Flower Fact File

Choose your container
Baskets
There is a wide variety of attractive baskets available on the market today. They are usually made from rattan and cane and are imported from around the world. Willow baskets are more substantial but look heavier. Baskets make a lovely, natural base for cottage-style arrangements. Mixed spring or summer flowers in tiny square, oblong or round baskets on the dining or side table can brighten up a room, A larger basket used in the hallway is always pretty in the right house and looks very welcoming. A mixture of fruit or vegetables and flowers adds a homely touch for family rooms and the kitchen.
Most baskets have no lining, so a container needs to be placed inside them. Alternatively, it is possible to put stems straight into one of the varieties of water-retaining florist’s foams wrapped in polythene.
Metal containers
Silver, copper, brass, pewter and bronze containers can provide the ideal shapes and colours to enhance many arrangements. Junk shops and auctions can often provide all sorts of special ‘finds’. Alternatively, ask for one to be included in your flower delivery Kenmore.
Silver is bright and shiny and can compete for attention with some flowers but looks particularly good with greys, soft mauves and pinks. It can provide a formal elegance for a single bloom such as a rose or orchid. Always clean silver after use and take care if you have to use wire for your arrangement as this could scratch the surface. Try lining the container with foil, plastic or brown paper to avoid this problem.
Flowers last well in pewter containers and there are many old jugs and mugs with good simple shapes which are practical for arrangements.
The burnished shine of copper and brass containers is ideal to enhance the colour of flowers with yellow, orange and cream hues. Old copper looks particularly attractive with autumn shades. Brass is very pretty with creams and bright greens.
Keep them clean and free from water marks. Bad stains can be removed with salt and lemon or salt and vinegar. Rub the surface hard, rinse off and dry thoroughly.

The Ancient Lily
When asked, some Alexandra florists are happy to tell the tale of the lily. One of the oldest plants known to man, the lily is mentioned in his­tory for the first time on a tablet that was inscribed in Sumeria near­ly 5,000 years ago. The tablet tells of a city in Persia that was surrounded by fields of lilies and in fact was named Susa, which means lily. Some scholars believe the lily spread from Persia in the caravans of nomads who took edible bulbs along as food for their long journeys; occasionally they would drop one, according to this theory, and it would take root and grow where it fell. In any case the lily traveled far, to Crete, Egypt, Greece, Rome and, probably in the baggage of homesick Roman soldiers, to northern Europe and England. Wherever it went, it took on an aura of sanctity. The Minoans associated it with their goddess Britomartis. The Greeks made it a symbol of their greatest goddess, Hera, and the Romans associated it with Juno, Hera's counterpart.

Basket case
These are useful for informal country-style floral designs and for arrangements that are going to be held, perhaps by a bridesmaid or a visiting dignitary. They come in rustic styles, varnished, stained, bleached or painted. Many of the rustic styles have moss, lavender or vines twined in and out of the basketry for decorative effect. Some of the newer baskets have raised floral patterns attached to them, which offer a whole new dimension to the flower arrangement. Many florists Telford will carry a sizeable stock of baskets to ensure that they always have the correct basket for any given occasion.

Cylinders or Tubes
A single rose is the classic token of love and affection, but to wrap it in shop paper would detract from its initial romantic impact. To enhance the flower, we need to add complementary packaging. Single flowers in cylinders or tubes are suitable for most occasions. They are especially popular on Valentine’s Day, when a single red rose with a piece of asparagus fern is placed in the tube and decorated with red ribbon, but they are also appropriate for Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries. Although roses are normally used in cylinders by florists Newton Heath, there is no reason why other flowers, such as spray carnations, freesias or orchids should not be given in tubes of this type.
Acetate Cylinders
Such containers come in many shapes and sizes, and are available from most florists’ wholesalers or from specialized packaging companies.

Attar of Roses
Attar of roses, a yellow-green oil distilled from rose petals and used for centuries in making perfumes, is so valuable (twice the price of gold) that Bulgaria, the major producer of the oil today, keeps hundreds of drums on deposit in foreign banks to maintain its international balance of trade. Bulgaria gets most of its attar from a central region some 60 miles long and 6 miles wide that is densely planted with roses, chiefly of the fragrant red damask type. The rose harvest begins in May and lasts for about three weeks; the cut flowers Playa Vista are loaded on carts and driven to 40 local distilleries. It takes about 4,000 pounds of roses to produce one pound of pure attar, which is packed in metal drums and sold to perfume manufacturers for up to $800 a pound.

Exhibiting Flowers
Sooner or later the time comes when every gardener wants to display some of his most prized flowers at a show. This may be an informal local affair, possibly a Dawsholm flower shop, in which case the grower can walk out into the garden, cut a spike at its best, carry it to the show in one hand, and win a blue ribbon. Or it may be more formal, sponsored by a horticultural society or other large organization. In this case it could involve- for the commercial grower- cutting hundreds of spikes, holding them in cool storage, packing and transporting them hundreds, even thousands, of miles, and presenting them in top condition to the judges. In either case, excitement runs high, competition is keen, and the winner is rewarded by a great sense of achievement.

Famous Hybrid Perpetuals
The blossoms of hybrid perpetuals are large (up to 7 inches across) ­and most are fully doubled, with as many as 100 petals. A limited color range runs from white to deep maroon but includes no yellow. As compensation, Frau Karl Druschki, a lushly growing hybrid perpetual, is considered to be one of the finest of the white roses, and it is still widely grown.
The plants are rather tall, most varieties averaging 4 to 5 feet and some reaching twice that height. The leaves and thorns display the same wide range of shapes, colors and sizes as the hybrid teas. Best known of all the hybrid perpetuals is the famous American Beauty Rose. In the good old days, when a young man could still afford a dozen red roses, it was a dozen American Beauties that he held behind his back when he had the flowers delivered Seaforth and rang the doorbell of his best girl.

Faking it

Some of the more traditional amongst you may scoff at the idea of using fake flowers, but it is a real and viable alternative in today’s world. Not everyone can afford to spend thousands of dollars on fresh flowers, or employ a florist to create unique arrangements. Fake flowers can look just as beautiful, and these days you can even spray them with a fragrance to complete the floral deception. I would wager that the majority of guests at the wedding would not even notice that the flowers were not fresh. Artificial flowers might even put your local flower delivery Llandaff North expert out of business one day!

Rose Show Preparation
About a week before the exhibition date, keep your eye on two or three buds that seem likely to open just in time for the show. Single hybrid tea blooms are supposed to be displayed one-­half to three-quarters open, and you can plan your flower cutting with this factor in mind. Cut all the good blossoms that are not more than one-third open in the early morning or late afternoon of the day before the show (you will select the best one of the lot at the show). The stems should be 18 inches long. Immediately put them in water and place in your refrigerator. The chill will prevent the flowers from opening too quickly. On the day of the show, take them out of the refrigerator, wrap them loosely in wax paper and transport them to the show in a long Midtown West florists box. (If a desirable bud begins to open too soon on the bush, say three or four days be­fore the show, you can slow the opening by cutting the flower then, wrapping the bud in a soft cloth, and storing it in water in your refrigerator until the day of the show.)