Past Newsletters

Vol 2 No 10

The Colors of Autumn

It's the time of year when the cool crispness of the air finds us looking forward to a warm hearth, joyous festivities and meaningful get togethers with family and friends. As Mother Nature begins to herald the coming months with her display of autumn brilliance, we thought it fitting to join in her refrain and bring you a symphony of fall colors as this month's bouquet.

Our Harvest Flowers

A veritable cornucopia of flower varieties were employed this month to present a selection that is sure to bring a warm glow to your home. Filled with 8 different types of flora, the sheer variety of the mix gives the feel of wild flowers in an open meadow.

The Asiatic Lilies are splendid autumn shades of deep salmon-orange and yellow. Known for their hardiness and bright colors, the blooms of these flowers are magnificent as they open up to reveal satin petals with scarlet-freckled complexions. As one of the most colorful, prolific, and foolproof group of lilies, these flowers make a graceful and lasting vase flower for your home. A beautiful, complementary flower to the Asiatic Lilies is the yellow and silky brown Chrysanthemum Pon Poms, a flower that symbolizes sincerity and goodwill. A member of the Asteraceae (formerly Compositae) family, these Chrysanthemums are buttons, or pompoms, a term delineating their smaller size and globular shape and making them a excellent backdrop for larger flowers such as lilies.

The bunch is suitably accented with handsome Cattails, starry white Monty Carlo, yellow Solid Aster, True Blue Eucalyptus and our proverbial "cherry on top" is of course the Sunflower, adding a last touch of summer before we say goodbye to the warmth of the sun and head for winter.

The Art of Arrangement

Creating Floral Masterpieces

As with any artistic presentation, there are certainly technical aspects to floral arrangement but it isn't as complicated as one might presume. With the exquisite flowers we bring you each month, a few key pointers and a touch of your own unique style, you too can become an expert in the art of floral presentation.

Taking it from the Bottom

The foundation of striking flower arrangements actually begins with the type of vase or container you choose to display your flowers in. There are many possibilities - from canning jars for a simple, shabby chic look to antique urns for a romantic look. The elegance of a crystal vase makes any surroundings more magnificent. Out of all aspects of floral arranging, the choosing of a vessel is one where you can let your own individual style really show. Have fun with it and experiment. Walk around your house or yard and see what's there. Sleek champagne flutes for individual blossoms, attractive wine carafes that can be stored after consumption and used when the creative juices start to flow, ceramics normally used for potted plants can be part of a beautiful centerpiece on the dining room table. Beautiful perfume bottles, recycled spice jars, or antique apothecary bottles can all hold a stem or two of flowers. The possibilities are endless. Just be sure your vase is leak proof and has an opening and reservoir large enough to hold the amount of flowers you want to arrange. Also avoid using steel or iron containers.

Another thing you'll want to look at when deciding on a container for your blossoms is what height would best suit the space you're going to present it in. For low coffee tables that guests will be looking across, use lower containers in the interest of visibility. For high impact, the use of tall vases or decanters is good. If your flowers wont seem to stand up straight, it could be that your vase is too short for your flowers. You'll need to pare their size down or get another container to show them in. The height of the vase should be approximately half as tall as your flowers. For some arrangements using a brick of floral foam is helpful. It helps to hold flowers in place. It should be soaked in water containing a floral food solution letting the foam absorb the water at its own rate. When its wet, cut it to fit the shape of your container, leaving enough space for reserve water.

Getting to Know Your Flowers

Part of putting together attractive displays is knowing the different types of flowers and greens and how each impacts the final outcome. Flowers have distinct forms, lines, and colors. When delving into floral design, take your cue from nature and your own creative inspiration. Paramount is to have fun! Making it easier for you, here are the main categories of flowers by their shape, size and function.

Line Flowers

These are tall flowers that will give your bouquet height, and bring balance and width (fanning them out evenly) to your arrangement. They usually have buds growing up a center stalk. Some line flowers are: gladiolus, liatris, snapdragon, delphinium, tuberose, veronica, curly willow, bells-of-Ireland, stock. These flowers look majestic as a single stem when placed in a slender, tall vase.

Mass Flowers

As the name implies, these flowers will give your bouquet mass. They are generally round and full faced; in fact, they are sometimes referred to as face flowers. Having more weight, they are usually the central focus when it comes to color and impact. Most of them only come with one flower on the end of the stem. Examples are: rose, carnation, gerbera, sunflower, lily, daffodil, tulip, iris, freesia, zinnia, alstroemeria, protea, chrysanthemum. If you don't have a lot of time to spend in arranging your flowers, these are your best bet, as they look gorgeous bunched in a simple vase.

Filler Flowers

These are flowers and greens that will give your bouquet a soft, full look. The flowers used for this purpose have stems with a lot of little flowers. They have the added function of blending mass and line flowers, beautifully rounding out the bouquet. Some filler flowers and greens are: baby's breath, feverfew, Queen Anne's lace, ferns, heather, monty carlo, statice, eucalyptus, aster.

Designing a Vase of Flowers

1. Fill a vase of your choosing with water. It's best if it contains floral food which will make your blooms last longer.

2. Strip off the stems so no leaves will be covered by water. This slows down the production of an aging hormone that causes your flowers to wither faster.

3. In cutting your stems, make sure they are about twice the height of your vase. Leave several stems an inch or two longer than the rest of your flowers. These will be for the center of your bouquet.

4. First insert the stems of filler flowers and greens. Criss-crossing them as you go. This will help create a web that will hold your mass and line flowers in place.

5. Add other flowers starting from the rim and working toward the center, spacing them as if they were points on a triangle.

6. Take your longest stem flowers, as described in number 3 above and place them in the center of your bouquet.

7. When finished, review your flowers and make any last adjustments as desired to create the effect you want.

A Magnificent Centerpiece

1. Choose your vessel and fill it with wet floral foam. You will help the flowers last if you add floral food to the water first. You can add floral food to the water first which will help the flowers last.

2. Cut all flowers and greens to the same length, making sure to leave several stems about an inch or two longer for use in the middle of the arrangement.

3. Beginning in the middle and working outward in a circular way, create a foundation by inserting the greens, the longest stems going first.

4. Follow the same procedure with your line and mass flowers, again inserting the tallest flowers first and working out, giving a fan shape to the arrangement.

5. Take a moment and view your work, making any adjustments you desire.

6. Insert filler flowers as a last step, connecting all flowers into an attractive arrangement.

The Bud Vase

1. Fill a narrow vase with water.

2. Again, the stem of these flowers should be about twice the height of you selected vase. Ensuring no leaves will be covered with water, strip the stems. Place the flower in the vase.

3. As a supporting action that adds accent and beauty, add a couple of stems of greenery or a curly twig.

4. To bring equilibrium and elegance to the vase, insert a few small leaves at the rim.

History of the Chrysanthemum

As a flowering herb, the chrysanthemum was first cultivated in China and is talked about in writings as early as the 15th Century B.C. China's pottery even depicted the chrysanthemum much as we know it today. As an herbal remedy, it was believed to have the power of life. Lore has it that the ancient people of that culture used its boiled roots as a headache remedy; that young sprouts and petals were eaten in salads; and its green leaves were brewed for a festive tea drink. The ancient Chinese named the chrysanthemum "Chu" and this is where the city of Chu-Hsien (which means Chrysanthemum City), in honor of the flower, gets its name.

The chrysanthemum did not appear in Japan until the 8th century A.D. So taken with this flower, the Japanese adopted a single flowered chrysanthemum as the crest and official seal of the Emperor. The one you see in the crest is a 16-floret variety called "Ichimonjiginu." Following this custom, seals for upper class Japanese families also contain some kind of chrysanthemum called a Kikimon - "Kiki" meaning chrysanthemum and "Mon" meaning crest. So honored was the chrysanthemum, that the Imperial Order of the Chrysanthemum was made the highest Order of Chivalry. The Japanese also celebrate the flower through its National Chrysanthemum Day, which they call the Festival of Happiness.

First introduced into the Western world during the 17th Century, it was Linnaeus, a Greek, who gave the flower the name we know today - chrysos meaning gold, and anthemon meaning flower. Linnaeus founded the branch of taxonomy dealing with plants including the science of classifying and identification. According to experts, the moniker Linnaeus gave the flower is probably an accurate description of the ancient species, as it also points out the mum's need for sunlight. The earliest known illustrations of mums show them as small, yellow daisy-like flowers. Ancient growers would probably not recognize modern mums. Even though some mums still resemble daisies, others are much more showy. Regardless of the type of flowers, they all belong to the Compositae or daisy family.

In recent times, cultivators in several countries began to propagate chrysanthemums. Hybridizers in England, France, Japan, and the United States have all developed a wide range of chrysanthemum colors, shapes, and sizes. Today, its colors include various shades including pink, purple, red, yellow, bronze or orange, and white. In the U.S.A., it is the largest commercially produced flower because of its ease of cultivation, capacity to bloom, diversity of form and color, and lasting quality of the blooms. Mums are the most extensively grown pot plant in the country and one of the longest lasting of all cut flowers. This last quality, along with their creative allure, make mums a favorite of floral arrangers and consumers alike.