Florist care in winter
When buying outdoor
seasonal materials, watch for signs of damage from diseases or pests.
Insects will also find homes in the centres of dahlias. Avoid cold
winds when transporting autumn and winter flowers from the market to
the shop. Designs can suffer from cold burn just going from shop to
van, so it is essential to wrap and pack with care.
Display flowers outside the florist shop only on mild days, selecting
those that have protective wraps whenever possible. Daffodils can
generally withstand relatively low temperatures, but even they will
suffer in bitingly cold winds. Also take care to protect the flowers
from severe winds when getting the flowers delivered Blacktown to the customer.
Flower Power
Women are for more romantic than men on the whole, and men should
never underestimate the power of such a simple gesture as giving
flowers. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate; you can start with a
single red rose. As cheap as you can get roses though, I would
certainly buy a dozen for anyone who was really special to me, no need
to be mean about it is there? For less than $100 you could get the most
amazing bouquet of flowers delivered New Zealand by your florist to the one you love. Now if that isn't value for money I don't know what is.
When you compare the cost of a floral arrangement to something like a
piece of jewellery or dinner for two, the value really starts to show
through. Women remember such gestures forever, and you'll certainly be
glad that you took the trouble to send her a beautiful bouquet.
My Favourite Flowers - Agapanthus
The Headbourne varieties are the best hybrids of this popular perennial plant. Headbourne hybrids,
Carrying
round heads of clustered florets on stout, smooth stems that grow 60—90
cm (2—3 ft) high, they are most welcome for the flower arranger as they
give a blue flower head at a time when there are few other tall blue
flowers. I have always felt that agapanthus was not hardy, but today
there seem to be several hardy strains. Whether grown against a wall,
or in the herbaceous or shrub border, they provide a lovely patch of
blue and a nice change of form, with their decorative strap-like basal
leaves.
Cultivation
Plant in April or May in any good garden soil, but preferably against a
south- or west-facing wall. It is a worthwhile precaution to protect
the plants against winter frosts by covering them in October or
November with a 15 cm (6 in) layer of peat, straw or bracken. This is
also the best time to get them from your local florists Palmdale.
Conditioning and preserving
The flower heads last very well with no special treatment but, rather
like azaleas, it is important to remove each floret as it dies, or the
whole head begins to look dead long before it is really over. The buds
continue to open in water, so you can keep the flower stems in a vase
for a few weeks.
For preserving, leave the flower heads on the stems until the seed is
well formed, then cut and hang the stems upside down to dry off
thoroughly. They can then be used whole, or taken apart and used
individually in smaller vases.
Arranging
I think one of the best examples of the use of agapanthus can be in an
arrangement with acanthus, though they will mix well in any large
arrangement, using the stems short or full length. They add that vital
touch of blue so important in mixed flower groups, or make an excellent
focal point for a foliage arrangement in late July through to
September, the combination of blue colour and rounded shape making an
excellent foil against mixed leaves.
The Stately Gladioluses
Although dahlias and lilies have been long-time favorites in gardens
and as cut flowers, the all-round champion in the latter category is
the gladiolus. It has been a mainstay of the florist Hampstead
trade for years; more land in the United States (some 20,000 acres) is
devoted to the raising of gladioluses commercially than to any other
bulb. The stately flower spikes, which range from 1 foot in height for
the miniature strains to over 5 feet for the large-flowered types, come
in every color of the rainbow, including blue. When considering
gladioluses for the garden, you might bear in mind one small problem;
the lower blossoms on each spike bloom and fade before the upper ones
open, and unless you remove the blossoms as fast as they wither,
gladioluses in a display bed or border tend to look unkempt. For this
reason I grow mine in rows in a cutting garden near my vegetables, out
of sight, and bring the flower spikes indoors just as the lower
blossoms are beginning to open. Every few days I rearrange the flowers,
pulling off the faded lower blooms as the upper ones open and
shortening the stems until just the flowering tips are left to float in
a shallow dish. Treated this way, gladioluses offer more color per stem
than any other flower I know.
Packaging Box Advantages
Boxes
are delivered as flat packs, so are easy to store, and at peak sales
times ready- packed boxes of flowers can be stacked in delivery areas
and then quickly packed into the van. (Remember to place the envelope
where it can easily be seen.) A box also gives protection against
severe weather, is easy to carry, and prevents the flowers from being
crushed.
Assembling a box pack
Collect all materials, equipment, flowers, and foliage. Working on a
clean bench, make up the box, inserting a white or colour coordinated
paper lining if none is supplied. Place long-stemmed materials in the
box first; fill in the sides, and place special flowers at the centre.
Finish with short-stemmed flowers at the bottom. Tie the stems firmly
together, perhaps adding a bow to cover this. Place flower food and a
care card inside the flower delivery Montpelier; secure the lid with sticky tape, and finish with the greetings card, and a ribbon trim, if desired.
Garlands and Wreaths
This type of design is becoming more popular, giving the florist Castle Bromwich
the opportunity to sell a different style of decoration. This type of
base can be used as the foundation for an attractive wall design, which
might be positioned over a fireplace or on the wall in a hotel,
restaurant, shop or private home.
Florists’ wholesalers now offer
a wide range of decorative bases. The rings are made in materials
ranging from straw, vine, and twigs and branches of suitable trees,
especially willow, to scented materials, such as lavender and other
herbs. The finish may be natural, varnished or coloured, and all types
of preserved, dried and artificial flowers, foliage, seed heads and
fruits may be used.
The design may be a single spray or cluster, two or three of these,
evenly spaced or informal groupings of materials, covering the top of
the frame.
Preserving Flowers
Some general points for the care of cut flowers should be kept in mind:
- Always use containers that have been thoroughly cleaned before use.
- Always use clean water.
- Put material into water as soon as possible after cutting and leave it overnight in a cool place before arranging.
- Any material that has wilted should initially be soaked in warm water.
- Cut all stems on an angle so that if they slip to the bottom of a container they do not sit flat on the base where dirt can the prevent the intake of moisture.
- Remove broken stems or leaves and thin out unwanted shoots as soon as you have flowers delivered Butetown.
- Remove all foliage which will be below the water line.
- Spray the air over the material with a fine mist of water to charge it with moisture.
- Never attempt to open flowers with your fingers or by any other device.
- Do not place flowers in direct heat or in direct sunlight.
- Keep flowers out of direct draughts.
Pressing
Ferns press well and should you haye enough Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis) to
spare, it is a really successful way to keep it and the leaves will
last all winter. As the stems are rather long they are liable to break
in the middle but with the support of a thin cane or dial stick placed
behind the main rib and caught with a wire in about three places, they
stand well and quite firmly.
Smaller ferns will stand on their own and make a nice touch of green added to a small bowl or basket of mixed dried flowers Fazakerley such as statice, helichrysum and yellow yarrow.
Bracken can be pressed and used in small pieces painted and glittered
for Christmas. It is advisable to soak the bracken overnight in a
solution of starch and water, dry off on blotting paper next day before
pressing. This helps to stiffen it before painting.
Beech sprays that have turned a lovely autumnal colour press well and
add a flat spray of good colour as a background for other dried and
preserved flower or seed heads.
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 Gay Hill-Independence for their opinion, I'm sure you'll find someone willing to share their knowledge.
