweetest Day, “Candy Day”, was created by the National Confectioners Association in 1916. Candy Day, nicknamed “The Sweetest Day in the Year”, was only celebrated for one year because of the efforts to conserve sugar during World War I.
The holiday was revived and reimagined in 1921 when Herbert Birch Kingston, an advertising executive in Cleveland, decided to twist Candy Day into a sweet celebration encouraging people to be kind to others by giving out treats.
Eight candy makers from the Cleveland area created a committee to enact the celebration and the first Sweetest Day was held on Oct. 8, 1921.
According to Ohio Memory, 10,000 boxes of candy were passed out on the first Sweetest Day to orphanages, senior citizen homes and other in-need organizations. Silent film stars Theda Bara and Ann Pennington even came to Cleveland to pass out treats at theaters.
The holiday has now evolved into people gifting their friends and families something to show their appreciation for them, whether it’s candy or something else.
According to National Today, 80% of Sweetest Day cards given are geared towards romantic interest, showing how the holiday has evolved. The holiday is mainly observed in the midwest, with Ohio, the birthplace of the holiday, being the state with the highest participation.
Gifts for Sweetest Day
We have a variety of options to help you show your appreciation for your loved ones on Sweetest Day.
It’s spooky season, which also means it’s boo basket season.
If you’re not familiar with the popular trend, a boo basket is when people give loved ones a gift basket filled with goodies and treats that are typically halloween themed. It is most commonly gifted from a boyfriend/husband to a girlfriend/wife.
The name “boo basket” is a double entendre that refers to the “boo” spooky element of halloween and “boo” as in the term sometimes used to refer to a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Boo baskets have also traditionally been given as anonymous presents to neighbors and many close-knit neighborhoods have traditions of “booing” each other with a basket.
These baskets make great gifts for friends, family and coworkers too. It’s a fun and seasonal way to brighten someone’s day and show you care.
To give you some inspiration for your boo basket this year, we put together our own version. Watch the video below for boo basket ideas:
Boss’s Day, Oct. 16, is a time to show the leadership at your job your appreciation.
One way to thank your boss for their dedication to helping you grow in your career is with a small gift. Shopping for your boss can be challenging, however, especially if you don’t know them too well outside of the workplace.
To help you find the right gift for your boss we’ve compiled a Boss’s Day Gift Guide for you. These are gifts perfect for anyone.
Plants have been shown to contribute to the well-being of employees, making this a perfect gift for the boss who has to put in long hours at the office. It will give them a connection to nature.
The Retro Succulent dish garden is a good desk plant option. Succulents are easy to care for and the stylish, minimalist container adds a zen feeling to whatever space it is placed in.
Our Kork Succulent is another modern option to brighten up an office space. The neutral colors will blend in with any style and are a nice option for those with smaller work spaces.
Gift your boss a moment of relaxation with a collection of teas focused on wellness. There are three specifically curated herbal teas in this collection and two green teas.
Keep it simple, but thoughtful with a bag of milk chocolate covered pretzels from Asher’s Chocolates, a family-owned business based in Souderton, Pennsylvania. Perfect for a boss who keeps a stocked snack drawer.
You can’t go wrong with flowers. For Boss’s Day, we recommend our Tuscan, Small arrangement. It features a bold vase with cheery carnations and daisy poms.
However you choose to honor your, they will appreciate the recognition for their hard work and dedication.
When you’re a fourth-generation family-owned business nearing its 90th year in operation, you cherish your company history.
But a hallmark of Connells Maple Lee Flowers & Gifts’ enduring legacy is honoring its past while still being willing and able to change course when circumstances dictate.
That agility has made Connells Maple Lee one of the most successful florists in the United States.
Sometimes change is thrust upon you suddenly, as it was during the coronavirus pandemic, an existential threat that forced Connells Maple Lee to rethink many of the ways it functioned. At other times, Connells Maple Lee has had to respond to structural developments in society, which brings us to our latest rebranding effort.
The first glimpse of that new look and feel began arriving in customers’ mailboxes this fall in the form of our year-round and fall catalogs.
Increasingly digital world
Go Welsh, our long-time design agency, is leading the rebranding.
“Whatever we do and propose,” said agency owner Craig Welsh, “it has to live in digital, but it can’t feel digital.”
At its heart, the rebranding addresses the challenge of promoting the organic feeling of flowers in an increasingly digital world.
More than half of our sales now occur online. All those swipes, clicks and taps come at a faster pace than the turning of a printed page, making it harder to capture the public’s attention.
The new catalogs feature a reworking of our logo, distilled from the long-stemmed flower it has been for decades into a clean, contained round icon that’s more recognizable across media.
On social media, Craig noted, an “icon becomes much more prominent in the expectation” among users. And with increased awareness, that icon can become the brand’s primary mark, lending itself to many more uses.
Mid-century modern
The icon makes for a “much cleaner brand presence visually,” Craig said, but the flip side is that the mathematical representation of shapes, lines and curves in the digital realm can overpower the organic world.
That’s why Go Welsh seized on the idea of bringing organic into the mix through inks made from flower petals and stems. Jenna Flickinger, a Go Welsh designer, keeps vials of ink at her desk, with labels such as lily, lavender and pansy, and clematis.
She boils the petals herself, adding salt (to release color) and gum arabic (a stabilizer) to create ink. She brushes the ink onto watercolor paper and then scans the washes into her computer.
Some of the colors and textures have been incorporated into the new catalogs, but the learning process continues. From vial to dried paper, the ink colors aren’t always predictable.
“Even though this was a pink carnation,” Jenna said of one example, “it still [dried as] this yellow color.”
Craig described the rebranding as a “mid-century modern aesthetic,” invoking a design style known for sleek lines connected to nature and a timeless essence.
“We’re trying to find a place where we can combine this organic sensibility with the vector, screen-based digital stuff, so we started looking at mid-century modern sensibilities,” Craig said.
It starts with the new catalogs, but you can expect to see many more representations in the year ahead.
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:
Large fall planter (in-store only, while supplies last)
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
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 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.
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:
First, a boutonniere is typically worn on your left lapel. It should be placed in the middle at the widest section of the lapel.
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.
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.
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.
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:
The boutonniere is traditionally placed in the top left area of a shirt (the wearer’s left).
Pinch the shirt slightly to the right of where you want the boutonniere and stick the pin through both layers.
Repeat the pinching process slightly to the left of where you want the boutonniere.
Slide the boutonniere behind the pin. Do not puncture the boutonniere with the pin for this method.
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!
