Tips for lasting flowers

Fresh flowers can definitely cheer up the bluest of moods and add some life and warmth to a room. Their beauty, freshness, aroma and the fact that they are only in that vase for a short time reminds you to enjoy them while you are fortunate enough to have them around. Here are some tips to ensure your flowers stay fresh as long as possible:

1. Change water every 24 hours to discourage bacterial growth. Nothing kills flowers faster than having to drink dirty water. To change water, gently lift the flowers up, dump the old water and then put new water in the vase. 
2. Remove any flower from the arrangement that have faded so it does not contaminate the other flowers. 
3. Keep it away from direct sunlight, excessive heat, televisions, appliances or heating or cooling units, which give off heat and wilt flowers. 
4. If possible, re-cut stems with a sharp floral knife or clippers every other day. When trimming flowers, cut stems at a 45 degree angle. This exposes the greatest surface area of the stem and allows the flower to absorb as much water as it can. 
5. Be sure that there is no foliage at or below the waterline as those leaves will decay and cause the growth of bacteria. 
6. Avoid placing flowers beside fruits or vegetables as they give off ethylene, which is a gaseous hormone (not harmful to humans) in the plant that induces the flower to drop its petals and become a fruit.

Treat yourself with some flowers today!  

Summer Blooms

It's mid-August, and it's that time of year when flowers really love to show off. Love it! Here are photos I took of my most favorite summer flowers from the last two months.

foxgloves: I hope for a chance to arrange with these flowers soon.

clematis: I haven't had a chance to design with these flowers either. I found them at the flower mart recently, but they were so expensive! :(

chamomile: they make such a charming filler flower.

delphinium: not too many flowers that are naturally blue, so I love these flowers!

allium: another flower I would love to use in a design.

sunflower: how can you not smile when these flowers are around?!

roses: July's flower of the month

zinnias: another happy flower and a favorite of butterflies. They come in vivid red,yellow, orange, pink, green, and purple. I tried to grow these in my backyard as I heard and read that they are easy to grow.  They didn't grow, unfortunately. I don't think my yard gets enough sunlight and I didn't water them! Oops!

lilies: I love their scent, and as a floral designer, I love that they are long-lasting!

dahlias: to me, they symbolize late summer (August's flower of the month, too)

hydrangeas: it seems to be the favorite of many. 

yarrow: I used these flowers at a flower arrangement class with young girls, and they loved them for their awesome texture (reminded them of honeycomb). 

I also love hibiscus. It's Hawaii's state flower and they love the sun and heat. 

Flower of the Month: Dahlia

For August, let's talk about dahlias, which are, in my opinion, truly works of art! The dahlia comes in lots of varieties, sizes (from small, ball types to dinner-plate types) and colors (red, white, yellow, orange, burgundy and fuchsia). Because of their tremendous beauty, just a single stem in a small vase looks spectacular. I also have a soft spot for this flower because as previously mentioned, I started learning floral design last summer. As they start to bloom here during the middle to late summer, I practiced a lot with making floral arrangements using dahlias, which were plentiful at the local farmers' market when I was initially learning how to design.

Some tips I've learned about buying and arranging with them:
1. They start to wilt from the outer petals toward the center, so I check the back of the flowers for freshness.

2. They wilt easily. It helps to get rid of foliage to make them last longer.

3. Unfortunately, vase life is around 5 days.

Here are dahlia photos from my visit last week to the Biltmore House, the awe-inspiring family home built by George and Edith Vanderbilt. What a spectacular place! I highly recommend a visit if you are ever near Asheville, NC area. It was mind-blowing to walk around the garden, and this time of the year, the dahlias were showing off.

check out the bees on the above picture