April 27, 2011

It Rained the Other Day . . .


. . . but it was a warm, misty rain. Slowly but surely summer is closing in.


 

5 comments:

  1. Good lord you are killing me with all of your BEAUTIFUL bouquets!!!

    This is just the treat I needed to pair with my coffee this morning.

    thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jaime that bouquet is right up there! Delectable.

    I am so anxious about how long my flowers will last it stops me using lots of lovely things like Clematis and hellebores. Do you worry? Lilac always seems to droop too, and I know you love using it, is there a magic florist's trick I am missing? Actually, I suppose for events longevity isn't so important.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Erin- I initially posted this comment with a blank instead of a response to you because I really don't know what to say to that. YOU'RE killing ME! : )

    Belinda- Worry does not even begin to describe it. This is part of the reasons I prefer event work, as you deduced ; ). I believe the grower comments collected by that fine man Allan Armitage (who - OMG breaking news - appears to have been on Dancing with the Stars??!! Oh wait, no, it's an Atlanta fundraiser version of it. But. Still. I love that guy.) would have us believe the hellebores are a long lasting flower, but I find that to be the case only some of the time, even with that fancy stems in the boiling water trick. So I try to only use flowers with a hit and miss track record, like these hellebores, for events or weeklies, which I check up on and freshen up compulsively.

    I know you know the essentials - super sharp knife, super clean vases. But one "trick" I have had lots of luck with, and that Brad of Wild Boar Farm swears by, too, is placing lilac in hot water (like hot bath water hot water) up to their necks for a good drink. I swear you can actually notice the leaves becoming more turgid with this treatment. I think this is the case with most woody stemmed blooms.

    Anyone else got some flower longevity tips?

    ReplyDelete
  4. ooh, thanks, I'll try the hot bath trick. (Has the opposite effect on me, I just want to flop into bed after a hot bath)!

    I usually use v .sharp 'snips' to cut with - straight thin bladed florists' secateurs. I find I keep nicking my fingers when I use a knife which is so annoying - does it make a difference to the vase life? I am prepared to sufferformyartdarling if the darned flowers will live longer!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think only some (really hardcore/orthodox) designers insist on the knife because they think snips crush the stems, but if the snips are really sharp there can't be too much crushing, right? I usually find the knife faster and easier to use, but sometimes I do use shears (the steel kind often used for Ikebana), without noticeably different effect. So do what's most comfortable and save your fingers! They are most important! : )

    ReplyDelete