A flower cannot blossom without sunshine!

Hello again!

Summer has finally arrived in full force in Missoula.  It's time to beat back your exploding gardens, sweat through your friends' wedding, float down the rocky Clark Fork River, and stand a while in our walk-in cooler - kept at a chilly 42 degrees - to cool off after a morning run or the Saturday market. 

And, hey, while you're in there, why not pick out a luscious gerbera daisy?

First off - WOW!  Thanks to our generous, anti-packrat community, we collected about $130 in two weeks for the Missoula Food Bank as a part of our vase donation program.  When you bring us one of your reusable vases or containers, we donate $1 each to a local charity or nonprofit.  The response was immediate and overwhelming, and we're grateful to our customers and community members for reaching out to help folks in need.  Return to our blog for information on who our next donation recipient will be.

One of our customer service gals, Jewell, is celebrating the summery season by entering the Garden City Lady Arm Wrestling Competition, part of the ROCK THE HOOD! Northside Westside Block Party on Saturday, July 14.  The event is free, kid-friendly, and a good excuse to hang outside all day with some Northside and Westside neighbors from noon to 9 p.m.  Check back here or on our Facebook as Jewell develops her Flower Power competition costume and arm-wrangling technique.


Boss Lindsay is mere moments away from delivering Baby Irwin #2!  The days of her waddling around the store are soon over, and we will post pictures as soon as she lets us.  Since the due date was July 4, we thought she should name the little one Liberty Belle - what do you think?  Justice?  America?  Hannah Montana?  Got any great baby name ideas? 


We also have two full-grown newcomers to the shop!  We would like to welcome our new driver McGregor (be sure to address him in a Sean Connery accent when you see him; he's never heard that one before) and customer service rep Kayla. 

And, finally, we urge to to be extra safe this Fourth of July as wildfire season has sparked somewhat early this year.  Practice fire safety and common sense, and, if you're interested, check in with local authorities on how and where fires are spreading near you.  We hope you have a happy Independence Day, and as always, if you need a red rose, blue delphinium, or white lily, don't be afraid to stop in and ask!

Happy July!

Busy Bitterroot Bees

Okay, okay. We know. We've been bad. Not updating the blog, keeping all of you in the dark for a whole year. But we're turning over a new leaf (blossoming, if you will), hoping to update regularly, keeping you in tune with the happenings at Bitterroot Flower Shop and our lovely little Missoula.

Wedding season is in full swing, and Lynda and the designers are busy every weekend creating fabulous bridal bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces for our happy couples.  People are getting creative this year - we have done arrangements with dusty miller, cornflower, and of course, local flowers and grasses from Blue Willow Farm in Stevensville.

Katie made this gorgeous thing last week: Casablanca lilies, cornflower, hydrangea, freesia, Queen Anne's lace, and a big cascade of blue and white ribbons.

We still have weekends and flowers available for weddings this summer as well as next, so if you're tying the knot anytime soon, consider asking us to help make your special day extra-special.

Something else we're proud to announce is that we've finally figured out what to do with all those vases community members donate to us.  You know the ones- you've gotten flowers from your kids or coworkers and once the flowers are spent, unsure of what to do with the vases, you tuck them away into corners of shelves all over your house.  Maybe once in a while you are able to reuse one, but mostly, they take up space and collect dust. 

But have no fear - Bitterroot Flower Shop is here!  When you bring in a reusable vase, we donate $1 to a local charity of our choice.   Right now, we are giving to our neighbors at the Missoula Food Bank.  We are happy to help you clean your shelves and your conscience all in one go, by feeding our community and our spirits!  Check in here or on our Facebook to find out which charity will be next. 

And, as always, BFS knows how to keep it real in the summer, and our employees are not only friendly and creative, but they can cook, too!  Our last employee potluck was filled with delicious sides and salads of all kinds, but Jeff was the man of the shop, grilling up some mean lean turkey burgers, corn on the cob, and colorful mini bell peppers.  Yum!

Checking Back In!

Hey Folks! Whoa weddings season! We had six awesome weddings last weekend, and we've got seven more next weekend. Couldn't have asked for better weather, too! Expect a whole mess of wedding photos to be uploaded soon, both here and on our facebook site. It's a busy time of year for us, but we couldn't think of a better way to spend it than helping to make a wedding even more perfect and beautiful.

We'd like to give a shout-out to employee Anna Buxton and co-owner Cliff Irwin for running the Missoula Marathon, and to employee Austin Ault for running the half. All three ran faster then they anticipated, and we couldn't be more proud!

We've kept busy donating flowers to the Red Willow Learning Center, which among other things provides body/mind based healing services for individuals, families and communities who have experienced trauma and adverse circumstances. Red Willow is a wonderful organization, and we were more than happy to donate flowers in order to support their cause.

Also, we're in the process of putting together a large donation of rose petals to the Tenth Annual Jadyn Fred Golf Tournament, July 22 at the Larchmont Golf Course. All proceeds from the 2011 Golf Scramble will benefit the Jadyn Fred Fund, which provides financial support directly to children battling cancer and their families. For more information, visit the Jadyn Fred Foundation.

As always, we've got a huge assortment of beautiful fresh cut flowers, plants and gifts in store. Feel free to stop by or give us a call at (406) 542-0309!

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check back into this blog and our facebook page!

-BFS

3/$50

I just heard about the 3/50 project. Sounds awesome!  pick 3 locally owned independent businesses that you would be sad to lose.  Try to spend $50 a month supporting those businesses.  If we all did this think of the income going straight into our communities.  Great project! check it out on http://www.the350project.net/ ----- hey I'll pass out hugs if anyone recruits new followers..... that's right free hugs !!!!!  thanks, Lindsay

Hello again from the Bitterroot Flower Shop!

Sorry it's been so long, but we've been about as busy as can be with the holidays. It was a terrific season, and we'd love to thank all our loyal customers for making it one of our best years!


Remember that Valentine's Day is just around the corner!

As you think about all the ways you might be able to spoil, embarrass or shower your sweetie with love, keep in mind that the Bitterrroot Flower Shop is the place to be! We'll have all the roses you'll need, in addition to chocolates, sweet snacks, gifts, a wide variety of unique flowers, and our very own unique Valentine's Day flower arrangements! Get your orders in as early as you can, since we're expecting one of our busiest years ever!

We're also excited to announce that our plant room is expanding! We've restructured our layout a bit, and now have a whole new room for green plants. Things are still in the development stage, but expect a much wider selection!

Also, if you're interested in sending someone more than just flowers, remember that we can make wonderful food & gift baskets. Candy, fruit, stuffed animals, balloons, you name it!

Finally, we'd like to remind you of the Missoula Children's Theatre's production of Mikado! The show starts the weekend of January 21st, and has a second run from the 26th to the 30th. Bring the whole family for this hilarious Gilbert & Sullivan musical!

Seasons Greetings!

Hello again from the Bitterroot Flower Shop, in beautiful snowy Missoula, MT! We're back yet again with a blog entry, this one celebrating the festive winter season. The above chalk drawing (from our one-and-only Katie) pretty much sums it all up! We've got all that you might need for your holiday decorating, from flower arrangements, festive wreaths, silks, ornaments, gifts, and more!

But before we begin specifically showing you what's available in our store, allow us to get a bit self-congratulatory. Once again, we've won the Missoula Downtown Association's window contest! We received first place in the "Children's Choice" category, which means the kiddies got a real kick out of our holiday-themed window displays. And you will too!

Here's our "rustic evergreen" window:

 Our "traditional with sparkle" window:

and, finally, our "White Christmas" window:

Thanks to Kailee, Julia, and all the other Flower Shop employees, customers and friends who helped us put our displays together!

There's more to the store than its windows, though. Come on in, have a stroll around the shop, and see all the Winter Holiday decorations and gifts we have for sale. First and foremost, we've got a terrific collection of Jim Shore collectibles, priced to suit any budget:



Also, we've got a huge collection of Holiday-themed gifts, in a wide variety of colors, sizes and themes:

So stop by at your leisure, look around, and you might find the perfect gift for that special somebody. And, as always, we've got a rich variety of flowers (including many new Holiday greens), ready to be arranged and delivered!

Before we go, we'd like to give special props to our Employee of the Month: Uncle Tom! We all love you, Tom, and we don't want you to go! Thanks so much for all the help; we couldn't have gotten through the season without you!



Thanks for reading, and we hope everyone has a safe and happy Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or whatever else fits the bill!

-BFS

Checking Back In!

Hello again from the Bitterroot Flower Shop! We've got a big update for our blog, in part because we've been so busy that we've let the blog slide for the last week, but also because there have been so many exciting Missoula events that it hardly feels possible to do everything at once!

First things first: Tickets are on sale now for The Missoula Children's Theatre's production of The Producers, Mel Brook's racy Broadway hit. We're very happy to support the MCT and all the wonderful productions they put on, and we're looking forward to seeing you there!

A Missoula institution has celebrated another year: the Day of the Dead. Our shop donated a few buckets of dead or dying flowers for use in the Day of the Dead Mandala, which uses organic matter and natural dyes to form a huge, beautiful design at Caras Park. Here's a video of the process from last year's celebration: Missoula Mandala Project 2009.

Last, but certainly not least: we're bringing out all our Christmas decorations, just in time for this year's gorgeous Indian Summer to finally drop the temperature and turn into Winter. Come check out our huge collection of seasonal Jim Shore collectibles! We've also just got many of our bulbs in, ready to bloom for the holidays! Come check out the Amaryllis & Paper White bulbs, for sale and already starting!

Finally, its time for our Arrangement of the Week. Made by our designer Dotty, this arrangement is a great example of the Autumn colors we have available in the store. A subtle balance of oranges and deep reds, with Carnations, Bells of Ireland, Sunset Protea and an Oriental Lily, this arrangement is sure to compliment the turning colors and crisp light of November. Feel free to either call or step into the store, and we'll make one up for you!