Santa Ana Orange Grove

It's a sad day for Santa Ana, CA. One of the last Orange Groves in the city has been sold and is going to be turned into houses. According to the OC Register, the 4.5 acre property is the last remaining grove of any size in Santa Ana.

For those of you that don't know, Santa Ana was started almost 100 years ago with a few cottages built among the acres and acres of oranges, apricots and walnuts. Boy how things have changed.

Don't get me wrong. I understand that with more and more people pouring into the region, something has to give--and in this case it's the trees.

Still, it seems a little sad. At some point all of Orange County will be wall to wall development. The kids being born today will know a completely different OC than the one that I knew.

I guess the only thing to do is to stop by Visser's and buy your grandkid a nice plant. (It couldn't hurt)

FTD quality program

We are please to announce that Visser's Florist will be part of a new quality program being implemented by FTD. As you know, Visser's is one of the top 100 FTD florists in North America (out of 20,000) The program puts in place several technical changes regarding the use of the FTD system for sending out your flower orders to different parts of the country.

The changes will result in much better coordination among the FTD florists throughout the world, so when you call Visser's to send flowers to your Aunt in New Jersey, you can relax knowing that your order is being well taken care of.

Graduation Leis

Well, Mother's Day is over. All of us at Visser's worked really hard to make everyone happy--and I think we succeeded.

Now, let's turn our attention to Graduation. It's a very special time if you have a graduate in your family. What better way to celebrate than with Dendrobium Orchid Leis from Vissers?

In Hawaii, giving leis for Graduation is a time-honored tradition. Often times, a graduate gets so many leis that they can't wear them all and must share them with others.

Long ago, leis were made of a variety of natural things, like shells, ivory, teeth, seeds, nuts and flowers. Today, the traditional graduation lei is made of Dendrobium Orchids. Visser's special prices for these beautiful graduation leis are $19.99 for a single and $29.99 for a double. We usually have them is stock, but it is better to call us a little in advance to reserve them.

Also, if your school or organization would like to sell leis as a fundraiser, give us a call.

Mother's Day Flowers

Sunday is Mother's Day. Start planning what to do for mom right now. Obviously, here at Visser's Florist we hope that you will order flowers to show your gratitude and love for the person that has done so much for you. It doesn't take much effort. Either click here, or call us at 714 772-9900. We have flowers and plants to fit all budgets.

We will deliver your flowers to mom on Friday or Saturday, so when you go over to her house Sunday morning they will be there. In fact, mom will be so happy that she will probably have some freshly baked cookies waiting for you. So come on, pick up the phone and make your mom happy.

FTD Acquisition

(from Suntimes.com) "FTD, the Downers Grove-based floral company, will be acquired by United Online Inc. for about $456 million in cash, notes and stock, the companies announced Wednesday.

United Online, the operator of NetZero and Juno Internet service providers, intends to expand FTD's online revenue-making opportunities, particularly because less than 5 percent of the floral industry's revenue comes from Internet sales, and the two companies have more than 50 million overlapping customers.

United Online intends to help florists increase their revenues, too, by improving "how they present themselves; how they are integrated with the FTD story so they appear much more a part of the family; and how they use the Internet as a leverage tool to drive their business rather than looking at the Internet as a competitor."

I just want to comment on this acquisition. United Online clearly wants to grow the internet part of this business. That's fine with me. Internet shopping is growing everyday, with no letup in sight. The flower industry will probably benefit from having these experts on the team.

Visser's Florist is proud to have partnered with FTD for so many years. However, let me make one thing perfectly clear. We have grown and prospered for over 50 years because we provide outstanding customer service--every single day. THAT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE.

Our commitment is to make every customer glad that they shopped at Visser's. If we do that we will be here another 50 years.

I'd appreciate your comments.