Arranging those cut flowers
Ideally, you would already own a vase or two. If you don't, purchase a large glass one, the wider it is at the top, the better. Then drop large hints to your nearest and dearest that you would like to practise your flower-arranging skills. Or send yourself a bouquet. Or send one to your sister or best friend or mother and hope she returns the favour.
A bouquet usually contains enough flowers to fill two vases. Arrange the larger flowers at the back and the smaller ones at the sides and the front. Don't be afraid to mix colours, flowers love to show off, and the more striking the arrangement the better. Never cram a vase too full. Better two vases with plenty of space than one overflowing. Wrap the ribbon that came with the bouquet around your vase. Check your own garden for greenery, if none came with your bouquet. Use half of the packet of flower food straight away, mix it with the vase water and save the rest for the water change. If you didn't receive any flower food with your bouquet, phone up your local Strathpine florist shop and complain!
Florist background
Ever wondered how your local Fendalton 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.
Hat and Handbag Sprays
These designs are a variation on the corsage spray, but in this case attached to a customer’s hat or handbag. A traditional corsage spray is the design usually worn by most lady guests at a wedding. For the customer who requires something a little different, however, this type of design offers an attractive alternative. Always ask to see the customer’s hat or handbag, as you can then advise on the most suitable style of decoration and method of attachment. Carefully explain to your customer the various methods of attaching the spray, and always gain her permission.
This type of design is particularly appropriate if the customer is wearing a highly patterned and brightly coloured dress on which flowers would not be seen, or if the dress is made of a lightweight fabric, so that pinning a corsage could be difficult and, worse still, might mark the fabric. The hat or bag should be brought to the florist Willows shop a few days before the occasion, and carefully labeled and stored.
Attaching a spray to a hat
For security, discreetly sew the spray to the hat. For a handbag, either tie the spray to the bag with ribbon, or use a taped, ribbon- covered wire, attaching the spray to the wire and then securing the wire ends together under the flap of the bag.
Everlastings
When I first started drying flowers, a florist Deptford told me to grow only everlasting annuals in a cutting garden. Everlastings are flowers that, when dry, naturally retain their color and shape for many years. I gave no thought to the design or color of the garden when planting them because they were only grown to be harvested and used in dried arrangements and crafts. Many of these everlastings were beautiful and worthy of a better home (perhaps in one of the more formal perennial or annual display gardens, tubs, pots or window boxes), but I grew them in tidy rows until they were harvested for dried arrangements. Today I look at the same flowers in a very different way. Not only do I use them throughout the garden, but I have come to appreciate their true value as sturdy, long-blooming and highly decorative flowers. Now I love to use them in containers and window boxes, where they can grow until the arrival of a killing frost. These easy-going flowers can also withstand the heat and dryness of such confined spaces.
Drying in water
I find the only way to dry hydrangea heads well is, strangely enough, with their feet in water and their heads in a warm atmosphere. Cut the heads when the colour starts to change from pink to red, and blue to a greeny colour. Remove all the leaves and stand the stems in about 5cm (2 in) of water and place the jar on or near a boiler or in an airing cupboard. The warmer they are the quicker they dry and the heads will stay a better colour. Getting flowers delivered Stokes Croft may seem the easier option, but there is immense satisfaction in doing it yourself.
I dry a few stems of the charming green bell-like spikes of moluccella or ‘Bells of Ireland’, by first standing them in shallow water on a pin-holder so that they take on charming natural curves. Then I transfer them to a jam jar, still in a little water, until they are completely dry. They are strange as sometimes they stay green and sometimes turn a parchment colour. I always place a few stems into a solution of glycerine as this gives a glossy texture and keeps them from dropping. Seed heads of hosta also dry well like this and you can watch the green closed seed heads gradually opening out and turning back to reveal all their seeds.
Minimalist magic
Many people equate celebration with the opportunity to pull out all the stops in terms of decoration; others, by contrast, are masters of the minimal, relying on a few carefully selected objects to make a statement. Just florist Perton mumbo jumbo, or plain common sense - well you decide.
In this scenario, the tabletop can be transformed into an avant-garde stage for a meticulous presentation of food and drink. A monochromatic palette provides a clean backdrop for the bold, understated floral flourishes, which rely on unconventional flowers and foliage to create visual impact. Colour — metaphorically speaking — arises out of the food and conversation, which is precisely what makes a meal special!
Pleasure your woman
Armed with the following great advice you can't go wrong. Put those corn chips down now and pick up the phone to your local florist to get the ball rolling. If you want to put a great big smile on the face of a special female all you have to do is send her some flowers. Whilst this advice doesn't come with any money back guarantees, we're fairly confident that if you send flowers Llanrumney to a woman, she'll love you forever! Have you ever met a woman who didn't just adore receiving flowers? If you have please let us know because that is a very rare creature indeed.
Choose your container
Terracotta
The variety of terracotta containers available on the market has grown rapidly in the last few years. Flower pots, troughs and urns make unusual and charming vases for cottage flower arrangements. A waterproof container needs to be used in the receptacle or florist’s foam soaked in water and wrapped in plastic material. For the outside dining area or conservatory nothing can be more pleasing than terracotta to offset a simple one-colour arrangement.
Plastic
Many people hate plastic containers with fresh flowers but for some occasions they can be ideal - ask your local Cressington florist for their advice on this. They are cheap and practical and come in every colour of the rainbow. Off-white and earth colours will be the least distracting. Bright colours would look cheerful on the table for a children’s party with a simple bunch of daisies or bright- coloured poppies.
Wooden containers
The natural patterns and tones of wood can provide an effective backdrop for a cottage-style arrangement. Wooden bowls, boxes, barrels and tubs can all be useful containers. A waterproof lining is however necessary.
Gardening in the North
If you have moved recently to a northern or mountainous climate, you may be distressed to see how much it limits the growing of some of your favorite trees, shrubs and flowers Cisco. You will also find, however, that there are many wonderful woody plants that thrive there, and that the climate is ideal for most annuals and herbaceous perennials. Many species grow best and bloom over longer periods in areas where summers are cool and evening dews are heavy. Frigid winter temperatures do not affect perennials as much as they do woody plants, because their tops die down before winter, and snow often mulches the roots. Indeed the North offers many colorful possibilities for your flowers and other plants.
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