Tools of the Trade

There are a lot of opinions out there about which tool to use when cutting and arranging flowers.  Floral shears, knives, Bonsai scissors, clippers, everyone has their favorite.   Regardless of what tool you choose, it must be sharp.  When working with flowers, it is very important that you are making a clean cut and thus not damaging the stems. 

I received a pair of Bonsai scissors from a floral class I attended.  Although very pretty, I wasn't a fan.  The metal handles are hard on your hand, and because there is no spring action, your hand has to both open and close the scissors.  I know, isn't that how scissors are supposed to work?  But it became tiresome after working on a large arrangement.  Just my opinion.  :-)

Floral clippers are what most of my workshop participants choose to use.  They are easy to manage, and I would suggest them for beginner arrangers.   

These are Skakagen Florist Scissors, which are the preferred tool of famous florist Jeff Leatham of the Four Season's George V Paris Hotel.  I don't own a pair so can't comment, but I would love to try them sometime.

So which tool do I use?  A Swiss Army knife.  Two reasons: first, I find it quicker to make arrangements since you don't have to put the knife down and, second, it is easier on your hand and arm.  If you are a professional florist using a clipper all day, the constant squeezing can cause problems with wrists and elbows.

 

Lily Pollen

Lilies are a "diva" flower, very showy and they want all the attention in an arrangement! They also require extra care so they continue looking beautiful as their blooms open. Make sure you remove the anther, which contains the pollen. Pollen can get on your furniture, clothing or table cloths and can be difficult to clean. Anthers are easily removed by gently pulling them away from the filament. If pollen is already being released use a tissue to keep your fingers clean. Don't use scissors or clippers to cut the anther since this will leave a short, stubby filament!

When pollen is released it can be a mess if not removed correctly.  Oils from your skin will just make it worse so don't brush it away with your fingers.  You can blow the pollen away but who knows where it will end up!  The easiest and best way to remove pollen from a flower petal (or clothing item) is to use a pipe cleaner.  Fold the pipe cleaner in half and gently brush the pollen with the cleaner.  The soft bristles of the pipe cleaner grabs all the pollen.  So simple!

Spring Floral Arrangement

I had a wonderful group of women attend a floral workshop last weekend and we made lovely spring- time bouquets. They went home with gorgeous arrangements filled with tulips, scabiosa, veronica, roses, sweet peas and dogwood branches.   As always, I had extra flowers (I find it very difficult to not over buy when I'm at the SF Flower Mart--like a kid in a candy shop!) so here's my spring, dutch inspired arrangement. 

Started with coated chicken wire inside a sage green urn.

Added the dogwood branches first which provides an "outline" for the arrangement

Next came camellia leaf--so pretty with buds!

...then dusty miller and ceanothus...

and finally tulips, scabiosa, roses and purple sweet peas.

Bouquets To Arts

Every year the San Francisco Auxiliary of Fine Arts Museums hosts a floral exhibit and fundraiser.  This year's event, held at the de Young Museum, featured arrangements from 150 floral designers who created displays that pay tribute to or were inspired by the de Young's permanent art collection. 

It was pouring down rain on the day I attended the event (much needed rain for our area!) so a good day to be inside and enjoying amazing works of art by our local floral designers.  I tried to take a few pictures to share but it was very crowded at the event so not the best photos.  Maybe a better camera would help!  Hmmmm...I think my business should consider investing in some new equipment. 

 I wish I could give credit where credit is due but I wasn't able to keep track of all the designers and their work.  Enjoy!

Porcelain Flowers

Vladimir Kanevsky's one-of-a-kind handcrafted botanical creations are amazing in their beauty and detail.  I saw these pictures in a Wall Street Journal magazine article and was blown away by how each intricate flower is made from porcelain.  Stunning.   The prices are a bit high--custom work starts at $3,000--but these flowers will last a lifetime.  For more information on Mr. Kanevsky and his work go to www.vladimircollection.com

Narcissus

Spring comes early in California.  About two months early if you are used to Midwest weather.  Magnolias are starting to bloom, crab apples are flowering and the little sunny heads of narcissus are  poking through the ground. 

This week at the Moraga Farmer's Market a new vendor appeared selling a variety of Narcissus (or more commonly known as daffodils).  I couldn't resist and picked up a small bouquet to enjoy at home.

Moraga Farmers Market

Narcissus 'Erlicheer'

Narcissus are tricky to use in an arrangement since they can be toxic to other flowers.  White sap is released from the stem of narcissus when cut which can clog the stems of other flowers and block water intake.

It is possible to use narcissus in a mixed bouquet if you are careful and process your flowers separately.  First, rehydrate the narcissus in a their own bucket by cutting the stems on an angle and placing in very cold and shallow water.  Narcissus like cold feet--not legs!  (The verdict is out on whether a preservative is beneficial to narcissus.)  Then leave the flowers for at least 6 hours or better, overnight.  This will allow all the toxic white sap to be released.  To use with other flowers, remove from the processing bucket and place in your vase with fresh water.  Do NOT recut the stems.  If you recut the stem additional sap will be released and contaminate the water.

Narcissus 'Erlicheer', Hellebore, Pieris 'Purity' arranged in a simple pitcher vase from IKEA

Narcissus and Ranunculus in my favorite new orange vase from Crate-n-Barrel

Perfect Petals

When buying roses from your local grocery store or farmers market, most roses will still have their protector petals.  Protector petals are the outer layer of rose petals.  They may look bruised, crushed or even a bit green but this does not mean the rose is bad.  Rose growers typically leave the outside layer of petals intact to insure the rose is protected during shipment--hence the name.  Simply remove the first layer of petals to reveal a perfect rose. 

I think roses are beautiful in all their stages, from tight buds to fully open and ready to drop their first petal.  However, sometimes I'm not patient enough to wait for my roses to open.  Maybe you're having a party tonight and you want that full, voluptuous look that only a rose that has been around for a few days can give.  But you just bought your roses--so what to do!  You can achieve this look by gently (or not so gently!) coaxing the rose open.  Work your fingers between each petal and pull apart.  Continue to press each petal open until you have a fully "opened" rose.  Viola!