Archive for florist

For Diana

March 9, 2012 · Filed under florist, flower arranging · Tagged , , , , ,

I thought, while I took the time to edit the 500,000,000,000 (at least) photos that I took on the cruise, I would show you this.

Diana from Elephants Eye has been a long time reader of my blog. I guess I have blown her away with the brilliance of my flower designing, because she is always commenting how she never gets to see it any more. I did think that I would be arranging flowers in the flat all the time, but for some reason, the gardeners at the complex where I live frown on my ‘helping’ myself to their stuff. I can’t understand why? I am just trying to make life easier for them.

But I did have a chance recently to visit a cut flower farm, here in Barbados.

This is not me!

So many flowers to choose from

And I purchased a couple of things…

Then I made these two arrangements.

This is a 3 sided, and it is on a chest in my foyer. It consists of 3 torch ginger, some song of India and 2 Strelitzia leaves.

 I also used the bottom half of the ginger when I shortened them. If you look closely, you can see 2 stems in the vase, they are a red bamboo looking stem.

In this shorter vase, I also used song of india, and a green that I have not seen before

 It looks like a giant Italian parsley, but the leaves are hard, not soft like parsley. And I added these peachy anthiriums.

I hate to tell you (but I will), that I purchased these flowers the week before I left on the cruise, and in the excitement I forgot to throw them out. Most of the anthiriums were still in good shape when I arrived back, so I just went for fresh water and a quick rearrange. I certainly got my moneys worth out of that lot…

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I Honestly Love You

February 15, 2010 · Filed under florist, flower arranging · Tagged , ,

Happy (belated) Valentines Day, a floral designers worst nightmare. The day when your own loved ones get no love! I made it though and am out on the other side!

Five years ago, the owner of the flower shop decided NOT to sell roses on Valentines Day.

                                     Just say No!

There had been a freeze in Ecuador where 99% of our roses come from, and the quality was not there. Actually I have seen the quality of roses at Valentines Day declining over the twenty years that I have been a florist. There is just too much demand for one day.

OMG, how would this work.

The first year was difficult. You would have a customer either call or come in to order a dozen red roses. Then you would have to go into your spiel. But by the end of it, they agreed (probably mostly to get away from you). But every year after that it was easier. Mostly the sender would rave on about how happy their wife/partner had been the previous year, and gave us the freedom to do whatever we wanted.

A few peoples wanted vases.

But, 99.9% of our customers were looking for a bouquet.

Whether romantic,

or vibrant,

My fav, all white and green,

tropical colours,

blue/yellow,

and soft pastel.

Another year, done and dusted!

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Like A Moth To A Flame

January 14, 2010 · Filed under florist, house plants · Tagged ,

 Unlike a lot of gardeners, I cannot get outside in the winter and garden, boo hoo! I am forced to have some house plants if I want to smell earth and get my hands in the soil this time of year.

However, I am not big on house plants, sacrilege I know, especially as I am a floral designer. We sell house plants and I have to be positive about them. I just find that I am too busy in the summer gardening, to take care of them. And driving back and forth between two homes does not help, did I remember to water them before I left for the week? It drives me crazy. So I do not have any, perhaps when I am settled in one house I will get some, but right now, nothing. Except orchids.

I find that orchids are undemanding, at least phalaenopsis,or moth orchid  which is the only variety I have in my home. They can take a lot of neglect,  most of our customers kill them by overwatering them, or letting them stand in water, they hate that. A general guideline is to water once a week in the winter and twice a week in the summer.

They like bright light but no direct sun and average temperatures, if it is comfortable for you, it is perfect for them.

There are so many beautiful colours of phalos besides the classic white.

Here is another. What an amazing colour!

 

When they are finished flowering do not cut the stem off at the ground. If you do this it takes forever for them to flower again. Orchid growers tell you to cut back the stem, to just above the second node, but I never do that. I find mine send out a side flowering shoot rom the main stem, near the top. Probably the plant would have a neater look if I did cut them back, but I am too lazy to do this, and they still flower for me. A temperature fluctuation of 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit, is the key for them to set a flower spike.  They should be fertilized once per month with an orchid fertilizer. Repotting is around every two years, you’ll know they need done when there is a large number of roots hanging outside the pot.

Phalaenopsis orchids are so inexpensive now, please try one, you will be glad you did.

 

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Holiday Magic!

December 17, 2009 · Filed under design, florist, flower arranging · Tagged , ,

This is a very busy time of year for me. A lot of companies seem to all have their Christmas parties the middle of December. And a lot of people are looking for gifts as well.

As promised, here are a few things we have been working on.

These are Goldcrest Cypress.

A mix of amaryllis, paperwhites and cypress.

Helleborus are starting to be sold as a blooming potted plant at Christmas for the first time this year. Here it is planted with the cypress.

Here they are planted by themselves. I hope that my Secret Santa gives me one of these.

Paperwhites, cypress, stephanotis hoops and frosty ferns have pinecones nestled in a bed of moss.

A vase arrangement of cymbidium orchids, magnolia, bc cedar, pine cones and oregonia.

Now some flower arrangements. Amaryllis and leucadendron with a few paperwhites, commercial mums and gold pinecones.

 

The same flowers as the arrangement above,  but with roses instead of mums.

An arrangement to go with the centerpieces above. This is for the bar.

A centerpiece.

A very tall arrangement needed for a Christmas party. We used cello in the base to raise the flowers up. Add water, and it looks like ice.

We will often use a large leaf to line a vase, this hides the water (if it gets murky) and is a different look from just a clear vase.

Another party waits to be delivered. One more week to go…..

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Silver Wood

December 14, 2009 · Filed under design, florist · Tagged ,

This is the centrepiece to the Christmas decorations in the flower shop this year. I was inspired to show it to you in more detail after reading Christine at Idora Design post about Manzanita.

We get these branches in from California with the bark sandblasted off. They were used for a few years in their natural state, before we decided to paint them silver for Christmas.

I love these branches, they are so architectural in their shape, and make quite a statement.

These are big branches, about five feet from bottom to top. You can get much smaller ones as well.

We had to put some big stones in the base of the galvanized container they are sitting in. You need the weight to stop it from tipping over.

Then did the usual stuffing chicken wire in and hiding it with sheet moss.

We had these up last year as well, wound tiny white lights around the branches and hung silver and crystal ornaments from it. This year, a more natural look, no lights and there are moss balls hanging from ribbon tied to  the branches.

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