Thank you all for your comments! It makes it all worthwhile to know this blog is helpful. So far there has been no negative feedback at all!! The picture on the right was taken by my husband. He is a bird watcher. Among those who spend a good amount of money on optics to view birds there are two definitions. A bird watcher is one who is truly interested in birds as a  species. A bird watcher gets into the  scientific aspects. This person will watch one bird for hours if necessary to determine as many aspects of the bird as possible and take notes, draw pictures, take pictures. A birder just wants to see the bird, check it off the list and rush on to the next one. My husband comes by this naturally. He started watching birds as a small boy when his dad took him out on the ocean (his dad was Coast Guard.) He majored in wild life management. Hence the bird pics when I post a thank you to everyone.

If there are any questions about anything and you would like a response or a specific blog on a subject relating to flowers please let me know. Another blog which is full of very useful information to moms and dads about children is lifewithgoblins.com. (I think that’s how it goes.) It’s my daughter’s blog and it is excellent!

Enjoy the flowers! Pipper

Time goes by too quickly! First of all, thanks to all of you folks who are taking the time to read this blog. If there are any subjects you would like me to comment on, please let me know.

Well, here goes. (Talk about taking the bull by the horns…) (I’ve found I truly love cliches! )

I must have a death wish. After reading over my previous essays it looks like I’m swimming upstream against the current. (Yes, I’m a northwesterner.) Thing Salmon… This time is no different. Here goes…

“European designs.” Wow! This florist must be very special! People across America see this advertised by their local florist and think, “I’d love to have one of those in my home. My friends are coming over this evening.” Or “This should impress my clients!”

Well, think again. There is no such thing as a European design. (Florists across the USA are shooting arrows at me as you read!) Allow me to elucidate.

Around the world, arrangements (designs) are pretty standard – traditional, it you will. Traditional means the design is symetrically balanced. There are more flowers than greens. They can be tall or short and almost flat. It doesn’t make any difference where you are: Italy, Hawaii, France, UK…You get the idea.

But! Florists worth their salt, whose creative juices are flowing, go a step further. They will do a more contemporary design. These designs can be symetrical or asymetrical. They can be any size. What distinguishes them from the traditional is the deviation from an over all look where your eye can see everything in one blink.

Instead of seeing a mound of flowers and colors all blending together uniformly, suddenly single flowers jump out at you. You actually see a specific color, a specific texture or shape. You marvel at how an aspidistra leaf (long, flat and wide) has been rolled or curled or stripped or cut into interesting shapes. Grasses take on a life of their own. Branches with lichens or mass add new life to a design.

What’s that bright lime green thing curling through it all? Wow! Aluminum wire (comes in all colors) can be manipulated into any shape. What’s that peeking around that huge stem? A little bunny rabbit!

Uh huh. The sky’s the limit. Anything goes. But it’s not just thrown together. Each flower or object creates a balance and adds to the over all aesthetic pleasure of the observer.

The design in the above picture started out with a “pvc” type pipe already cut into inch high pieces, then glued together. The flowers were inserted into flower tubes and then placed in this foundation. A tall vase was inserted into the center which held the main, more heavy flowers. Moss was the last thing to be added all around to soften the look. This arrangement was used in the Seattle Flower and Garden Show this year.

Germany, New Zealand, Austalia, Denmark, to name just a few countries, are producing designers who are truly pushing the envelop in floral design. Some designers are using nothing but branch materials to create incredible sculptured pieces which last forever. When a specimen flower is added you gasp in appreciation. Flowers from all over the world are adding to new looks. Growers are constantly coming up with new colors, new species to add to their inventory.

Go on line and check out some of these designers. Here are a couple to get you started:Gregor Lersch, Andrew Gilfillan, Pascale Coste, just to name a VERY few!!!

First of all, and most important, call a local florist. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but if you think about it, it makes sense. A wire service takes your order and calls the local florist for you. Yes, you can actually choose an arrangement you want to send. BUT. But. These are big buts. Where to begin? First of all, and most important, the money you thought would be spent on flowers doesn’t all go to the florist. The wire service takes a percentage, up to 20%, for their services.

The next “but” is this. When a florist receives the order, if they aren’t hooked up to the wire service, they can’t see what the order is. The order is described to them. Now there are all kinds of things that can happen. The florist has to make some choices. The florist can do his or her own thing with the flowers on hand. The florist will try to come close. That’s one consideration.

Secondly, the florist has to decide whether or not to honor the client’s original price or make an arrangement with the money the service is providing. In other words. If you want to spend $100 on your order, the florist has to decide to lose $20 or make the arrangement for $80. Most florists are on an extremely tight budget as you can well imagine. So, if they are like me, they will make the arrangement for $80. Sorry. That’s life. A small business can’t afford to give away inventory! Not in this economy!

Wire services are not bad people. They definetly perform a service. You just need to be aware of where your money goes. Wire services do a lot for the floral industry. They have scholarships to help florists learn more. They provide in house seminars at local wholesalers, providing local florists with all the latest in research, design, and materials. They have other ways to help local florists, too. There are many things they do to help. So your money goes to a good cause. Just not to your friend…

So, how do you contact a local florist? Using your computer, google a florist in the area of your friend. It’s easy and it works.

When you speak to the florist, be prepared! Think about the person who will be receiving the flowers and why you are sending them. Are the flowers going to the home or someplace else? If they are sent to the home, what decore does your friend have? What are her/his color choices? Do they have alergies? These questions, answered ahead of time, will help the florist a lot!

When you speak to the florist, let the professional know these things: your conversation could begin somewhat like this. “I would like to spend about $50 on an contemporary arrangement for my friend. It’s her birthday. She’s an architect and a little off the wall. The bouquet would be truly appreciated if you can incorporate these ideas in the bouquet. She really loves purple and green“.

Look how much information you were able to give the florist immediately. Wow! Your friend should be truly blown away by this arrangement!

Boy, am I digging myself a hole. A big one. A whole lot of folks are probably gonna be very happy to give me the final push. (Maybe I should go back to writing romances!)

In the last blog I “suggested” it was okay to buy flowers at the grocery store. Now, I’m going to actually put in writing that you really don’t need flowers! 

There you go (I think I’m in free fall…) Here on the island we are surrounded by forest. It’s very easy to collect material just around your house: weeds, grasses, mosses, rotten wood, branches covered in lichens, a neat rock or two. You get the idea! The above picture is made with all kinds of things from the forest, but I had to include flowers. HAD to!!

No woods? Roadsides have all kinds of interesting things…

Just be careful you don’t do anything “illegal”!

If your home is decorated in a contemporary manner all you may need is a tall vase and an equally tall cluster of the same grass with seed heads!

If you’re a more traditional mind set incorporate a variety of things in an symetrical arrangement.

An asymetrical arrangement done in a relatively simple way gives you a more exotic look.

Think outside the box when you consider vases. Well, how about a box? Cover a jar with a favorite fabric or scarf held together at the neck with…string? more grasses? A milk carton (use a glass container inside. You don’t want bacteria growth to kill your flowers!) a pitcher. A plastic cylinder from your desk. A basket. You get the idea.

Have fun!!  Enjoy!!!

Pipper

 Hi everyone. I just found out that I’m supposed to reply when someone comments on the blog! You can only imagine the rolling eyes and pursed lips my web master and daughter threw my way when they found out I didn’t know this very standard, common courtesy.

So! THANK YOU all for commenting on this blog!!!! I love to hear from each and every one of you and sincerely hope it makes you smile and maybe give you some insight into the wonderful world of flowers. From now on I promise to REPLY!

Oh, this  picture was taken by my husband outside our house. Pretty cool, huh?

Enjoy the flowers! Pipper

My husband and I never thought our children would marry, let alone give us grandchildren. Well, wonders never cease! We have the most wonderful son-in-law, a 21/2 year old grandson and a 3 month old baby girl.

Our “Little Guy” is the joy of our life. Since he comes to visit all through the week he usually ends up “helping” me with the flowers. Anyone who has contact with children or has children in your life read on if you don’t already know the following.

At first Little Guy would pick up the “sticks” as I pruned the flowers, readying them for an arrangement. He was quite happy to merely place them in a bucket and rearrange them. Month by month he became more observant. He started using the leftover oasis, placing the pieces in a low sided container. Then he discovered how his “sticks” went easily into the oasis foam. Wow! (He actually said that.)

Now, at 2 1/2 years, he’s completing arrangements of his own, complete with colorful aluminum wires, feathers, shells, rocks, anything he can find around the shop. And, of course, flowers! He’s our budding genius – of course!! Yours can be too!!!!

Have a great day, Pipper

Red, white and blue – you immediately think of the 4th of July. Blue – boys. Pink – girls. Black – mourning. White – brides. Color brings up emotions, connect us to things in our lives, our cultures. (White is actually a sign of mourning in Japan.) Different cultures, different meanings.

Let’s reduce our focus down to flowers in the home or an event you’re planning. It’s been the trend lately to use only one color in an arrangement. Inevitably, I see only one species of flower: all pink tulips, all white calla lilies, all green hydrangeas.  Boooorrrreing. ( An exception: Ikebana.) Instead, if you really must use only one color, use a variety of flowers. The different textures, sizes and shapes raise the interest level 100%.

Don’t be afraid of color. You instinctively recognize color combinations that are unappealing. (Most people do…) In Renaissance times any and all colors were placed in the same arrangement. Just look in any museum or a book  or, heaven forbid, go on the internet!

When you put an arrangement together or order from your local florist, consider the placement of your flowers. Try this: your flowers from Valentine’s Day are reds and hot pinks. Place them against the yellow wall in your kitchen. Then try the carmel color in your bedroom. How about the muddy gray/brown in your living room? The background color makes all the difference in how you feel! (This thought leads to maybe you need to do some repainting…)

In many homes here on the island, people have followed the “paint your walls a neutral gray color” trend. Whoever started this needs to have theier head examined. I’m a northwester, I love the gray skies and rain! But to bring that dull, dark color into your home? No thanks! Whether you suffer from depression or not, you will get it or worse. Use light colors, bright colors, cheerful colors!!! Let the sun shine in.

And this leads to recent studies which show how colors affect our emotions, help reduce stress, energy levels improve, depression can all but disappear, creative juices flow. I have to admit this though. I had a client ask for an all black arrangement! I had to use floral spray to blacken all the flowers and greens – everything! Even the vase was black. The recipient laughed uproariously!