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After they loved my Shari’s Berries review, the folks at ProFlowers asked me to treat myself to some flowers so I can tell my readers all about it. Since Valentine’s Day was coming up at the time, I was more than happy to order some flowers and take the heat off my husband to do the same.
Ordering from the ProFlowers Website
For my review, I was given a gift card code and asked to shop from the ProFlowers Easter Flowers page. I was tickled pink when I saw that I could get 100 blooms of Peruvian lilies (also known as Alstromeria) with my gift card, because they are truly my favorite flower. I had them in my wedding bouquet, and they last so much longer than roses and other popular gift flowers. They’re also appropriate for almost any occasion, and so colorful! The order page offered me twice as many blooms for only $9.99 more, but the increased cost of the larger vase and the shipping for the larger bouquet too far exceeded the amount of my gift card… so I stuck with 100 blooms instead of 200 blooms.
Because ProFlowers uses the same account information as Shari’s Berries, I didn’t have to enter a new shipping address or anything after I logged in. This was very handy. The hardest part was choosing a delivery date. When did I want my flowers to arrive? I decided on Friday, February 8 – almost a week before Valentine’s Day.
They have a whole page of ProFlowers coupon codes, so make sure to check those out before placing your order. This will show you what the current discounts and promotions are that they are running. At the time of this post, they have a BOGO offer, 15% off your order, or 20% off orders of $39 or more. Those coupon codes expire on March 7, 2013. They’ll have new ones available after that!
When My Flowers Arrived
I was still sleeping when my flowers were delivered, but Tom and TJ were home because of the impending snowstorm. I’d worried about getting my flowers on time with Winter Storm Nemo on its way, but as all of the schools that closed down lamented, the snow didn’t start until late that evening. Tom had arranged to work from home, just in case, so he placed the box of flowers on my desk chair for when I came downstairs. (I took some pictures of the gigantic delivery box, but they came out terribly. And all things considered, the box is not really that important.)
After tearing into the box, I carefully unwrapped the bouquet of flowers and read the instruction card. Flowers in a box always look really sad when they first arrive. The ends of the stems are surrounded in foam that keeps them from being worthless when they arrive, but you have to cut each stem and let them soak up fresh water and plant food for at least 8 hours before they perk up. My alstromeria still looked a bit sad after 12 hours, so we gave them overnight before passing judgment.
Overnight was just what they needed! So colorful, so beautiful…they really brightened up my day. So if you want my advice, make sure to have any ProFlowers order delivered at least 24 hours before they will be shown off to admirers. But the best part?
Two weeks later, and they’re still looking gorgeous! There are three stems I need to get rid of because their petals are falling off, but the rest still look fantastic. And I’ll make a confession: I didn’t follow the care instructions very well. You’re supposed to cut the stems again on the third day and add more plant food to the water. I didn’t do either. It was a week later when my husband added the extra plant food, and I’m embarrassed to admit, the vase was practically dry that day. But still, they survived. I have a bit of a “black thumb,” and I tend to kill plants, so I’m pleased as punch that my alstromeria are still around. (How are the flowers you got for Valentine’s Day faring? I’d guess that most people’s roses and carnations are in the garbage already.)
So this isn’t just a recommendation for ProFlowers… this is a recommendation for Peruvian lilies in general. Most people I’ve talked to have never heard of them, and that’s a real shame. Admittedly, ordering from ProFlowers wouldn’t normally be in our budget, but if you can afford it, your recipient will really appreciate the freshness and staying power of flowers that come directly from the growers!
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
