We sell a lot of orchids at the flower shop where I work, plants as well as cut.
The Flower Shop
One of my favorites is the cymbidium orchid, this is an architectural masterpiece, and the longest lasting cut flower you can buy. A few years ago at Valentines Day, the owner of the flower shop where I work, decided not to sell roses for Valentines Day. There had been some very cold weather in Ecuador, where the majority of our roses come from, and the quality was just not great. Since we stand behind the quality of our flowers, we decided to sell orchids instead. Our special was a boxed cymbidium with exotic greens and a vase. It was nail biting time, would we lose a ton of business because we were not selling red roses. Well, we had a lot of convincing to do, but the majority of our customers bought the orchid. And we got great feedback from them, on the longevity of the flower as well as a lot of grateful women pleased they were not getting a dozen red roses AGAIN!
The following year, we had tons of pre orders for the cymbid again, and we never looked back.
The Arrangement
This is just one of the arrangements that you can make with a cymbid. When the lower flowers have finished and you are just left with one or two blooms at the top of the stem, you can make these lovely little arrangements. they are great for a bedside table, powder room or you can make multiples and string them down your table.
The Arrangement, x 2
You just need a small vase, a few stones in the bottom and a minimal amount of water, just enough to cover the stones. You don’t want the blossom in water as this will rot your bloom, but be sure to keep an eye on the water level. Cut your stem short and use a bit of greenery, these are from a fern but lily grass is another favorite. These arrangements should last a week to 10 days or even longer.
A stem of cymbid is well worth every penny, try one, you’ll like it.
I am a floral designer living in a tiny condo in downtown Toronto, Canada's largest city. But on the weekend, I am a gardener/frustrated architect trying to keep up with a 3/4 acre garden in Owen Sound, Ontario, a warm (to Canadians, Zone 5b, and a cold (to Americans, Zone 4b) garden.
Green Theatre 
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