Wild Flowers

Update!!

2009-07-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

the fire department was by today and we passed our inspection. just waiting on the certificate of occupancy!!!

we will begin moving this week. thank goodness!

other news, our newest foster April was helping with flower deliveries.

Customer Comment

2009-06-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

In an email I received today Deb noted.....

As a side note….I always use your florist to send Mom flowers. In the special instruction area I always put ‘hug my Mom’ and your driver ALWAYS does! I recommend you to everyone I know with family in the area! You are the BEST!

Deb L.

progress report on 1488 Clearwater-Largo Rd

2009-04-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

John and Matthew spent the week painting the inside and out of our new home at 1488 Clearwater Largo Rd. The builder has assured us it will be ready before Mother's Day. Of course he also said it would be ready before Valentine's Day and then before Easter.

One of these days he will surprise me!

Before picture of 1488 Clearwater Largo Rd

2009-02-16T08:41:00.001-08:00

Construction of our new building has just begun. The project manager says it will be ready by Easter! Let's hope so. It has been an very long and difficult journey.

Our Holiday Photo Contest Winner

2009-02-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

Thank you all so much for sending us your photos at Christmas!! Our first prize winner was Winston.

Winston is a French Bulldog. His Mom is a member of the French Bulldog Rescue Network.

Jake

2009-02-02T10:36:00.001-08:00

Jake was all dressed up for the Superbowl party his Mom and Dad had last night. Jake is a certified therapy dog and will be visiting local hospitals today to show off his latest attire and allow himself to be admired.

MARTINIS AND MATISSE

2009-01-22T15:14:00.000-08:00

Just some of the floral art Matt has created for Martinis and Matisse, a wonderful fundraiser for the Clearwater Free Clinic.

For several years now, we at Carlson Wildwood Florist have been priviledged to donate floral arrangements for this worthwhile event.

Unfortunately this year we are unable to attend. We will be at the Florida State Florist Association convention in Destin, Fl. The Martinis and Matisse event is a party we hate to miss! Area restaurants provide wonderful food and drink. The art lottery is fun and exciting. Matt was lucky enough to win an original oil last year and he treasures it!

The Clearwater Free Clinic provides health care free of charge to many people in our community who would otherwise not be able to afford it. This, unfortunately includes more and more of our working poor.

Martinis are provided courtesy of Bonefish Grill

Refreshments are being donated by many of the areas premiere restaurants

Bella Vino , Bonefish Grill, Carrabba's Italian Grill, E & E Steakout, Greektown Grill, Guppy's on the Beach, Island Way Grill, Marlin Darlin' Grill, Mecca Cafe, Rumba Island Bar and Grill, and Salt Rock Grill

If you don't have a ticket this year, be sure to put it on your calendar for next!!

Best wishes,
Cheryl

Princess Fergie

2009-01-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

If you have not visited our store, then you may not know we almost always have a furry friend here. The friends are usually rescues, and until now always have been golden retrievers. Our latest friend is Fergie, a French Bulldog.

Fergie has never met a person who wasn't her BFF, but watch out if you are a stuffed toy. She is a killer!

Northrup Grumman Employee Duiscount Program Notes

2008-12-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

Carlson-Wildwood Florist is pleased to offer Northrop Grumman Employees a savings of 10% off our everyday low prices. Same day and international delivery available. Our posted web prices are inclusive, we do not charge service or handling fees. Fed Ex charges may apply. We offer gift and gourmet baskets, cookies, chocolates, cheesecakes and balloon bouquets. Weddings, funerals, new baby gifts, birthdays. Special requests are welcome!!!

Holiday Tips

2008-11-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

My Dear Friend and Fellow Rotarian Will was kind enough to send me this post...

As the holidays begin, I wanted to pass these tips along to you. Enjoy the spirit of the festivities.
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare.. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. if something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. as for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies or pralines in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
Have a great holiday season!

Tea and Flowers

2008-11-25T13:17:00.000-08:00

November 5, 2008, the Belleair Garden enjoyed a program presented by Carlson Wildwood Florist. Matt Pacheco created several "Quick, clever and cute holiday arrangements". Cheryl and son Matt Pacheco joined members of the Belleair Garden Club including, Maureen Ballinger, Barbara Chapman, RuthAnn Voelkert and Debbie Halvorson. Using simple ingredients and containers bought at thrift and hardware stores, they made spectacular, long lasting arrangements which could be easily copied by club members. Garden grown greens and plants were also used to create the centerpieces made for the Holiday table.

St. Pete Times Article July 13, 2008

2008-07-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Carlson-Wildwood Florist
Mother-son florists on the move
By Christina K. Cosdon, Times Staff Writer In print: Sunday, July 6, 2008

Cheryl Pacheco owns Carlson-Wildwood Florist, where son Matthew is her star designer. Don’t let the tie fool you. It’s a dirty job. The florists on Clearwater-Largo Road in Largo hope to be in their new location nearby by December.
[JOSEPH GARNETT JR. Times]
Story Tools

A customer walking into Carlson-Wildwood Florist would first notice the heady fragrance of fresh flowers and exotic plants.
Next they'd see the funky faux leopard carpeting throughout the shop.
Leopard spots are quickly forgotten, however, among all the other things to see, including handblown Polish glass vases, French-milled soaps, blooming orchids, handmade greeting cards and wire animals made with real moss.
But the business' main attraction is its head designer, 25-year-old Matthew Pacheco.
Cheryl Pacheco never dreamed her son would be joining the business when she bought it six years ago.
"He was working for a florist in Charlotte, N.C., and came back here to go to school and work part time for me," she said. "When he decided school wasn't working out, he joined me full time and now he's my star designer. He does really unusual designs and handles all the high-end arrangements."
Last fall, Pacheco and her husband, John, a marine engineer who works as a contractor for the Navy, bought property at 1488 Clearwater-Largo Road to expand their shop. They moved the business from Belleair and leased a temporary space near the new property. Now that all the permits and plans are in place, construction is about to begin.
"We hope to be in our new home by December," said Cheryl Pacheco.
In addition to flowers and gourmet and gift baskets, the new place will offer classes in ikebana and flower arranging. Local ceramic artists will be invited to display work that can be for floral arrangements.
What do you enjoy most about the florist business?
"No two days are the same. I love that part. Every day is a new challenge," Cheryl Pacheco said.
"It's hard work, but it's a lot of fun and it makes people happy most of the time. Funerals are tough."
What are the disadvantages?
"The stress," she said. "There's a lot of stress. Like if you have a special order and the flowers come in bruised or the wrong color.
The first wedding I ever did was booked by the previous owners. They had ordered peach gerber daisies. What arrived were white gerber daisies and a can of paint.
On busy days, designers are on their feet 10 to 12 hours, lifting heavy buckets of water with flowers, cleaning the flowers, cleaning the vases, cleaning the buckets. You get pretty dirty. There's a lot of sweeping and hauling trash."
Where do your flowers come from?
"Most of them come from Colombia, Guatemala and Ecuador. Others come from all over the world: Holland, New Zealand, Australia, California, Israel," she said. "Most flowers don't have a season anymore. You can get tulips most any time, hydrangeas anytime. Carnations are getting to be very expensive and difficult to find. A lot of growers don't want to grow them because other flowers have a higher profit."
Christina K. Cosdon can be reached at (727) 445-4154 or cosdon@sptimes.com.
>>FAST FACTS
If you go
Carlson-Wildwood Florist, 1775 Clearwater-Largo Road. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Call (727) 446-4610 or visit www.belleairflorist.com.[Last modified: Jul 05, 2008 04:32 AM]

Moving to our new location...

2007-12-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

Carlson Wildwood Florist was the only retail business in the town of Belleair for many years. Recently that changed when shop owner Cheryl Pacheco moved her business to 1775 Clearwater-Largo Rd.

The building they had long occupied was in need of repair, the rent was going up and the owner wasn’t interested in selling. Ms. Pacheco felt she had no choice but to move.

We loved being in Belleair. We are very close to our customers. We know when babies are born and when children go off to college. We are often involved in the good times and the bad. The Florist participated in many community events, donating flowers from everything from Garden Club meetings, to the opening of the local community center, to Rotary and the Clearwater Free Clinic.

According to Ms. Pacheco, nothing has changed but the location, and that too is not final. Last January, the Pacheco’s closed on a building at the corner of Clearwater-Largo Road and 15th St. Their hope was to have it ready to move in to last April when her lease expired. For a full year now they have been working with an architect and the city of Largo to develop the property. Plans for the building have been painfully slow, no one in a particular hurry, but the business owner.

In the meantime, Wildwood’s customers and friends have found them at the new, albeit temporary location and have been a source of constant support. The new location, on a main artery, has also brought in new business and new friends. Plans for the building on Wildwood Way are, as yet, unknown.

On-line Flower Shopping

2007-11-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

Shopping for flowers on line is confusing these days. To begin with, there are so many advertisers that appear to be local, but aren't. If there is no local telephone or address, you can be pretty sure they are not a local flower shop.

Once you choose a florist there may be hidden charges. FTD.com, for instance, charges a $13.99 handling fee. Teleflora, 800Flowers, and Proflowers all have significant service charges. Of course, unless your order is going to a local florist, there are also overnight charges associated with your purchase.

This Holiday Season, and always, be sure to compare, not only the price of the product, but all the added costs. You may be surprised at how competitive your local florist actually is.

October 30, 2007

2007-10-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my newly created Blog! What a wonderful age we live in, where we can reach out to the world with such ease.

I hope to provide a forum where we can share knowledge and the enjoyment of one of life's simple pleasures, the gift of flowers. With the Holiday season approaching, it is particularly important to know who you are buying from, how the flowers are handled before you take them home, how much you are being charged for shipping, handling, etc.

Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year. No pressure, just good food, family and beautiful Autumn weather. I love that most of my family's traditional Thanksgiving favorites come out of a can! Those green bean casseroles for instance, store bought cranberry sauce and jello molds. Years when I really need a treat there is always ham instead of turkey.

Since moving to the South (and discovering Martha Stewart), I have learned that no table is complete without a centerpiece. I did not grow up in a home where flowers were an integral part of the holiday table. I can no longer imagine entertaining without flowers. If you haven't tried it, you really should. Flowers are not just for birthdays and Mother's Day.

At our store we strive to provide fresh flowers, beautifully designed and guaranteed to last. When we send flowers across the country, we stand behind the product as if it came from our store. For those of you who live locally, our cash and carry prices are absolutely competitive with any flower market around, including your local grocers.

Next posting I hope you will tune in for tips on caring for your fresh flower arrangment.

Thank you so much for visiting!

Best wishes,

Cheryl