Posts Tagged ‘Flower Arrangements’
Bare: Get creative for your valentine – Winston
You might not want to listen to me today. I’m about to suggest that you give your Valentine something other than a dozen roses. It might get you in trouble.
After all, roses top the import- and domestic-flower charts as the most popular cut flower. In 2010, floriculture was a $35.2 billion industry, according to the Society of American Florists. Fourteen percent of floral arrangements are bought for calendar occasions such as the day dedicated to sweethearts.
And while I would have bet the cost of a dozen roses that Valentine’s Day is the No. 1 occasion to give flowers, the SAF says other occasions trump it. Christmas and Hanukkah garner 30 percent, Mother’s Day 24 percent and Valentine’s Day clocks in at 20 percent in third place.
I didn’t think this opinion would be shared by the local florists I talked to while trying to get a grip on what the options for a rose-weary wooer would be. Of the four folks I spoke with, only one thought Mother’s Day was bigger than Valentine’s Day. “Everybody has a mother,” said Marilyn Ruff of Ruff’s Flower Gift Shop, 612 S. Poplar St., “not everybody has a sweetheart.” I would like to introduce the idea that not giving roses does not mean your intended isn’t worthy of them. Instead, she is deserving of a more creative expression of your love. At least that can be your standard answer.
If you want to go for something different, there are options. Denise Gregory, who partners with Lisa Schaner at Imagine Flowers, 560 N. Trade St., suggested the Mokara orchid. These are hybrids between three genera of orchids that come in purple, pink, rusty oranges and yellows. They are purported to be long-lasting.
Gregory said she likes to combine these and others with the new lime-green hydrangeas that are available year-round.
“We try to give everyone a lush, gardeny look,” Gregory said. “We never count flowers or use a formula for arrangements. No two come out looking the same.”
Gregory said they also use a lot of green material from outdoors, aucuba and camellia foliage in particular. “We would like to get people out of that whole dozen-rose mindset,” Gregory said.
“We do have lots of folks who prefer to do something different than roses,” said Price Davis of Price Davis Florist, 1166 Burke St. “We probably do about half our business in roses on Valentine’s.”
Davis said they do many spring flower arrangements as well as roses, things like irises, tulips and hyacinths. Davis said there are many exciting new flowers coming into the trade from Japan and Europe, but the price point is way too high for Winston-Salem:
“Bouquets of sweet peas for $500, stunning ranunculus — good stuff, but for a more specialized market.”
“A lot of men don’t know their flowers. All they know is a red rose, and so they leave it up to us,” Ruff said.
Ruff’s shop does mixed arrangements with an old-fashioned look that might include lilies, stocks and alstroemerias in a pink, purple and white color scheme. They usually throw in a few roses for good measure. They also do a bit of business in potted plants, such as hydrangeas and hyacinths that can be planted outside later.
Margie Imus at MingleWood Florist, 1100 Reynolda Road at Robinhood and Reynolda roads, said one of her concerns is how far flowers travel. Much of the trade in cut flowers originates in Central and South America.
MingleWood works a lot with spring flowers, bulbs and woody ornamentals that have been forced into flower, such as pussy willows.
“One of my favorites we try to work into arrangements that is blooming now is daphne, one of the most aromatic of shrubs,” Imus said.
Imus also is sourcing some flowers that are grown in greenhouses in Wilmington. These include Asiatic lilies, larkspur and delphiniums.
I have learned that in matters of the heart it’s good to cover your bases, so let me say this: There is not a thing wrong with tradition. Love and roses are inextricably entwined in the romantic mind. If you are a traditionalist, go for it. If not, there are options.
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Grays Harbor forests stripped of floral salal
ABERDEEN, Wash. —
Grays Harbor County Forester Larry Smith says county forests are being raided by illegal salal pickers who are stripping the plants of the greens used in floral arrangements.
Smith told county commissioners Monday that a security officer hired to patrol he woods doesn’t have authority to make arrests and officers are often busy with other calls.
The Daily World reports ( http://is.gd/haQS0U) there had been some control when Mt. St. Helens Evergreen held a contract for salal picking rights. The company canceled the contract in July under accusations that it hired illegal immigrants.
Smith told commissioners that without a contract, there is no system for pickers. He says those now picking are stripping plants, making it hard for the salal to grow back.
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Information from: The Daily World, http://www.thedailyworld.com
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Send Blossoms Abroad : So how exactly does this Operate?
© 2012 Salon Media Group, Inc.
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Smoky Valley Nursery to open floral service in February
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Flying Hills woman’s book spotlights artistic floral arrangements
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Reading Eagle: Tim Leedy
Perhaps the first thing a reader notices when picking up a copy of “Botanical Art, For Your Eyes Only” is the photograph of a naked man that graces its cover.
That man, however, who is artfully posed in a yoga position and wearing sunglasses, is not intended to provide the focus for the book, said Jo A. Jarvis, a well-known and celebrated floral designer who with a friend created, wrote and published it.
“He’s just the vessel,” said Jarvis, who recently moved to Berks County from London and now lives in Flying Hills. “He’s an accessory to the plants and flowers.”
The man, Gavin Fairley, is actually a friend of co-author Sarah L. Horne, also a noted floral designer in the United Kingdom.
“Sarah got the idea to use Gavin for an aesthetic,” Jarvis said. “We didn’t want to do just another floral book, which is what everyone in England does. We wanted to do something outside of the box.”
“Botanical Art, For Your Eyes Only” clearly was created and produced outside of the box. It is a breathtaking publication, containing dozens of photos of beautiful and artistic floral arrangements.
And while Horne’s arrangements feature, in addition to Fairly, a variety of other props and accessories, Jarvis prefers to focus on plants, flowers and other objects provided by nature.
“I’m a very natural designer,” said Jarvis, who has provided arrangements for Britain’s royal family. “Sarah likes working with the wire and using all those different techniques, but I like working with the plants.”
Many of her floral designs incorporate objects found in nature, such as moss, berries, twigs, pine cones and grasses.
“I love adding unexpected touches to ordinary plants and flowers,” Jarvis said. “You can purchase a few flowers and then head to the field or the forest for extra materials that let you create something that’s really special.”
Much of Jarvis’ life has been spent working with plants and flowers. She was the owner of Earthworks International Designers, described by BBC News as an “upmarket florist in London’s West End,” before selling the business in 2008 to try something new.
A dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States, she traveled back and forth, working, writing and taking master courses in floral design, an area in which she excels and loves.
“That’s the great thing about floristry,” Jarvis said. “You never stop learning. You keep getting better, and you keep finding inspiration from different things.”
Eventually, Jarvis met Sue Weisser, owner of the Floral Studio in West Lawn. Weisser also is a noted floral designer, and she and Jarvis are both members of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD), a prestigious organization with a very selective membership.
They have begun collaborating on some projects, one of which will be part of the upcoming Philadelphia Flower Show, set this year for March 4-11. The theme of this year’s show, which is the largest indoor flower show in the world, is “Islands of Aloha,” and Jarvis and Weisser will be working with 12 other AIFD members from the greater Philadelphia area on a hula display.
“For the show we’ll take an artistic idea and create it in 3-D,” Jarvis said. “We will make a living art piece.”
Meanwhile, Jarvis, who plans to eventually set up a floral design academy for professional and nonprofessional florists, is enjoying the relatively rural environment of Flying Hills and looking forward to exploring the forests and fields of Berks County.
“I like it here,” she said. “It’s a slower pace than I experienced in England, and that’s what I was looking for.”
As she prepares to begin teaching others the art of floral design, Jarvis has no plans to halt her own education on the topic.
“It requires a high level of skill to be a proper florist,” she said. “And, once you’re trained, you don’t stop learning. It’s a lifelong process.”
Contact Susan Shelly: life [at] readingeagle [dot] com.
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Valentines to buy $908m worth of love
THEY say money can’t buy you happiness, but it may help buy your way into your loved one’s heart this Valentine’s Day.
Couples are expected to splurge on floral arrangements, romantic weekends, candlelit dinners and shiny new bling for their partners on the most loved-up day of the year, spending a massive $908 million on their significant other.
Aussies are expected to dish out upwards of $59 million on floral bouquets and feel-good cards on February 14, according to new research from IBIS World.
Marjorie Cornelius, from Belmore Flowers in Balwyn, said flower and gift orders had arrived weeks in advance and red roses were always the best seller.
“It’s usually the people who don’t purchase flowers during the year that end up buying roses for Valentine’s Day,” Ms Cornelius said.
Newlywed Leon Beveridge said he planned to spoil and surprise his new bride on cupid’s day.
“Liz is going to Sydney, so I’m going to meet her at the airport with a huge bunch of flowers and possibly a big sign,” Mr Beveridge said.
“I think it’s important not to use the excuse that it’s so commercial and that you should show your love for each other during the year, but the reality is not many people do that.
“I don’t have that much faith in my commitment to be spontaneous with flowers at other times during the year, so I think it’s a good way to remind your partner how much you love them.”
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Holiday settings with style and beauty
“I don’t think Christmas is the traditional red and green, silver and gold anymore,” says floral arranger Orysia Krywiak.
This “anything-goes” philosophy is Krywiak’s own, honed after several decades in the arranging business during which time she has garnered a reputation as an innovative stylist with an unerring sense of beauty.
So when Krywiak creates a breathtaking medley of reds in one arrangement, it looks perfectly acceptable that she has combined tones of dark pink, red, burgundy and fuchsia with a touch of orange.
She has been perfecting table settings in preparation for coming workshops on making holiday arrangements, and shares some of her trade secrets.
Grouping similar types of flowers in a floral centrepiece is one of them.
The round, low arrangement in a red glass container holds a mass of fruit and flowers, and no greenery at all, Krywiak says.
You can opt for more fruit to keep the cost down, she says, in this case red Delicious apples and pomegranates, buffed to get a shine.
“You need fruit that will last, so don’t use oranges or pears.”
And when you arrange the flowers -red amaryllis, carnations and tulips and tiny orange spray roses, dogwood branches and frothy evergreen skimmia -group them in bunches for effect, she says.
“Whether it’s two or six, grouping them together forms colour tones.”
In a red container filled with wet oasis cut about an inch above the top edge, she starts with the two amaryllis blossoms then the fruit, skewering the apples on a bamboo stick or piece of dogwood, beginning with the biggest. The pomegranate is also impaled, like the apple, to the depth of about one inch.
Then come the carnation, roses and dogwood, inserted in masses as you keep turning the arrangement, she says. “Grouping makes them look more lush.”
Beyond the arrangement itself, the table continues the colour theme and magical appearance. Glass tumblers hold votive candles floating in cranberry filled water, and tea lights twinkle in red-toned glasses in other shapes and sizes.
“Candles are important in any celebratory setting and the water-filled glasses magnify the light,” Krywiak says. “I like to use a combination of tumblers, wineglasses, anything that I feel is fun and will look good with little tea candles.”
The red tray holding the arrangement is also strewn with small glass ornaments in shades of red, and each place setting is another medley of reds topped with a couple of Christmas ornaments (red, of course).
Texture is another element Krywiak plays up in her arrangements.
“I like to use fruit, different flowers, branches and berries,” she says. “Often, you can get what you want from your garden, or from the produce section of the supermarket.”
If the table is too big for a solo arrangement, Krywiak will add other floral touches in addition to a medley of votive candles.
“On this table, I’ve made a muff of carnations accented with a small red ornament,” she says, “in a squat stemmed glass.”
To do this, she cuts a small piece of oasis that she wraps with a lemon leaf tied with raffia, then fills it with a rounded arrangement of carnations.
Tone on tone is pleasing, spiced with a touch of a complimentary colour, says Krywiak.
She likes adding a touch of orange to her red centrepiece, or a touch of turquoise to a green arrangement. She would never, ever, load white with colour.
And it’s unnecessary to use flowers in a holiday centrepiece, she says.
Her green on green setting in tall silvered goblets, lightened with touches of silver and turquoise, has been almost entirely made from cuttings in her garden.
“This is all about winter greenery -pine, cedar, spruce, flatberry eucalyptus, hydrangea, ivy -and leaves from house plants like begonia,” Krywiak says,
There are textures and different shades of green in this arrangement, including small green mums that are available in many shops, she says.
However, a few special touches focus the eye in these tall arrangements -one or two pale, chartreuse tipped orchids, their stems held in individual water picks, variegated ornamental cabbage, pale green hydrangea and shiny turquoise ornaments.
“I chose turquoise for the same reason as the fuchsia and orange in the other arrangement,” she says. “It’s a great combination that you wouldn’t think of, and the combination of turquoise, green and chartreuse is so beautiful.”
After adding these to the arrangement, starting with the cabbage and hydrangea, Krywiak tucks in green accents -moss, begonia leaves, small green pears, berries, and a few silver-sprayed walnuts skewered on toothpicks.
You can use a lot of different types of leaves and greenery, she says, as long as there are different shades and at least five different types -like cedar, spruce, house plants, moss, ivy, branches, nuts.
Beyond the arrangements, the table is decorated with etched green wineglasses both for drinking and holding tea lights, mossy stones and silver and green ornaments.
She has also made complimentary “puff ball” ornaments for the table or each place setting by shaving Oasis into a small round that is soaked and then studded with small lime-green mums cut short so they can be made into a ball.
“It’s best with these mums because they’re relatively flat and can be made into a tight arrangement,” she says.
“Decorating like this is all about taking the tradition and putting a twist in it,” Krywiak says.
“It’s the perfect setting for a holiday celebration.”
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Local florist provides smiles, joy since 1973 – Union
February 5, 2012
Local florist provides smiles, joy since 1973
The Union-Recorder
The Union-Recorder
Sun Feb 05, 2012, 07:58 PM EST
MILLEDGEVILLE —
Flowers by Jeanie has continued creating customized arrangements to bring smiles to locals and loved ones across the nation and globe for nearly 40 years.
The local business offers a variety of customized arrangements with flowers, plants, fruits, balloons, plush animals and greeting cards for all occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, births, weddings, funerals and special holidays ranging from $15 and up. Tuxedo and prom attire rentals are also available for men.
Flowers by Jeanie was awarded with the sixth annual Reader’s Choice Award for the category of best florist in Milledgeville and Baldwin County. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, a special discounted rate is available for the purchase of flowers, a stuffed animal and a mylar balloon.
Open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and to noon Saturday, Flowers by Jeanie is located at its original location at 341 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., across the street from Bone Cemetery.
For more information about the flower and gift shop or to place an order, call (478) 452-6202, or visit www.flowersbyjeanie.com.
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Five best deals on flowers for Valentine’s Day – Star
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It may be Super Bowl Sunday, but its not the biggest day in February as far as some people are concerned.
That day, the holiday beyond all holidays, is on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, 24-hours to highlight the love you share with the one you adore.
Whether you think you should celebrate love all year long or if you feel Valentine’s Day is a made-up holiday to be ignored, someone you love is still expecting a dozen roses to show up at their home or office on Feb. 14.
Make your reservations as soon as possible because the popular items sell out quickly and your loved one may not buy the “What? It’s Valentine’s Day?” excuse.
Downtown Muncie: Normandy Flower Shop, 123 W. Charles St., 282-2263, is the regular standby for floral arrangements all year long for the city’s center. Valentine’s Day is no exception. One dozen roses with baby’s breath in a vase will cost you $65.00, not including tax and delivery. But if you want to ditch the baby’s breath, you can, for $10 less.
Southside: Paul’s Flower Shop, 2215 S. Madison St., 288-0269, will keep you covered on Muncie’s Southside, gladly arranging a dozen roses with baby’s breath inside a vase for $60.00, not including taxes or delivery fee.
Millers Flowers, 705 E. 5th St., 284-9704, is also a Southside institution known for their lovely arrangements. Their one dozen roses paired with baby’s breath in a vase will cost $65.00, not including taxes and delivery fee.
Northside: Misty’s House of Flowers, 2705 N. Walnut St., 286-1817, also offers one dozen roses with baby’s breath in a vase for $65.00, not including taxes or delivery, but they’ve gone a step further to save you money and add you some individuality points with the loved one. The shop can also arrange one dozen sweetheart roses — also known as tea roses — for $40. These roses are smaller than the traditional variety. A super cute way to say “I love you.”
And an extra spot just in case the four sell out five seconds before you call:
Flower Bin Inc., 211 W. McGalliard Road, 747-1166, is selling one dozen roses with baby’s breath in a vase for $65.00 excluding taxes and delivery fee. But as is the call with all florists this time of year, reserve your arrangement ASAP. Remember the look on your love’s face will be worth it!
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Petals Worldwide Florist Network Announces New Valentine’s Day Items
Armidale, Australia, February 03, 2012 –(PR.com)– Petals Florist Network, a leading floral relay service offering hand-arranged, hand-delivered flower arrangements by local florists throughout Australia and New Zealand, announced today it has launched another six (6) exclusive items for Valentine’s Day.
Petals released its first occasion specific products in December 2011 for Christmas. The launch of the new products in December was a success with Petals receiving positive feedback from both florists and customers. After the success of the new product launch in December, Petals decided to extend its occasion specific products to other major floral holidays including this Valentine’s Day.
The new and exclusive range of products strengthens Petals best-in-class product selection. The items have been designed specifically for the Valentine’s Day holiday. The new product designs include a variety of red and pink flowers including roses, lilies and carnations in unique bouquet and arrangement styles. These styles have never been seen before in Australia and are only available at Petals.
The Valentine’s Day items will be offered to consumers through Petals’ new redesign consumer web site, www.petals.com.au, as well as Petals’ extensive network of 1,600 local, quality conscious florists from Australia, New Zealand and around the world.
“We were extremely excited to introduce holiday specific products in December and were pleased with the great response we received from our customers,” said Petals’ Managing Director Michael Martin. “Moving forward for 2012, we plan to launch products for all our major floral holidays. We will be supporting each new product launch through a series of in-store merchandising, direct mail and online campaigns including social media and email campaigns.”
The launch of the new Valentine’s Day products is just one of the many exciting changes planned for Petals Network. In 2012, consumers can expect to see a greater range of new products and redesigned services offered by Petals Network.
About Petals Florist Network
Petals Network is one of Australia’s premier flower delivery services connecting customers with the nation’s best local florists for more than 20 years. All of Petals’ flower arrangements are artistically arranged and hand-delivered using only the freshest flowers available through its member florist network. Headquartered in Armidale, NSW, Petals has over 1,600 member florists throughout Australia, New Zealand and the UK. In April 2011, Petals was acquired by Teleflora US, making Petals part of the world’s leading flower delivery service, connecting customers florists worldwide for over 75 years. Petals and Teleflora US have over 18,000 member florists throughout North America, Australia and New Zealand, with an additional 20,000 affiliated florists worldwide. Through its extensive member florist network, web sites including www.petals.com.au, www.petalsnetwork.co.nz and www.teleflora.co.nz and its free call 1 800 PETALS, the company offers consumers fast, convenient and high-quality flower bouquets and arrangements for all occasions.
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