written by Janet Lee Harrold

Though most of our loyal customers already know the scope of what we do at Cedar Grove Gardens, I think it is always a good reminder to keep our customers both new and old (haha)  informed. It’s sometimes hard to believe but we have been in business for 37 years now (wow) and many of you have been with us from the beginning (we won’t mention any names) a few of our staff members have been as well. This blog is just a way of letting our new comers know what is in service for them as well as a gentle reminder to our longstanding customers.

This time of year we are full swing in the garden center, it is bursting with color and fragrance. You can find annuals and perennials, herbs, soil and wind spinners. Our staff in the garden center are  always happy to assist you in making the right choices for your yard. In addition to the garden center we offer a number of off site services. We are happy to work with you on landscaping projects as well as planting window boxes, patio planters and container gardens.

In the fall our garden center stocks pumpkins, kale, wheat, mums and anything that you can possibly imagine at Harvest Time. It is also the time of year that we host our annual “Harvest Festival”  we encourage the children to attend this festival in their favorite Halloween costume. We pass out balloons, apple cider, popcorn and the kids have loads of fun busting our candy and money filled pinata’s. If that isn’t enough fun we offer a horse drawn carriage ride that takes place across the street in the Cedar Grove Cemetery.  All FREE of charge!

For the adults who are eager to start the holiday season, we host a popular event here at the shop often times it is in November, but this year it will be held October 23rd, 24th and 25th. “Evening of Inspiration” is one of our most sought after events, R.S.V.P required. There is a ticket charge for this event but your money is well spent. It is a catered event and an evening of sipping and entertainment as we demonstrate how to get your home ready for the holidays, offering tips and inspiration from the many talented floral experts here on staff. You can come by yourself or with a group of friends, we guarantee you will not be disappointed!

During the winter months, our garden center is choc full of Christmas trees, custom designed wreaths (a service that not many provide) and roping. During this time of year we also do a few off site design jobs. We offer in home and commercial decorating for the Holidays. Inside the shop you will be captivated by the variety of beautifully decorated trees on display, often decorated in different themes and always  adorned with the most unusual Christmas tree ornaments that you will ever find.  You may even catch a glimpse of our upside down tree. Come in to be inspired and be prepared to be wowed. It’s our busiest time of the year!

What a lot of people don’t realize (and this surprises me every time) is that inside the flower shop we also have an extensive gift shop, a hidden gem if you will. We carry a very sweet line and sometimes unusual line of unique gifts. Many things that you won’t find in the stores.  You can expect to see items that local artisans have created, In fact “Motowi Tiles” are a popular seller here in the shop, If you are in the market for an accent lamp, we have some great finds that are sure to add to the character and charm of your decor.  We have fine pottery, lanterns, wall hangings, we carry gourmet candies and foods, funny cocktail napkins oh and if you want to know how to mix the best cocktail, we have books that will show you just that. We stock the funniest and nicest greeting cards (a thing that people think is becoming a lost art, but we know better).

In addition to all the fun things listed above, we can’t loose site of the fact that we are a full service flower shop. We are fortunate enough to have a flower market so close by so we visit and shop there every single day, this is the main reason why you can count on having fresh flowers and plants when you order from Cedar Grove Gardens.

A few of the everyday flower needs that we service on a regular basis are for both happy and sad occasions. In addition to all of the Holidays (and believe me there are many) we commonly design flowers for birthdays, anniversaries, proms and  sympathy, we send flowers to cheer people up when they are sick or flowers to say I love you.

Speaking of I love you’s can we talk about weddings? On average we book about 75 weddings a year! (Yikes).  We are a full service florist, this means that we meet with you a number of times during the planning stages of your big day, we provide consultations, on site visits and samples…. we don’t just drop off your beautiful blooms and let you fend for yourself, we take pride in our work and we realize that the beauty is in the details, we deliver the personal flowers to you, we set up the ceremony flowers and we transport them to the reception if need be, we also deliver the centerpieces to your reception, this can be as simple as setting them on the table or as elaborate as setting up the entire facility,  maybe you have rented a chuppah or archway from us and it needs the touch of a  floral expert, we are happy to provide that service as well. Oh and the work load doesn’t stop there. We typically go back the same evening and collect any rental containers that may have been used to enhance the beauty of the floral elements that were provided, so you see, when you hire us to do your wedding, we are going to go that extra mile to ensure that your day is as perfect as it was meant to be.

Luscious Bouquets Rachel Red Photography

We also host wedding shows here in the shop, offering the hottest of trends and allowing you to see and hold flowers from all four seasons. No matter what time of year our wedding show is held we’ve got your month covered!

All in all this was my brief.. lol summary of what we do on a regular basis and the services that we provide to you. I hope it was helpful and I hope that you stop in to our little hidden gem, a sliver of Dorchester that many don’t even realize exists.

Do you love Hydrangeas as much as we do…below is a link from Country Living Magazine, I hope you  enjoy browsing the beautiful pics and getting tips on which varieties will do best in your garden!

http://www.countryliving.com/gardening/g4472/hydrangea-growing-conditions/