Alaskawildflowers's Blog

One has only to look at the front pages of the newspaper, or the homepage of your browser, to get stressed out about the economy-- or a myriad of other issues. The best relief, I've found in 30+ years, is a bouquet of flowers in my house. According to a 2006 Rutgers university study, flowers in your home relieves anxiety and promotes better sleep. The size of the bouquet does not matter-- what matters is that the flowers are in the room where you spend the most time. I'm not advocating purchasing beyond your means; but a stem or two or three can lift your spirits. So drop by your florists' and see what they have in your color palette. And while you're at it, if you always choose one variety, be brave and choose something else that strikes your fancy. Take a chance and try that new lily-- or gerbera daisy, or rose, or (gasp)carnation. You just might find a new favorite, and help yourself feel better in the process.

0 Comments

Many folks ask us to "tell me the meanings of flowers." In the 1800s, the victorians, those poor, repressed souls, assigned specific meanings to all the flowers available at that time-- usually from one's garden or from the countryside. Most of those varieties are no longer available-- as horticulture makes new advances, old varieties are not grown commercially, and as greenhouse or field space becomes ever more expensive to maintain, the varieties that take extra time or attention to thrive are discontinued. A prime example of this is the lavender rose called "Sterling silver." The original of the lavender roses grown commercially, it hasn't been available except from gardening catalogs as a plant for a couple of decades now. It was extremely susceptible to mildew; so to keep the plant thriving enough to produce enough roses to make growing it worthwhile. . . you get the idea. There are many other lavender roses available today, and some are similar in color and scent to the original "sterling." One of the last meanings to hang on is red roses for Love. If you were raised in America, this is most likely still true. All of the new hybrids really don't have a meaning assigned to them, although in the 1980's we sold quite a few of orange roses when we announced that they stood for "Lust." The good news about all this is, it's a new millenium; so you get to make up your OWN meaning! If your special someone loves pink gerbera daisies, that's the flower to give her for love. If sunflowers are his absolute joy, then send those for his birthday, or your special occasion. There are enough varieties and families of flowers to suit everyone. Just keep trying new ones on-- the world will still turn if you take home a variety that isn't your absolute favorite-- and you can make a different choice next time.

0 Comments

End of summer is the time to look for berries, grasses, and fall foliage at your florist's. What part of the country you are in will determine exactly what's available. We are getting cattails, purple millet, liquid amber, green berried privet, and others. Most of these materials dry reasonably well, and assuming no one plays football in the living room (or where you have them displayed), they can look nice for the season. The cattails and grasses will do best if you let them air dry, OUT OF WATER. If they continue to draw water, they will continue to mature, and that means polinate. This wreaks havoc for folks with pollen sensitivities. To get around this, cut the stems to the length you want-- and since you DON'T want them to draw water, shears or clippers are fine. Leave them out of water, cut to the length you want, for at least an hour. This will allow the stem ends to close; and when put in water, they won't absorb any. Leaves need to be in water to continue to draw, and the berries' stems will maintain a nicer shape if they are in water while they dry. The fruit on the berries will dehydrate, however. Unless you have purchased product preserved in glycerin (kinda like embalming for flowers-- the glycerin replaces the water in the stem and everything remains pliable), expect your dried materials to look good the first year you dry them, but degenerate over time, becoming more brittle and faded. Those of you in sun country will experience the most rapid decline. Dried materials are a nice addition to an area it isn't practical to keep fresh flowers-- and sometimes it's nice to extend the life of your fresh flowers by adding materials that will dry and look nice until you plan to get out your HOLIDAY ( read, christmas, hanukkah, solstice, kwanzaa decorations).

4 Comments

Many people are confused by the differences between Asiatic, and Oriental lilies. Oriental lilies are the larger ones with broad leaves, and they smell wonderful. They mostly come in cool tones-- like white, pink, and pink or magenta bi-colors. There are a few varieties available in yellow. Asiatic lilies are smaller with spikier foliage, and are predominantly unscented. They are available in a broad array of colors, including red, orange, yellow, peach, cream, mauve, pink bi-color, among others. It is easier, of course, to tell the difference when looking at both varieties together-- the size alone will do it. The biggest reason to be aware of what you're getting is, will the scent be overwhelming for the recipient? If you are unsure, but like the shape and look of lilies, definitely choose Asiatic lilies. If scent is what you want, then Oriental lilies are the ones for you. The most well-known Oriental lily is the variety called "Stargazer." All stargazers are oriental lilies, but not all oriental lilies are stargazers. Put another way, if you went into a Cadillac dealership and asked for a Coupe de Ville, they would point you to one car. But Cadillac makes many models-- the Escalade, the CTS, and others. They're Cadillacs too, just not Coupe de Villes. Hope this helps. Asiatic lilies, while all named, are generally referred to by color. It is more common to ask for an orange asiatic lily than "reno." Both lily types are available all year long, although not all varieties of each type are grown all year long. One of my favorite orientals, "Espresso," a very intense magenta with just a little bit of white around the petal tip, is available mostly in the fall. So I choose espresso when I can find it, and enjoy the scents of "Montana," "Starfighter," "Barbaresco," and others the rest of the year.

4 Comments

We get a lot of calls around here on how to choose wedding flowers. My first and best advice is this: wherever you are planning on getting married, talk to a local florist, who can inform you of the types of flowers available in the area you are getting married in. Just because there are greenhouses, and just because the type of flower you want is available year around somewhere, does not mean that it is the best choice for your area. Yes, greenhouses extend the natural growing season of flowers, but some flowers don't produce enough blooms per plant to be cost effective for growers to commit bench space. Shipping routes may also affect the type of flowers available in your area. I am a florist in Alaska. 20 years ago, we bought flowers at auction in The Netherlands; they were shipped over the pole to Anchorage, and direct to our door. These days, the dutch product goes first to New York-- then overland to the west coast, and finally up to Alaska. That extra 12-24 hours those flowers are out of water and refrigeration makes them degrade faster-- providing less value for our customers-- too big a risk for us. So we now buy mostly around the pacific rim-- Canada's west coast, Hawaii, Southern and Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Chile. It changes the product available to us, but since freshness is of utmost importance, we only sell the varieties of flowers that we can purchase where shipping is easy. As far as flower styles go, you just need a little practice! Look at flowers everywhere you go. Look at magazines, online photos, pay attention at every shop you see them. Sometimes you have to look at something for a while to see the shape you really want. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Ask what type of flower is in that vase. Be aware that some flowers change color over the course of the season. 2 examples of this are hydrangeas and calla lilies. Hydrangeas start off the season as pastels. Baby blue, light pink, the palest green. As the summer goes on, the blue and pink darken considerably. The green may get freckles of burgundy, pink, blue, or purple in them. Calla lilies, on the other hand, deepen in the sun. Pink and burgundy callas come from the same plant, it just depends how much sun they're grown in. Typically, this suggests that the colors deepen over the summer as well. But if the summer is exceptionally cloudy, or the spring is overly sunny, that rule may not apply. Be willing to be flexible on the exact variety. This is where working with a professional florist will help. They can suggest alternatives if the exact color you want isn't available in your chosen flower. Do your homework before your appointment at the florist. Have your list ready of all the people you want flowers for. It is charming if your budget permits, to get flowers for everyone in your wedding party. Are you paying the minister/ marriage commissioner? If not, it is customary to get them a flower to wear. It is also charming to get a flower for all your relatives, whether or not they are in the wedding party. If you do that, make sure you include ALL of them. If you just cannot bear getting a flower for Aunt Bertha, then don't get flowers for any relative unless they are your parent or in the wedding party. What should you spend on your wedding flowers? Typically, one spends between 10-25% of your budget on flowers. Whatever you decide, be honest with your florist. Your florist cannot help you effectively if you are shy about what you can or want to spend. Many people tell us "budget is no object," but we have found that very few people really mean this. This approach does both you and your florist a huge disservice-- if your florist is taking the time to put together a proposal for you and they are working above or below your budget, they will have lost that time, and you will not be happy with what they propose. Save everyone (yourself included) future heartache and figure out what you can reasonably afford. Sometimes hard decisions have to be made-- very few people's budgets are elastic. Talk it over with your intended spouse, and parents or the person who is helping you financially. If you choose to have flowers only for the bride and groom, and spend the rest of your budget on a boat trip for the reception, or if you choose to go picnic style for the reception so you can have lots of flowers and 2 dresses, it's all up to you. Just have as clear a picture in your mind as you can when you call in the professionals. Then they can really help you.

0 Comments

We get a lot of inquiries about wedding flowers. So here is my best advice: Wherever you are in the world, find a professional florist to help you. Trust me, it is worth every penny they charge, to have someone taking care of you on the day of your ceremony. This means someone who specializes in designing flowers-- not the grocery store, not an online place that only ships cut flowers. The advantage to this is, it's one less thing for the bride to take care of on the wedding day, AND, if you have done your homework, the flowers will look great without any work from you. When deciding which florist to choose, first of all, look at their made up arrangements or their website-- are they YOUR style? Does the florist have access to the type of flowers you want? (how to choose wedding flowers will follow in a later post). Then, is the florist familiar with the venue, or willing to take a look at the venue. Most professional florists are knowledgeable, and willing to share practical tips with you-- after all, their reputation is on the line. Remember, what happens at your wedding will be memorialized in the photos, and while guests and relatives may not remember EXACTLY what drunk uncle Chuck said, the flowers are right there in the middle of the photos for all time. Choosing your florist thoughtfully will make your day a whole lot easier.

0 Comments

Carnations have received a lousy reputation, because they have been the workhorses of the retail flower world. They last long, are quick to grow, and ship well. Many flower snobs dismiss them out of hand now-- they might not know any other flower names, but they do know carnations, and they don't want them. I'd like to suggest, if you haven't, take another look at them. With all the new varieties available, it's hard to recognize them anymore! The blue gene in flowers is recessive-- bees don't see blue, and only polinate blue by accident-- and in the scientist's quest for more blue, there are actually more PURPLE and derivatives of purple (blue + red = purple / lavender / lilac / aubergine. . . you get the idea). They still last well, smell good, and one can make all those fun orbs and fancy shapes repeating with the same flower. So next time your special someone brings home a bouquet of CARNATIONS, see what you can really do with them- can you arrange them in a way that's unusual? Do what it takes to take them out of the "ordinary." That's what designers do.

0 Comments