FLOWER TALK

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October 2008 - Issue #10

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Welcome to "Flower Talk" from http://www.artisticflowerarrangements.com/

 

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Enjoy The Colors Of Fall With A Beautiful Fall Wedding! 

Flowers are a great way to incorporate the magical colors of fall into your autumn wedding. Whether you use either fresh or silk flowers, the profusion of autumn colors makes for a spectacular wedding setting. Fall is the most colorful of all seasons and the perfect time to get married.   

If you choose to have fresh floral arrangements at your wedding, chances are that you can go with roses or carnations that are grown in a hothouse. Roses are always in bloom all year round and you can incorporate the colors of fall such as red, orange and yellow into your bridal décor as well as your own flowers.  

For an added touch of drama, you can choose to incorporate the bright, vibrant colors of fall into the collective attire of your entire bridal entourage. Whereas it was common a few years ago for bridesmaids to wear matching dresses, the new trend of wearing gowns in different colors is ideal for incorporating fabulous floral designs in the colors of autumn. Having bridesmaids in the same variant shades of the floral colors that you use in your arrangements add a touch of elegance and grace to this special occasion.    

Flowers At The Church 

If you are having a church wedding, it is customary for the florist to decorate the church with flowers. You can go for red, yellow, orange and gold flowers at the church to show off the colors of nature during this time of the year. In addition to using fresh flowers, you can also use dried floral accent pieces such as wheat stems to add to your floral arrangements. You will want to stay away from whites and greens for your accent pieces and fillers in your arrangements as these are more appropriate for a Spring, Summer or even Winter wedding. For fall weddings, stick with the browns and off whites.   

Flowers At The Reception 

You can create your own centerpieces using silk flowers and place on the tables for your guests. You can often save money if you create these centerpieces on your own.  Creating a floral centerpiece is easy once you uncover the secret of how to do it. You will always want the top of the floral arrangement to be double the height of the container and it should be symmetrical. You can use fillers such as brown Baby’s Breath or even silk fall leaves. Accent pieces can be spiral wheat stalks and even branches.   

Silk vs. Fresh Flowers 

Many brides today are choosing silk flowers over fresh flowers for their decorations and centerpieces while opting for fresh flowers for the bride and the bridesmaids. This ends up saving a substantial amount of money and the silk flowers can be given to friends and family to decorate their homes. Many brides are even going the entire route and using silk flowers instead of fresh for their bridal bouquet. During the autumn months, all kinds of  flowers are not in bloom as they are in the spring and summer, so chances are the price of roses and carnations - the two flowers that are the most popular for bridal bouquets and can best incorporate fall colors - will be higher than in the warm months.    

Dried Flowers 

Another choice you have when creating fall wedding floral arrangements is to use dried floral arrangements. Dried flowers can come in any color and can also be mixed with silks. Because this is the time of the year when the colors of the leaves are turning and flowers are actually drying naturally so this will make your fall wedding all the more special. You can even scatter dried flowers instead of petals for your fall wedding.   

Make your fall wedding colorful and exciting by making use of the exciting and vibrant colors that are alive this time of the year. Never during any other time of the year is nature so artistic than in the autumn. If you are having a fall wedding, you should make sure that you take advantage of Mother Nature at her finest hour.   

How To Create A Quick Bouquet 

In order to create a quick bouquet, you need to have a stem holder which you can purchase at any craft or floral store. If you are using silk flowers, you can use a bit of floral foam to get the flowers to stick and then arrange them together making sure that they are in varying lengths. You should also incorporate long accent pieces into the bouquet as well as some silk fall leaves.   

If using fresh flowers, you need floral foam that is made for fresh flowers. This absorbs water and you will want to make sure that the foam is moist. You can use floral sticks that have wired ends to attach the fresh flowers to the foam so that they stay in place.  You are basically doing the same thing you would with silk flowers except the floral sticks make it easier to work with the more delicate stems of the fresh flowers. You will also want to put a watering tube indiscreetly into the bouquet so that the flowers stay fresh longer. This consists of a plastic tube that will drip into the floral foam, keeping the flowers fresh. The bouquet will last for two days in this manner. If you are storing the bouquet before the wedding, store it in the refrigerator.   

Whether you choose to use fresh, silk or dried flowers, using a profusion of flowers in the fabulous colors of fall is sure to give your wedding that extra special touch.

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Getting The Most Life From Your Floral Arrangement 

We all love to get beautiful floral arrangements whether they are a gift from a friend, a loved one, or one that we have given ourselves. They brighten our day and help to complement whatever room we decide to place them in. The only thing that we do not look forward to is getting rid of them when they finally wilt down. To prolong the lifespan of the floral arrangement, there are several things we can do. 

The first step is choosing the right floral arrangement to suit your purposes. A florist can tell you which will be the right ones to use for your occasion. You want to make sure to choose the ones that will last. Some of the varieties that are longer lasting include mums, carnations, and daisies. Also learn how to identify which flowers are the most fresh. Not only are the blossoms on a flower important to check. The stem and leaves are very important as well. Make sure there are no signs of wilting, brown spots, or broken parts such as petals.  

When displaying your flowers, make sure they are well away from any heat source. Stoves, heaters, and sunny windows can all drastically reduce the life span of your floral arrangement.  Also, another step in the proper care of your floral arrangement is that you should mover your flowers to a good, cool spot at night. If you have a basement it would be adequate, but a refrigerator or any other similar cool place works just as well.  

One of the most important parts of  taking care of your flowers is keeping them properly watered. They should be kept in a container or flower vase that is filled with clean water. If it is possible you should consider changing the water on a daily basis. If this is not possible, then every other day should suffice. Always make sure that you dispose of all the old water, rinse the vase thoroughly, and refill it with fresh water. Make sure that you remove the arrangement as a whole when you remove it and try to cut off ½” from the stems. This will insure that the flower will be able to draw water properly to keep your arrangements bright and beautiful. You should then get the arrangement back in the clean water as quickly as possible to help prevent any excess water loss. 

As the flowers begin to wilt make sure to remove any dying leaves, petals, or flowers on a daily basis. You can, if feasible, add more plants or flowers to the arrangement to fill it back out so that it will last even longer. Another tip is to move them to a smaller container as you remove the bad blooms. This will keep the floral arrangement looking full. Once you have trimmed the individual blooms down below ¼” you can set them in a shallow bowl of water to continue to showcase their beauty.  

There are many different ways to increase the life span of your floral arrangement. If you still are at a roadblock and unsure how to proceed most florists will gladly answer any questions you may have.

 

 

 

 

 

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Autumn Table Piece Arrangement

 

Get the instructions to make this arrangement by clicking here.

 

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Tell Us What you Think

I received two comments to the September issue I would like to share with everyone:

Pricilla wrote:

Judy, A delightful simple display ... I am a "Halloween" person so love it.  We have 2 grand children living alongside us, so I surprise them with all kinds of cute and "yucky" creations, Their Mum can be in on this one.. Keep up the good work.   Priscilla

Thanks Priscilla - always a pleasure to hear from my subscribers and even better to hear when you enjoy the arrangement lessons...Judy

 

Geeta wrote:

Dear Madam Judy, Hello,  This was a good issue on Flowers.  For me it was a revision in writing.  I keep my potted flowering plants also in the same color scheme as you say.  It is a very cheerful talk on the AFA.  Thanks, with best wishes.  Mrs . Geeta Bhatnagar

Geeta,  Thanks for the lovely words.  It is always nice to receive such wonderful comments from my loyal subscribers.  I am always happy to hear good news.  Thanks again.... Judy

We'd love to hear what you think of this issue!

You could take a floral arranging course at your local college or
design school and easily pay $700 or more for training as a floral design specialist.  It could take you a year or more of having to do arrangements the way a teacher explains them instead of allowing you the freedom to experiment and unleash your own hidden potential.

 

Flower Arrangements Made Simple