With spring in full swing, San Ramon’s local flower shops have become visited frequently with a variety of stores from well-designed bouquets to family-run favorites. Here is an overview of some of the flower shops in San Ramon.

Cattails Florist

Located in the Village of Tassajara at the intersection of Crow Canyon Rd and Camino Tassajara, Cattails Florist is one of the go-to flower shops for locals. Tables of various flowers and plants welcome customers at the entrance with a grand shelf on the side displaying candles and treats.

Joan DeGraf, the owner of Cattails, opened the business in 1989. She went to school for floral design and had also worked at a flower shop previously, falling in love with the industry. She chose this area because of her experience and familiarity with it.

“My first job here in California when I first came was at Blackhawk Country Club, so that’s right in this area, and when I went to open my own [business], I chose this area because I was familiar with it,” DeGraf explained.

Some of the popular flowers requested for spring in particular are roses, sunflowers, tulips, lilacs, ranunculus, lilies, gerbera daisies or any of the bulb flowers.

“I think anything that’s really in season at the time is most requested,” DeGraf added.

In terms of pricing, arrangements typically start at $50, while the medium price range is $85 to $125. Something more grand and showy can be anywhere from $150 to $300 or $400. Special occasions such as weddings or parties are also often requested.

“They would make an appointment and we [would] sit down and discuss their whole party. And then I can make suggestions or they’ll bring in, you know, a combination of different pictures that they have, a mood board or whatever [that they would have],” DeGraf said.

Corporate Flowers and Gifts

Corporate Flowers and Gifts also opened in 1989. When it first opened, it sat on San Ramon Valley Blvd. Zakira Kashisi, the current owner, stepped up in 2007. Kashisi used to work as a nurse, but she decided to act on her passion and love for flowers by taking over her friend’s flower shop.

“I love to be around flowers and work with flowers. My dad used to have a little garden and I was always helping him, but I always love being around flowers,” Kashisi said.

Since Corporate Flowers and Gifts receive most of their orders online, there is a limited number of flowers displayed at the physical shop. The website has the essentials, whether it’d be pricing, design or special occasion requests.

“We do have a catalog. [Customers] check the catalog, whatever they like, price range or design wise, for sympathy, birthday or graduation, we do have a list,” Kashisi explained.

Rose bouquets tend to be very popular among young people. Mixed bouquets is another one of their bestsellers due to fitting a wide range of preferences.

“If you’re sending those [to] someone that you’re not that close to, we could do some of the mixed bouquets, so from that mixed bouquet probably one of [their preferences] is in there,” Kashisi said.

Enchanted Florist & Gifts

Enchanted Florist & Gifts is next to T4 in Country Club Village on Alcosta Blvd. The shop is decorated with antiquated wooden tables, with an overall theme of sage green. A faint scent of roses and cedar can be smelt upon entering.

Enchanted Florist & Gifts has been in San Ramon for 40 years and used to be located further down Alcosta Blvd near Seven-Eleven. The owner, Shay Enea, has been in the industry for 45 years. After opening her own shops, she also took over this family owned business.

One arrangement that is especially popular is with orchids and another is with gerbera daisies. Typically the popularity of each type of flower varies depending on the season.

“Like right now, springtime, we have some daffodils and tulips, those are always popular this time of year. We’re waiting until peonies come in, that’ll be pretty soon and those are our springy flowers,” Lisa Rogers, a California certified florist and floral designer at Enchanted said.

In the winter, Rogers stated that the color of flowers is more impactful, with red and white flowers selling well. This contrasts with other seasons of the year, for example spring, but also with summer and fall where sunflowers and colored chrysanthemums are popular respectively

When it comes to special occasions, most of the requests are for funerals. As for weddings, they focus more on bridal bouquets and boutonnieres. Prom corsages, anniversaries and birthdays are also among the list.

“A corsage is $45 and we usually make a wrist corsage and a boutonniere is $25,” Rogers explained.

Rogers has been in the industry for eight years and recently got her certificate from the Cal State Floral Association this January.

“It’s nice, in a small way, you get to take part in the special moments in people’s lives. It’s really nice for me to know that something I made makes somebody happy and that it brings them some joy. It’s very fulfilling for me,” Rogers said.