Florist News

A beautiful flower - Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed)
Characteristics: Butterfly weed (so called because it attracts butterflies) is distinguished by coral buds that open to brilliant clusters of tiny rose-orange flowers. The flowers bloom in profusion from mid- to late sum­mer and are an excellent choice for Withywood flower delivery to accompany others in fine arrangements. This heat- and drought-tolerant plant requires little at­tention, which is why it deco­rates roadsides and open woods so luxuriantly. The beauty of butterfly weed is that, unlike some other roadside plants, it is well behaved in the home garden. It produces showy seedpods in late summer. Col­lect these pods to use in dried arrangements.
Cultural Information: Butterfly weed prefers well-drained, sandy, or gravelly soils. Established plants can withstand drought due to their long taproot. It is this taproot, however, that makes butterfly weed difficult to transplant; it is best left un­disturbed. Since these plants sprout late in the spring, mark where you plant them. The markers will remind you to not disturb the area. Seed germi­nate in 28 to 42 days, prefer­ring temperatures of 70° to 75°F. Seedlings can be started in­doors for bloom the first year, or direct sown outdoors to bloom the following year.
Harvesting/Drying: Harvest seed heads in late autumn. If har­vested late in the season, the seed heads will have turned a warm beige. They make hand­some additions to natural autumn arrangements. Simply hang small bunches in a warm, dry spot.

Single and Double Sprays
This informal tribute uses materials on natural stems, which can be wired for support and control when necessary. The materials are arranged in a variety of bases, including moss foundations and, even more frequently, plastic spray trays. Foliage such as Tsuga pine or Abies grandis is used to create a good outline, and almost any combination of flowers might be used. Suggest this type of design to the customer who wishes to send a tribute as a token of sympathy, perhaps for a neighbour or a distant relative. These are perhaps my favourite of all the funeral tributes because it gives the florist a chance to use flowers Central London that are just beautiful.

Storing Dried Flowers
To further preserve dried flow­ers (regardless of the drying method), spray them lightly with a dried flower preserva­tive. There are several commer­cial sprays made expressly for this purpose and can be found at a Kings Park flower shop. However, I find hairspray to be just as effec­tive. Dried berries and seed­pods can be dipped into a jar of shellac. Store your dried flowers, berries and seedpods in a dry, dark area. This helps them maintain their natural color. Some light is acceptable as long as it does not shine di­rectly on the dried flowers. To protect your dried flowers from excessive sunlight, store them in closed containers between layers of tissue paper. Label and date the individual boxes. Try to use the oldest materials first to ensure freshness.

England's National Flower
No nation is more closely associated with the rose than England. Her great civil war, the 15th Century War of the Roses, got its name from the insignia of the ri­val families: the red rose of Lancaster, the white rose of York. After the war, which raged for 30 years, Lancaster's Henry VII married a York princess and had flowers delivered Jordanhill, which united the families in a new Tudor dy­nasty. It was under the Tudors that the rose officially became England's national flower. The royal emblem was the Tu­dor rose, whose red and white petals symbolize the two reconciled houses.

Wedding Flowers
In the last hundred years, the wedding ceremony and bridal clothes have crystallized into a set of formal conventions, but within these limitations, there are still changes in fashion. The most popular colours for a wedding dress remain white, cream or ivory, while the bride’s attendants are often dressed in shades of pink, blue, green, yellow and peach.
The style of bridal bouquets changes to mirror the era, varying from the large Edwardian bouquets of smilax, roses and carnations, to the sheaves of lilies carried over the arm in the 1930s, or the small stiff formal bouquets of the 1960s. In celebration of a united Europe, the European style of bouquet is now popular with many brides. This is smaller and more compact than the traditional British style. However it should not be formal and stiff, but have an elegance and movement.
To create successful wedding designs, it is essential for a Collyhurst florist to maintain an enlightened, receptive mind, willing to experiment with new ideas and concepts.

Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day can be fun, as it is a light-hearted celebration, and the one day in the year when customers are predominantly male. It is important to make them feel comfortable, for although there are many ‘new men’, there are still those who find it embarrassing to buy and to carry flowers. For many male customers, this may be the first time they have been in a florist’s shop.
It is often hard to explain to customers why the price of red roses can rise so dramatically on this day, but nurseries can only grow a certain number of roses, and are not able to stockpile them, due to their perishable nature. When you then consider the massive demand for red roses, it is much easier to understand why they command a premium price at auctions and markets.
Everyone wants flowers for his sweetheart to he delivered on the day itself or the previous evening, so prior preparation is crucial if the florists Diamond Bar want a successful Valentine’s Day. Always keep records of peak periods; these can be a valuable reference when ordering and preparing for the following year. Start early with preparations, as this will help to ensure a smooth-running and stress-free Valentine’s Day.

Nature at Work
The process of "crossing" or intermarriage between natural species in the same family of plants varies greatly with the different families. Just why this should be so no one knows. In some cases no assistance from the hand of man, the plant breeder, is required. Nature, unaided, attends to the job. In the woods on Cape Cod, for instance, we can find a half-dozen distinct species of oak, in­terspersed with innumerable mongrel types which show, in vary­ing degrees, the characteristics of the several parents. In a water­side grove of black gums, however, all are as alike as peas in the same pod. It is a general characteristic of hybrid varieties that they are more vigorous, and grow satisfactorily under a wider range of conditions of soil and climate, than was the case with their parents. This is especially true of man-made or controlled hybrids devel­oped during a long series of crosses, for the simple reason that the weak-growing and otherwise least satisfactory ones are constantly being discarded in the process; or, in the case of those which may show some unusual but desirable character, such as a new color or flower form, be retained merely for further breeding until the new color or form can be combined with a more vigorous strain. Many Jackson florists possess flowers that have been created in such a way.

Extending the Bloom
The flower of a spring bulb seldom lasts more than about two weeks, but if you use a little ingenuity in planning the beds you can keep bright blooms coming week after week for a couple of months. The most obvious technique for extending bloom involves the use of sev­eral different varieties, some that bloom early, some that bloom in midseason and some that bloom late. Among tulips, for example, the species tulips and early tulips will blossom in mid- to late April, the triumph and Mendel varieties in late April and early May, cottage and Darwin tulips in mid- to late May. Daffodils are equally accommodating, offering a selection of varieties that will come up and flower in succession over a period of six weeks or more. This variation is blossoming times makes it possible to have flowers delivered Lopezville at almost any time in the spring.
Even bulbs of a single variety can be made to provide flowers over a longer-than-usual period if you use a few tricks in planting. Location affects blossoming time. In light, sandy soil bulbs will come up sooner than in heavy clay. And the sunniest spots produce the earliest flowers, the shadiest places the latest ones. I have planted two beds of crocuses of the same kind, one in the sun and another on the north side of an evergreen hedge. The bulbs near the hedge produce blossoms just as large and lovely as their fellows, but they bloom three weeks later, which is what I intended.

Add Rhythm to your floral designs
A wedding bouquet is often described as having a flowing line, or an arrangement will receive compliments for its strong visual movement. Both are working floristry terms, used to describe rhythm.
Rhythm is a dynamic element, bringing life to a design, and preventing it from becoming static and monotonous. A sense of rhythm is built up as the design is being made, and cannot be added later. This visual movement can be created in various ways.
Repetition — if certain features, such as line, size, form and colour, are repeated, the eye is stimulated and moves through the design.
Transition or gradation — of size, form and colour, imparts an orderly, measured sequence of change, creating an easy, gentle rhythm.
Space — in tradition designs, space between flowers and foliage stems is allowed in measured amounts, creating gentle, flowing lines. Line designs require larger or irregular areas of space to produce fast and visually strong movement. Good florists East Harlem must bear this in mind.
Radiation — of lines, or groupings of lines that appear to radiate from or converge at one point.
Recession — placing darker short-stemmed materials on lower levels creates greater visual depth.
Direct line — some materials, such as contorted willow, attract the eye immediately and create spontaneous rhythm.

Further reading
Thanks for reading the post, we hope you enjoyed these great flower facts and tips. If you're a florist, or looking to become one, you may also enjoy Flower Power which has even more information for you.