CHOOSING FRESH FLOWERS

The internet has made it possible to view and purchase flowers from all over the world.  Many know that flowers are available in most grocery stores, but don’t forget to check out your local florist.  Many florists offer single stem purchases.  Some sections offered include roses, carnations, pompoms, lilies, and Baby’s Breath.  These are offered because of the availability, longevity, and price options.  

When choosing roses, open outer petals are appropriate. We called the one or two rows of outer petal of the rose “the greenhouse petals”.  These petals protected the rose.  We would remove these petals before arranging the roses.

Carnations need to be fluffy.  Tight carnations take a longer to open.  As they process, they get fluffy and soft.  Carnations are one of the longest lasting cut blooms.

Pompoms are a member of the chrysanthemum family. These are a great “filler flower”.   They come in many varieties.  They include daisy, cushion, snowflake, Fuji, button and many others.  These last a very long time. 

Lily selections may include Asiatic, Easter, Calla, Casablanca, Madonna, and Stargazer.  Alstroemeria are members of the Lily family.  These are much smaller blooms.  Lilies need to be cleaned. To clean a lily, the pollen of the bloom needs to be removed to make the bloom last longer.  The easiest time to remove the pollen is as soon as the bloom begins to open.  If you remove the pollen early, it does not stain as much.  If you wait until the pollen turns to powder, it will be hard to remove the stains.

Baby’s Breath is a cluster of small blooms.  This is a great “filler” flower, but also is used alone to create hair wreaths.

Many of these flower choices are familiar, but look for selections that are different. Some florists pride themselves on offering the unexpected in flower selections.  Selections may include tropical, dried, cacti, or exotic.  Any one of these selections would be wonderful in an arrangement or single in a vase.