QUEENSBLOG by Queensberry Flower Company

Pictures from our previous lessons

2012-01-24T14:07:00.000-08:00

Since we started our Flower Lessons at our Yaletown Station Shop, we had many lessons filled with laughter and smile. It is so amazing to see interesting ideas come up during the lessons and students sharing ideas and being inspired by one another! Thank you so much for those who attended the lessons and we look forward to welcoming all of you again in February!

It was a lot of fun making our own holiday wreaths!

Making a perfect bow can be a bit tricky...

...but it will all be worth it in the end!

2012-01-23T16:05:00.000-08:00

明けましておめでとうございます。

今年もどうぞよろしくお願いいたします！

２月といえばバレンタインデー、もうそろそろですよね♪　特になんの予定なしという人もキュートなハートのアレンジメントをおうちに飾って楽しんじゃいましょう！

昨年１２月よりイエールタウンショップ店にてフラワーレッスンを開始いたしました。沢山の生徒さんの笑顔と個性あふれる作品に癒され、スタッフ一同毎回のレッスンを楽しみにしています。もう何度もご参加いただいた方も、初めての方もぜひお気軽にご参加ください。２月はバレンタインデー特別のボックスアレンジレッスンをはじめ、春のお花をいち早く取り入れた香りのすばらしいお花たちが続々登場です。何のお花を使うかは来てからのお楽しみっ。　皆様からのご連絡をお待ちしております！

【２月のレッスンスケジュール】
＊レッスン料には生花代、資材代全て含まれます。

バレンタインボックスアレンジレッスン　＄50（＋HST）

バレンタインももう間近、ということでハートでいっぱいのアレンジメントを作ります。カワイイ木箱に赤いお花をぎっしりつめて、ハートのピックを入れてラブリーに♥パール付きワイヤーでさらにゴージャスなボックスアレンジメントを作ります。彼氏彼女へのプレゼントとしてもよし、自分で楽しんじゃってもよし、お友達にプレゼントしてもよし、どんな場面でも喜ばれるキュートなアレンジを作ります。

２月１０日（金曜日）午後６時～７時半

２月１１日（土曜日）午後２時～３時半

ミニブーケレッスン　＄39（＋HST）

クイーンズベリーのシンボル的な存在のベリーブーケを参考に、季節のお花を使ってブーケ作りの基本を学びます。キュートなミニブーケを小中２サイズ作っていただけるお得なレッスンです。お花は初めてという方も、ブーケ作りの基本を学び直したい方も、次の中級レベルへ進む前のステップアップレッスンとしてお楽しみください。

２月１６日（木曜日）２時～３時半

２月１８日（土曜日）２時半～４時

２月２１日（火曜日）２時～３時半

２月２８日（火曜日）２時～３時半

大人ブーケレッスン　＄56（＋HST）

ミニサイズでは物足りないかた、違ったスタイルのブーケ作りを学びたい方に大きめのブーケ作りのレッスンです。初心者の方はミニブーケレッスンを修了されてからご参加ください。背の高いお花や枝をスッとキレイに束ねられたらかっこいいですよね。茎の長さや自然な流れを生かしてゴージャスな縦ながブーケの作り方を学びます。

２月１６日（木曜日）６時～７時半

２月１８日（土曜日）午後１２時半～２時

２月２３日（木曜日）２時～３時半

３月１日（木曜日）６時～７時半

ローズブーケレッスン　＄５９（＋HST）

基本のスパイラル、花をキレイに見せるコツなどを学び、月ごとに変わるバラをたっぷりつかって贅沢なブーケを作ります。最後はギフトラッピングの仕方を学びます。ギフトラッピング付きなのでそのまま手作りのプレゼントとしてもご利用いただけます。

２月２１日（火曜日）６時～７時半

２月２３日（木曜日）６時～７時半

２月２５日（土曜日）２時半～４時

スプリングアレンジレッスン　＄52（＋HST）

春は香りのいいお花がたっくさん！　ヒヤシンス、チューリップ、アネモネなど春のお花をメインにアレンジします。ヒヤシンスを球根ごとアレンジしておうちで「春」を育ててみませんか？

２月２５日（土曜日）１２時半～２時

２月２８日（火曜日）６時～７時半

３月１日（木曜日）２時～３時半

３月３日（土曜日）２時半～４時

Flower Lessons at Queensberry

2012-01-23T15:45:00.000-08:00

Come enjoy an afternoon of Floral Design at our Brand-new Yaletown Station Shop!

Our experienced floral designers will teach you from the basic of the floral design to tips on how to keep your flowers fresh at home.

All levels of experience welcome! Feel free to come by yourself or bring your friend!

To register or to find more about our Flower Lessons, please call, email or inquire in person at our Granville Station Shop or Yaletown Station Shop!

*We have samples and detailed explanation of each lesson. Feel free to come by the shop and check them out!

[February 2012 Schedule]
*All our prices include lesson fee, cost of fresh flowers, wrapping, and containers.

Valentine's Day Box Arrangement Lesson $50 (+HST)
Who wants to make a hand-made Valentine's Day gift for that special someone this year? Fill a cute wooden box with red flowers and silver leaves. Add heart picks and pearly strings, and you'll have a lovely Valentine's Day arrangement. Enjoy it at home, give it to your friends or share it with your family!
February 10 (Fri) 6:00 - 7:30PM
February 11 (Sat) 2:00 - 3:30PM

Mini Bouquet Lesson $39 (+HST)
Learn the basic of spiral bouquet making. You can apply the skills learned to many different styles! Every month, you will learn the names of the seasonal flowers and how to best incorporate them into your bouquet. You will be making one mini bouquet and one medium size bouquet in this class. Take this class before taking intermediate level lessons.  *Gift wrapping is optional at an additional cost.
February 16 (Thu) 2:00 - 3:30PM
February 18 (Sat) 2:30 - 4:00PM
February 21 (Tue) 2:00 - 3:30PM
February 28 (Tue) 2:00 - 3:30PM

Presentation Bouquet Lesson $56 (+HST)
Learn to make a tall and impressive presentation-style bouquet that utilizes the beautiful vertical line of tall flowers and branches. Learn from our expert instructors how to make the basic structure of the bouquet and let your creativity flow! * You will need to first complete "Mini Bouquet Lesson" to attend this class if you are a beginner. *Photo is just a sample, flower selection will change monthly.
February 16 (Thu) 6:00 - 7:30PM
February 18 (Sat) 12:30 - 2:00PM
February 23 (Thu) 2:00 - 3:30PM
March 1 (Thu) 6:00 - 7:30PM

Rose Bouquet Lesson $59 (+HST)
Roses are the Queen of flowers. Using the spiral technique of bouquet making, make a luxurious rose bouque using the rose of the month. Mix roses with unique greenery and other small flowers to create a modern style rose bouquet perfect for your home or as a gift. You will also learn to gift wrap your rose bouquet.
February 21 (Tue) 6:00 - 7:30PM
February 23 (Thu) 6:00 - 7:30PM
February 25 (Sat) 2:30 - 4:00PM

Spring Plant Arrangement Lesson $52 (+HST)
Using vibrant spring flowers such as anemone, hyacinth and tulips, we will teach you how to make a spring flower arrangement. We will even incorporate the whole hyacinth with the bulb attached, so you'll be able to "grow" a little spring at home!
February 25 (Sat) 12:30 - 2:00PM
February 28 (Tue) 6:00 - 7:30PM
March 1 (Thu) 2:00 - 3:30PM
March 3 (Sat) 2:30 - 4:00PM

2011-10-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly. "One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." - Hans Christian Andersen

This quote is from Andersen's story called "The Butterfly" written in 1861. A rather depressing story, just like many of his stories, about a picky butterfly looking for the perfect bride who comes to the realization that his life is ending not the way he envisioned. Despite its source, the quote itself is very hopeful, and we couldn't think of a better quote to be placed on the wall of our new Yaletown shop.

In keeping with Queensberry's philosophy, adding a little flower to your life is great... what a privilege and a joy it is to be able to provide a place that gives busy city people the chance to stop and smell the roses!

Cherry Blossom Viewing Tour Day 2

2011-04-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a gloomy gray day but the cherry blossoms
were brightening up the city!
Stay tuned for more Sakura reports this week!

If you know the
best blossom viewing spots, please let us know!

False Creek, by Granville Island. Full bloom!

By the Vancouver Maritime Museum... Full Bloom!

Queen Elizabeth Park ... will be the BEST viewing spot NEXT WEEK!

Not quite there yet...

Vancouver's Shaughnessy neighborhood... rows of cherry trees!

Cherry Blossom Tour in Vancouver Part 1

2011-04-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

Happy spring, everyone!

We are so lucky to be living in beautiful Vancouver where spring time means blooming flowers and irresistible fragrance in the air...

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival kick started last week and if you walk or drive around the city, you can easily spot the light pink cherry trees.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Japanese obsession with Cherry Blossoms (known as Sakura), it is a national celebration that the entire country anticipates every early spring. Sakura is one of Japan's national flowers and Sakura viewing (known as Hanami) events are super popular! Hanami is where people sit under the full bloom of Sakura trees for hours and admire the beauty of the blossoms while enjoying food and drink specially prepared for the Sakura viewing.

As someone born and raised in Japan, this is the season to celebrate. So I've decided to team up with my husband and go on a journey to find the best Sakura viewing spots with the help of Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Society's website (www.vcbf.ca).

Today, I started off with one of my favorite spots, Burrard SkyTrain Station! You just can't miss this beautiful tunnel of cherry blossoms. Walk around and feel the soft and fragrant air created by the millions of sweet Sakura blossoms...

Fall has arrived

2010-10-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Now at the shop, it's all about beautiful fall colors, fall plants and pumpkins. One of our favorites at Queensberry is Physalis also known as Chinese lantern or Cape Gooseberry. You can dry them and keep them for a long time and they are a great addition to fall-themed bouquets or arrangements.

Whenever I see Physalis, I feel warm and fuzzy because my mother used to tell me that inside the orange lantern lives a fairly and that individual lanterns are little houses for fairies and I should never break them. Later on I found out that there is actually a little fruit inside the lanterns, but I still like to imagine a little fairy dancing inside them.

Another favorite at Queensberry are mini pumpkins. You will see a pile of mini pumpkins all through autumn at our shop, and we're so excited to have these in our arrangements!

... and don't forget our little glittery pumpkin picks!

Little Miss Craspedia

2010-09-14T22:59:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this picture of Craspedia. All our staff went "Awww" and we have been frequently witnessing the impulsive purchases of Craspedia for the past few weeks.

Craspedia is from the Daisy family, and are commonly known as billy buttons or woollyheads (cute!). Their fuzzy flowers (?) last for weeks and are just so darn cute in a bouquet. We like to stick two Craspedia in our Berry bouquets like antennas... That's just one example of what you can do with Craspedia.

Just a quick announcement...

2010-09-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

We can now deliver flowers across the Greater Vancouver area! Give us a call or send us an email. We will be happy to assist you with choosing the right flowers for your special occasion. Minimum order for our delivery service is $25.

Also, we now carry gift certificates (available in any denomination). If you are not sure which flowers to choose, treat the recipient with a happy shopping experience at our flower-filled shop!

Cotton Candy Hydrangea

2010-07-16T18:18:00.001-07:00

These cotton candy - no, hydrangeas arrived at Queensberry on Tuesday and became instantly popular with our customers. They are as big as my head (!) and have a lovely name, "Limelight". Unlike some of the hydrangeas, these limelight hydrangeas are strong and vibrant. It is beautiful by itself, or as a part of the arrangements. I later found out that Limelights are the award winning hydrangeas! (winner of the 2008 Royal Horticulture Society Award of Garden Merit, and the PHS Gold Medal Award etc.).

But at Queensberry, they will be fondly remembered as that-huge-cotton-candy hydrangea!

Hydrangeas Everywhere!

2010-07-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

Today was such a nice day for a bike ride, so I got on my bike and biked around my old hood, The West End. And I just happened to bike by this gorgeous hydrangea shrub. Look at the gradation of the color!! The beautiful shades of purple and pink! This is perfection. I stood there for a while and dreamed about what a beautiful bouquet I could make with these hydrangeas. I could pull a "cut and run" perhaps, but it's not my nature to do such thing, and plus, these hydrangeas were full of energy and life... they were soaking up the sun, breathing the fresh summer air, and were just happy to be there, I could tell.

When I was a child living in a suburb of Tokyo, I often stopped at a big shrub of hydrangeas on my way back from elementary school and collected poor little snails that were often found on the leaves. Hydrangeas, just like its name suggests, like water very much, and they signify the arrival of the rainy season in Japan. We believed that hydrangeas changed their color gradually from the beginning to end, but later I found out that it's actually the level of aluminum in the soil that controls the color of hydrangeas. So if they are transplanted, they change their color to match the soil's condition. Whenever I look at hydrangeas, they remind me of my childhood in warm and rainy Tokyo ...

They can be seen everywhere right now, so enjoy their beautiful blossoms while you can.

Gerbera Daisies & a Baby Shower

2010-06-24T22:53:00.001-07:00

The march of Gerbera Daisy Cubes! They marched into someone's baby shower. In many cases at Queensberry, it's our customers who have much better ideas. Please keep them coming!

Birthday

2010-06-11T17:51:00.001-07:00

Well, I had my birthday about two weeks ago and I was surprised by the nice gift our lovely staff at Queensberry prepared for me for the occasion; a piece of birthday cake. But not just any cake, it was a cake made entirely of flowers! It even had a little candle in the middle... how sweet! So on my birthday, I had my cake and... kept it for a whole week!

Japan Trip: Sakura and Starbucks

2010-04-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

Some of you already know, but I was fortunate enough to go back to Tokyo in early March for a much needed injection of Japanese food and culture (and to spend time with my friends and family, of course). Well, I was also hoping to catch the early blossoming of Sakura (Cherry blossoms in Japanese). Sakura holds a special place in every Japanese person's heart. Japanese people find true beauty in what Sakura symbolizes - the transient nature of life. After much anticipation throughout the cold winter, the city becomes filled with the breathtaking views of cherry blossoms. But the flowers only last for at most two weeks and in many cases will end quicker due to strong winds or rain. It is that fleeting moment of beauty that reminds us of how brief but beautiful life is.

So like any smart business in Japan does, Starbucks Japan decided to take advantage of Japanese people's emotional ties to Sakura. And I have to admit, I was completely and utterly happy to be taken advantage of. The Starbucks Sakura Steamer (Sakura flavored sweet steamed milk) accompanied by heavenly Sakura Macarons that were sweet and creamy was everything I could have asked for in a macaron.

Unfortunately, I just missed the actual blooming of Cherry blossoms by a few weeks, but while in Japan I was reminded of how wonderful it is to celebrate the change of the seasons. And more importantly, how wonderful it is for me to be in a position where I can witness the change of the seasons so closely. Maybe that's why I wanted to become a florist.

Egg cups and glittery eggs

2010-04-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

This Easter weekend was a lot of fun at Queensberry. Thank you to our loyal customers who choose us for your Easter flower treats! We filled our stand with Easter-colored mini berries and glass vase arrangements. We even did something new - mini Easter Egg Cups! Hope everyone enjoyed the cute line-up of the egg cups!

What we like to do at Queensberry is to have fun with flowers. Never mind the flower arrangement rules or traditional way of displaying flowers. Really, if you think about it, all flowers need is something that holds water... hence the egg cups... and empty wine bottles, jam jars, cocktail glasses etc. etc. Use your instincts, try a few different things and do what feels (or looks) right to you. You will start noticing more original and interesting ways to incorporate flowers in your daily lives. Happy Easter!

Cactus with an Attitude

2010-03-02T22:57:00.000-08:00

I love cacti.

There is something about their cute look and their deadly spikes. They make me want to touch them, it's almost impossible to look at them and suppress the urge to touch them. I know it's not just me who feels this way. I brought these little ones to Queensberry this Saturday and there have been numerous people staring at them and they all eventually touch them and go "ouch!". Yes, I am people watching at my shop and it's quite interesting.

Despite their simple appearance, cacti are very sophisticated creatures with many features that enable them to survive in a dry environment. According to wikipedia, the reason why they are shaped like a sphere or cylinder is because they achieve the optimal shape - a combination of the highest possible volume and lowest possible surface area - so that they reduce the surface area through which water can be lost by transpiration. Very impressive, indeed.

They are also flowering plants. I remember my mom's cacti. She started off with one cactus she got from her mom, my Grandma. And it started to grow and reproduce at a really rapid pace. So fast that five years later, her sun room is full of baby cacti. One day, we noticed that there were tube-like things growing out of these cacti. A few days later, these tubes became beautiful purple flowers. Their color was so vivid and striking, it was hard to believe that they came from the rather boring looking green domes of cacti. To be honest, I don't know what these little cacti will grow up to be... what color are their flowers? How big are they going to be? It's a secret only their new owners will get to experience...

Flowers for Johnny Weir

2010-02-20T14:48:00.000-08:00

I had no idea who Johnny Weir was until two women from Japan came to my shop the other day. They travelled all the way from Japan to cheer for Johnny Weir at the Olympics and they wanted big bouquets of flowers. They wanted the flowers to be "cute" which made me very confused... why do they want to give a man a "cute" bouquet? Do they want to let him know how cute THEY are? So, I chose to use Polo white roses which in my opinion are quite cute with their round shape. I also used Hypericum berries to add a subtle cuteness to the bouquet. The result was a cute Queensberry style bouquet and the Japanese ladies left satisfied. After I got home from the shop that night, I made sure I watched Johnny Weir compete for the USA in Free Style figure skating. Only then did I understand that my so-called "subtle cuteness" was not enough. A surge of regret came across me. I should have gone "ALL PINK", I should have used sparkles! Lesson learned...the customer is always right!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T00:05:00.000-08:00

Up until today, Queensberry was filled with color. Pink, Yellow, Orange in our mini Berry bouquets were so lovely, not to mention the beautiful purple color in my favorite spring blooms such as Hyacinth and Anemones. BUT! from today, it will be dominated by one particular color, which clearly represents three important dates that we are welcoming in Vancouver in the next few days... "RED"!!! Red for Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, and the Canadian flag. What an exciting time it is to be in this city right now.

"Freedom" red roses are one of my favorites. Its deep red is elegant and classy, and the shape of the flower is a work of art. If you take a look at our Freedom Roses, you will probably agree with me.

We have fresh Freedom roses just for Valentine's Day. We will be open on Saturday Feb. 13th & Sunday Feb. 14th, so come pick up our gorgeous Freedom Roses for your loved ones (or for yourself!) before they are all gone! We'll have our regular Berry Bouquets and Queen Bouquets as well as Flower Cubes, all dressed in Valentine's Day color, waiting for you! See you at the shop!

Queensberry welcomes the world!

2010-02-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

We had an exciting moment today and I thought writing about it would be a great first blog post to kick start Queensblog! Well, we were just about to close the shop when we were approached by a group of young women wanting to purchase "Lucky Bamboo". They all selected their bamboo carefully and had them wrapped to take home. They were very courteous and friendly, thanking us for staying open for them. I asked where they were from, since they were wearing matching track suits. It turned out that they were Finnish hockey players! Olympic athletes at my shop!?? I couldn't help but to with that my lucky bamboos bring them good luck during these exciting times.

As we are located in the heart of downtown, we see athletes and volunteers and other people that are visiting from around the world. The number of people using the Skytrain is ever increasing and the inevitable sense of excitement is intoxicating!

Be sure to stop by the shop to check out our Olympics-themed products following Valentine's Day. We will welcome the world with flowers!

Why don't you bring in luck to your life with our "Lucky Bamboo"?

1 stalk: $5

3 stalks: $12