Image from Fresh Floral Boutique by Eddie Zarastian
Sweet Husband brought me flowers yesterday. Several bunches of them as a matter of fact. They have been conditioning in their water buckets overnight, and this morning I will have the happy task of selecting a vase, arranging them, placing them.
This may seem an odd thing to do on a Monday morning...most of us set out fresh flowers just before the weekend when we will be home, often with guests, to enjoy them. But in line with my philosophy that every day is a good day for flowers, perhaps especially a gray Monday in January, it is a chore I will
contentedly tackle, enjoying every little sensory delight as I do so.
To make arranging easier (and because I have been known to make cut flower house calls...) I keep a Cut Flower Caddie close by with all of the tools and supplies I might want to use in the process. (Find them here). Nothing too special; just the obvious tools of the trade.
* Scissors, pruners, a sharp floral knife, and sturdy rose thorn stripper
* Packets of flower food
* Wooden floral picks for securing fruit, pinecones, etc.
* All forms and shapes of oasis
* Matches for stems that need to be singed
* Floral tape and clay
* Flower frogs, polished stones, balls of chicken wire --- for holding and securing blooms
* Small plastic vials for individual blooms
* Decorative moss
* A small bottle of bleach (1/4 tsp./quart of water)
and the fresh flowers, of course. And it doesn't hurt to have a book with basic information on cut flower preparation, conditioning and arranging.
Right now I'm reading Simply Elegant Flowers by Michael George (find it here).
Good information; good inspiration.
For more tips on putting together your own cut flower kit, watch the video here that LC and I did in our most recent 4 Your Garden segment.
Then go out and buy yourself a bouquet to brighten up a gray Monday. :)
floral supplies