Tags: Advice, Flowers in the Office, Reception

An Exclusive Look at Contemporary Office Flower Arrangements

When considering flower displays and office flowers, there are a number of factors to keep in mind.

Colour, scent and size of your flowers are just some of these factors, and all of these can easily contribute to a healthier and happier working environment.

The Benefits of Having Flowers in Your Office Space

As discussed in our recent blog post, 10 Tips for Workplace Wellness, utilising flowers and plants in the office increases productivity, reduces stress and provides cleaner air, helping your employees to have a more comfortable day at work.

Flowers and plants are visually stimulating, encouraging reduced stress levels in the individual, whilst also creating a welcoming environment for any visitors which you may have to your office.

Biophilia, which is the science behind the need to align ourselves with nature, is gaining recognition, and with it’s intrinsic ‘feel-good’ benefits having a positive impact on people in the workplace, it is clear to see why.

Having flower and plant arrangements provided by Planteria is an easy way to accomplish this.

Keeping Flowers on Trend

We recognise the importance of keeping flowers and plants in line with seasonal demands.

Just as in a good restaurant you’d expect to find the freshest, seasonal produce, you’d expect any good florist to have an innate understanding of the seasonality and quality of flower varieties.

This idea influences all of our corporate flower arrangements, where fresh, original and seasonal flowers are used consistently throughout the year, providing only the best flowers and plants for a stunning contemporary arrangement.

Contemporary Arrangements

Today’s, arrangements tend to have fewer restrictions and vary depending on the time of year and the environment in which they are going to be situated in. For an office, examples of case studies show the difference that our flower arrangements can make to your company.

If you are working with a large amount of space, it might be worthwhile looking at the possibility of Planteria’s office plants service rather than flower arrangements. Due to their standard larger size, plants are perfect to optimise space when you think a pop of natural colour is needed.

We can offer assistance and suggestions of different planters and colour schemes too, ensuring that your plants look brilliant amidst the daily routines of your company. If physical space is limited, or a greater assortment of colour is required, opting for bright and bold flower arrangements might be more beneficial (and noticeable!).

As is common with any contemporary flower arrangement, the traditional rules do not apply. Contemporary arrangements are brighter, bolder in form, there is no size restriction, other than budget allows, and no set patterns are to be expected.

Symmetrical balance is emphasised, creating an even arrangement which is pleasing to the eye, and any part of the design may be the dominant focal point.

Take a look at how colourful office plants and contemporary corporate flower arrangements can improve the look of your office:

The options are endless when it comes to Planteria’s flowers for offices and, in such an important environment, with several health and work benefits included, the answer is clear.

Contact our friendly team of experts today by calling 0345 505 3333 or emailing enquiries@planteriagroup.com.

Tags: Advise, Flowers in the Office, Receptions

Fresh Flower Care – Top Tips.

At Planteria, we pride ourselves on the quality of the flowers we supply to our customers. Our weekly fresh flower service brings you a perfect arrangement in a beautiful vase, so no mess or fuss involved.

If you have fresh flowers at home, you’ll want to ensure they last as long as possible, so we thought we’d share a few simple tricks of the trade you can use to make sure you get the best out of them.

Flowers can be incredibly delicate and it is often difficult to prolong their life. The main reason a cut flower dies is due damage and bacteria in the microscopic tubes found in the stems, ‘Xylem’. The Xylem tubes draw water up through the stem to supply the flower. These tubes can be damaged and blocked easily restricting the flow of water and nutrients the flower receives.

The following steps can help prolong their vase life.

Remove all lower leaves. When preparing your flowers, ensure all leaves below water level are removed. If the leaves sit in the water they begin to rot and decay. This is will then cause an increased amount of bacteria in the vase.
Angulate the cut using sharp scissors. An angled cut will increase the surface area of the stem, allowing a higher quantity of water to be transported due to exposing more Xylem tubes.
Use lukewarm water in the vase. Slightly warmer water has a reduced amount of naturally occurring air pockets allowing the water to flow through the stem at a faster rate. This provides the moisture the flower requires for turgidity.
Provide the flower with a source of energy. Well we can’t live without food or water, so how can a flower? A little bit of sugar dissolved into the water can in fact provide the flower with extra energy that it no longer receives through photosynthesis.
A little bleach too. It’s true, a little bleach can in fact help. This reduces the bacteria in the vase water however, ensure no more than a teaspoon and stir thoroughly before adding the flowers to the vase.
Recut an inch off the stems every 2-3 days. The will simple get rid of the blocked and damaged Xylem tubes ends.

Enjoy your flowers!

More flower facts…..

You may have heard the term ‘flower power’ but there’s truth in that phrase! Ever wonder why flowers are given as gifts or to cheer someone up?

According to behavioural research conducted at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey USA, nature provides us with a simple way to improve emotional health – flowers. The presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behaviour in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed.

“What’s most exciting about this study is that it challenges established scientific beliefs about how people can manage their day-to-day moods in a healthy and natural way” said Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Rutgers and lead researcher on the study.

Tags: Flowers, Flowers in the Office, Happiness

The Science Behind How Flowers Make Us Feel

Do you feel joy when you are surrounded by flowers and plants? That’s normal! There have been plenty of studies exploring how and why flowers make us feel happy, so we’ve collated some of these studies into this article for your benefit. These findings may also be important for your workplace, especially if you work in hospitality.

10 Months of Research

A ten-month study, titled An Environmental Approach to Positive Emotion: Flowers (2005), considered participants’ behavioural and emotional responses to receiving flowers. Unsurprisingly, the results confirmed that flowers are great for moderating moods. In all age groups, participants were happy to receive the flowers, and this didn’t only occur for the initial gift-giving; the study also recorded that the participants were less depressed or anxious for three days afterwards, too. Let’s think about the effects that this could have on the hospitality industry; keeping flowers present in lobby areas will help to reduce visitor’s stresses if the above research is to be believed. This can be useful in hospitals and hotels alike.

Hospitals

Health care sector providers that allow flowers help to bring peace and calm to their visitors, many of whom will be struggling with high levels of stress. Whilst we don’t expect that the presence of flowers can completely negate the worries that accompany an illness, flowers may make long periods in waiting rooms a little more bearable and accommodating on a subconscious level. Flowers are considered a luxury when given as gifts, but their inherent therapeutic qualities suggest that they should be a necessity for comfort in stressful environments.

Hotels

Hotel lobbies also benefit from the natural reassurance provided by flowers. A visitor’s arrival at a hotel should be stress-free and happy, and the presence of flowers enhances both of these feelings, and also improves the perception of value and luxury. Keeping flowers on the main desk may help with handling any difficulties the guest is experiencing by creating a calming atmosphere. As Dr Haviland-Jones lead researcher of this study, stated: “Flowers bring about positive emotional feelings in those who enter a room. They make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere.’ At Planteria we offer posy flower arrangements and flowers for restaurants to help make your hotel, bar, or restaurant the best it can be.

Offices

Another place where managers should consider hospitality is in their offices; your staff need some care and attention too! An office decorated with natural elements (also known as biophilic design) is more likely to be a healthier and happier office. Understandably, this also correlates with higher levels of productivity which you can read about in our blog: plants in the office make you 15% more productive. If you’re interested in flowers for offices, please get in touch with us.

More Research…

Dr Haviland-Jones’ study with Rutgers University also found that 88% of people reported that the act of giving the flowers themselves also made them feel happier. This means that flowers have positive effects for all those involved. By this notion, flowers make the perfect gift solutions with benefits for the giver and the receiver, what’s more you can’t get the wrong size, or offend anyone by getting an inappropriate gift (wine for someone you did not know was tee-total for example). We supply gift bouquets , to make it simple and straightforward to say thank you, happy birthday, seasons greetings or for any other occasion you can think of. In the Rutgers University study, it was found that participants who received flowers were more likely to answer positively to social support questions (contacting people, talking intimately).

Flowers and Human Evolution

One of the ideas explored by Dr Haviland-Jones is the idea that flowers have evolved to be seen as rewarding by humans to help with their own survival:

“Just as other plants have evolved to induce varying behavioural responses in a wide variety of species leading to the dispersal or propagation of the plants.”

This may be a side-effect, however. Birds and bees are animals which are both very important for the survival of many plants and flowers in the wild, and both species see in colour vision. This means that flowers with bright colours are more likely to stand out to birds and bees, thus ensuring their propagation. Humans can also see in colour which makes flowers very attractive to us, too. This may mean that our enjoyment of flowers is a result of our shared colour-vision with birds and bees. On the other hand, it is also speculated that the bright colours of blooms signal bountiful harvests, which humans are also likely to take enjoyment from. The two factors could have become historically linked, and now trigger an evolutionary response of happiness in humans worldwide upon receiving flowers.

Give A Bouquet this Christmas

Flowers and natural bright colours can be hard to find during the winter, which is why giving the gift of flowers will be especially effective during the Christmas period. You may even want to gift some to yourself to reward your own efforts over the past year. We can supply you with beautiful gift bouquets, colleagues, family, or for your yourself, as well as regular weekly flowers for your office space. We know that flowers have so much to offer businesses, offices, hotels and clinics, and we can help deliver their benefits to your location. Our professionally trained florists work magic with fresh flowers to ensure you are delighted. Get in touch so we can help you too. CLICK HERE TO CONTACT US