Angie
Holiday Greenery – Holly
Published November 29, 2011 | 
Holly is perhaps one of the most popular greenery for the holiday season. It’s highly recognizable shiny green leaves and bright red berries are a perfect fit with the traditional colors of Christmas. There is another variety of Holly that comes with variegated leaves that have a white edging around the glossy green leaves. The female variety has the berries, the male does not.
Holly has been an important symbol during the winter months, dating back to Roman times. It is also considered a symbol of hope during the holiday season. It’s leaves are thick and have a leathery texture. They average 2 inches long and 1 1/4 inches wide. The edges are sharp, the thick points alternate with an upward and a downward slant.
When working with holly, there are some steps you need to take not only to prepare it, but to make sure that it stays green and attractive as long as your arrangement does.
- Always soak your holly overnight in a bucket before using it in your arrangements
- Spray the holly with a fire resistant spray. This will not only keep it colorful but will also reduce the possibility of fire damage if you are planning to use holly with any arrangement containing candles.
- Make sure to remove any brittle or dehydrated berries and branches.
Just a reminder, if you have pets or small children, you might want to consider using artificial holly for your arrangements, holly berries are very poisonous.
With Gratitude
Published November 24, 2011 | On this Thanksgiving eve I wanted to take a moment and express my gratitude to you for being a member of my flower arranging 101 community. I wish you a safe, happy, yummy Thanksgiving Holiday to all those in the United States and to those of your outside of the United States, I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!
Hawaiian Crotons
Published December 7, 2010 | So while I have been here in Maui I have been visiting flower farms and making videos for future flowerarranging101.tv dates. It is super popular here to use foliage that grows naturally here like the ti leaves and croton. I used croton in at least two of the flower arranging videos I make for you. I have taken pictures of some of the croton plants surrounding the pool at the Kaanapali Resort I am staying at right now. There are three different varieties, all with different shaped leaves, but similar color patterns.
I’m fairly sure you will recognize these as house plants in most areas, not shrubs and border plants like they are used here in Hawaii and Florida. It takes a pretty mild climate for these to grow outdoors like this. There are lots of other plants that I would recognize as house plants that are growing in the “wild” so to speak here in Hawaii and they all look like they are on steroids! Enjoy the pictures.
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King Protea’s
Published November 18, 2010 |  |
Greetings from beautiful Hawaii! I am so looking forward to sharing with you all the gorgeous tropical flowers that I have been able to see here. Today I am bringing you the King Protea.
Typically used in centerpieces, Proteas are a tropical flower that grow here in Hawaii. The pictures in this post are of the KING protea, the biggest in size of all proteas. They actually grow on trees, which is totally amazing to me. I had no idea this is how they grew. |
| The king proteas come in different colors here as well. I have previously only been exposed to the king protea with the pink outside petals. So I was so excited to see them in so many different colors. I have attached a picture here of a king protea with red outside petals…very striking. |  |
Flower Arranging Tips – Floral Foam
Published November 16, 2010 | Hi There,
Did you know that Floral Foam comes in different varieties? Many different varieties including Standard, Instant, Springtime, All Purpose, Extra Firm and Designer. These are fresh floral foam varieties and each variety has a different density. The Springtime is the softest and is meant for soft stemmed (Spring) flowers such as tulips and daffodils. The Standard or All Purpose is a medium density and made to accomodate most flower choices. The Extra Firm and Designer foam is the heaviest density and is meant to hold heavy branches such as Manzanita or Curly Willow. Most foam comes in blocks, called bricks and are about the same size as a brick. The Designer Floral Foam is super BIG, 6″ x 9″ x 12.75″. I use the designer foam a lot. It can be cut down to smaller sizes, but if you are using a lot of flower stems or really heavy stems, this is the only way to go. I use this floral foam whenever I am making LARGE floral pieces.
Bricks of styrofoam can also be purchased for use with silk flowers. They are usually the same size as regular floral foam bricks 3″ x 4″ x 8″ and can also be cut down if needed.
Flower Arranging Tips – Frogs
Published November 11, 2010 | 
A small frog was used to hold the cymbidium orchid in place
Hi There,
You may or may not know about flower arranging frogs. They have been around for a LONG TIME. Over the years they have changed a bit. Typically what you can buy now is a heavy round base with lots of nails sticking up. The frog goes on the bottom of your vase or container and you stick the flower stem ends into the nails. The nails hold the flowers in place, exactly where you want them to go. A very old fashioned frog, you may be able to find at garage sales, is a glass round base with holes in it. It works similar to the nail frogs, except you put each flower stem into one of the holes in the glass frog. Martha Stewart has dedicated pages in her magazine to frogs and the different varieties and how to use them. If you are using a frog, you don’t have to use floral foam. So it is a way to get your flowers to do what you want them to do without using floral foam. They work the best in a clear glass vase where you want to see the flower stems. The frogs come in different sizes and are always weighted. This is so they stay at the bottom of the vase or container.
If you are trying to put flowers in a vase under water, it is imperative that you use a frog or the flowers will float to the top of the water!
Posted in Uncategorized | 
DIY flowers, easy flower arrangement, floral frogs, floral mechanics, flower arrangements, flower arranging, flower arranging tips, flower arranging video, flower arranging videos, flowerarranging101.tv, flowers for your home, flowers in glass vases, how to flower arranging, learn flower arranging | 
Leave a commentFlower Arranging Tip – Cleaning Vases and Buckets
Published November 9, 2010 | Hi There,
I’m often asked if there is something special that needs to be done to clean vases and buckets used for floral arrangements. And, the answer is YES. I like to use Clorox Clean Up for all my vases and buckets. I also use a toilet brush (only used for my buckets) and a dish washing brush (only used for my vases) to clean my vases.
You can also make a solution yourself of a watered down bleach. Just use bleach with a little water added to it. Rinse out the buckets and vases really well and let them dry naturally or dry them out with a towel or paper towel.
Orchid Plants
Published October 28, 2010 | Hi There,
About a month ago, I showed you how to dress up store bought orchid plants. In the video I mentioned that the orchid plants last a long time…specifically, I said you can count on at least 4 weeks of bloom time. I wanted to report to you that the two orchid plants I used are still in bloom a month later. The purple dendrobium orchid plant is entirely in bloom and a few blossoms are starting to fall off. The yellow oncidium orchid plant is also still in bloom, but one entire stem has died now, meaning the flowers have dropped off the stem. There is still one stem in full bloom. I like to give these plants as gifts because they last so long! Plus, most people view orchids are “prestigous” flowers. If you are willing to baby these plants, they WILL bloom again. But, typically, these types of plants only bloom once a year. So, if that is your desire, to get them to bloom again, I would invest in an orchid food and follow the instructions that come with the orchid food. Usually, it is suggested that you feed them once a month. But, check the label of the food you buy, because it could be different.
Think Outside of the Box
Published October 25, 2010 | Hi There,
So, when you are thinking about flower arranging, there is absolutely no good reason not to think about unusual containers for holding flowers. I mean things like shoes, boxes, jewelry boxes, jars, drinking glasses of all shapes and sizes including margarita glasses, martini glasses, wine glasses and specialty shaped glasses. Just remember if choosing a container like a shoe, you’ll have to use a liner or something else to hold the floral foam and water….you wouldn’t put floral foam or water right into a shoe….did I need to say that???
Dressing Up a Party
Published October 21, 2010 | Hi There,
So you decided to throw a party? There are a few things you can do that will heighten the enjoyment of your guests at your party. I find it helps to come up with a theme. A theme can be a color scheme, a menu (like Mexican, Thai, Asian inspired) or travel inspired (think European vacation), celebration inspired (New Year’s Eve, Birthday, Anniversary), focused on an event (Academy Awards, movie premiere) or any other ideas you might come up with…there really are unlimited sources of ideas for your party.
A great dining experience isn’t only about the food…the environment can really heighten the enjoyment of what is on a plate.
Make sure to have your table set ahead of time. I’ve heard it said that people eat with their eyes first. So make it a beautiful table. I’m a florist, so of course I think every table should have a centerpiece. However, the centerpieces doesn’t have to be fresh flowers. Candles, fruits, vegetables, greenery, beautiful containers, pumpkins, gourds, shells….you get the point, all can be used to decorate a table.
When possible, the table settings should match the style of the food. Fine porcelain and heavy ceramics create very different expectations in your guests.
Ambiance is not only what you can see, but what you can smell and hear as well. Good music that reflects the theme of the party will help set the mood.
Make sure there are plenty of beverages for all your guests tastes. Again, there should be beverages that go with the food being served. So if you are doing a Mexican theme, serve Mojitos and Margaritas, not mint juleps.
It is also a great idea to serve food that can be prepared ahead of time so that you can enjoy your guests. There is nothing worse than being stuck in the kitchen cooking and serving food while everyone else is having a good time. Serve the food on nice platters at different heights. You can accomplish this by using boxes and bowls turned upside down underneath a table cloth…that is how they do it at hotels and restaurants! Garnish the platters with herbs and themed decorations as well.
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