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.

Fresh flower arrangements typically look pretty… well at least until they wilt. So how do floral designers keep the flowers fresh? Read the following steps to learn how to extend the life of your fresh floral arrangement.

Select flowers when they are in bud or half open. The color of the petals should be starting to show. Do not purchase buds that are too tight. They may never bloom such as Irises, Tulips, Daffodils and Roses. The bottom three florets for Gladioli should be opened and the top ones are in bud. The kelix for a Carnation should be firm and tight. The kelix is the green part beneath that keeps the flower intact.

Your container or vase must be clean and in proportion to the amount of flowers you are using in your arrangement. The leaves under the water level in your container or vase must be removed. If not, the leaves will rot and your flower life will be shortened.

Always give your flowers a fresh angle cut with a clean heavy duty paring knife prior to arranging. This will enable the flower to absorb water properly in the stem.

Even though your flowers are fresh, add flower preservatives to your water in your container or vase. Remember to change the water and flower preservatives every two or three days or when the water is not clear.

Spray your finished arrangement over the sink or outside with clear water to provide some humidity for your arrangement.

Heat will wilt your arrangement. Excessive heat either natural from the sun light or artificial from the heater will dehydrate the flowers. A cool environment will make your flowers last longer.

Enjoy your creation. Thanks.

- 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

This article was originally written two years ago for a gardening magazine submission in memory of my father. I thought this story would make for a great first blog post.

Yellow Pansy

My father, Lip came to this country when he was ten years old and had to work hard to learn the English language. He attended school in Pasadena, California and had a special friend in class named Patricia who taught him how to read and write. He always had a smile on his face and as an adult, made the extra effort to help people especially to those people who are less fortunate by giving away electronics or would not charge a fee to those who could not afford to pay. He was employed and later was self-employed as a TV and radio technician until a series of strokes and heart attacks in the mid-1980’s forced him into pre-mature retirement.

His disabilities limited his mobility, but Dad liked to help my mother maintain the garden by sitting down or kneeling down to enjoy nature while using his bare hands to pick up piles of leaves or feeding the birds. My parent’s yard was planted with many types of fruits, flowers and a beautiful dichondra lawn. Fruits such as the Santa Rosa plum, white and yellow peaches, guava and flowers such as roses, camellias, carnations, fuchsias and many others but no annuals were ever planted in the yard. My parents said the reason why they planted so many fruits was because while they were younger they had enough teeth to eat hard fruits, and as they got older they could only eat soft fruits.

Their next door neighbor of over 30 years, Mr. Rodriguez planted annuals amongst the permanent flowers in the flower bed. One particular annual was the pansy. Pansies come in many colors but my dad was fascinated by the way they looked. He commented to Mr. Rodriguez that pansies always smile at you. Over the years, pansies have been planted in the neighboring yard.

Throughout the years, my parents maintained their yard by themselves or with the help of my sister and I until my father passed away in 1997. Eventually the dichondra became too much for my mom to maintain and was overtaken by weeds and California poppies. It took many years to convince my mother to have her lawn replanted.

Last fall, the weeds were replaced with new Marathon II sod, a few new roses were planted, the flower bed along the fence was cleaned up, and plants were dug up then replanted along with some annuals for the first time. I surprised my mother by purchasing some majestic giant pansies and my mother commented that Dad said they had a happy face that always smiled at you.

It is now the spring of 2005, and the front yard is beautiful. The neighbors have complimented my mother’s front yard. The pansies are happy with a smiley face along with an abundant amount of California poppies in the yard. Everything from pansies in a nursery, courtyards or formal gardens remind our family of my dad, who is buried at the most beautiful resting place in the San Gabriel Valley, Rose Hills.