To Share Our Passion and Commitment for the Education and Designing of Fresh Flowers.
 There are many different roles for a taped wire in a floral setting. Wire aids flower blooms in many different functions! Strong wire adds strength to a floral stem. Thin wire can totally recreate a bloom. Floral wrap tape is essential for fresh flowers. (The light green tape in this picture.) This tape is a thin crepe paper lightly encased in wax. To start this tape, hold the end between the index finger and thumb. Pull the tape over the are you are securing. As the tape passes through the finger the friction created activates the wax to secure it to itself.  The gauge I use most often is #22. This gauge is flexible. It can used in many situations. It can support the stems, create shapes for designs, and it is great to hold together a bow! The thinnest gauge I use is #26. This gauge is used to wire flowers for corsages, boutonnieres and wedding bouquets. The thinness of the wire allows control to hold together the petals, but it takes skill and practice not to cut the petals. To start covering a wire with this tape, hold the end between the index finger and thumb. Pull the tape over the wire being secured. As the tape passes through the fingers, the friction created activates the wax on the tape and secures it to itself. Pull the tape down the wire to fully cover the wire. Finish taping the wire by breaking the tape at the end of the wire. Occasionally, it is necessary to pull the raped wire through the fingers to smooth the floral wrap tape. It is important to realize that thin gauges of wire can cut your fingers like a razor if you pull it through your fingers to fast.
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 A Bow can complete a design! I make bows by pinching and twisting the ribbon in the direction desired. I secure the bow with a piece of wire wrapped with floral tape. I then place the bow to the arrangement, in a corsage, or wherever it is needed.  The ribbon I use is either a florist grade satin or FloraSatin, which is a plastic. The florist satin ribbon has a front and back. The front of the ribbon is shiny, the back is grainy. FloraSatin is shiny on both sides. The size of the ribbon usually used in Florists is #9,#3, and #40. #9 is about 1½” wide, #3 is about ¾” wide. And # 40 About 2” wide. #9 is usually used on tall vases, #3 on budvases, and #40 for large bows used in Funeral work. Begin making the bow by making a tail about 8” long. Cut the bottom of the ribbon at an angle. The length of the tail depends on the height of the vase the bow will highlight. Pinch the ribbon, then twist the ribbon to create a loop over your thumb. This loop should be about 3 inches tall. Pinch the ribbon, then twist the ribbon to place the next loop at the top of the center loop. Pinch and twist the ribbon so the shiny side goes to the bottom of the center loop. These three loops should be the same size to make a fuller bow. Pinch the ribbon and twist it so it goes to the top and left, a little bit taller than the previous loop. Pinch the ribbon and twist it so that it goes to the bottom and opposite side of the center loop. Pinch and twist the next loop to go top and opposite the last loop. Pinch and twist next to go bottom and opposite. Pinch and twist the next loop to the center of the two top loops a little taller. Pinch and twist the next loop to the center of the bottom loop, the same as the previous loop. Pinch and twist the next loop to the bottom of the bow, then pinch and twist the next loop to the opposite side of the bottom of bow. Pinch and twist the ribbon to form the last tail of the bow. Cut the ribbon tail, at an angle, about 2” longer than the other tail. This forms the streamers of the bow. Complete the bow by taking the wrapped wire through the loops by running the wire over your thumb toward the top of your hand. Push the wire around the center of the pinched ribbons toward between your middle and ring finger, and down the bow. Turn the bow upside down, remove your hand, and secure the wire by tightly twisting close to the ribbon. Adjust the wire downward to make the bow front facing. Holding the bow by the wire, near the ribbon, you can adjust the loops to fluff out your bow. Bows are added to a design depending on the need. A bow in a corsage is worked into the flowers securing the bow by way of taping the wires. The bow can be attached to a wood pick and placed in the front of the arrangement at the top of the vase. A large bow is also secured to a wood pick before adding to the design.  Create a “Flower Cooler” to help condition fresh cut blooms!! We had a lot of customers that commented on the longtime freshness of the blooms in our arrangements. In my opinion, this was because of the steps we took to condition the flowers. We took these steps days before the flowers were used. Make your fresh cut blooms last longer by following the steps used by florists.
Let’s look at those steps: Select fresh blooms. Cut flower stems underwater. Place cut stems in warm water. Allow flowers to drink overnight. Place in cooler for 24 hours. Fill container with water and arrange flowers. Keep water in container clean by changing water frequently. Look for flowers that have bright green leaves, blooms, and some blooms that are still in the bud stage. Centers of the blooms should be firm. Outer petals should have very few blemishes. Cut the stems of the flowers underwater, in warm water conditioned with floral preservative. Place the cut flowers in a clean, filled with warm water and floral preservative. Allow the flowers to drink in a warm area at least overnight. In flower shops, after the flowers have drank overnight, the containers are placed in a cooler for about 24 hours. Temperature is about 37 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. I simulate a cooler by placing the vessels of flowers in open ice chests filled with ice. Place the ice chest of flowers in a space that is dark and well ventilated. Allow the flowers to remain in the cooling area about 24 hours. Add more ice if needed to keep the water cool. The water temperature should be the cool beer temperature! When arranging the flowers for a floral design, fill the vase with fresh, warm that has floral presentative added. These steps should also benefit flowers out of the garden! |
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