Ask the Expert: keeping cut flowers fresh for a rehearsal dinner
We are planning a rehearsal dinner. I will use a candle-holding lantern on each table with a small grouping of maybe 2 roses, baby’s breath and something blue tied with wired ribbon lying on two sides of the lantern. How might I prepare the little grouping of flowers early in the day and keep them fresh while on the tables?

Thank you so much for your help and advice. Jane Scobey

Jane,

The easiest way to keep those flowers fresh is to use water picks. Water picks are small (more…)

Today I finally had a chance to catch up on all of the blogs I read. Since it was discussing one of my favorite flowers, lilies, one particular blog caught my eye. As a cut flower, lilies are simply wonderful and I absolutely adore them in my garden. I grow Asiatic, Oriental, Trumpet and Tiger lilies in my home garden and at our garden center. But the difference between lily types is often confusing to many; especially which are used in flower shops and which are grown in the garden.

Kenji at Flower Insolita gives a great outline as to which lilies are used by florists as cut (more…)

Ask the Expert: How do I hydrate a hydrangea bouquet for a wedding

Should I just leave them in the water before the wedding starts? We are combining 2-3 stems for a bouquet and wrapping them with a ribbon. I’m worried about the hydration.

Lara,

When you get the hydrangea be sure to submerge the heads under water for up to 4 minutes this encourages hydration. Then gently shake dry, at this pint you can re-cut the (more…)

Ask the Expert: I have been told that color blocking for flowers is an excellent way to
display assortment of flower please reply   Tari Hendrie

Tari,

Color blocking is an excellent flower display strategy. It is especially helpful when you are creating venues in your store. Color blocking is a technique in which a mass quantity of color is used to create a dramatic or eye catching effect. This is a

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Ask the Expert: orchid question

I am helping a friend with her wedding flowers. She wants to have phalaeonpsis orchids in a cascade bouquet. If I make a cascade bouquet and have to wire in some flowers (they would have no water source) how long can she expect them to last. She needs to have it made on a Friday to transport 1 1/2 hours to another town. Then the wedding is not until 4:00pm Saturday. Will the bouquet hold up for this amount of time? Thanks! Shellie

Shellie,

With the time and transportation issues, I would not take a chance on using Phalaenopsis orchids without a water source. However, there maybe one or two solutions to your problem. You can soak chenelle stems (pipe cleaners) in water and insert them in the

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I was wondering if you have heard of making a grave blanket out of grapevine and christmas tree outdoor garland. I am wanting to make one for my brother that passed last christmas.

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Last Sunday was the first day of Advent. At church, I wove greenery through the circular base of our Advent candle stand to create the look of a wreath. Advent wreaths consisting of winter greenery and 4 candles are used to honor the advent season. Many of our parishioners use Advent wreaths in their homes, as well. After answering the question “how are Advent wreaths made?”, I decided to share my answer with all of you.

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Ask the Expert: grave blankets i was wondering if you could email me directions on how to make a christmas grave blanket for my dad and my sister? thanks norma

Whether your creating or ordering a floral design it is important to understand the terminology. Since communication between designer and client is crucial, I thought that every so often we could discuss floral designs terms and procedures.

Under the geometric design chart in the AIFD Guide to Floral Design is the term: Crescent Design. According to AIFD, crescent design is a three-sided composition having the form of a triangle with unequal sides. Asymmetrical triangle designs are generally considered to be less formal than symmetrical triangle designs.

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FlowerShopNetwork has an interesting newsletter about dried flowers.  One of the dried flower concepts was to place them in a shadow box design.  A reader from North Carolina recently ask me how to attach the dried flowers to the back of a shadow box.

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