If you’re Fox 43 Morning News and you want to talk about Thanksgiving flower and gift trends, you know that Barry Spengler is happy to oblige.
Barry, Royer’s vice president of operations and a regular guest on Fox 43, shared ideas for centerpieces, giftware and hostess gifts with Heather Warner. You can view the segment by clicking here.
Photos from Barry’s appearance:
A little while back, a customer purchased cut hydrangeas from one of our stores. A brunch was being held in honor of her mother-in-law, and the customer was making hydrangea centerpieces for the occasion.
We placed a special order for the South America-grown flowers, so we knew they were as fresh as could be. Yet the customer was back in our store within 24 hours, her hydrangeas having wilted.
We replaced them so that her needs were met, but in the meantime we recut the original flowers and put them in water with cut-flower food. Within hours, they looked gorgeous again.
The moral to this story? If you’re going to work with cut hydrangeas – lots and lots of consumers are these days, and with good reasons – then don’t skimp on flower food.
Garden feel
Hydrangea flowers have big heads – a single one can be 4 to 8 inches wide – and make a bold statement with great ease. Just plop them in any kind of water-holding container (canning jars are popular) and they look terrific, bringing a garden feel indoors.
Clearly, hydrangeas are popular these days: You’ll find lots of evidence on Pinterest, the online bulletin board. In fact, we incorporated them into a number of our arrangements and deliver loose hydrangeas to our stores a couple of times each week.
Once you get the flowers home, make certain that they have plenty of water that has been mixed with flower food. You can purchase packets of food from your local florist; mix one packet per quart of water.
Hydrangeas represent a great value because you don’t need many of them to make a big impression and, with proper care, they last a long time.
Many of us decorate porches and patios with hardy mums in the fall. But a little bit of loving and some attention to the calendar can help you get the most out of your mums and even keep them blooming in a garden for years to come.
If you planted mums in the ground back in the fall, then the summer months are important in their growth cycle.
Pinching: By July 15, you should pinch the top growth back 1 to 2 inches. This will ensure that your mums bloom in the fall rather than during the summer.
Feeding: From spring through July, nourish your mums twice a month with an all-purpose garden fertilizer mixed in water. Stop feeding in August.
Controlling pests: Aphids are the most common pests that afflict garden mums. These are small soft-bodied insects about the size of a pinhead. They range in color from green to yellow to black. They make their livings by sucking the sap out of tender new growth. To control them, spray an all-purpose insecticide or insecticidal soap on the plants once a week for a couple of weeks. Take care not to spray plants in direct sun or when the temperature is above 90 degrees.
Now, if you are thinking about planting your potted mum for the first time, here are some steps to take:
• Be sure to water your potted mums daily as warm days will make them thirsty. At the same time, too much water can damage the roots; provide drainage in decorative pots or baskets.
• It’s best to plant the mums in October so their roots have time to grow before cold weather sets in.
• Once the mums are planted, water them thoroughly a couple of times each week through mid-November. This will encourage the roots to grow deeply. The deeper the roots, the stronger the plants will be.
• In late spring, cut the plants down 6 to 8 inches above the ground. This will give you bushy, compact plants with lots of flowers. As spring gives way to summer, follow the instructions above relative to feeding and pinching.
Valentine’s season can last well beyond Feb. 14. In fact, by following some simple steps, your roses should provide you with a week or more of enjoyment.
All Royer’s arrangements arrive in vases that contain a mixture of water and flower food (FloraLife, in our case). You just need to make sure that there is enough water over time as roses are surprisingly thirsty.
Other tips for getting the most out of your roses:
For roses that arrive in a vase:
• If your roses don’t begin to open within a few days, remove them from the vase, re-cut their stems and return them to the vase. Although not necessary, cut the stems under water if possible.
• Keep the flowers cool: the cooler they are, the less water they will lose through their stems and petals.
• Add water in a sink so that any spillage will not damage a table or other furniture that the roses are sitting on.
For roses that arrive in a box or loose:
• Put water in the vase and add the packet of flower food that came with your delivery.
• Cut approximately one inch off the bottom of the rose to create a fresh pathway for water to work its way up the stem.
• Remove any foliage or thorns that may get stuck when the stems are placed in the vase.
• If you add any greens, make sure that any foliage is above the water. Foliage under water promotes unwanted bacterial growth.
By following those steps, you’re ready for the final, most important step of all: enjoy your roses!
Yahoo!’s “Savvy Spender” set out to review four of the top floral delivery sites: 1800Flowers.com, ProFlowers.com, Teleflora and FTD.
But at the end of the day — or approximately 2:40 of this video clip — it was a local florist that outshone the big online retailers.
“To see how a local florist compares to the online experience, we ordered a dozen roses from our neighborhood florist,” said Savvy Spender host Vera Gibbons. “It was by far the most impressive arrangement with the longest stems, the most vibrant roses, and beautiful accents.
“Remember, roses travel all the way from South America, and it takes a professional florist to rehydrate them properly.”
Whether you’d like to learn about making flowers last longer or you’d like a guidance on ordering sympathy flowers, the links below are sure to help. Contact Royer’s Flowers and Gifts at (717) 769-1413 to place your floral order today.
• Check out this article from the University of Minnesota to learn about using floral preservatives to prolong the life of your flowers.
• Read this article from Florists’ Review to learn about the life expectancy of cut roses.
• Check out this page from AskMen.com for some helpful first date tips.
• Take a look at this website to learn about traditional customs when choosing funeral flowers.
• Are you not sure which funeral flowers are appropriate? Visit this page for some helpful advice.
Fresh flowers such as tulips, roses, lilies, and daisies are a beautiful way to add brightness and cheer to any day. However, unfortunately, these cut flowers won’t last forever. Luckily, floral preservatives can help flowers to last longer than they otherwise would, so that you can get the most enjoyment out of your fresh arrangements.
• What Are Floral Preservatives?
Floral preservatives are a careful mixture of substances that cut flowers need to survive after having been removed from their main plants. Floral preservatives usually come in either a liquid or dissolvable powder form.
• How Do Floral Preservatives Work?
When a flower stem is cut from its mother plant, all access to water and food is severed. Placing the flower in water and providing the appropriate amount and type of light can help the flower to survive for a time, but without a source of food, this time is generally very short.
Flower preservatives are basically an artificial source of food for the flower. When added to the water, flowers are able to remain healthy and beautiful for a period of time. With proper care and an ideal environment, flowers given floral preservative can often survive for one to two weeks in their cut and arranged form, depending on the variety.
• Where Can I Find Floral Preservatives?
Most florists send their fresh flowers out in a floral preservative water mixture. However, when you add or change the water, the preservative is diluted or lost. Ask your florist about single packets of floral preservatives to use after you have changed your flowers’ water.
At Royer’s Flowers and Gifts, we offer fresh flowers for all occasions. Visit our website or give us a call at (717) 769-1413 to place an order or to learn more about getting the most out of your fresh flowers.
Knowing how to care for your roses, tulips, and other fresh-cut flowers will help you to get the most enjoyment out of them for the longest amount of time possible.
In this video, you’ll learn a few flower care tips, such as changing the water daily and re-cutting your stems at an angle. Watch the clip for more information.
And if you’d like to order fresh flowers, whether it’s holiday flowers or wedding flowers, then contact us at Royer’s Flowers and Gifts. Give us a call at (717) 769-1413 and ask us about our gift baskets and other gift ideas, too.
Fresh cut flowers are a wonderful way to brighten up a room and enjoy the beauty of nature indoors. Just as with flowers that grow outdoors, though, fresh cut flowers do have a limited lifespan. With the right kind of care, however, you can enjoy your fresh flowers for longer than you might think—sometimes a week or more. Just follow these four tips:
Finally, if you must remove your flowers from water for any reason, be sure to cut the stem at an angle, about half an inch to an inch above the bottom of the stem, immediately before returning them to water. This will remove any air bubbles that may prevent the flower from taking up water.
At Royer’s Flowers and Gifts, we want you to be totally satisfied with your fresh flowers. Give us a call at (717) 769-1413 to place your order or to learn more helpful advice about caring for your flowers. We also offer unique gift ideas and gift baskets, so contact us today.
If you’d like even more information on the benefits of houseplants or plant care, take a look at the following resources. Call Royer’s Flowers and Gifts at (717) 769-1413 for your fresh flower needs. We do same day delivery and can help with your long distance delivery needs as well.