http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News en florist florist Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:33:28 +0100 daily 1 Lunaria annua (money plant, Pope's money, honesty) Characteristics : The money plant is an old-fashioned garden plant grown for its showy seedpods. It is best grown in an informal setting or meadow. The small clusters of flowers are violet or white in color. A standard of Victorian European parlors, this lovely plant was not grown in America until the 1930s. It produces circular seedpods that dry into translucent silvery discs. These pods are extremely decorative and useful in dried arrangements. Cultural Information : The money plant is easily grown from direct sown seed. In early summer, biennial plants need to be seeded where they will flower the following summer. Harvesting/Drying : This plant needs very little drying time. Pick the silvery white seedpods when dry and papery. Remove the outer brownish discs (the outer seed cover) by gently rubbing. A lovely silvery disc will be uncovered. Air-dry in an upright or hanging position until stems are dry. If you choose to... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:33:28 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Back-in-town-but-no-flowers/28/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Back-in-town-but-no-flowers/28/ The Ancient Rose It should be reassuring to remember that roses were growing long before there were human hands to tend to their needs. Fossil roses, found in rock formations in Colorado and Oregon, proved that wild roses date back 40 million years. They apparently originated in central Asia and spread all over the northern hemisphere, but inexplicably never crossed the equator; no truly wild roses have been discovered in the southern hemisphere. Almost everywhere else, however, wild roses can be found growing, often under difficult conditions; in the arctic cold of Alaska and Siberia, in the heat of India and North Africa. Wild roses grow in every state in the U.S., and without much doubt there are some close to your home wherever you live. Roses are all around us; everywhere you go you can send flowers Heidelberg Heights to someone you love. Creating harmony with colour Colour, although we may not always acknowledge this, plays an important part in our lives, but... Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:31:33 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Say-hello-then-wave-goodbye-to-the-florist/27/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Say-hello-then-wave-goodbye-to-the-florist/27/ 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.... Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:30:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Ask-your-florist-for-some-advice/26/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Ask-your-florist-for-some-advice/26/ Edging a foam frame with single leaves Soak the frame lightly and select graded mature leaves (new foliage is soft and will wilt quickly). Avoid using damaged or misshapen leaves. Clean the leaves, removing dirt and dust. For extra support and control, loop stitch each leaf, using the support wire as a mount. Starting at a point, firmly insert a wired small leaf. This will accentuate the point. Now work to the centre of the frame, overlapping leaves slightly. Return to a point, and repeat the process until the edging is complete. Ensure that you, as a professional florist Acacia Gardens , maintain the exact shape of the pillow. Lightly spray the edged frame with leaf cleaner, to give a polished finish. An Essential Accessory While Napoleon was off conquering Egypt in 1799, his wife Jo­sephine bought an old chateau named Malmaison eight miles down the Seine from Paris. Napoleon grumbled loudly about the extrav­agance (apparently Josephine was outrageously overcharged for... Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:43:27 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Say-goodbye-to-fresh-flowers/25/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Say-goodbye-to-fresh-flowers/25/ The Queen of Flowers Sooner or later, everyone who has a garden thinks about growing roses. There are practical reasons, if a gardener needs them, for deciding to do just that. For one thing, roses outperform practically every other kind of garden plant in the number of flowers they produce, in the length of their blooming season and in their normal life expectancy. But most gardeners become rose growers simply because they fall in love with the flowers Ingle Farm . Roses have an irresistible combination of elegance and charm, thorny strength and satin-petaled delicacy, and their blooms come forth in a wonderful variety of colors, sizes, shapes and fragrances. It is this, the sensuous appeal of roses, which has made them the world’s best-known and most popular ornamental plant. Water Immersion can help those blooms Some cut materials can absorb water through the epidermal cells surrounding the stem and leaves. This method of complementing water taken up by the roots... Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:41:14 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Stay-local-when-choosing-a-reliable-florist/24/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Stay-local-when-choosing-a-reliable-florist/24/ Fake doesn't have to be second best Some of the more traditional amongst you may scoff at the idea of using fake flowers, but it is a real and viable alternative in today’s world. Not everyone can afford to spend thousands of dollars on fresh flowers, or employ a florist to create unique arrangements. Fake flowers can look just as beautiful, and these days you can even spray them with a fragrance to complete the floral deception. I would wager that the majority of guests at the wedding would not even notice that the flowers were not fresh. Artificial flowers might even put your local Crew's Hole florist out of business one day! Floral Ball or Kissing Ball Traditional kissing balls were covered with mistletoe. They hung in doorways or from chan­deliers during the Christmas holidays. Many Stoke Newington florists sell round floral forms to use as a base for these quaint balls. Cover the form with a base ma­terial such as sweet Annie (or, of course,... Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:35:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/A-career-as-a-florist-is-calling/23/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/A-career-as-a-florist-is-calling/23/ Standing Time after Microwave After being microwaved, the plant material will require a standing time. Like food cooked by microwaves, the flowers will continue to dry even after the microwave oven has been shut off. Allow the flowers to remain in the micro­wave oven for approximately one minute after it has been shut off. For fragile and deli­cate flowers, a standing time outside the microwave of about 10 minutes should be ade­quate. Fuller flowers will often take 30 minutes. When the standing time is over, carefully empty the con­tainer onto a piece of dry newspaper and gently lift the plant material. Remove excess silica gel from sturdy flowers by gen­tly shaking the flowers. For del­icate flowers, you will need a soft paintbrush used by Yering florists to remove the excess. Then check the center of the flower to make sure that it is completely dry; if not, cover this area with silica gel and reheat it in the microwave oven for a short time. (Allow the silica gel to return... Thu, 06 Aug 2009 02:34:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Time-for-tea-decorate-the-table-with-flowers/22/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Time-for-tea-decorate-the-table-with-flowers/22/ Basic flower arranging equipment Secateurs and scissors Sharp secateurs and a pair of short-bladed florist’s scissors are essential equipment and well worth investing in. Ordinary scissors tend to squash the stems of flowers. Florist’s scissors are designed to make it easy to get right into an arrangement to snip off non-essential material. They can also be used for cutting thin wire and any flowers Black Forest . A good pair of secateurs will be used constantly for gathering flowers and cutting woody branches from the garden. Wire netting A fairly pliable chicken wire with a large mesh, approximately 5 cm (2 inches) is useful. It can be bought in convenient lengths from hardware shops. The beauty of wire as a base is that you will be able to achieve open, airy arrangements easily and can economise on the amount of material required. Keep the netting clean and dry when not in use. The amount you will need depends on the size and shape of vase you frequently use.... Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:05:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Place-some-trust-in-your-florists-choices/21/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Place-some-trust-in-your-florists-choices/21/ Arranging you time Many people fall in love with flower arranging, since it is an ideal way to pass some time, especially for the less active amongst us. If you're not up for running a marathon, or swimming the channel, then flower arranging could be for you. There are an estimated half a million people worldwide who participate in this great hobby, so you'll never be short of someone to discuss your problems with. There are many web sites on the internet dedicated to this great pastime, just do a google and see what you come up with. If you want to know more about this great hobby then please contact a Totterdown florist . Miniature Roses At the opposite end of the scale from the tall shrub roses are the low-growing miniature roses, which are especially popular as edgings for beds and borders, as accent plants in small rock gardens and as house plants. There are more than 200 varieties of minia­tures, ranging in height from 4 to 18 inches, with the average about 1... Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:29:51 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Here-s-the-latest-florist-news/20/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Here-s-the-latest-florist-news/20/ Flowers of the world - Limonium sinuatum (statice) Characteristics : This old-time favorite is one of the most versatile annuals to grow for drying. It comes in a wide range of colors, including white, yellow, pink, rose, blue, lavender and apricot. Blooms appear from midsummer to fall. The stems are strong, the foliage rough and leathery. The clusters of tiny, papery, pastel-colored flowers add charm and interest to any dried arrangement. Statice is probably the most durable of all dried materials. It can withstand Chermside flower delivery and poor storage conditions better than most other dried materials. Cultural Information : The biggest enemy of statice is overly moist soil. It adapts to heat and drought, salt spray and any type of soil except heavy clay. To propagate, sow the seed indoors in early spring or late winter. Germination should take approximately 10 to 20 days at temperatures of 65° F. Harden off and plant outdoors after all danger of frost. In southern or... Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:32:29 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Walking-on-flower-petals/19/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Walking-on-flower-petals/19/ Drying by hanging or air drying The following method is used for all seed heads and some flower spikes such as delphiniums, which dry very well this way. Wait until the flower head is open right up the stem and then cut it. All the leaves should be removed from the stems as soon as they are picked. This is important for two reasons. It is a good idea to assist dehydration as much as possible because leaves left on the stem retain the moisture in the stem and so prolong the drying period. And secondly, it is much easier to remove the leaves from the stem before they become dry and brittle. There is a risk, when removing them after drying, of breaking the stem. Place in deep water overnight. It is important to have ready a dry, airy place for quick drying, as stems don’t take long to mildew. Hang the seed heads in bunches tied together with string or elastic bands and make the bunches small to avoid overcrowding. In fact, I really prefer to tie each stem individually, as this gives a... Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:38:49 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Getting-your-flowers-cut-like-a-Pro/18/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Getting-your-flowers-cut-like-a-Pro/18/ Hats Decorated with Dried Flowers Fold back the brim of a large-­brimmed hat and attach a bouquet of dried flowers with a hat pin. If your hat doesn't have a wide brim, glue dried flowers onto the hat band. Keep a tiny bouquet of dried flowers Lurnea wired to a hat pin on your dresser, so you can quickly change the mood of any hat you choose. Dried autumn leaves and ber­ries make wonderful decora­tions for winter hats. Valentine’s day Since time immemorial, flowers have been equated with romance, especially on Valentine’s Day, a day consecrated to lovers, which harks back to Roman times, when the date was dedicated to ‘love lotteries’. Names of young virgins were rolled into balls, placed in a bowl, and selected at random by Roman soldiers seeking brides. A similar tale dates to the Middle Ages: on 14 February, it is said, birds paired off, and young men, after drawing names from a bowl, wore their ‘hearts’ on their sleeves for a week, hoping for a... Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:35:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Smoke-and-mirrors-in-the-florist-world/17/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Smoke-and-mirrors-in-the-florist-world/17/ Overall proportions The overall dimensions or measurements of height, width and depth must relate to one another and to the container in the correct proportions to create visual balance in a design. As floristry is an art form, there are only a few guidelines on proportion, and these are mainly for flower arrangements. For many designs, florists use the approximate proportions of one third to two thirds, and in the bouquet on the left we can see that the dimensions are not quite correct, the top of the design being rather short and cut off. Proportion has a close relationship with scale, and therefore its surroundings and positioning will have an effect on proportion and the way in which it is used within a design. A good grasp of design and design principles is required of a Leigh Woods florist — a rather daunting prospect for a new student. Design skills require practice with a broad range of flowers, foliage types, accessories and occasions, and these skills are not acquired... Sat, 30 May 2009 10:10:23 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/The-world-of-your-local-florist/16/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/The-world-of-your-local-florist/16/ Symmetrical Arrangements The symmetrical arrangement is a highly versatile design that is made in all sizes and for a wide variety of occasions. Part of its almost universal popularity is due to its very elegant appearance, which gives it tremendous appeal. Prepare the container and start the design with the long foliage stems. This will provide the outline for the design, and give protection to the flowers. The minimum height of the design is one and a half times the height (or width if it is long rather than tall) of the container. Often, the foliage is longer than the minimum, as this adds to the elegance of the design. The width of the design is classically two- thirds of the height, and the depth at the front of the container is a third of the height. It must be remembered that these calculations are approximate, and the size of a design will ultimately be determined by the requirements of the customer, or the position that the design will fill. Bear in mind the size of the... Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:36:36 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Turning-the-florist-world-upside-down/15/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Turning-the-florist-world-upside-down/15/ A New Dawn For reasons that are obvious, today's lilies can be enjoyed by everyone who can grow the average range of perennials. They are being grown so successfully that lily bulbs in variety are being sold not only by specialists, but are given generous space in most catalogs (even those of the big mail-order houses) and are distributed by garden centers, where in most cases you can have the flowers delivered Campbelltown . Local lily societies are being organized the country over, and many of these hold regional lily shows. To the average homeowner the garden gate to the lovely world of lilydom is just beginning to open. To him and to her there is available a wealth of material in colors and flower forms scarcely dreamed of a few decades ago. Available in vigorous, healthy, strong-growing bulbs lilies are as sure to grow and give as much satisfaction as the other hardy plants he purchases. In fact, they require much less attention than many other garden favorites for they do... Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:42:53 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Constructing-a-case-for-florists/14/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Constructing-a-case-for-florists/14/ Edging a foam frame with single leaves Soak the frame lightly and select graded mature leaves (new foliage is soft and will wilt quickly). Avoid using damaged or misshapen leaves. Clean the leaves, removing dirt and dust. For extra support and control, loop stitch each leaf, using the support wire as a mount. Starting at a point, firmly insert a wired small leaf. This will accentuate the point. Now work to the centre of the frame, overlapping leaves slightly. Return to a point, and repeat the process until the edging is complete. Ensure that you, as a professional florist Armadale , maintain the exact shape of the pillow. Lightly spray the edged frame with leaf cleaner, to give a polished finish. 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... Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:33:42 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Take-a-break-from-the-mundane-and-become-a-florist/13/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Take-a-break-from-the-mundane-and-become-a-florist/13/ King of the roses When you hear the word “roses”, you would often assume that it is the red rose that is being referred to. So why is this? Simply because the red rose is The Rose of all roses. Beautiful, elegant, dramatic and intriguing - Red roses are the most popular of all the roses. The red rose is a universal symbol of romance, passion and most importantly true love. Red roses are most often used as a strong expression of love, especially on special occasions like Valentine's Day. If you are in a relationship and your partner doesn't receive a red rose on Valantine's Day, then you're in trouble my friend. Many men rush to phone their local Bishopston Florist as soon as they realise what day it is. Tea Roses Despite repeated crossbreedings, modern tea roses still resemble their Asiatic ancestors that arrived in Europe in the early 1800s. Their loosely formed blos­soms, 2 to 3 inches across, have translucent petals of white, blush,... Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:47:36 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/A-round-up-of-the-best-flower-facts-around/12/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/A-round-up-of-the-best-flower-facts-around/12/ Planting Depth for Roses Every plant has an optimum root depth that is set by the way the roots developed when the plant was first propagated. If the plant is transplanted to a considerably greater depth, the air supply that the roots need will be lessened by the deeper planting; they smoth­er and die just as trees do when a lawn-grading operation piles dirt up too high around the trunks. The key to proper planting depth for most roses is the knucklelike knot of wood on the main stem, the bud union that appears on hybrid teas, floribundas, grandiflo­ras and many climbers. It is at this point that an upper plant, chosen for its superior flowers Geelong , was joined to the understock of a species of wild rose having a big, rugged root system. When a bare-root bush is being planted, the bud union should be located at the garden's nor­mal ground level if you live in a moderate climate (Zones 6-7). Northern gardeners (Zones 3-5) set their plants so that the bud union, which is very... Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:35:14 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Helping-your-fingers-turn-green/11/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Helping-your-fingers-turn-green/11/ The Unique Lily Symbol of purity, perfection, and flawless beauty, striking in its variety of form, color, fragrance, and seasons of flowering, the lily is unique among all cultivated plants. In its almost endless variation it is rivaled only by the orchid. In its ease of culture, its endurance and vitality, it must be compared to the daffodil, the tulip, and the iris. All over America, all over Europe, in gardens new and old, in a Woolner flower shop , lilies are flowering, year after year, with little or no care. Who has not seen clumps of fine lilies- perhaps of the old Tiger Lily, the Candlestick Lily, or of the pure white Madonna Lily- in old farm gardens where they must have been at home for many years? Who among us has not driven along the highways of our country to be startled and arrested by the sight of some glowing yellow or orange flowers, lilies, shaped like toy balloons, like temple bells, swaying in the wind? Here they grow among grasses and low shrubs, under... Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:38:46 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Make-your-woman-fall-ove-with-you-just/10/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Make-your-woman-fall-ove-with-you-just/10/ Sheaves at a funeral Flower arrangements have become increasingly informal in recent years, and this also applies to sympathy flowers. Formal tributes remain popular in some areas, but many people now prefer to see informal arrangements, such as sheaves, which, because they are not wrapped, have an immediate impact. These can vary enormously in appearance according to the selection of flowers Southville , and they also range a great deal in price. In springtime, a sheaf might be very economically made with daffodils, tulips and irises, but the same design, made as a very special tribute and containing red roses and choice foliage, would be correspondingly expensive. Flowers for Drying When we visited Colonial Williamsburg one Novem­ber, we regretted not seeing the gardens when they were in bloom. But the beautiful dried arrangements in each home nearly compensated for what we missed. For as long as people have gardened, they have dried flowers to enjoy during the cold... Thu, 05 Feb 2009 04:55:32 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Looking-for-the-best-florist-on-the-planet/9/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Florist_News/Looking-for-the-best-florist-on-the-planet/9/