Central Square Florist Blog

Flowers, flowers and only flowers speak the language of love. This Valentine's Day will be special when you gift your love with gorgeous roses, gerberas, lilies, tulips and orchids from Central Square Florist. Flowers convey the special message of love to your valentine. Make February 14th memorable by choosing  romantic Valentine's Day flowers at Central Square Florist. The beauty of flowers will express your love and devotion. Browse our website www.centralsquareflorist.com and order on line, call us at
617-354-7553 or stop in.

We're still in love, with our flowers business, that is! Central Square Florist was first established in 1929. For many years, we were a bucket shop, selling a huge amount of cash/carry fresh flower bunches in a bustling Central Square. In 1960 there were four other flowers shops in the near vicinity. Fast forward to 2010,we are the only real  flower shop in the square. Well, now we are a full service flower and plant shop offering same day delivery. We have kept up with the exciting computer and internet technology. We adhere to all the modern techniques to maintain quality and freshness of our products. We've expanded to include balloons, stuffed animals, gourmet baskets and greeting cards.
We have been in our third location in the square since 1982 and the young member of the family who works here part time is the fourth generation of this family owned and operated floral business.
     We cordially invite customers of the now closed University Florist to visit us in person at 653 Massachusetts Ave at the Central Square T stop and next to Starbucks. Central Square Florist can be reached at 617-354-7553 or 1-800-701-0807. We have a on line store at www.centralsquareflorist.com

   Make the New Year's celebration special! We have a beautiful,heartwarming selection of fresh flowers to ring in the new year in a special way. Spread the joy of 2010 among
your friends,loved ones,neighbors and business associates with the sweetness of nature's bountiful flowers,professionally arranged at Central Square Florist.
     Whatever your style,traditional or contemporary, and color preference for dramatic bold hues or soft pastels,our design team is experienced and competent to fulfill your vision.
      We'll also be happy to deliver gifts of fine chocolates,balloons and gourmet baskets.
 Visit our website , call us at 617-354-7553 or come visit us at 653 Massachusetts Avenue, in the heart of the square,Cambridge,Ma.
       We have been in business since 1929 and look forward to continuing serving the community in 2010.  

The poinsettia is the most widely tested consumer plant on the market today, proving the myth about the popular holiday plant to be false:

• Scientific research from The Ohio State University has proved the poinsettia to be non-toxic to both humans and pets. All parts of the plant were tested, including the leaves and sap.
• According to POISINDEX, the national information center for poison control centers, a child would have to ingest 500-600 leaves in order to exceed the experimental doses that found no toxicity.
• A study by Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University found that out of 22,793 reported poinsettia exposures there was essentially no toxicity significance of any kind. The study used national data collected by the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
• The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports that keeping this plant out of the reach of pets to avoid stomach upset is a good idea, however pet owners need not fear the poinsettia and banish it from their homes for fear of a fatal exposure. The American Veterinary Medicine Association of America (AVMA),  agrees.

As with any non-food product, however, the poinsettia is not meant to be eaten and can cause varying degrees of discomfort; therefore, the plant should be kept out of the reach of young children and curious pets.

Click here to read "Festive medical myths" posted on BMJ.com. Click here for a PDF.

Click here to read "Scientists Shed Light On Festive Medical Myths" posted on NPR. Click here for a PDF.

Poinsettia and Latex Allergies

According to the American Latex Allergy Association, only about 1 percent to 6 percent of the general population is allergic to latex, and "… one would have to have significant contact with the poinsettia plant's latex directly to have an allergic reaction … only a small drop of latex that can be immediately wiped off of the skin is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction."

The Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory advises pet owners: “Wash sap off the animal to prevent further ingestion. Call a veterinarian if the eyes are affected, or if signs do not resolve in a few minutes.”

Google has notified Central Square Florist that we are a popular destination with Google users. They have supplied us with a window sticker saying that we are a favorite place on Google. Google identified over 100,000 business in the U.S. as "favorite places on Goole" based on Google interaction. Our window decal has a unique QR code that you scan with your phone to read reviews, star us as one of your favorites and more.

Everyone loves poinsettias,a lovely Christmas tradition. Central Square Florist has a festive selection for you and your friends,relatives and colleagues.
    By an act of Congress,December 12th was declared National Poinsettia Day. The date signifies the passing of Joel Roberts Poinsett,credited with introducing the native Mexican plant to the United States. Mr. Poinsett was the first United States ambassador to Mexico and brought the plant back to his Greenville,S.C.plantation where they thrived. He then gave the plants to friends.
     In Mexican folklore,there is the story of a little girl who had nothing to bring to church for Christmas. On her way to church, she picked some plants by the side of the road. As she entered the church, the ends of the leaves turned into bright,brilliant red flowers!
       Order your poinsettias today from Central Square Florist or call us at 617-354-7553. Visit us if you're in the neighborhood.
            Happy Holidays!

Let the talented designers at Central Square Florist create a fresh boxwood tree in the shape of a Christmas tree for your home decor! Perhaps you would like us deliver one as a gift to a friend  or colleague's home or office. Holiday decorations,trimming  the tree,  will add a festive flair. Handcrafted out of the freshest Christmas greens , our boxwood trees will be reminiscent of old world charm The graceful, elegant style will spread holiday cheer. Order this uniquely beautiful boxwood tree from Central Square Florist in Cambridge on line at or call us at 617-354-7553. Established in 1929,Central Square Florist  is a family owned and operated business.

There has been a lot in the news about scams on well known internet sites that re direct credit card information at check out. FTD has been included in this as well as FTD local florist web sites  referred to as FOL. Central Square Florist is a member of FTD and uses FTD mostly for our in house computer system. 
Several years ago I was approached by FTD to add this feature to our then FTD web site. I was offered .50 cents per order commission to place Webloyalty on my site. I turned down the offer and told them it was a bad idea. At no time was Central Square Florist part of Webloyalty. Our web site is no longer through FTD and continues to be Webloyalty free.

Later today Senator Rockefeller is holding a U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation full committee hearing on Aggressive Sales Tactics on the Internet and their Impact on American Consumers. He released a report on his findings in advance of the hearing.

The documents contain a lot of previously unavailable information on the size of the market, and where the money is flowing.

Background: hundreds of well known ecommerce companies add post transaction marketing offers to consumers immediately after something is purchased on the site. Consumers are usually offered cash back if they just hit a confirmation button. But when they do, their credit card information is automatically passed through to a marketing company that signs them up for a credit card subscription to a package of useless services. The “rebate” is rarely paid.

Intelius is one company that is using these scams to go public. But scores of even more well known ecommerce companies use these scams as well, including: 1800flowers, Buy.com, Classmates.com, Columbia House, Expedia, Hotels.com, Fandango, FTD, Hotwire, MovieTickets.com, Orbitz, Priceline, Shutterfly, Travelocity, US Airways and Vista Print. Each of these companies has received over $10 million in PTM revenue, according to the report. Hundreds more received less.

Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty are the three largest companies partnering on these scams. The report states that these three companies have earned over $1.4 billion in revenue from 35 million transactions. 4 million people are currently enrolled in the plans.

450 or more ecommerce sites have added the scams, says the report, and 88 of them have earned at least $1 million. Sites can earn CPMs from the ads of up to $2,600, and the conversion rate is up to 4.5%

We’ve written that these PTM scams are kissing cousins to the Scamville social gaming scams we reported on earlier this month. As with Scamville, companies that don’t engage in these tactics are at a disadvantage. They earn less revenue, meaning they can’t be as aggressive on core pricing and on advertising. So without regulation, sites that don’t engage in scamming users are forced out into the practice, or out of business.

You can read thousands of comments from people complaining about the scam here. And here’s a video showing exactly how these scams work, and why people click on them:

From Tech Crunch

Thursday, November 26th is Thanksgiving. Central Square Florist is featuring Thanksgiving centerpieces, baskets and vases with majestic colors of yellow,rust and orange. Beautiful gerberas lilies, sunflowers and chrysanthemums enhance our vibrant autumn bouquets. Give thanks with a floral arrangement of fall brilliance! Celebrate the season with a gift of Thanksgiving flowers. The beauty of these November flowers will add happiness to a meaningful Thanksgiving holiday  for your family, friends, neighbors and business associates.
Please view our selections on line , call us at 617-354-7553 or visit. Central Square Florist will take special care to convey your holiday well wishes.

The perfect way to say happy birthday is with a floral gift. An arrangement of vivacious blossoms says happy birthday from near or far away. A beautiful gift from
 Central Square Florist will be a lovely presentation of the richness of nature.Visit us on line, or call us atT 617-354-7553 and we'll send a sunny birthday surprise to the special someone whose birthday you are celebrating. There is no better way to convey your good wishes.Brighten a birthday with a glorious bouquet. Celebrate this special day of a friend,colleague or relative. For an extra special birthday wish,add a shiny balloon or a huggable teddy bear. Central Square Florist is celebrating our 80th birthday year!