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Tip!
Arrange the flowers in a vase of lukewarm water. To slow the aging
process, place the vase of flowers in a cool, well-ventilated place.
By Karen Marinelli
I always have fresh flowers in my
home. That statement brings to mind a grand home with flowers in the
foyer and blossoms in the boudoir.
That's not exactly what I had in mind.
My favorite place to put a little bouquet is the back of the toilet!
More often than not, they're flowers cut from the garden or roadside in
a mason jar or a coffee cup.
Even when I'm working at a
flower shop,
or in the wholesale florist, where there are coolers brimming with every
choice of flowers from orchids and roses to lilies and snapdragons, my
choice leans towards the simple.
As I was learning floral design, from time to time, I'd give in to
temptation and create a flower arrangement for the house. Every time I
walked by it I wondered who I thought I was kidding!?
As I was learning
floral design,
from time to time, I'd give in to temptation and create a flower
arrangement for the house. Every time I walked by it I wondered who
I thought I was kidding!? A Yankee by birth with a mother who delighted
in making everything herself and a father who built our house and fixed
our cars, I felt like a fraud with formally designed flowers in the
house. |
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I was raised with flowers… In the
garden, in the woods, in the fields, entered in the Agricultural Fair,
on wreaths, in coffee cans, in jelly jars, violets growing in the grass,
Johnny jump-ups volunteering around the barbeque. My Mother taught me
the names of he wild flowers, my Great Grandfather taught me to plant
the rows straight, my Aunt Nancy taught me to love bachelor's buttons
with calendulas and to cut flowers from the garden and put them in a
sugar bowl in the middle of the table.
Tip!
If your flowers have been out of water for any length of time after
cutting, submerge them in the bath for half an hour or so.
Later, after working at a roadside farm
stand, weeding gardens for extra cash, and earning a B.S. in ornamental
horticulture, I found myself working in a retail flower shop, learning
the basics of floral design. As the years passed, I read magazines,
attended design shows, took classes and learned by trying. I have
designed weddings, funerals, parties, proms, birthdays, and
anniversaries and welcomed new babies. Now and then, I browse the
shelter and bridal magazines. I have a great appreciation for the
beautiful design. I adore attending design shows and watching AIFD
accredited designers work their magic. I ooh and ahh over lush designs
in hotel lobbies and on soap operas and award shows.
Still, my greatest joy from flowers is
the flowers themselves, whatever's in season in the yard or whatever was
freshest at flower shop, loosely arranged in a jar or drinking glass and
set on whatever clear surface I can find in the house. If that's the
back of the toilet, then all the better! There are dozens of places you
can buy flowers and even more styles of design. You should choose the
ones that bring you joy and display them to suit your mood and your
memories. You'll be glad you took the time.
Karen Marinelli is a Floral Industry
Professional with nineteen years of experience in the academic, retail
and wholesale sectors of the industry. She believes the common goal
should be to sell more flowers to more people, more often.
http://send-flowers-online.ws
The Mercury Network, the electronic
network used by FTD, processes about 15 million flower orders
annually, through about 50,000 FTD affiliates in 154 countries, of which
about 20,000 are in the United States and Canada.
Fiscal year 2006 revenues grew 6.2% to
$465.1 million, compared with revenues of $437.8 million for fiscal
2005. This revenue growth was driven by an 11.6% increase in revenue in
the Consumer Segment. On July 31,
2006, FTD, Inc. announced its acquisition of Interflora Holdings
Limited, a UK based leading provider of floral-related products
and services to consumers and retail floral locations in the UK.
Teleflora is a floral wire
service company brokering orders to local florists for delivery and offering florist to
florist clearinghouse services. In the past decade, Teleflora has
merged with several other florist wire services, including Redbook
Floral Services in 1997 and AFS (American Floral Services) in 2001
Teleflora's major competitors are FTD (Florist Transworld Delivery) and
1-800-Flowers. Teleflora serves as a clearing house for florist
shops all over the world. The Teleflora-owned network that links florist
shops together is called the Dove network. Teleflora has approximately
25,000 member florists throughout the world.
Sources: Wikipedia |
I Love
Flowers