The Versatile Gerbera Daisy
Published December 30, 2011 | 
Looking for something sweet and delicate to add color into your wedding arrangements? This fabulous flower could be your answers. The Gerbera Daisy is a very popular bloom is widely used in cut flower arrangements and is the fifth most used cut flower in the world. This South American native bloom is also know as the Transvaal Daisy, Barberton Daisy, Veldt Daisy or African Daisy.
Gerbera daisy color varations are almost endless with the exception of blue and violet blue hues. The petal colors include white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, lilac, purple, red, brown, salmon, bicolor and multicolor. And recently, even green Gerbera daisies are now available. The center disc can be yellow, green, brown, black or dark red.
Gerbera daisies come in three different sizes, miniature which measure 2-3 inches in diameter, standard which are 3-5 inches in diameter and giant which are 5-6 inches in diameter. The blooms themselves have five different variations, singles, doubles, crested doubles, full crested doubles and quill crested doubles or spider. With so many options in color and style, this lovely flower perfect for use in almost any arrangement or centerpiece.
Lisianthus-A Winter Favorite
Published December 13, 2011 |  |
Lisianthus (pronouned lis-ee-AN-thus) is available year round, but most abundant from June to December. It comes in a variety of colors including white, cream, lavender, purple and pink. Some of my favorites are the bi-colored which come in the white with pink edges like shown in this picture to the left and the white with lavender or purple edges.
There is a single variety – fewer petals and resembles a tulip and doubles which have bigger petal counts and often are mistaken by the consumer as a garden rose. |
| Lisianthus have great looking buds that add a fabulous texture to any bouquet or arrangement.
The purple lisianthus is one of the best purple flowers available, in my opinion. These are particularly long lasting flowers- expect 7-14 days of enjoyment, depending upon how you are maintaining them. A bloom will last about 7 days with the larger buds opening into blooms, but often a little lighter shade than the main flowers. |
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Flower arranging tips and tricks–making the right cut
Published December 9, 2011 | Today I want to share with you some great tips on making sure that your flower are prepared just right for arranging.
Using flowers straight from your garden – If you are lucky enough to have space for a flower garden what better way to show off those flowers in a stunning arrangement for your home, a party or to give as a gift to somebody special. Preparing those flowers before hand the proper way will help ensure that your creation will not only be beautiful but that it will stay that way for the vase life of the arrangement.
Always make sure to pick your foliage and flowers early in the morning. This way the sun has not yet come out in full force and the sap will only just be rising the stems
Be sure to cut the stems on an angle. Cutting them off straight or hammering the stems will increase the chance that bacteria could grown and cause your flowers to wilt prematurely.
Place your cut flowers loosely in a bucket of cool clean water that has been prepared with flower preservative in it. If you are making a large arrangement, having a second and possibly a third bucket available will help to keep your flowers from being crushed in on each other. This will also help eliminate the risk of bruised petals.
If you have purchased your flowers from a local florist, flower market or wholesaler, they will come to you already cut and wrapped. Once you get them home, you will need to re-cut them on an angle, so that the fresh cut stems will be able to absorb water more readily. You can then place them in buckets just like you would do with flowers chosen from your own garden and get ready to start your creation!
Bouquet Styles–The Hand Tied Bouquet
Published December 2, 2011 | 
Did you know that one of the biggest crazes in bouquet styles actually got started by accident?
It’s true, the hand-tied bouquet got started by accident. You see, bridal magazines are selling gowns/dresses not flowers. So as not to make you lose sight that you would also carry flowers, some advertiser stuck a small cluster of flowers into the brides hands (not wanting to take away from the gown). But brides looking at these magazines liked the small cluster of flowers and thus the hand-tied bouquet trend was born. This lovely bouquet style lends itself very well to the newest tre
nd of bouquet embellishments. The simple way the stems are put together create the perfect backdrop for the incorporation of everything from a treasured keepsake to the fanciest of rhinestone ribbons. The bouquet to the left is tied with a gorgeous pearled ribbon. The one to the right is wrapped all the way down with a lovely wide satin ribbon.
Hand-tied bouquets really cover a variety of bouquet names including a tussie mussie, nosegay, clutch, carry, round hand-tied, free form hand-tied and toss bouquet. Its versatility in both size and design made it an immediate hit. And, it remains the front runner for bouquet styles still today.
‘Tis The Season–Working With Holiday Decor
Published November 25, 2011 | 
Winter officially runs November 22 – February 22. I think it is safe to say that most people think of winter colors as reds, whites and greens. But, there are so many other options out there besides the tradition Christmas color trio. This time of year, more than any other, the colors you chose for your special day might have to take into consideration the colors in use where your ceremony and/or reception is being held. Most hotel and reception facilities start decorating for the holidays right after Thanksgiving. And for the Recessionsita Bride, it might even be possible to get a better rate on your reception room rental if you accept the existing decorations rather than requesting that they be removed for the duration of your reception. This way, the hotel saves on the time it would take to remove and then re-decorate their facility and you will save by using what is already in place.
If the facility is decorated in gold and white then you could pretty much do anything you want. But, if the facility is decorated in traditional red and green, it would be hard to use purple and silver. But that 
doesn’t mean you have to be ‘Christmasy’. Beautiful red and white roses and green cymbidium orchids would be perfect for that traditional Red and Green decor. Another fabulous choice would be to incorporate black. The picture to the right shows a stunning reception that uses white, green and black along with the hotel’s traditional red and green decor.
A Sweet Idea for Flower Girls
Published November 22, 2011 | 
There are just so many options available to today’s bride for her attendants flowers. One adorable alternative to the traditional bouquet that I just love is the use of a pomander or kissing ball. This precious creation is the perfect choice for your flower girls as it is smaller than a traditional bouquet. The ribbon holder makes it very easy for little hands to hold. Or you could use a holder such as I have done in the photo on the right.
Creating a pomander for your attendants is lovely alternative to the traditional attendant bouquets. While they do use a lot of flowers, you can chose to add additional ribbons or other fillers such as berries or beading. The floral ball base can be found in any craft store along with a huge variety of ribbons at a very good cost. Pomanders also are great for use on the end of the pews and make a lovely addition to your ceremonial flowers.
Queen Anne’s Lace-Dried to Perfection
Published November 18, 2011 | 
Adding dried wildflowers into a fresh flower arrangement can add some extra texture and eye appeal. This works especially well if you are having a Rustic Chic, casual or even a good old fashioned Victorian theme wedding. Queen Anne’s Lace, one of the more versatile filler flowers lends itself very well to the drying process. And this can be done very easily and inexpensively right at your own home, making it a perfect fit for any Recessionsita Bride.
The most common method for drying flowers is air drying. To get the best results with Queen Anne’s lace you should select blooms that are just at their peak or even just before full bloom.
Cut the stems to the length that you want them for your project. Once they are dried, they will be more difficult to cut and it might cause some damage to the dried stem. Always remove the leaves. They do not dry well and could issues with the stems. Using rubber bands, group the flowers into threes or fours and secure them together tightly.
You’ll want to make sure that the area you are planning to use for drying is dark, dry and warm. Humidity can promote the growth of mold and prevent the flowers from drying properly and direct sunlight could cause them to fade. A closet or an attic area will work perfectly for drying flowers. Hang them upside down either on a hook or a nail. The drying process takes about 2-3 weeks to complete.
If you are in a hurry and need them to dry faster, try using the Desiccant Method. The Desiccant method allows you to greatly speed up the drying process by use of white cornmeal and borax as drying agents. You’ll need some additional items You’ll prepare them the same way you do for the standard drying method, using blooms near or at peak and making sure the stems are the length you will need for your project. Place the flowers in a cardboard box and cover them in a mixture of equal parts of white cornmeal and borax. Your dried Queen Anne’s Lace will be ready in about two days. The only real draw back to this method over the standard drying method is that white blooms may darken in color anywhere from a cream to a tan color.
Ready, Set, Arrange!
Published November 11, 2011 | 
Last time I talked about how to chose great roses and this week I want to talk to you about how to get them ready to create your arrangement.
To process roses you want to strip all the foliage that will fall below the water line. I like to remove ALL the thorns as well. You really only have to remove the thorns below the water level, but trust me, you will be handling the roses above the water line and you don’t want to poke yourself with the thorns. Some varieties of roses have really tiny almost clear thorns on the top third of the stems and that is typically where I am handling them. Those micro thorns will get into your hands and fingers and wreak havoc, because you can’t see them to get them out. I normally will use a florist’s knife and gently scratch those tiny thorns off the stems!
Next you want to give the roses a fresh cut, cut at least an inch off the stem length and cut at the biggest angle you can cut. Make sure you are using really sharp sheers or knife. You do NOT want to damage the stem with clippers that can’t make a clean cut. The bigger the cut you can make, the more drinking surface you are giving the rose. Roses need to drink water and any obstruction in the stem will disallow the water to get all the way up to the head which will cause bent heads. Even an air bubble will cause the bent heads and roses are particularly vulnerable to this problem. There are many professionals who believe that roses should only be cut under water, because when you cut underwater there can be no air bubbles getting into the stem.
If you use a rose stripper, which I totally recommend, make sure you do not tear or scrape the skin of the stem, because this allows microorganisms (bacteria) to get into the stem and will impede the flowers ability to get that good drink of water it needs.
It is absolutely BEST to dip each rose stem into a dipping solution of a hydrating liquid before you put them in a bucket or vase with flower preservative. I don’t know of the hydrating liquids being sold at a retail level. But the good news is, you can get this along with all the tools needs at our sister site, flowerarranging101.tv. Our starter kit has everything I’ve talked about here.
Make sure when you transfer your roses to a bucket or vase that it is a clean bucket or vase. I use Clorox Clean Up to wash all my buckets and vases. A watered down clorox solution is fine too. You just need to be sure that you are killing any bacteria in the bucket/vase.
If you are not going to use your roses right away, the idea situation is to process them (remove thorns/foliage, give fresh cut and dip in hydrating solution) and then place the roses into a bucket of tepid (luke warm) water for about two hours. After that, it is best to put the roses into a refrigerator for at least another two hours (ideal temperature is 33-35 degrees). After that, do all the arranging your heart desires with your roses.
Glorious Greens
Published October 31, 2011 | 
Did you know that not making sure you have enough foliage in your arrangement is a one of the most common errors made when creating a floral arrangement? Ferns, leaves and other foliage not only add interest to the arrangement but can create a frame around your gorgeous flowers making them even more spectacular. But did you know that they also help hold your flowers in place so that your arrangement maintains its shape? Inserting greenery into your arrangement needs to be done with the same care and preparation that you use when placing your flowers. Once they have been trimmed to the desired height and rinsed carefully, you will need to place them in the vase at angles. This helps to create the support structure for your flower stems as well as creating the perfect background for your flowers. A vase that has been greened correctly will be able to hold the flower stems in place without additional support. You can test to make sure you’ve correctly positioned your greenery by putting your hand over the foliage and gently shaking it back and forth. If it feels loose or the foliage falls out of place, you should add additional greenery. If there is no movement at all, you may have added too much and should remove some of the greenery so that you can place your flowers easily without having to shove your stems into the frame you’ve built for them in the vase.
To Corsage Or Not To Cosage, That Is The Question
Published October 25, 2011 | 
Next to your own bridal bouquet, flowers for both the mother of the bride and groom should top your list when you are getting your plans together for your special day. I always recommend asking your moms what they would prefer, pin-on, wrist, magnet backed corsage or a small nosegay. If you are going to be using pin on corsages, you’re not going to be stuck with the run of the mill white pearl top pins if you don’t want them. Corsage pins come in a wide variety of colors these days so you’re sure to find something that matches your decor.
While wearing a corsage on the lapel of your jacket or dress used to be the norm, with today’s fashions, there isn’t always a place to attach a corsage! This has caused many moms to want to wear a wrist corsage or carry a small nosegay. And I know, the first think you think of when somebody says corsage is that awkward little silver elastic band that always seemed to be showing instead of the flowers. That’s not the case now, you can create or order a wristlet that is actually a piece of jewelery and will be a wonderful keepsake for your mother or grandmother reminding them of your wedding every time they wear it. My favorite wristlet is a pearl bracelet and it comes in white, ivory, silver or black.
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