Monday, May 30, 2011

Don't pay the penalty for unfresh flowers

Faking it

Some of the more traditional amongst you may scoff at the idea of using fake flowers, but it is a real and viable alternative in today’s world. Not everyone can afford to spend thousands of dollars on fresh flowers, or employ a florist to create unique arrangements. Fake flowers can look just as beautiful, and these days you can even spray them with a fragrance to complete the floral deception. I would wager that the majority of guests at the wedding would not even notice that the flowers were not fresh. Artificial flowers might even put your local flower delivery Stockwood expert out of business one day!

Men like flowers too!

Ask your florist online for more information and ideas for delivering and sending flowers to men. Remember to discreetly check that your man will not be too embarrassed before you send flowers Beechboro. You don't want to upset him by making him feel small in front of his workmates. Good luck, I hope he likes them!

Substituting Floral Materials
It’s an easy task to substitute flowers for the ones listed in a project. If colors need to be changed to match your décor, determine the dominant colors in the project design. Select the same number and type of flowers listed using your desired colors. Repeat through the list, substituting your chosen colors for the ones listed. When you’ve gathered all the flowers, hold them together in a bunch to see how the new colors blend or contrast with each other.
If one flower in a design is unavailable from a florist Manawatu-Wanganui, look around to find one similar to it. Check to make sure it’s approximately the same size and that there are as many blossoms as needed. If you’re substituting a different type of flower, make sure it’s the same shape: a 3” wide rose or carnation might be substituted for a 3” wide peony. The texture will be a little different, but the design shouldn’t suffer for it.

Acanthus (bear’s-breech)
Broad, deeply lobed, glossy evergreen leaves as much as 2 feet long make acanthus a stately foliage plant. Its dense, cylindrical spikes of tubular flowers unfold atop 3- to 4-foot stalks. Bear’s-breech is a very popular addition to gift arrangements when people send flowers Deaconsbank to others.
Selected species and varieties: A. mollis (soft-leaved acanthus)-white or purple flowers above lustrous, wavy, heart-shaped leaves; A. mollis 'Latifolius' is hardier and more robust than the species, with larger leaves and mauve to pink flowers. A. spinosus (spiny bear's-breech)-arching, deeply cut, spiky leaves and rose to mauve flowers.
Growing conditions and maintenance: Plant acanthus 3 feet apart. Propagate from seed or by division every 4 to 5 years. Acanthus is difficult to relocate, as fleshy root pieces inadvertently left behind quickly produce new plants at the original site.

Simple Mass and Traditional Dried Arrangements
Creating an arrangement of dried flowers can be as simple as choosing a container and filling it to the brim with one variety of dried flower. Such simple arrangements are often quite dramatic. Fill a basket with flowers such as baby's breath, sea lavender or German statice to create a full arrange­ment. For added interest, insert vials of seasonal fresh flowers Whitley Heights or other more colorful dried flowers. These arrangements will last for many months if you just freshen up the accent flowers every few weeks.
Traditional dried arrangements resemble fresh flower arrange­ments. The first step is to place the foliage material as a back­ground; this will also create the overall shape. Next add filler materials, which will provide texture to the arrangement. Fi­nally, incorporate the more prominent and colorful flowers such as dahlias, peonies or roses.

My dearest flower series - Muscari
Few spring-flowering bulbs grow as well with as little care as grape hyacinths, and few garner the reaction that people expect when you send flowers Morningside Circle to someone you love, for the grape hyacinths’ many bright flowers make a remarkable impression. Their tiny, sweetly scented blossoms appear on spikes that generally grow 6 to 9 inches tall; the grass like leaves appear in the fall and lie on the surface of the soil uninjured by winter cold, then wither away in early summer. The plants are attractive in rock gardens and borders, among shrubs and under trees or naturalized in short grass. When cut, they make appealing miniature indoor arrangements, and they can also be grown as house plants. Outstanding selections are the Armenian grape hyacinth, including its variety Heavenly Blue, and the common grape hyacinth, all with sky-blue flowers; a variety of the common grape hyacinth, M. botryoides album, with white flowers; the taller-growing (8 to 12 inches) tassel grape hyacinth, with purplish green flowers, and its variety M. comosum monstrosum; the plume grape hyacinth, with fuzzy mauve-blue flowers; the golden musk grape hyacinth, with bright yellow flowers on the lower parts of its spikes that blend to purple at the top; the musk grape hyacinth, with purple flowers; and the Tubergen grape hyacinth, with two-toned blue flowers which are pale at the bottom of its spikes and darker at the top.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

More bang for your florists buck

Florist background


Ever wondered how your local Queenslie Florist is able to send out such wonderful blooms on your behalf? Well before they actually get to the florist, there is a whole wide range of steps taken in the cut flower market. By harvesting and handling a cut flower crop in the best way, the quality of the marketable product is greatly improved, and with better quality comes longer shelf life.


A pretty flower - Xeranthemum (everlasting flower, immortelle)

Characteristics: Everlasting flowers, which may be single or double, range in color from white to deep rose. Their stems are sturdy and have pale green leaves with a downy texture. Having everlasting flowers delivered Mammoth Lakes is always a great idea, as they are very useful in dried arrangements, wreaths and swags. They hold their color and shape for a long time.

Cultural Information: Xeranthemum likes full sun and will grow in most well-drained garden soils. Sow the seed where they are to bloom in late spring. Be sure to wait for the soil to warm to about 60° F. Germination should take approximately 20 days.

Harvesting/Drying: Flowers will retain their color in the garden for a long time. Harvest the flowers at various stages of development from half open to fully opened. Be sure to pick them before their colors begin to fade or become damaged by dampness. Xeranthemum is in the category of everlasting flowers, which means that it is naturally dry and free of moisture in its petals. After you harvest the flowers, hang them to dry.



Loop stitch method for corsage making

Remove most of the stem, leaving 6mm (bin). Insert a fine silver wire in the back of the leaf, about one third from the tip and across the central vein. Make a small stitch. Pull both wires down at the base of the leaf; wind one wire around the stem and the other wire. Now tape to form a stem.

Method

Wire and tape all materials. Make two units of two leaves. Tape two roses together. Now place the leaf unit behind the roses. Next, bind in the main rose, gently easing it into a vertical position. Add two single leaves to each side of the main rose. Bind in single pieces of wax flower. To make the returned end, add the unit of two leaves and a piece of wax flower below the main flower. Add a bow. Trim out the excess wires and cut to the required length. Tape to form a stem and finish with the pin. All good florists Richards Bay will be comfortable using this method to create a corsage.



Which Colour?

When choosing flowers to include in a flower delivery West Sharyland, customers often ask for the recipient’s favourite colour, but if they do not know this they may ask the florist for advice. If the flowers are to celebrate the birth of a boy or girl, this is easy, as it is normal to send pink for a girl and either blue or yellow for a boy. Blue flowers are sometimes difficult to acquire, and blue ribbon is used as a substitute. Yellow and orange flowers always look bright and cheerful, while red makes the room look warm. White, cream and blue flowers are restful, and a good choice for someone who is very ill. It is also helpful to find out for whom the flowers are being bought; men seem to prefer bright strong colours, such as reds, burgundy and rusts, whereas older ladies like mauves, lilacs and pastel colours. Children seem to prefer bright colours.

Making your flowers last longer than the pyramids

Loving tips to longer lasting flowers - These tips should keep your flowers looking fresh for as long as possible.

Make sure the flowers are put into a clean vase as soon as the delivery from a Brentford Florist reaches you. Clean the vase with some bleach to get rid of any bacteria beforehand though.



Cut a couple of centimetres or so diagonally off the end of the stems under water before putting the flowers in water. They should be recut every three to four days. A fresh cut removes the bacteria, opens a new part of the stem to take up water, and prevents air pockets from forming inside the stem.


Christmas Display

Christmas is a magical time, and as florists we must capture that magic in our displays. Garlands, swags and door wreaths are still top of the Christmas shopping list. Why not update garlands with tartan bows, and swags with paper ribbons? Add fruit, nuts and gourds to door wreaths. Use exciting golds, greens, silver and blues as well as the traditional red.

Shop displays are often disappointing, reflecting an unplanned presentation of goods. Time is given to more demanding areas of work, resulting in what should be an advertisement, working 24 hours a day for the business, doing exactly the opposite. Display is an art form in three dimensions, with ideas used to attract customers to enter and buy or place a flower delivery Brentwood order. Window displays have to be composed like a picture and, it is advisable to confine the objects displayed within a narrower space than the window frame itself. Novelty always stops people in their tracks, so why not use an accessory, such as a fireplace to attract attention?

The majority of goods need to be at eye level or below, as it is easier to look down than up. Good lighting is also important but it has to be discreet as the public should see the well-lit display not the lights.

Monday, May 2, 2011

A florists Tale

Getting to the Root of the Problem
Trees and shrubs adjacent to a flower garden can be a problem not only because of their shade but also because their large roots are likely to creep into the beds and rob your plants of nutrients and moisture. It is difficult to gauge what might be an adequate distance to separate a garden from a tree, since the roots of a large shade tree growing in shallow soil can extend 100 feet or more from the trunk. If the area gets plenty of sun, it is possible to garden near trees, tall hedges, and shrubs, as long as you are prepared to provide enough moisture and nutri­ents to nourish both your garden and the larger plants. Depending on the type of flowers Gowanus you are growing, you may be able to plant them in close proximity to the trees and shrubs. Some gardeners bury a metal or concrete barrier 2 or more feet deep between a newly planted hedge or shrub border and the garden to keep the roots from venturing where they are not wanted.

Best loved flowers - Centaurea cyanus (bachelor's button, cornflower)
Characteristics: Bachelor's button is an old-fashioned flower that has enjoyed popularity for good reason. They made fashionable boutonnieres for gentlemen years ago. They are still very popular today when people choose to send flowers Whitley Heights for an important formal occasion. Bachelor's buttons come in several heights. The low border plants 'Jubilee Gem' and 'Polka Dot Mixed' are just 12 to 15 inches in height. Dusty miller is usually grown as an annual in colder northern climates. This tender perennial survives winters in my garden and will return to produce tiny clusters of yellow flowers.
Cultural Information: Sow seed in early spring in cold winter areas, and in late summer or fall where winters are mild. Bachelor's buttons are very adaptable and grow in poor, sandy or average soil. Fertilizer is not necessary unless the soil is unusually poor. For a continuous supply of flowers, deadhead daily. Because of their weak stems, the taller varieties need staking to prevent sprawling.

Sweetbrier [Eglantine] Roses
Sweetbrier roses, also known as eglantine roses, de­rive their common name from their sweet fragrance and thick, thorny habit of growth. Their gracefully arched branches grow 8 to 12 feet tall. Their blos­soms, five petaled except in a few hybrids, are bright pink, red, copper or yellow, and appear singly or in clusters. The flowers Tottenville Beach are about 1 ½ inches in diameter and are surrounded by roundish leaves approximately 1 ½ inches long that are dark green on the upper surface and grayish on the underside; the leaves give off an apple fragrance that is especially strong on humid days. Most sweetbriers bloom once each year, in late spring or early summer, but the leaves retain their fragrance throughout the growing season. Many types of sweetbrier roses produce an enormous num­ber of hips, small and either round or oval in shape, depending on the variety; their orange-red hue lends color to gardens well into autumn and even winter. Sweetbrier stems are abundantly thorny, and if left untended the bushes become impenetrable thickets. But because of their compact growth habit, they can be trained into excellent hedges. Vigorous growers, sweetbriers are hardy enough to survive in most mild climates without winter protection.

Display guidelines
Forward planning is important; a good display should he planned with these questions in mind:
Why — Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day
Where — shop windows, island stands
What — fresh flowers, containers or sundries
Balance is an important factor. There should he a visual framework to attract the eye and make the display look pleasing. Presentation is equally important. Price tickets and display cards should be written neatly and clearly. Window display can become time- consuming, so keep it simple. The colour theme and accessories can be chosen well in advance, and fresh plants and flowers added at the last minute.
The essential ingredient is imagination — make your display vibrant, colourful and exciting, and it will sell your flowers Bunyip North. People automatically respond to colour, especially in the world of flowers, so use colour themes to give impact to your displays and to stimulate ideas and interest.

Design Styles
Vertical: The entire design is narrow and long or tall. The materials pull the eye up or down through the arrangement, with varying textures and colors, providing interest. The path the eye follows could curve back and forth, but the components should keep the focus within those vertical boundaries.
Circular: The components are kept within a circular outline; a round wreath is the perfect example of a circular design, though many other bases can be adapted to this style. The varying materials again provide the interest and mixing the types is essential to prevent boredom in a circular design.
Crescent: The components are arranged to follow a smooth curve. Generally they stay within the crescent, but they may be intersected by other materials, bringing the viewer’s eye back into the center of the design. Crescents can be tight with the flowers Willow Park following a strict curved line or they may be loose with the line established but other products inserted loosely around the shape.
Hogarth curve: A graceful line is established along a relaxed S-curve. Wire-stemmed materials are easily manipulated and shaped to this line. The curve can be as tight as an “S” or loose enough to allow the upper and lower ends to extend into straighter lines.

Summer annuals

These annuals as their name suggests, are not comfortable in the cold winter months so the ideal time to grow them is three weeks after the last spring frost. Since these annual flowers grow well in warm climates, you can expect to see them in all of their glory in the late spring and the warm months of summer. Just imagine strolling into your garden to pick some beautiful fresh blooms to place on your coffee table. If you can't be bothered to go to all of this trouble to grow your own flowers then you might want to just organise a flower delivery Whalley Range in Victoria to meet your needs.

 
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