Simon and Vanessa's Wedding Reception Flower Arrangements

I recently had the opportunity to design centerpieces for a beautiful wedding reception.  The bride and groom requested for white or off-white flowers and the color theme for  the wedding was sage green.  As for the primary flowers, it was a toss up between roses and hydrangeas.

The young couple was very flexible when it came to flower choices.  The primary flower was determined two weeks before the reception due to the unavailability of white roses.  White roses were difficult to obtain at the Los Angeles Flower Mart.  It would require at least 18 roses to make a nice arrangement in the container used.  Also, depending on the type of roses available, not all rose buds will bloom and requires more filler materials.

Hydrangeas were selected as the primary flowers and were readily available during the month of June.  Hydrangeas are large flowers which provided more coverage for less flowers.  I also incorporated off white lisianthis and an airy fern was used for greenery.

The following materials were used in the beautiful hydrangea arrangements:

Hydrangeas four or five stems
Lisianthis three or four stems
Fern three stems
8 inch tall cylinder container
Sage green ribbons – a small amount of the container was braided with the ribbon and a hand tied bow was attached
handful of gems

Congratulations to the bride and groom.

- Patty

As someone who owns a website about floral arrangements, I figured that this post about the famous cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. might be of interest to you.

The Cherry Blossom in DC is home to The National Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival is a two-week, annual event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the long lasting friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. This year, the event began on March 27th and went through April 11th, with a parade on Saturday, April 10th beginning at 10am.

Cherry Blossom, Washington DC

Prior to this intangible peace treaty, 19th century imperialism drew clear lines of separation between these two great nations. Through it’s strict policy of isolation, Japan remained untouched by western ways until the Treaty of Amity (1854). Although, feelings of mistrust and resentment continued to ride due to early U.S. Naval Leaders gunboat diplomacy upon Japan. In order to lessen tensions and restore peace, mutual Cherry and Flowering Dogwood tree offerings were given.

Other DC Attractions include multiple festivals, museums, monuments, and more. The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc., is a non-profit organization that coordinates, produces, and supports creative and diverse activities promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty and the environment, and community spirit and youth education. It also marks the beginning of peak season for an influx of tourists to Washington, also brought in by the thousands of historical landmarks, museums, and other buildings. Some of the most popular DC Tours include Hop-On-Off Double-Decker Bus, Discover DC Segway Safari, Mount Vernon & Arlington Cemetery, and Washington DC After Dark.

A flower arrangement consists of primary, secondary and filler flowers with extras which are optional decorations. Extras are decorations that can be incorporated into your flower arrangements due to the seasons, holidays or a themed party throughout the year. Just use your imagination and most extras can be part of your floral arrangement.

The following small or miniature items can be incorporated into your floral arrangements during the year. These items can be ceramic, plush materials, resin or even wood.

For the winter months of January through March, footballs, small party favors, hearts, bears, shamrocks, gold coins, feathers, leprechauns, purple, gold or green beads, masks, chop sticks, lai si*, bamboo, small origami decorations and stirrers.

For the spring months of April through June, eggs, rabbits, pencils, bird nests, sea shells, fish, champagne glasses, pin wheels, insects such as lady bugs, butterflies, bees, flags, diplomas, graduation cap, tassels, playing cards and chips.

For the summer months of July through September, artificial fruits (apples, pears and oranges), stars, flags. Red, white and blue balloons and miniature umbrellas.

For the fall months of October through December ghosts, pumpkins, turkeys, scarecrows, snowmen, candy canes, pinecones, holiday ornaments, red robins, angels, penguins, ice skates, skis, snowboards and berries.

There are many more items that can be used. Just let your creativity shine through your flowers.

Gung Hay Fat Choi (Happy New Year!)

Patty

* I will explain the lai si with my upcoming floral design

I wrote about the Poinsettia on the last posting and decided to continue writing on how to select and care for your Poinsettia. The Poinsettia, a traditional Christmas plant, will last through the Christmas holidays and beyond.

The amount of time your poinsettia will last depends on the maturity of the plant, when the plants is purchased and how you treat the plant. With proper care, poinsettias should remain beautiful for weeks and some varieties will stay beautiful for months. Here are ways to purchase and to care for your poinsettia.

How to choose a Poinsettia

Select poinsettia with the following:
• Dark green foliage to the soil line.
• Bracts (modified leaves) that are completely colored.
• Fullness, balanced and attractive from all sides.
• Size of plant should be 2 1/2 times taller than the diameter of the container.
• Check for the true flowers located at the base of the colored bracts. Flowers that are green or red-tipped and fresh looking will last longer rather than yellow pollen covering the flowers.

But not the following:
• Many green around the bract edges.
• Fallen or yellowed leaves drooping or wilting.
• Plants wrapped with paper or plastic sleeves. Plants held in sleeves will not last too long.
• Plants being are displayed are crowded or too close together. Crowding can cause the bracts to drop.
• Check the plant’s soil. If it is wet and the plant is wilted, this could be an indication of root rot
How to care for your Poinsettia
• Do not exposure your plant to low temperatures even for a few minutes can damage the bracts and leaves.
• Place in indirect light, ideally six hours of daily.
• Keep away and from touching cold windows.
• Keep away from warm/cold drafts from radiators, air registers, open doors and windows.
• Prefers daytime temperatures of 60 to 70°F and night time temperatures around 55°F.
• Too high or too cold temperature will shorten the plant’s life.
• Check the soil daily. Water when soil is dry. Allow water to drain into a saucer and discard excess water.
• Do not fertilize when it is in bloom
• Fertilize the poinsettia if you plan to keep it past the holiday season with a houseplant fertilizer once a month.

Happy Holidays. May you find peace, love and happiness.

When I was a child I always noticed this tall straggly plant that grew to the height of my parent’s garage. It had green leaves and red vibrant flowers throughout the year. I really did not know the name of the plant but my mother always told me it was a Poinsettia.

Poinsettias
Poinsettias are native to Mexico. The plant is name after Mr. Joel Poinsett. December 12th is National Poinsettia Day in honor of Joel Poinsett who died on this day in 1851. He was the 1st United States ambassador to Mexico and introduced the bright red plant to his homeland.

In nature, poinsettias are a perennial flowering shrub that can grow to ten feet tall. Poinsettias are traditional Christmas plants that will last through the Christmas season and beyond. The colored parts of the poinsettias are not flowers both are actually colored bracts. Colored bracts are modified leaves. Poinsettias are not poisonous but produce a sap that can be irritating to the skin. Beside the traditional red, poinsettias are available from a creamy white to shades of pink, orange, marbled bracts of pink and white as well as pink flecks on red. With some tender loving care after the holiday season, your poinsettias will bloom for many years to come as the one that is still growing next to the garage at my mom’s house.

Patty

For my floralween pumpkin, I used six (6) large orange carnations, two (2) yellow or green spider mums, two (2) violet liatrus, two (2) fall color button mums, five (5) leather ferns and bear grass. The liatrus flower opens and matures from the top of the stem rather from the bottom.

The mechanics of the pumpkin includes a plastic liner to fit inside the pumpkin, floral foam and crumpled newspaper to hold the liner in place inside the pumpkin.

Halloween Pumpkin Floral Arrangement

For fun, let’s test your knowledge of the pumpkin.

Is the pumpkin a fruit or a squash?

- The pumpkin is a squash fruit that grows as a gourd from a vine related to the zucchini.

Did you know that the pumpkin is one of our state fruits?

- The pumpkin is the state fruit of New Hampshire

Why is the pumpkin orange?

- Pumpkins are orange because they contain large amounts of lutein, alphas and beta-carotene in which turns to vitamin A in the body.

Happy Halloween!

Fall Scarecrow and Gourd Floral Arrangements

Fall is my favorite time of year (from a photographer’s perspective) and I think my mom, Patty likes fall colors as well. These are two new flower pots she made in time for the upcoming holiday season. She sold most of the arrangements on her website within a day or two of arranging them, but since these are not live flowers, these cute little pots can be used for annual decorations for your home or office.

For more seasonal floral arrangements check out her web gallery: Fall Floral Arrangements and Wreaths