The Boston Fern is big and beautiful and loves humid conditions. This makes it perfect for bathrooms where it will thrive or if you don't want it in the bathroom, you can make it very happy by giving it a little spritz with your water mister.
It's a great indoor house plant but it does need water and moisture. Put some pebbles in the plant pot and cover with water and sit your fern on top.
It likes cool conditions and indirect light and do make sure the soil is kept moist
]]>Autumn is here and with it comes lovely colourful gourds and mini pumpkins.There are hundreds of species of gourds divided into 3 groups and the cute, colorful little ornamental gourds that make good decorations are from the Cucurbita pepo group. They are closely related to pumpkins, summer squashes, and some winter squashes such as acorn and delicata.
Gourds are generally extremely bitter and not edible but are great for decoration. Placed simply on a shelf or in a bowl or used as part of a more elaborate table centre they add perfect seasonal style to your home.
Before you buy, check that the shell is hard and there are no soft parts as this could mean it has started to decompose. They last pretty well but be careful, they suddenly go soft and you might end up with a soggy mess.
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There's no better feeling than making someone happy by sending them flowers - whether it's expected or not.
Here at Birksen we strive to deliver the best bouquets to suit any budget. We have limited the choice available online as we believe a huge choice impacts quality.
There are lots of reasons why people send flowers including birthday, thank you, anniversary, new baby, sympathy and 'just because'. But whatever the reason, nothing beats opening the door to a beautiful bunch which is there because someone is thinking about them.
Areas we delivery flowers to include Clapham, Brixton, Balham, Stockwell, Chelsea, Vauxhall and Battersea. Give us a call if your areas is not listed.
We can take orders in person, over the phone and online. To encourage online orders we have included free local delivery in the price of the flowers.
So don't delay. Make someone's day by sending them a beautiful bunch of flowers today.
]]>Easter trees are a centuries old German tradition that is now catching on in a big way in the UK. Also called Easter egg trees (‘osterbaum’ in German), they’re simply tree branches – either standing in a vase, or a living tree outdoors – decorated with eggs or Easter decorations. The eggs and tree symbolise new life as spring kicks in.
Fancy making an indoor Easter tree this year? Simply take some floral foam or use a vase or bucket and arrange freshly-cut tree branches (with buds on if possible) in it. Magnolia and cherry blossom look particularly nice.
We have in stock branches and twigs as well as Easter decorations to complete the look, should you fancy. Have a lovely Easter!
]]>We stock moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) here in the shop and are always asked for care advice, so here are some essential tips to help you care for your orchid (courteousy of Kew):
Some tips to help promote reflowering:
As each flower wilts and turns brown, remove it from the flower spike. Then, when all the flowers are over, cut the whole spike off cleanly about 3cm from the base. The orchid will then concentrate on leaf growth. It should flower again the following year.
Moth orchids will flower again more quickly if you cut the spike just above the third node from the base.
Good luck!
Ever wondered why we celebrate Mother's Day in the UK? Here are a few facts that may be of interest:
So there you go! Today, it is still a day when children give presents, flowers, and home-made cards to their mothers. To find out more info on what foods were traditionally eaten on this day, you can read more in this BBC article.
]]>We LOVE green houseplants and always have a good selection of different plants in store. The news is full of the benefits of these green beauties and the good they do to our home environments.
They help purify the air and according so NASA, some houseplants can even help you sleep by purifying the air. Here are their top houseplants to help you sleep.
Aloe Vera
Described by NASA as one of the best plants for air purification, aloe vera releases oxygen throughout the night as well as fighting pollutants such as benzene (found in plastics) and formaldehyde (from varnishes)
Spider Plant
This attention-grabbing houseplant can remove a huge 90% of toxins from your bedroom air in just two days, making it the perfect accessory for anyone with dust allergies. Beware: it grows pretty quickly.
Weeping Fig
Lots of pollutants come from basic household items such as traditional furniture and carpeting. Weeping figs are the best at removing tons of the nasty things including benznee, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.
Areca Palm
This plant literally ‘mops up’ pollutants, making it ideal for anyone who constantly suffers from colds and sinus problems. You’ll also fall asleep a lot quicker thanks to the air being cleaner.
Dwarf Date Palm
Another hardy option, the tropical-looking Dwarf Date Palm is tolerant to drought and handily gets rid of a number of indoor air pollutants especially solvent xylene.
Boston Fern
NASA says that this fern is great at removing formaldehyde from the air, giving the plant ninth place in its list of 50 air-purifying plants.
English Ivy
Trailing ivy can remove 78% of airborne mould in as little as 12 hours, according to researchers at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Peace Lily
Peace lilies are able to improve air quality by 60%. They can also get rid of mould by absorbing the spores through their leaves and using them as food.
Chinese Evergreen
If you’re not a good parent to plants, this one’s for you. The Chinese Evergreen is pretty hard to kill considering it grows in low-lit areas where other plants would die. Keep it going for as long as possible as the longer it lives, the more toxins it removes from the air.
Lady Palm
Lady Palm is good for anyone struggling to breathe at night thanks to its capabilities of cleansing the air of toxins including ammonia, xylene, toluene and formaldehyde.
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Succulents and cacti are a an interesting and cool way to add some green to your home. They come in all sorts of wonderful shapes and shades and here are some tips on how to look after them:
1. Don’t over water them
Never let a succulent sit in water, and always water the soil, not the plant
2. Keep them in dry, cool conditions in winter.
Some don’t need to be watered at all in the coldest seasons
3. Replant them in spring.
Dust off the leaves, remove any dead ones and give them some liquid plant feed
4. Use a heavy pot.
If a plant is heavier than the pot it’s in, it’ll tip over
5. Let the soil dry out between watering.
Especially between April and September
6. Use rain water, not tap water, when possible.
Tap and filtered water and contain minerals and salts that may lead plants to become unhealthy
7. Repot it using specialist compost.
Yep, special cacti and succulent compost exists
8. Don't plant them in anything that won't drain.
They don’t like having soggy roots
9. Keep them in an east-facing window if possible.
They like light, but not getting sunburned
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With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we sell far more roses than any other flower during the month of February! Here is a colourful history of the rose from the University of Illinois:
They have been symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics. The rose is, according to fossil evidence, 35 million years old. In nature, the genus Rosa has some 150 species spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from Alaska to Mexico and including northern Africa. Garden cultivation of roses began some 5,000 years ago, probably in China. During the Roman period, roses were grown extensively in the Middle East. They were used as confetti at celebrations, for medicinal purposes, and as a source of perfume. Roman nobility established large public rose gardens in the south of Rome. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the popularity of roses seemed to rise and fall depending on gardening trends of the time.
During the fifteenth century, the rose was used as a symbol for the factions fighting to control England. The white rose symbolized York, and the red rose symbolized Lancaster, as a result, the conflict became known as the "War of the Roses."
Roses were in such high demand during the seventeenth century that royalty considered roses or rose water as legal tender, and they were often used as barter and for payments. Napoleon's wife Josephine established an extensive collection of roses at Chateau de Malmaison, an estate seven miles west of Paris in the 1800s. This garden became the setting for Pierre Joseph Redoute's work as a botanical illustrator. In 1824, he completed his watercolor collection "Les Rose," which is still considered one of the finest records of botanical illustration.
It wasn't until the late eighteenth century that cultivated roses were introduced into Europe from China. Most modern-day roses can be traced back to this ancestry.
Available to order online this Valentine's Day we have a dozen red or white roses but we also stock many other colours and varieties in our shop in Clapham Old Town - why not pop in and treat your Valentine's this year?
]]>The popularity of red roses on Valentine's Day dates back to the nineteenth century when the Victorians used floral bouquets to deliver coded messages to love interests. This system was know as floriography and it officially cemented the rose's romantic status. A red rose represents 'love' due to the colour red being linked to passion. A pink rose can mean appreciation and grace, a yellow rose stands for friendship and happiness and a white rose represents innocence.
Whatever message you want to communicate this Valentine's Day, roses remains a timeless choice and we offer a dozen red or white roses available to buy online.
Spring bulbs are the perfect antidote during these short winter days to add a splash of colour and gorgeous scent to your home. We have lots to choose from in the shop including narcissus and hyacinths (pictured above).
Place your hyacinth bulbs in a cool location away from heating, ideally in bright, indirect sunlight. Exposure to heat will shorten the plant's life. Water every 2 to 3 days and do not allow the soil to dry out completely. How simple is that!
]]>Happy New Year! To kickstart 2018 we have 20% off all gift items in the shop for the month of January. Come and grab yourself a bargain, including these lovely bowls (while stocks last)!
]]>Christmas is fast approaching so this is your last week to order your festive flowers and arrangements from us. We'll be taking orders up until 22nd with last collection being in the morning of 24th December.
Amaryllis and berries paired with eucalyptus, pine and pussy willow is the classic look this season.
Mixed foliage mantle and table arrangements are very popular but we cater for all tastes and budgets.
]]>Did you know we stock Christmas decorations? We also have a great selection of gifts that would make fantastic Christmas presents. We are open 7 days a week so why not come and visit if you are in Clapham Old Town....we look forward to seeing you!
]]>It's that time of year again and we are now taking orders for Christmas wreaths here at Birksen. You can order online or come into the shop and choose from the vast selection of designs and sizes on offer.
Did you know the wreath is an invitation to the spirit of Christmas to enter the home and bring good luck, suggesting also that the Christmas spirit dwells within? No, neither did we! You can read more about the history of the wreath in this interesting article published in The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/25/nyregion/wreaths-carry-many-meanings-and-messages-into-christmas.html.
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We are very happy that ranunculus are back in season! Ranunculus is a genus of about 500 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus include the buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots.
The name ranunculus is a combination of two Latin words, rana meaning frog and unculus meaning little. Legend has it, ranunculus flowers acquired this name because they grew along streams and were as plentiful as frogs in the spring.
The ranunculus flower is meant to symbolise charm and attractiveness across cultures and generations. In the Victorian language of flowers, the ranunculus flower tells the recipient your think they are charming and attractive. A perfect choice for that special someone!
]]>Welcome to our new blog! Here, we'll be featuring new products arriving in the shop, some tips on how to care for our houseplants and showcasing seasonal flowers.
This week, we kick of with our latest arrival in the shop - the Christmas Nisse. Here is a little folklore info about these creatures:
In Scandinavian folklore, a "household spirit" responsible for the care and prosperity of a farm. A nisse was usually described as a short man (under four feet tall) wearing a red cap with a tassel.
While belief in guardian spirits is a very old tradition in Scandinavia, belief in nisser was prominent in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Denmark, southern Norway and southern Sweden. Many farms claimed to have their own nisse. The nisse took an active interest in the farm by performing chores such as grooming horses, carrying bales of hay, and other farm-related tasks. These chores were usually done much more efficiently and effectively than by their human counterparts.
However, nisser were very temperamental, to say the least. If the household was not careful to keep its nisse satisfied (usually in the form of a single bowl of porridge with butter in it left out on Christmas eve) the spirit could turn against its masters. In one story, a girl is instructed by her family to give the nisse his porridge, but decides to eat it herself. The nisse responds by forcing her to dance until she nearly dies. Sometimes the offering themselves could backfire: in another tale, a grateful farmer gives his nisse a pair of nice white boots, and afterward the nisse refuses to go out into the rain to stable the horses for fear of getting his new boots dirty. - Encyclopedia Mythica from Encyclopedia Mythica Online.
These little guys are very popular so come and grab yours soon to avoid disappointment!