flower blog

Matthew McDonald of Bookshelf Florist and Gifts in Gaffney, SC, http://www.bookshelfflorist.com/.   

Come back to tomorrow to read more money-saving tips!
 

Today's post is from expert florist Matthew McDonald of Bookshelf Florist and Gifts in Gaffney, SC, http://www.bookshelfflorist.com/.  



When it comes to flower arranging, a simple look will take you far. Yesterday, I discussed the simple elegance of a container of ten tulips or an iris or three in a vase. And I talked about tapping the floral glory of your own back yard with blossoms and blooms such as hyacinths, forsythia, cherry or peach blossoms, camellias and the flowering shrub spirea.

Go for greens
And don't forget greens, which also spring to life at this time of year. Acuba (with its yellow speckled leaf), red tip, and other shrubs as well as the ever-popular magnolia are just a few. Magnolia trees are primarely found in the Eastern North Americas, Central Americas and West indies. Curly willow can add height and a bit of character while the acuba can be used as a filler for your arrangement.

There are many other shrubs in your area that are not in the Southeast. Try placing a cutting in a vase (remember to remove foliage from below the water line for all arrangements or cuttings) and see if they will last. Some green shrubs do not tolerate being cut, thus wilting or sagging.

Green shrubs allow you to have foliage at the base of the arrangement or mixed in higher as you would with roses. It is always nice to have something different and not the traditional leatherleaf fern. If you are arranging flowers and greens, remember: there is no perfect arrangement and what you may like someone else may not.

Color, form, flower type
If you use one color, try the same flower or different flowers of the same color. By choosing different flowers of the same color you add texture and depth.

That said, using different colors in an arrangement is fun so try using the colors in a color palette. Primary colors such as red, yellow and purple along with white may look better together than pink, bright yellow and orange. In designing, remember to place flowers so they form a triangle. Using odd numbers of flowers is always best.

The flowers' lifespan depends on many factors. Heat as well as bacteria in the water shortens the lifespan. I change my water every other day and keep my arrangements in a cool place, out of the sun.

When using tall stems, use a taller vase. A good rule of thumb is the arrangement should be 1-2 times the height of a vase. So if the vase is 12 inches tall, my arrangement is 24 to 36 inches high.

The next time you have a luncheon you might want to float a camellia bloom in a low container or saucer, three or more add a great simple look and are a great conversation starter, try it you will be amazed.
 

Today's post is from expert florist Matthew McDonald of Bookshelf Florist and Gifts in Gaffney, SC, www.bookshelfflorist.com.  



With spring in the air, flowers and nature come to bloom to awe and inspire us.

There are many possibilities for flower arranging when you have fresh flowers growing just outside your door. From the fragrant hyacinths, showy iris, ever-popular tulips, to the flowering shrub spirea with beautiful white blooms on its long stem.

Spireas are among the easiest flowering shrubs to grow. Spireas have over 80 species, some of which have dozens of varieties. They are a member of the rose family and are tough plants. All spirea have small leaves and fine, twiggy branches.

There are two distinct kinds of spireas: the bridal wreath type, with clusters of white flowers on arching branches in spring; and the smaller, shrubby, much lower-growing type, which has pink, red or white flowers clustered at the end of upright branches from late spring through to fall. Spireas prefers partial to full sun. Spireas are tolerant of many soils except extremely wet. The plant also likes mulch and summer watering.

There is something for everyone and every taste. Let's not forget the forsythia, cherry or peach blossoms, camellias and the many other greens. A long-lived evergreen shrub, the camellia plant is a beloved Southern shrub with graceful blooms that have been enjoyed by gardeners for years. Camellias are well suited for part shade but are not available everywhere in the US.

When arranging, we often think of many different flowers in an arrangement. However, the simplicity of one type of flower or a single flower can be as elegant if not more elegant. Take for example a vase of ten tulips, which is simple in its design while an iris or three in a vase can be eye catching due to their unique look.

While on the subject of iris and tulips, these flowers, as well as hyacinths, are bulb plants and when given or received as a potted plant can provide years of enjoyment if they are planted outside once they have bloomed out.

I hear too often of people discarding the bulbs instead of planting them in the ground due to their busy schedule...etc. With the many different colors of hyacinths such as I have in my yard, and daffodils, tulips as well as other flowering plants, It truly makes a show.

For those of you looking for that larger, more grand, statement the forsythia or spirea is an excellent choice. The forsythia with its yellow blossoms on the stem in a tall container/vase is great for filling that large area. I have used it numerous times for church arrangements.

Come back tomorrow for Part Two!
 

Today's post is from expert florist Gerard Toh, AIFD.



In addition to being Teleflora’s Educational Specialist/Industry Relations, Mr. Toh serves as:

*Creative Director, Sherman Oaks Florist, http://www.shermanoaksflorist.com/;  

*Creative Director, Human Resources, Century City Flower Mart, http://www.centurycityflowermart.com/;  

*Special Projects Art Director, Bride and Bloom magazine, http://www.thebrideandbloom.com/.  


Last week, my partner and I decided to make a trip up the coast to San Francisco for a design workshop. We went up Interstate 5, which took us into the agricultural heartland of this state. I expected to see the usual deserts, ranches, farms and of course the huge herds of cows corralled close to the freeway.

It is always such an experience driving through the cow zone. We try to go as quickly as possible, holding our noses to no avail as the waft of stench from accumulated dung creeps into the vents of the supposedly air-tight car. We laugh giddily, wildly, trying not to gulp large doses of that foul air. Fun times!!

What I didn’t expect was that all the fruit trees were in bloom. It’s not that I haven’t seen a peach, apple or cherry tree in blossom but to see thousands of them was intense. Set in rows and rows, and grouped in varieties blooming in shades of blush white to hot pink, we went through hundreds of miles of them. Some of the farms came right up to the highway and I could see each tree and the way they lined up, packed with color.

The aisles too were covered with fallen blossoms and from afar it looked like snow on the ground. It was surreal. I can only imagine how it would be to walk among these trees or, better yet, can you imagine having a wedding there? Walking down the tree-lined aisle, peppered with blossoms, and having reception tables lit by tons of hanging paper lanterns. As a famous interior designer on HGTV puts it, "How Divine!"

Visit your local florist for blossoming branches this time of year. Just a few branches in a simple tall vase are enough to brighten any room. For a party feel, cut out butterflies from colored card stock and hang from the branches with thin ribbon for an added accent.

Spring is also the time for spring cleaning, not only for my house but my workplace as well. It's great to reuse old containers in a creative way instead of throwing them out. Tin cans stripped of their paper labels and painted with a solid color (see below) create a makeshift herb garden for the kitchen.



For more color, cover them in wallpaper discards or just place them in different sizes of brown bags and singe them with some raffia. Place the grouping on a windowsill in the kitchen and you will have an instant herb garden.

Old jelly jars are another source of containers for flowers. Place them between two twigs and tied with twine. Filled with flowers, they will exude an air of farmhouse charm. Flower shops always have some sort of specials going on in spring. Tulips will be in bloom soon and the daffodils are following closely so check them out periodically.

Friends of ours are planning to get married in their yard and they decided to line vintage bottles down the reception table. The small intimate party of twenty will be sitting down to a long table set with these vintage bottles. We are planning to put California poppies and feverfew in each of them.

I suggested putting a runner of sod first and then the bottles on the grass. Small votives on the table, some tied with ribbons and hung from the orange trees in the yard, will provide a magical glow for the evening’s festivities.

If you want a more sophisticated look, use old plastic containers from past take-home meals and place them in wood boxes covered in beautiful fabric. Check out the ones from http://www.thebrideandbloom.com/. Depending on the style of boxes, heap mounds of mood moss on the table for a natural look or glass beads for an urban chic feel.

To decorate an Easter table, use old lamp stands or candle sticks as risers for egg-shaped orbs of green, white or lavender button mums, each accented with butterflies made from feathers. Or cover old bottles with a mosaic of egg shells and set several on a table with stems of yellow Asiatic lilies.

Accent the table with more eggs tinted with various colors, set on a bed of colorful shredded paper. For even more color, use polka-dot ribbon to tie onto each chair. Then dangle colored eggs off the ends as tassels.

Whether you are planning a party to celebrate a wedding or just to celebrate spring, recycling is good for the planet, good for your pocketbook and just plain good fun.
 

Today's post is from expert florist Gerard Toh, AIFD.



In addition to being Teleflora’s Educational Specialist/Industry Relations, Mr. Toh serves as:

*Creative Director, Sherman Oaks Florist, http://www.shermanoaksflorist.com/;  

*Creative Director, Human Resources, Century City Flower Mart, http://www.centurycityflowermart.com/;  

*Special Projects Art Director, Bride and Bloom magazine, http://www.thebrideandbloom.com/.  

One cold spring day, I walked out to a gray and wet world. It was raining and the skies were clouded. It was not a day to go outside. I turned back into my warm and cozy house. Here is where we have surrounded ourselves with things that bring us joy and comfort. Here is also where we surround ourselves with perpetual color.

Ever since man discovered the element of color and could put it on a cave wall we have been fascinated and enthralled with it. Color literally covers our world. The pairing of different colors from analogous, complementary and triadic mixes drives our fashion and decorative-arts industries.

The eighties saw mauve and gray. Lately it has been brown and blue. Earth-conscious eco chic has brought us green, which is the new brown, which is the new black. It is always changing to suit our insatiable appetite for something new. Today, color trends move even faster since Generation X and Y are incredible consumers of change.

Purple has seen a resurgence of popularity in contemporary floral design.

In the world of flower design, this is true too. Contemporary color mixes that are popular today include hot pink and tangerine with pops of apple green, and light blues, creams and gold. Even purples are making a comeback. For containers, metallic is in; this time in mixes, like gold and silver, brush chrome and gunmetal.

Cheerful mixes can include almost every color of the rainbow. An arrangement of red, orange and yellow gerbera highlighted with hot pink mini gerberas looks hip and young set in an acid green cylinder.

I also like to make arrangements with even more color but limit the shapes so that it is more cohesive visually. For example, I would use a bunch of gerberas in red, orange and yellow with purple anemones and hot pink matsumoto asters thrusting out from a base of deep purple/blue hydrangeas tucked in tight.

This arrangement would look great in a low cylinder wrapped in several layers of matching ribbon to create a rainbow of stripes. This would work well for a kid’s party. Grouped in threes and set in taller cylinders, this color pairing would be incredible for a spring or summer wedding, especially arranged on an equally bright solid-colored tablecloth.

As floral artists start experimenting with other elements to complement flowers, we are turning more to containers in myriad forms and materials. Color mixes can be simple to achieve with just a few flowers.

Try floating blue and red anemones in a grouping of porcelain bowls in red and blue. Alternate the colors and place them in a line down a long dining table for an informal look. Gerberas work well for this setting too.

The carnation, with all its color choices, look great made into orbs and placed in glass cylinders of different, staggered heights. When lit by small votives on a mantle or entrance console, they make an incredible impact.

As floral artists, we are paying more attention to the overall site where flowers are placed too. We would consider the color of the wall or adjacent drapery. Red gladiolus in full bloom collared with white hydrangea in a metallic gray vase looks great against a gray-and-black striped wall.

Pink protea is an excellent choice to anchor an arrangement. Here, it's paired with red roses and river bamboo.

Pink anthurium spraying to one side anchored with pink protea and artistically placed in several tall glass cylinders or matched ginger jars are contemporary and cutting edge against a bright apple-green wall. Tall white callas in tall white slender ceramic cylinders against a gloss white wall accented with white vinyl drapes on a glass and chrome table are sophisticated and ethereal all at once!

Like notes of music, the colors of the rainbow are also limited to a specific number. Yet like the incredible range of different types of music that can be created by musicians, floral artists can be just as creative with colors in flowers. I am passionate about flowers and truly I have found that I can color my world with them.