Florist tips and tricks

Learning new floral design tips and tricks is the best. I love attending design workshops, reading floral design books and asking other floral designers for their trade secrets. In my new “Tips and Tricks” series, I’ll be writing about some effective tricks of the trade that I have learned. And if you have an even better technique than what I am showcasing, please leave me a comment!

From left to right:
1. Lazy Susans are helpful when preparing a multi-sided flower arrangement. Place the arrangement on the Lazy Susan and easily spin it around to ensure all sides of the arrangement are perfect.

2. When working with a shallow and/or wide vase, it's a challenge to get your flowers to stay put where you want them. But making a grid using waterproof floral tape makes it very easy.

3. Lilies are quite beautiful, but the yellow pollen contained in their anthers can stain surfaces, clothes and skin. Plus, their presence means a shorter life for the blooms if the pollen gets on the flower petals. To ensure that your lilies remain fresh for a longer period of time, carefully remove the pollen from each of the stamens.

Flower of the month: tulips

This month’s flower is the tulip, which to me, just symbolizes May like no other flower. In my opinion,  a Mother’s Day arrangement would not be complete without them. I’ve been loving seeing tulips all over--in neighbors' yards, at markets, at public gardens, etc.

These flowers have been cultivated in Holland for so long that most of the world is under the mistaken impression that the tulip is a Dutch native. In reality, they originated around the area of central Asia (now Turkey) and were brought to The Netherlands in the 1500s.

They come in all colors except blue.

Vase life is about five days. The French variety will last seven days or longer.

As for an arranging tip, tulips continue to grow after they’ve been cut. So it’s a must to leave enough room for them in the vessel to grow.

Photos I took last week of tulips at the Lilacia Park in Lombard, IL.

Mother's Day pop-up shop

Last Saturday, May Floral had so much fun hosting a pop-up flower shop at Brothers K in Evanston. I had mason jars filled with different floral designs. It was my first pop-up shop ever, and it was great to learn to set one up and meet some people. Looking forward to having one again maybe for the holiday season and definitely Valentine's Day next year!

the night before, in the middle of preparing the arrangements

At the coffee house that morning, just before the start time of 8 am (so much nerves and excitement)

Paris in the springtime

"Though I often looked for one, I finally had to admit that there could be no cure for Paris"

- Ernest Hemingway

I wholeheartedly agree with Ernest. Paris is incomparable, especially for a flower enthusiast. Since the 19th century, Paris has had open markets and flower carts as their culture dictates that flowers are not just for special occasions, but rather an everyday part of life. My photos of spring blooms when I was there this month last year:

Lilacia Park in Lombard

In my opinion, the best flowers are in bloom during the month of May (it's one of the reasons I chose to name my flower business May Floral). For instance, the extraordinary lilacs. I love their beautiful color palette of purple and white, heavenly fragrance, and fluffy blooms. So I am thankful that there is a nearby park dedicated to lilacs! The Lombard Park District’s Lilacia Park is an 8.5-acre paradise of over 700 lilacs! Yesterday, I visited to inhale the lilacs' sweet fragrance and take in their beauty. This flower has a short blooming season. For us midwesterners, it is usually on full display during mid-May and then falls dormant again until the following year. For me, this makes lilac an even greater delight to cherish.