March 24, 2023

Get Growing!

Spring Has Finally Sprung!

With spring finally here it is time to get out into the garden and get growing! Whether that is fruits, vegetables or beautiful annual and perennial flowers it does not matter! It does the heart and soul good to get your fingers dirty and feel the earth in your hands. It connects us with nature in a way that taking a walk or run just does not. Being outside is amazing but seeing something emerge from a seed you have planted is just pure magic!

Take the time to nurture your mind body and soul by finding a little (or big) space to plant and watch things grow. It could be as simple as a window box or a pot of herbs on your window ledge! There is research that shows the mental health benefits along with the added benefits to your physical being.

In short, the garden is MY happy place, maybe it could be yours too!

If you are looking to add a few things you your existing garden or find that pot of herbs for your window ledge, swing by our farm stand! We popped some new things out there today!

Gorgeous fresh rosemary plants, spring bulbs, heathers, succulents and so much more!

September 5, 2022

Feature in Florists Review Magazine

We are elated to be featured in Florists Review Magazine for the September 2o22 issue!

Just in time for the upcoming holiday season – celebrate with us with one of our floral design classes. We are happy to be able to teach and share our love of florals (and greenery) with others!

Read the full article here.

December 14, 2021

5 Tips for Creating a Unique Holiday Wreath

It’s officially wreath making season! Here at Foxgloves, we are all about unique creations using items you can find throughout your home and in the outdoors where you live. We love unique holiday decor, that is hand-made and brings the holiday spirit to your home.

We have come up with useful 5 Tips to help you create a holiday wreath that is truly unique and one-of-a-kind.

Culinary herbs and spices are a wonderful additions to your wreath. Bay leaf, rosemary, oregano, and thyme all work wonderfully to create a herb-themed wreath. You can hang it in your kitchen from a cabinet door to add festivity to your kitchen. You can even use pieces of it in your cooking!
Take a walk in the woods to get inspired. Cedar, pinecones, bark and wild berry branches that are in your neighbourhood woods are all perfect for incorporating into a rustic, earthy wreath.
Dried ingredients can add in beautiful texture. Dried fruit like oranges, cranberries or grapefruit adds in unique texture and pops of colour. Even a sprig of dried lavender can add in the wonderful calming sent.
Simple or extravagant, let your creativity flow. Wreath making is all about having fun, we encourage you to make a day of it. Plan it out with friends or your family members. Prepare a few days before with cutting branches and gathering supplies. Extras to help include a glue gun, wire and clippers. Get creative!
Don’t be shy about making a statement with the finishing touches. Adding in a large bow, tying ribbon in throughout, looping on a bell to jingle – these all finish your wreath with the perfect topping.

For more tips, you can find us featured in a recent blog post with Redfin – find it here.

August 24, 2021

Flower Subscriptions

The Best Gift Ever!

Have you ever been thinking about what to get the “perfect gift” for the person who has everything? Or is just plain hard to shop for? Well, we are here to tell you, this is it! you have found that gift. You have hit the best gift idea ever jackpot!!

We have YOU (or that special someone) covered for a year, 6 weeks or 6 months of flower delivery, right to their/your front door!

How it works

Once you’ve placed the order, we look after everything else. Every week or month, on the anniversary date of the first order (or the closest business day to it) the flowers are delivered. The recipient will receive the hand-tied bouquet designed to go right into their vase. All that is required, is to re-cut the stems, add in fresh water, add flower food (included) into the water and voila! the perfect beautiful bouquet to enjoy.

Can the subscription be paused?

Yes! If the subscription needs to be paused due to travel, renovations, a personal matter, whatever — we have that covered! With that very first delivery, a card is included, explaining directions if the subscription needs to be postponed for any reason. Even to have specific dates changed! All that is required is to give us a call and let us know!

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What’s Included?

Included in the purchase of your subscription, is a card explaining the wonderful gift to the recipient and of course the flowers! Whether you have chosen 6 weeks, 6 months or a whole year of flowers they will all come wrapped and ready to go into the recipients own vase!

What are the subscription options?

6 Months send love and beautiful flowers once a month for 6 months! Every month a lovely hand-tied bouquet will arrive wrapped and ready to go into the recipients vase. This includes delivery for all 6 months!

6 Weeks Order 6 weeks of fresh flowers delivered to your/someone you love’s door. Once per week for 6 weeks a fresh hand tied bouquet of blooms will arrive, ready to go into your vase. This subscription can start at any time of year and will include a seasonal selection of blooms and foliage. Always changing! Always fun and different!

1 Year The perfect understated and thoughtful gift idea. Choose from different monthly options within the yearly subscription. From elegant, spectacular roses or seasonal. The year subscription has an option for any flower lover! Each month the bouquet style of their choice will be delivered to their door.

For more info about our flower subscriptions head over to our website here!

May 20, 2020

Farm Cart Update (May 20th, 2020)

48 days remaining — that’s how much time we have left before Saanich is set to shut down the Foxgloves Flowers flower stand at 2825 Heath Drive.

Back on Monday May 4th, we were granted a 45 day extension to our original shut-down-before-May-22nd-or-receive-a-fine order. This extension was intended to hold us over while Saanich staff has had a chance to review the temporary emergency motion to allow farm stands within the Saanich urban containment zone. Saanich council is set to meet on Monday May 25th to debate and vote on this motion, based on the recommendations of Saanich staff.

It was clear to council that something should be done in the short term, and we’re hoping that they have had several weeks to consider that the interruption to business caused by COVID-19 will not be over on Tuesday May 25th.

Businesses are only now starting to re-open at partial capacity. We have been instructed to still not gather in groups, never mind large groups that are typical of the event types that we provide flowers for. While we here at Foxgloves have had some small elopements proceed with their plans this summer, more or less all events of over a few guests are being postponed.

The reason they’re being postponed is that no one knows when we’ll be allowed to have as many guests as would attend a wedding or event in one place. Some venues have even outright shut down for the 2020 season entirely. Others venues are unsure as to whether they’ll have staff available, and how much work will be involved in making the location safe.

While some hotels may end up re-opening soon, cross border travel is still restricted. Should the border open up once again, the question will remain as to whether the airlines will be ready to take on passengers, and whether guests will be able to fly here and find suitable accommodations.

For any who have planned a wedding, you know that the basics of finding a reception venue, ceremony venue, and someone to perform the ceremony, florist, DJ, caterer, photographer, and cake decorator (just to mention a few of those involved in making a wedding a day to remember), can seem extremely overwhelming. Throw in uncertainty about whether your guests can travel and find accommodation, or whether your venue will allow as many guests as you’d like… and many are likely to just say “Oh **** it, let’s just do this next year”.

This is why we’re fighting to be allowed to keep the flower stand open through the summer — to help offset this incredible loss of wedding and event revenue.

If you would like to contact the mayor (mayor@saanich.ca) or council (council@saanich.ca), to voice your support of allowing us and other farm carts for the summer under this extraneous situation, please do.

-Brandon Devnich

Author

Brandon Devnich is the husband of Colleen O’Farrell (owner/operator of Foxgloves Flowers). While not normally in a day to day role at Foxgloves, Brandon manages the website and ecommerce operations. He has also found a new role in helping to drag the flower stand out and back each day. You may find him greeting you at the flower stand, or puttering around the front gardens muttering to himself about how the kids need to go back to school before he loses his mind.