New look, new job for the online florist

Wedding Designs
Weddings are gloriously busy and happy occasions, and one of the joys of being a florist is that you can be involved in the preparations for a wedding almost every week. The range of designs required for each wedding is wide, and this is one reason why the florist must have so many skills at her fingertips. The bride, bridesmaids, ushers, mums, relatives, church and reception — all these people and places will require flowers.
That said, weddings can be very simple affairs, and it is not unknown for the bride to pop into the florist just half an hour before the service. A pretty handtied bouquet is just right for such an occasion, and can be assembled very quickly. Generally, however, the bride and her mother, bridesmaids and groom will all arrive at the florist to discuss the choice of Ardwick flowers and designs some months before the ceremony. The florist’s role is to show the range of designs and blossoms that will be available when the wedding is to take place. Advice on individual preferences and colour choice is all part of the service.
Bridal bouquets must be carefully planned. If the flowers are to give their full value, the style of design, the materials being used, and their placement are important considerations. The flowers and foliage must be perfect and well-conditioned to withstand the rigours of the day.
When the wedding flowers arrive on the day, beautifully packaged, they will add that special touch to an occasion that would be incomplete without them. Today’s bride walks in the footsteps of maidens of olden days who carried ears of wheat in their hands and ‘corones’ of flowers in their hair.

The Versatile Iris
Like the tiny crocus, the much larger and statelier iris was long prized for merits other than its beauty. As in many flowers Adamsdown, the iris can be used for many different purposes. The Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III (1501-1447 B.C.) was intrigued by irises he saw dur­ing his conquest of Syria, and brought plants home with him, turning them over to his magicians and doctors to determine wheth­er they had any potential as a medicine or aphrodisiac. Precisely what Thutmose' experts found out we do not know, but for cen­turies Europeans consumed vast quantities of irisroot, not only as a cure-all but for masking bad breath and for keeping bed sheets smelling fresh. Infants teethed on chunks of it and grownups wore bits of it on strings around their necks, presumably to ward off ills. This latter custom became so popular that the two main centers of production, Paris and Livorno, together shipped 20 million iris root "beads" for necklaces every year. "Orrisroot"(another name for irisroot, most commonly the violet-scented root of Iris florentina) is still used today in toiletries and dentifrices.

Basing Formal Tributes
A formal tribute is the name given to a design in which the base is completely covered with flowers, foliage or mosses, and is finished with sprays or clusters. Several different terms are used to describe this covering technique, including massing, blocking, bedding and — the term we have chosen to use here — basing.
The skill of basing is to bond the flowers Central London and foliage together to give an even and uniform base while making sure that you retain the distinctive shape — a heart, cross, pillow or chaplet — of the tribute.

A beautiful flower - Artemisia (worm­wood, southernwood)
Characteristics: Artemisia is grown for its aromatic, attrac­tive foliage, not for its inconspicuous flowers that open during June and July. Worm­wood, A. absinthium, is the best known of the artemisias. It is a wonderful ornamental herb, with attractive gray-green fo­liage. Wormwood grows on stalks that are covered with fine silky hair. 'Silver King', with graceful silvery gray spikes, is one of the best can­didates for air-drying. It is a good substitute for German statice.
Cultural Information: Artemi­sias are not fussy. They prefer drier soil, but will thrive in any type soil, provided it is well drained. However, moisture is important during the growing season; additional water may be needed during periods of prolonged drought, especially during the first year. If you want more plants, make stem cuttings in spring or summer, or divide clumps in spring or fall. Space individual plants 12 to 18 inches apart when planting. Artemisia is generally pest- and disease-free.
Harvesting/Drying: The foliage of artemisia can be picked at any time during its growing season. Harvest on a dry day and hang to dry. The foliage can be used as an attractive filler for arrangements when you have flowers delivered Renfrew to someone. It also provides an in­teresting base material for wreaths and swags.

The Florists' Workbox
Glue pots are a more recent development, glue sticks being melted in a special heated into which stems can be dipped.
Spray paints are available in a wide range of colours. They can safely be used on fresh and dried flowers, and containers and bases. Surface sealers, cleaners, flame retardants and leaf shine are also available in aerosol cans.
A plastic workbox is ideal for storing and carrying all the necessary equipment. It holds everything neatly in place, and is light and easy enough for all florists Waitakere to take out on contracts.

Single and Double Sprays
This informal tribute uses materials on  natural stems, which can be wired for support and control when necessary. The materials are arranged in a variety of bases, including moss foundations and, even more frequently, plastic spray trays. Foliage such as Tsuga pine or Abies grandis is used to create a good outline, and almost any combination of flowers might be used. Suggest this type of design to the customer who wishes to send a tribute as a token of sympathy, perhaps for a neighbour or a distant relative. These are perhaps my favourite of all the funeral tributes because it gives the florist a chance to use flowers Knotty Ash that are just beautiful.