My mom has a green thumb and grows beautiful chrysanthemum plants in her yard. Many years ago, I remember seeing her pinch the tips to encourage flower growth, staking and tying the plants up for support. The most beautiful color that I’ve seen is a golden yellow and burgundy color. This particular flower reminds me of a variation of spider mum but in smaller proportions.

Falloween Chrysanthemum Flower Arrangement

The chrysanthemum is a gardeners delight in the late summer and fall. The colorful flowers are commonly used in floral arrangements with shades of white, yellow, red and purple. They are very easy to grow and propagate. They vary in growth habits, color and forms. The blooms range from a large puffy spider mum to a small button mum. Their height ranges from 12 to 40 inches, spread from 12 to 24 inches, mounded or upright.

When I see chrysanthemums it reminds me of my mom along with all of the other beautiful flowers in her yard.

Falloween Floral Arrangement with Chrysanthemums

See more of our seasonal floral arrangements.

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

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

Anthurium Flowers

Anthuriums are long-lasting tropical flowers that will bloom year-round with proper conditions such as the temperature, potting mix, watering, light and fertilizer. They are known for the large beautiful foliage and the surface of the flower is semi-glossy. The stems may grow 15 to 20 inches long depending on the spathe. The spathe is the colored part of flower which comes in red, green, bi-color, shades of pink, peach and white with a long tail. All parts of the plant are poisonous.

They can be used in exotic tropical flower arrangements by itself or with Orchids, Proteas, Bird of Paradise and Ginger.

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