Alaskawildflowers's Blog

There are 3 ways to improve your creativity: practice, practice, practice. People come into our store and say, "Oh, I wish I could make my bouquets look like yours, you girls are so creative . . ." I know that we can take any bloom and make it look good in an arrangement-- because we've been doing it for 30+years!

If you will just relax-- it isn't brain surgery, you know; and even if the arrangement you make today isn't your very favorite, you can just decide that next time you'll try something else. When my sister went to interior design school, one of the teachers had all the students choose 2 colors they loved, and 2 colors they hated. Then, they created a design using all 4 colors. If you get into the habit of choosing something different every time you buy flowers, you will expand your design skills exponentially, just by sheer volume. If it makes it more fun, choose one flower you love-- gerbera daisies, for instance, and one flower you aren't wild about-- marigolds, maybe. Then, have at it!

Take 3 steps back to view your design, and in the beginning, cut long. You can always make things shorter, but it's tough to make them longer again. When you think you're finished, look at the bouquet from another angle: what do you like about it's shape? Is there a way to move a bloom to face front or to the side that will enhance its appearance? One element that seems to throw a lot of people is visual weight. Is the biggest flower at the top or at the bottom? Most of the time, the largest flower at the bottom should also be the darkest-- certain japanese arranging styles are exempt from this, and of course, you are the final judge. Therefore, if you like it, it's perfect.

0 Comments

Now is the time to harvest the last materials from your cutting garden, or gather any branches or mosses. They make a nice addition to your tablescapes or mantle, and can look good through the winter holidays, with proper care.

FIRST: fill your sink or bath with soapy water-- too warm to drink, too cold to take a bath in. Thoroughly rinse all branches, leaves, etc. to remove any pests. Otherwise, they will be crawling all over your house, and that's no fun to clean up. It's easiest to use the shower attachment to rinse off all soap, again with tepid water. Deciduous branches that still have sap running in them should be cut with a sharp pruner, and hydrated in water and preservative. Dried branches can be left out on newspaper to finish drying. Moss should be laid out on newspaper or cardboard, ideally first in your carport or garage to let the creepies crawl out, or somewhere in your house where you will keep your eye on it, and remove the spiders, worms, etc. back to the outside. The more squeamish or time-pressed can purchase mosses that are already dried and sanitized from your favorite craft store:)

Harvest themes (halloween, american thanksgiving) can transition from now to the winter holidays if you do a little planning, and lay out your materials accordingly. For example, if you celebrate Christmas and like reds, start your harvest decorating with burgundies, and golds. Dogwood branches from your yard, or any red-toned branches, make a nice addition, and can spread your decorating budget farther. The golds could be metallic, or they could be old fashioned gold-- like nuts, cones, etc. Then, add your warmer toned flowers like yellows or oranges for now-- sunflowers would be fabulous!, After thanksgiving, change to reds-- could be carnations, or you could use a special vase in the middle of your display and change it out weekly- amaryllis would be very showy. 

If you celebrate Hanukkah, start with silver now-- you could use driftwood, or silver spanish moss, and hydrangeas of any color-- the antique purples or burgundies would be stunning-- after thanksgiving, change out the burgundies for blues or whites. Potted white kalanchoes would hold up nicely-- don't forget to water!

The folks around here who observe solstice usually want BRIGHT flowers and accents-- so use a multicolored theme, and make your favorite color the dominant one. I have not done anything for Kwanza, but looking at the color palette, I would make golden yellow the dominant color now, and accent with black branches or accessories, and possibly one other item. After thanksgiving, you can fine-tune your color mix, and make red or green the dominant color without removing the yellow or black-- it's just a matter of ADDING items.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, (or all of them) make it your own by using the items and colors that are special to YOU. That's what makes memories for you and your family.

0 Comments

Here's how to tell if the flowers you're looking at are fresh: Look at the middles of the flowers! Don't let the guard petals on the outside (the 3 or 4 that look sort of deformed with green stripes running up the middle)deter you--the reason they're called "guard" petals is because they guard the interior petals from bruising and pests. Look at the foliage. It should be a shade of green. If it is yellow or brown, there might be cause for concern-- some berries and semi-dried flowers or foliages may be these shades, but most fresh product should look green. Look at the edges of  the petals. There is a difference between a bruise where the flower has been bunged up by something, or an age spot. Age spots look like they do on fresh produce-- so think of the last bad apple you looked at, and then look at the flower. Please be kind to the flower and touch it only by the stem. Even when your hands are freshly washed, because of human skin's natural oils, wherever you touch flower petals it eventually degrades. Never pinch flower heads. Some people think they can tell if a flower is fresh by squshing it, but that's just like squishing a loaf of bread-- the item is never the same. This is one skill you can pick up by practicing. Just look at flowers everywhere you go-- you'll soon be able to tell the difference between fresh and aged.

???floral care questions??? leave them in the comments box...

0 Comments

If you haven't considered orchids for your home, now might be the time to give them a try. While many do require the high humidity and perfect filtered light of the jungle, there are several worth noting that will do well in your home or office with simple care. The most popular is Phaelanopsis, sometimes called "butterfly" or "moth" orchid. The delicate blooms look like it should be in a conservatory somewhere. Oncidium orchids, sometimes called "popcorn" orchids, have smaller blooms, but many more per stem. My favorite of these is the burgundy oncidium called "sharry baby." It is the only one of the oncidiums that has a scent. Cymbidium orchids are growing in popularity as a houseplant as well. Due in part to the longer time they must be propagated, these are a bigger investment per plant, but their spectacular bloomstalks of 10+ flowers, and multiple bloomstalks per plant make these a very rewarding showpiece. You should always consult a local expert-- light, humidity and temperatures vary across the country, so the basic orchid care that follows must be taken with caution, since I don't know your specific situation. Most orchids are grown under filtered light. So in your home, place them in an area where they can get 10-12 hours of light per day that when you wave your hand over the plant, you can see a shadow. In an office, they're one of the few plants that need not be directly under the light fixture. Turn the lights off at night! Not only is this better for your energy bill, but leaving the light on all the time for any plant is like you going without sleep for the rest of your life-- you don't look your best, and your plant is exhausted. Heat or forced air should be avoided at all times, as these babies like high humidity, and forced air is very drying. If your orchid is planted in bark, it will require more water than if it is planted in moss. If it's planted in bark, pour enough water on the top of the pot, until it runs out the bottom-- then you know that all the roots have been moistened. Check every few days to see if the moisture is gone from the bark-- you will know because the pot will feel considerable lighter. If it's planted in moss, feel the moss before you blindly dump water on it-- you're going for slightly moist, not soggy. The moss tends to hold water longer than bark, so check the surface first before pouring water on. Leave the spent bloomstalk on until it turns brown. It may send out a secondary shoot that will bloom again, so you want to leave it alone until it lets you know it's finished. Troubleshooting: If the leaves look withered with slightly raised veins, your orchid is probably too dry. If the leaves are black and falling off the plant when you touch them, it's probably too wet. That's it! Questions about specific florals? Leave your question in the comment box and I will do my best to answer!

0 Comments

The best thing about knowing the rules is, once you know them, you get to break 'em! Conventional flower arranging rules stated that one needed to arrange flowers in threes-- implying you need 3, 6, 9, 12 ... you get the idea. The theory being that flowers arranged in triangles appear the most pleasing to the most people. In actual truth, you can still follow this rule if you have AT LEAST 3-- with 4 flowers you can make 2 triangles; each additional flower you add can then be used to make more triangles. The breaking of the rules commences when you do arrangements and use other materials, like the container as your 3rd side of the triangle. Asian floral design theories, such as Ikebana or Moribana, are prime examples. The ultimate judge of whether or not an arrangement is pleasing, is you. As a famous designer said not too long ago, "if you love it, it's perfect!" Which just goes to show you, you're really only limited by your imagination and your budget.

0 Comments

This is the time of year that people call us and ask, "what's wrong with my plant-- does it need repotting?" We have a secret theory that because people start living inside again as the weather cools, and maybe have just noticed that their inside greens look a little bedraggled. Repotting your plant will not fix all its problems and cure its asthma, so to speak. Repotting only works if the roots are too big for the pot. How do you tell if it needs repotting? If the roots are coming out the bottom of the drain holes, or if you've had the plant for a year or longer (unless it's a cactus), it needs repotting. Otherwise, it is always easier to diagnose the patient if one can see the body; but here are a few things to check before consigning your plant to the compost heap. 1. Does it need water? or conversely, has it had too much? If the dirt has pulled away from the side of the pot, and the leaves are turning brown and crispy, it is too dry. If there are little gnats flying, and the leaves are soft and yellow or black, and the pot feels really heavy, it is probably too wet. 2. Is it sitting directly above or close to a heat source that you have recently turned on? As with cut flowers, forced air heat is very dehydrating to plants. They will tolerate being within a few feet if you pay attention to the watering, but being right on top of a heater is never a good idea. 3. Does it need more light? If you are dependent on window light, the days are getting shorter now, and you may need to supplement. Check with your power company to see what it costs to leave one 100 watt bulb on for 8-10 hours a day. The good news about plants is, they really don't care if the light source is incandescent, flourescent, or full spectrum-- they just care that it's on 8-10 hours a day so they get enough energy to manufacture chlorophyll. Then, make sure your plant is sitting directly underneath the light, and about 2 feet away is ideal. the further away your light is, the less the plant benefits from it. There are times when it is appropriate to salvage a plant, and there are times when it is appropriate to toss them on the compost heap. If you are interested in nurturing them, and are willing to look at them every day and extrapolate what their symptoms might be, go for it! But it is OK to toss them when the flowers stop blooming, and get another one. Keep this in mind if you are debating over whether to get your friend cut flowers or a plant-- after all, you wouldn't give them a doberman pinscher puppy, would you, if you didn't know whether or not they wanted one.

0 Comments

Our store kitty Louie loves strelitzia-- aka birds of paradise. He enjoys the stems mostly, rubbing his lips and fangs along the green jacket just below the flower petals. We love them because they're big showy spots of color, and it doesn't take very many to put together something special. Strelitzia look very striking all by themselves; with just a few leaves they're even more dramatic. If you like more of an architectural look to your flowers, consider the birds, and other tropicals. Originally available in orange/purple only, advances in cultivars mean they're now also available in white, lighter orange with white eyes, and softer salmon. The orange variety is still the most common. In areas of high humidity they last for several weeks. Here in Alaska where almost everyone has forced air heat, one can expect a week or two from them. Forced air heat is very dehydrating to fragile flower petals-- so make sure you're displaying any flower AT LEAST 3 feet from any blowing air-- heater, fan, computer, TV. You'll notice a difference in how long things last. Next time you see strelitzia, give them a try, even if you normally prefer "ordinary" flowers. You could find a new favorite-- or at least a new combination of favorites!

0 Comments

In the overall scheme of things, water makes the world go 'round. You can tell if a flower has received enough water by looking at the petals. Keep your fingers to yourselves, please, as the oil from your spotlessly clean hands is enough to damage delicate petals-- just look. Notice if the petals are smooth and velvety (some flowers like larkspur have a curly petal, which is normal, as opposed to dehydrated petals, which look more lumpy). Some blooms, like lilies, can actually appear deformed if they haven't gotten enough water. So what you're looking for, when you purchase flowers, is uniformity-- unless you're going for the ikebana look, which I'll talk about in a later post. You want the overall shape of the flower to be symmetrical, and the petals to be plump. If you think you see blemishes, look to see if they are all over the flower. If they are, it's probably the true shape of the flower-- anthurium, for instance, have little indentations all over the petal. If there is an area that is rougher than the rest, that could be a sign of dehydration. Most roses appear soft and velvety. If there are wrinkles on the petals, or if the veins appear enlarged, that could be a sign of dehydration. What can you do about it? For best results, choose hydrated flowers. If you have fallen in love with the particular variety, though, hydrate immediately. Do not go to the mall and shop for 2 hours while these blooms wait in your warm vehicle, go home right away, cut stems with your sharpest knife and place in clean vase with the appropriate amount of preservative and cool water. Even if you wait until later to arrange them to your liking, hydrate immediately.

0 Comments

Iris are a favorite spring and summer flower. This time of year, however, their blue  seems particularly vibrant. Iris are available in a wide spectrum of colors including cobalt blue, periwinkle blue, purple, yellow, white, and many bi-colors. They are a true spring flower in that they last only a few days when cut-- they generally last longer in your garden! Bees don't "see" blue and only pollinate it by accident, which over  eons has made the blue  gene in  flowers  recessive;  thus,  most  blue flowers are  either  bulbs (like iris) or  seed  germinated  plants.  Indeed, for several months of the year, iris are the only commercially grown blue flower available.

How can you get full value out of your cut iris? A clean vase, a cool room and a sharp knife are tops, followed by accurate measuring of your preservative. Then, when the bloom has faded, pull down the green jackets just below the flower-- they look like two spears that hold the flower head up-- there might be another bud inside that jacket. You want to wait until the first one opens before you pull that one down because the first bloom has a tiny little stem that won't support the weight of the flower head without the aid of those green jackets. There isn't always a second bloom, but it's always worth a look.

So here's to the iris-- the symbol for valor, and on the french foreign legion's standard. 

0 Comments

Trust me, I want to sell flowers-- I'm in the business. But a lot of fellas call us and want a "big" bouquet, to impress or make up for past . . .um, errors. Listen to me, fellas, there is a far better technique than just "big." And if you can learn it, your "big" will be even more impressive.

Here is the big secret: pay attention! To her, not me! :)

"Big with style" If you can figure out what her personal style is, you're miles ahead. This means actually noticing what kind of clothes she wears. If she chooses lacy outerwear (read, blouses, not underwear), or ruffles, you may figure that she probably likes "pretty" things-- get smaller flowers, with frilly accents. Like gypsophila, aka babybreath. If she wears suits, or likes her clothing very tailored, choose slightly more bold blooms and accents like berries or something more linear like limonium. If she wears more sporty clothes, like carharts jeans or columbia climbing pants as her normal everyday gear, choose a wildflower look, like someone has just gathered the blooms from the garden and informally arranged them.

"Big with color" To the above you should add: what tones does she like to look at? This may be the colors she wears, or the color of the accent wall in a room that she chose. If she favors greys, blues or purples to wear, choose cool toned flowers-- lavenders, blues, pinks whites. If she wears earth tones or greens, choose warm toned flowers like yellows, peaches, oranges, reds. Sometimes gals buy the color that fits, but all other things being equal, gals usually buy clothes in the colors they like.

"Big with scent" To the two above, then add: Does she like sweet scents or spicy? This might mean the difference between oriental lilies, hyacinths, or freesia, and eucalyptus, dill, or yarrow. If you know, choose what she likes. And her perfume may help you-- does it smell sweet, or spicy?

"Big with smarts" You will gain even more points if you ask. If you're not certain of her color favorite, find a moment and ask. Then put it in your PDA or whatever you need to do to remember.

Every one of us wants to feel like we matter. And if you actually notice her preferences, she will know that you care. It's good for her (she gets a gift she really likes), it's good for you (you benefit by her being in a good mood), it's good for me (I sell more flowers).

0 Comments

Don't be scared by the fact that Chrysanthemums have been around in one form or another for centuries. Some of the latest advances have been made in color, bloom size, and bloom type in the last 10 or 15 years-- these ain't your grandma's mums! Flowers are like music, in that the growers must pay the patent holder a royalty to grow the patented flower. This means, the rush is on to hybridize new varieties-- in all kinds of flowers, not just mums. The good news is that more varieties are available every year. The bad news is that some of your old favorites may no longer be grown commercially because they're not popular, or because of difficulties in cultivation. Chrysanthemums, or mums, are most plentiful in the fall, and there are many worth noting. "Spray mums" refer to any mums that grow with short laterals, meaning their blooms are clumped together, and a long main stem. Spray mums come in many forms-- cushion, daisy, button, and spoon, are just a few. "Standard" mums, in the 1950's called "football" mums, refer to the great big fluffy blooms with one on a stem. They were all the rage in the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's nationwide, and remain popular in the south to this day, for wearing at football games in your favorite school colors. "Spider" mums come in both spray and single bloom stems. There are so many new varieties, colors and forms, next time you need flowers, consider mums. They just might surprise you. The added benefit is that they last pretty much til you're sick of them.

0 Comments

This is a question we hear frequently. Here are the basics: First and most important, start with a good product. Buy the highest quality flowers you can (How you can tell will be covered in a later post). Then, make sure the container you are using is clean enough you wouldn't mind drinking out of it-- bleach and hot water for 20 minutes or so, followed by a thorough rinse will get out a LOT of bacteria. This method of cleaning is best if you just rinsed your vase after the last bunch of flowers; or if you let the flowers decay in the vase and there was mold or mildew at the water line. Measure the commercial preservative (this is best, as there is an antibacterial as well as sugar for the flowers) in the correct amount of water. It is easiest to do this in a pitcher, and fill your container from that. Most folks really don't have any idea what the actual size of a quart is, so don't just eyeball it-- use a measuring cup! Cut all stems with your sharpest knife-- it should be sharp enough to slice the skin of a tomato without puckering the skin. Some references recommend shears or clippers, but those devices are harmful to the vascular systems of bulbs, roses, and other fine-celled flowers. When the vascular systems are damaged, it's harder for the flowers to draw water, and they don't last as long. We reccommend sharp knives always; then, you're in the habit of using knives. Finally, display in a cool area, AWAY from heaters, fans, computers, TVs and direct sun. All of these are dehydrating to fresh flowers. Use your extra water with preservative if there was any left, and then clean water after that. You only need to change the water if it becomes discolored. If you do that, recut the stems again. That's it! Enjoy,

0 Comments