 Recycle those plastic tape rings for profit...
What to do with those little plastic floral tape
rings? It's a shame to toss them out. Here are a few ideas florists have
shared with us...
·Use several under a mirror on a table to add a
little extra height and dimension to table decorations.
·Perfect for wristlets. Glue fresh or dried flowers
to the ring; be sure to cut the ring to make it easier for the
recipient to put it on.
·As an add on sale for party work, glue fresh or
dried flowers to the ring as a napkin ring, coordinating the flowers
and colors with the rest of the table
·This is one I never thought of and I've been around
for years... The dreaded tipping of carnations. Insert the carnation
through the ring, stem first, of course. Bring the ring up tightly
around the flower compressing the petals and spray. Voile! Picture
perfect tipping...
·Great as balloon handles for children. Simply by
tying the balloon string to the ring makes it easier for a child to
hold on to the balloon.
·For a more elegant look for table dressings or
displays using fabric, create fabulous poufs by blousing the fabric
through the rings.
No More Crooked Candles...
Frustrated with candles tipping from side to side in
those old 7-branch candelabras? Here's a simple solution for any
candleholder: The floral tape you use for corsages is the answer. Simply
wrap the needed amount around the base of the candle until it fits
securely in the holder. When the ceremony or party is over just toss the
candles. No fuss, no muss, no sticky cleanup of glues or stickums.
And more important, the chance of an accident is less!
Bagging...it's not just for salad anymore!
"In these hot summer months particularly,
leather leaf can turn limp before its' time. Here is a tip
to keep leather leaf fresh and crisp for four to five weeks. First, submerge the bunches in ice cold water for 20
minutes. Re-cut the stems about one half inch and place in a bucker of
warm water. Immediately cover the bucket of leather leaf with a plastic
bag and place in the cooler. The "tenting allows the heated water
to create condensation keeping your leather leaf fresh and crisp for
weeks.
Lily pollen...Oh no!
"It's ruined! Oh no it's not.... Lily pollen on your favorite shirt, blouse or whatever does not mean the ragbag. The first thing to do is grab a dry chenille stem and lightly brush the fresh pollen from the garment. If you don't have any chenille stems available a dry sponge or a piece of dried flower foam will do the trick especially on heavier fabrics like jeans. The chenille stems are by far the best for this job. Once you've dusted the pollen should there be any residue or stain remaining place the garment in the direct sun for just one hour and the stain will disappear. Don't send the garment to the dry cleaners; dry cleaning will set the stain.
Storing Stephanotis…
When your bride just has to have Stephanotis in her bouquet you want to be sure it is in excellent condition. Always get it in a couple of days before you use it so that you have time to condition it properly. It should arrive to you in a sealed container or bag with some form of wet packing tissue. You need to be sure that the flowers continue to stay moist until you are ready to use them. Follow these steps for picture perfect stephanotis.
· Soak the blossoms in cold water for one hour, no more than an hour, they will turn transparent.
· Take a thin piece of floral foam and carefully place each stem in the foam.
· Cover the blooms with a thin facial tissue.
· Mist with water until the tissue adheres to the blooms.
· Place the whole set up in a plastic bag and seal.
· Store in the cooler until you are ready to use it.
To smash or not to smash…
The word is not to smash. The old-fashioned theory to smash woody stems for better hydration is not a good thing. Smashing the stems crushes the vascular tissue that absorbs the water and keeps stems fresh. In addition, since the stem tissue has been damaged from smashing the likelihood of bacterial growth increases and with that the vase life of the flower decreases.
What you can do to help improve the water intake is after making the initial “fresh cut”; slit the end of the stem with a clean T or X cut. This will open the intake vessels for better hydration. Save those hammers and mallets for driving nails and tenderizing meat!
Is wiring roses really necessary?
Not anymore. Once common procedure for shops around the country, it's now one step that isn't necessary. With proper hydration and allowing enough time for adequate absorption, your roses should stand alone.
Using commercial hydrating solutions, such as Chrysal RVB and cutting under water have proven to aid in the cure for "bent neck." With great strides in breeding improvements at the farm level, we are experiencing more hardy varieties with stronger stems. Studies have determined that wiring can, in fact, reduce the vase life of the rose, piercing the calyx can smash the water conducting cells inside the flower.
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