Archives for 2006

December – the season of snow, gift giving, seasons greetings yuletide and all that jazz. It is also the time to hang your Christmas wreath. One of the most festive and personalizing displays at Christmas time is the holiday wreath. Basically, there is only one way you can do the nativity scene (it’s not like you can leave out the three wise men or place baby Jesus in a majestic Victorian cradle). However, a Christmas wreath has endless possibilities for personalization. Look at the houses down your street; no two holiday wreaths look the same.

Think about all your options: masculine, feminine, natural, contemporary, traditional, glitzy and many others. If you like an old-fashioned feminine look, try a Victorian wreath with soft pinks and ivories intertwined with pearl ribbon. Want a rustic look? Achieve the rustic look with pheasant feathers, natural fiber ribbon and feather covered balls incorporated in a grapevine wreath. Use your imagination when creating a Christmas wreath. Remember the seventies and the tinsel tree with it’s light and rotating color wheel. Retro is in; borrow the seventies concept by making a tinsel wreath using colorful ornaments and little sparkling lights.

Fashion Is My Thing Christmas Wreath

“Babes in Toyland” is a movie shown around the holidays. With this in mind, a novel idea would be to take components of that movie and integrate them into a Christmas wreath. Work a toy soldier, a teddy bear, a jack in the box and other toys around a

wreath so they appear like they are matching in step one after the other. If you enjoyed the Williamsburg Christmas in our November 2002 newsletter, then the placement of fruit on your wreath can give you the right effect. The possibilities for a Christmas wreath are endless and a great way to present your personality to the world, or at least to your neighborhood.

Another distinct but somewhat different type of Christmas wreath is the Advent wreath. The Advent wreath is a marvelous indoor display of tradition and simplified beauty. Yet, because it is trimmed in long-lasting greenery it still lends itself to some personalization. For those stimulated by their olfactory sense, choose an Advent wreath with fragrant eucalyptus or cypress. You will achieve both an amazing aromatic quality, and a astounding textural effect with these greenery options. For the visually stimulated person, a glossy leaf holly with red berries will highlight your Advent wreath with its contrasting red and green. Adventurous at heart, discuss unusual greenery with your local florist and develop you own greenery options. The key is to remember tradition can be accomplished without losing your own personality.

It seems like Christmas is the only time we think about using a wreath. We dress our front door elaborately for the Christmas holiday just to strip it of all its glory the minute the holiday is over. Why? We can and should dress our door all year long. A holiday wreath could be used for the other numerous holidays throughout the year.

Make your Valentine’s Day more romantic with a wreath draped in beautiful red velvet ribbon and opaque pearl hearts. Greenery such as ivy and shamrocks, a leprechaun, and a pot of gold tucked in to a grapevine wreath will make St. Patty proud. A wreath with colorful eggs and bunnies made by your children will be a whimsical Easter display and a sentimental keepsake. Placement of a dried hot pepper wreath on your door will spice up your celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The ability to place a wreath on your door every holiday is only limited by your imagination. So let your hair down and be creative.

A door wreath can be more than a holiday accoutrement. The floral wreath can be a great bridge between the holiday wreaths. A remarkable quality of the floral wreath is the use of permanent flowers. The worry of “what is in season” is eliminated with the use of permanent flowers. You can personalize your floral wreath with your signature flower. If hydrangeas are your thing, make a dried hydrangea wreath. The culinary master might want a floral wreath containing dried herbs or fruits. For the sentimental bride, have your bridal bouquet flowers dried and incorporated into a wreath for your newlywed home.

The possibilities are never-ending when it comes to creating a wreath. You can change your wreath seasonally, use it only on holidays, or create special celebration wreaths like a baby wreath announcing the birth of a child. Just remember to always add your personal touch.

There is always a way to personalize your wreath. So drop in on your local profession florist and discuss your ideas. Whether the florist creates your wreath or supplies you with the tools needed to create a wreath, you can be sure that you will have a wreath with style and personalization.

Click here to find a florist to create one of the wreaths mentioned above.

For more Christmas ideas read:
Yuletide Berries, Holly & Mistletoe.
Deck the Halls
A Night Before Christmas.
Christmas Decorating Ideas.
Christmas Cactus, Paperwhites, Narcissus, & other Holiday Plants.

Author: Jamie Jamison Adams

Fall Chrysantemum

This fall, “Mum’s” the word; or maybe it is chrysanthemum, either way it is that time of year. The night air is cool and crisp and the fall foliage abounds with an array of deep golden yellows, intense warm oranges and brilliant reds. For many, thoughts are focused on the Friday night football games and chrysanthemums which are the quintessential fall flower.

They represent so many aspects of fall, yet one of the most memorable would be the use of mums in our football homecoming celebrations. At the game, the homecoming mum can be seen everywhere from the queen and her maids to the cheering fans. A fully double spherical chrysanthemum draped with ribbons representing their school colors are often carried by the homecoming maids. Many students at homecoming sport a mum wrist corsage. Mum decorations make their mark at the royalty platform with their mass display at the base. Look back at your homecoming dance picture; it probably contains a garden mum as part of the backdrop. It is hard to picture a football homecoming without chrysanthemums. But that is not the only place you will find the chrysanthemum flower.

Halloween is the first truly fall celebration. Nothing goes better with your corn stalks and hay bales than a few strategically placed chrysanthemums. A wonderful use of the fall mum flower is a small vase of cushion mums on your candy table. You can dress up the food table at your Halloween party with a table arrangement of chrysanthemums and jack-o-lanterns.

As you leave October and jump into November, think about extending the use of this wonderful fall flower. Dress your drab porch with a stunning display of potted chrysanthemums by placing them on your steps or around your front door. At Thanksgiving consider a striking table arrangement that incorporates fall leaves, button chrysanthemums and chrysanthemum daisies in a rust-colored bowl. For elegance during the Christmas holiday, use red roses, white spider mums, silver ting and ornaments. A short profile vase with stems of Red Rover chrysanthemums would be a delight on your entry table as you greet guests for Christmas dinner.

Because of its long-lasting quality and diversity, the chrysanthemum flower is a florist staple. Most mixed vase arrangements contain some form of a chrysanthemum, although we may not recognize them. When we hear the word chrysanthemum, a picture of a garden mum comes to mind. Though they may have many of the same attributes; there are differences in a florist-quality chrysanthemum and a garden mum. The pompon, cushion, spoonbill and chrysanthemum daisy are found both in the florist mum and the garden mum. Varying slightly are the use and growing cycle of the florist-quality and garden mum. The florist-quality chrysanthemum is grown to bloom throughout the year and mainly for the beauty of the flower.

A garden mum is a perennial plant geared for fall blooming; the foliage and plant shape are as important as the bloom. When the spring and summer flowers start to look tired and worn out, the garden mum is a breath of fresh air. This wonderful flower with its wide array of fall colors (golden yellow, warm oranges, burgundies, and brilliant reds) enhances your garden as your spring and summer perennials fade away. However, fall colors are not the only option; you can choose a pink chrysanthemum or a purple chrysanthemum. Bi-color mums can also add a splash of color to your flower arrangements or garden.

It is easy to see why the chrysanthemum is a florist staple, yet it is more than just a pretty thing. It has a long and rich history. As early as the 15th century B.C., it was cultivated by the Chinese. Chrysanthemum herbal tea was used as a special treat in China during their festivals. Chinese eat salads containing the young sprouts and petals of the chrysanthemum plant. Around the 8th century A.D., the Japanese became so enamored with the chrysanthemum flower they adopted it as their emperor’s crest and official seal.

Since colonial times, Americans have embraced the chrysanthemum. It has become our fall flower of choice for decorating or gift giving. This is a flower with many different meanings and uses depending on the nationality of the user. Europeans use the chrysanthemum as a sympathy flower. Pallbearers wear mum flower boutonnières. Casket sprays contain a selection of chrysanthemums. The graves of loved ones in Belgium and Austria are adorned with chrysanthemums.

Remember this unsung hero of the flower world and embrace its diversity and availability. The next time you need a house-warming gift, call your local florist and send a beautiful potted mum. Cheer up a friend with a mixed flower arrangement containing unique spider mums. Chat with your local florist about your chrysanthemum options and use it to its fullest potential.
Fasinated by chrysanthemums, find out more by visiting The National Chrysanthemum Society.

Did you like the Cornucopia arrangement? To learn more visit Cornucopia – The Horn of Plenty.

Planning a Fall Wedding? Check out Fall in Love with Fall Wedding Flowers or Autumn Wedding Bouquet Flowers.

For more Fall flowers ideas, read Autumn in the Pumpkin Patch or Celebrate Grandparents Day with Flowers .

“A man for all seasons” a reference to many a man, but what about a flower for all seasons? Commonly referred to as the Gerbera, the Baberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) is just such a creature.

One of the most amazing aspects of the gerbera is the color palette; which contains a wide array of pinks, reds, oranges, yellows, and whites. Gerbera daisies with dusky oranges, reds with an orange undertone, and intense yellows create a cornucopia of fall colors. As the Christmas season approaches its snowy whites and deep reds give a sense of long ago traditions.

During the cold and blustery winter months, lovely rose and salmon colored gerberas give a hint that spring is just around the corner. The multitudes of red shades make a wonderful selection for Valentine’s Day. Spring is renewed with a celebration of vibrant orange, pink, yellow and red gerbera daisies. Sizzling yellows, oranges, and hot pinks jump right into the summer season.

Color is not the only facet of the gerbera that makes it a flower for all seasons. Versatility is a fantastic characteristic of the gerbera. This flower with its large daisy blooms is strong enough to stand alone in any simple or elegant container, yet it is a great companion to a multitude of other flowers. Combine gerberas with mums and a few fall leaves for a beautiful Thanksgiving arrangement. A festive display for the holiday season would be to highlight Christmas greenery with deep red gerbera daisies. Transform any ordinary mixed flower arrangement into a spectacular one by tucking in a few gerberas. Gerbera daisies are like a wonderful friend — on their own they shine, yet they enhance the beauty of others.

This amazing flower avails itself to a multitude of uses. Birthday arrangements are one such use. Whether the birthday person is nine or ninety, a beautiful arrangement of gerbera daisies is sure to be a hit. A novel idea for dinner parties is the use of a different color gerbera at each place setting instead of a place card. Carry the gerbera theme through out the party with a lovely vase of gerberas on the hors d’oeuvre table and with a centerpiece arrangement on the dining table.

Weddings are a wonderful place to use gerbera daisies. To make an outstanding statement of beauty the trendsetting brides could carry a gerbera daisy wedding bouquet. At the reception, gerbera daisies could be used in the table arrangements, bride’s book, and even on the cake.

This attractive flower is a great bridge between the genders. A gerbera can be soft and feminine in one setting, yet bold and masculine in another. Many men would love to receive a flower arrangement, but many of us are reluctant to send them one because many flowers seem too feminine. Not the Gerbera daisy, it can show off its beauty in a very masculine manner. Send that duck hunter a bouquet of orange gerbera daisies with a strategically placed duck call. If Dad is a veteran, then send him a vase of red and white gerberas mixed with blue delphinium. Support your favorite team on Super Bowl Sunday by placing a gerbera table arrangement with your team’s colors on the food table.

Using a gerbera daisy as a cut flower is only one aspect of its being. This superb flower can also be a wonderful potted plant. The decorative daisy blooms stand proud on bare stems shooting out of deeply lobed, lanced-shaped leaves, a display which is magnificent as a potted plant. The Gerbera as a potted plant opens a completely new genre. Gerbera daisy pots can be used as indoor or outdoor table arrangements, gifts, or for decoration in a sunroom or a patio. During a Fourth of July picnic, red and white gerberas in blue pot make wonderful table arrangements. The sunroom is a superb place for gerbera daisies. On a cold, sunny winter day, strategically place gerbera daisy pots in your sunroom to give you the feeling of outdoors without having to go outside.

There is a recent trend occurring through the nation; extending the living area to the outside. The traditional patio with only a grill and a set of table and chairs is replaced with a new patio design. We now have not only the table, chairs, and a grill, but also loveseats, outdoor coffee tables, fire pits, and lounges. Our patio is now a room and therefore must be decorated. Here is a great opportunity for our flower for all seasons. Growing gerbera daisies in this setting is easy because they require little care. A gerbera daisy can be potted in a colorful container enhancing the color scheme of the new outdoor room, or planted in the ground around the patio. For those outdoor dining parties, you can snip a few of your potted gerbera blooms and bang, you have a table arrangement.

As you can see, the gerbera daisy, as a cut or potted flower is truly a flower for all seasons. So, for your next special occasion have your local professional florist send your loved one a vase of gerbera daisies. Whether you are the creative type or not, you can pick up some gerberas and with little effort, decorate for a party or enhance a room. Because of its versatility, the gerbera daisy is boundless in its uses. Remember, gerbera daisies are great for every occasion and easily found at your local florist.

Want to know how to keep those gerberas fresh; then read Keeping Fresh Flowers Fresh.