Topic: Flower Facts
An Open Posy
When ordering flowers for a funeral, many customers prefer to send a natural-looking tribute, such as an open posy or basket. The open posy can be made in a range of sizes, and various combinations of flowers and foliage can be used. This would be a suitable tribute to suggest for a child’s funeral or for a design to be sent on behalf of children to the funeral of a grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin or friend. They have that childlike feel to them, which makes them ideal when children are involved. If you are unsure when to use posys, just canvass some other florists Lysterfield South for their opinion, I'm sure you'll find someone willing to share their knowledge.
Creating a Garland or Wreath
Collect the base, ribbons, equipment and all materials. Prepare the frame mechanics; for added security, the foam may be taped in place after it has been trimmed to shape. Pin clusters of lichen moss to hide the foundation and make an attractive finish, and then establish the outline, placing bold leaves at the centre for visual depth. Position focal point materials (such as seed heads) in a diagonal line, the largest at the centre.
Now add flowers and foliage in lines and groupings, filling the outline shape and placing flowers and leaves on different levels, to create an elevated profile.
Ribbon loops are positioned near the focal point areas, while single leaves and flowers Waitakere are recessed. Finally, add streamers and glue the bow into position. For greater security, all flowers and foliage can be glued in place.
My Favourite Flowers - Amaranthus
This is the green form of Love-lies-Bleeding, which I find so much more attractive than the red. It is worth looking after for if the plant thrives the trusses may be twice as long as normal, and it is a most striking annual to have in the garden. It will seed easily and enjoys a medium or rich soil.
Cultivation
Sow very thinly in their flowering situation in April in any reasonably fertile soil, and thin the seedlings as they become large enough to handle. Do the thinning in several stages until the plants are at the final distance.
Conditioning and preserving
Remove all the leaves immediately after picking, for this plant does not take up enough moisture for both leaves and flowers. Place the stems in really hot water and leave them for several hours before arranging. If you are drying the stems, it is best to place them in shallow water in a warm room and allow to dry. Avoid drying the stems with the elegant, drooping trusses hanging upside down or otherwise they will dry erect! Several Tamworth florists have given me this advice over a number of years.
Arranging
The long, trailing tails of green chenille-like trusses make a splendid centre for a summer arrangement, and are equally effective in winter decorations when they have been dried.
Wedding costs
Just like the cost of everything else, the cost of having a wedding is skyrocketing. This is no surprise to anyone who has been recently involved in a wedding, and it is certainly no surprise to someone who is currently involved, in any way, with a wedding. If you are looking for ways to cut costs, one of the best ways is to do so by using silk flowers instead of real flowers for your wedding. Wedding flowers can start to get pricey, especially if you want to use roses, lilies, or flowers that are out of season. Having them arranged is also an expensive proposition if you go through a Reddish Florist.
Climbing Varieties
Climbers comprise a wide variety of types. The most numerous are the large-flowered climbers, which bear 2- to 6-inch blossoms in loose clusters on strong, flexible canes 6 to 15 feet long. Most large-flowered climbers are hybrid descendants of wild climbers still found in various parts of the world. Modern varieties boast a wide range of colors and flower sizes. Some blossom heavily early in the season, producing few flowers Los Angeles later on; others follow their first crop of blossoms with intermittent bloom and then burst forth with another heavy crop in the fall. Large-flowered climbers are fairly resistant to disease and cold weather, and can generally grow without winter protection even in northerly climate regions.
Pillar roses, a subclass of the large-flowered climbers, do not grow as tall as other climbers, but stand more upright on stiffer canes to a height of 5 to 10 feet. They are often planted beside a post or pillar (hence their name) to which they are tied to prevent them from snapping in high winds.
Another distinct type of climber is the rambler. Its slender, supple canes grow very long (10 to 20 feet a year) and bear dense clusters of small flowers, each no more than 2 inches across. Most varieties bloom once each year, in late spring or early summer, on canes that are one year old; a few flower again in the fall. Their colors are limited: deep red to weak pink, peach yellow and white; foliage is glossy. Though some types are susceptible to mildew, most true ramblers are extremely hardy, surviving subzero winters even when unprotected.
Mixing Colors
Because silk, preserved and dried flowers can be found in nearly any color range, knowledge of a color wheel will help tremendously in floral designing. Once focal colors are established, adding in accent colors becomes the next challenge. If you aren’t sure which color would be best, consulting the color wheel helps in determining the desired color range.
A good color wheel contains information and examples of color hues, tints, tones and shades as well as the basic information. This allows you to see how colors of the same or varying values would look when combined. Or how contrasting colors can work together to produce a harmonious arrangement.
Oftentimes the current season will be the determining factor in the colors used within certain projects; spring seems to lend itself to pastel arrangements, while fall seems to call for more striking arrangements. As a florist Springhill, my tendency is to use monochromatic or analogous color schemes simply because I am comfortable with those colors and the blended look they provide. However, experimenting with complementary colors often produces striking and pretty designs. They are nice surprises which encourage further explorations of the many possibilities involved in mixing colors in the floral designing process.
Rose Tubs
For summer, roses can be grown in a tub and do very well and it is useful to have them in tubs if you have a small area with nowhere else to put them. Then again, petunias, geraniums, lobelia, tobacco plants, begonias are all excellent subjects for a patio garden. Lilies in summer followed by pots of hydrangeas all give good colour range and a different look which makes the area interesting all the year round.
Another plant not usually considered as a pot plant but very effective, is sedum and ‘Autumn Joy’ gives a mass of colour for many weeks from September until the frost. And the butterflies just love these flowers Tranmere, especially when they are in full bloom.
Choose your container
Baskets
There is a wide variety of attractive baskets available on the market today. They are usually made from rattan and cane and are imported from around the world. Willow baskets are more substantial but look heavier. Baskets make a lovely, natural base for cottage-style arrangements. Mixed spring or summer flowers in tiny square, oblong or round baskets on the dining or side table can brighten up a room, A larger basket used in the hallway is always pretty in the right house and looks very welcoming. A mixture of fruit or vegetables and flowers adds a homely touch for family rooms and the kitchen.
Most baskets have no lining, so a container needs to be placed inside them. Alternatively, it is possible to put stems straight into one of the varieties of water-retaining florist’s foams wrapped in polythene.
Metal containers
Silver, copper, brass, pewter and bronze containers can provide the ideal shapes and colours to enhance many arrangements. Junk shops and auctions can often provide all sorts of special ‘finds’. Alternatively, ask for one to be included in your flower delivery Llandaff.
Silver is bright and shiny and can compete for attention with some flowers but looks particularly good with greys, soft mauves and pinks. It can provide a formal elegance for a single bloom such as a rose or orchid. Always clean silver after use and take care if you have to use wire for your arrangement as this could scratch the surface. Try lining the container with foil, plastic or brown paper to avoid this problem.
Flowers last well in pewter containers and there are many old jugs and mugs with good simple shapes which are practical for arrangements.
The burnished shine of copper and brass containers is ideal to enhance the colour of flowers with yellow, orange and cream hues. Old copper looks particularly attractive with autumn shades. Brass is very pretty with creams and bright greens.
Keep them clean and free from water marks. Bad stains can be removed with salt and lemon or salt and vinegar. Rub the surface hard, rinse off and dry thoroughly.
Wiring methods
Small flower heads need to be supported and controlled when used in the traditional construction of corsages, buttonholes and headdresses. It would be convenient if there were just one basic wiring method, but unfortunately this is not so. The modern florist handles a wide range of flowers requiring individual wiring methods, such as:
Singapore orchids
Handling the orchid with care, as petals are easily cracked or damaged, remove the flowers Flatbush head from the main stem, leaving only a small portion of stem. Insert a length of silver wire through the base of the flower, leaving one end longer than the other; bring the wire ends together, twisting the short end around both the stem and the longer end of wire, which is brought down to form an artificial stem. Neatly tape this stem.
Hyacinths
Bend a silver wire in half, twisting it to make a small loop. Gently remove a flower head, leaving a short stem. Insert the wire down and through the flower head, so the loop is hidden in the flower head. Complete as above.
Carnation spray
Leaving a small portion of stem, remove an individual flower from the spray. Make a small hook at the top of the wire and insert the wire through the head of the flower, pulling it carefully so that the hook is hidden in the flower centre. Start taping at the base of the stem.
Rose
Remove most of the stem; insert a stub wire up into the stem, pushing it securely into the seed box, then tape.
Can't get enough aye?
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