Floral bouquets are on the mind for many with Valentine’s Day fast approaching. But instead of the classic dozen red roses or pink carnations, we’re thinking all the way to summer. We’re dreaming of buckets of sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, celosia, asters, and so many more—flowers that shout summer!
We’re looking forward to seeing all the beautiful bouquets you, our amazing customers, create utilizing our u-pick flower fields. We’ve added a new section to the u-pick fields this year and are filling it with sunflowers—make those bouquets beautiful and bright! We’re also cultivating a flower field for our crew to pick from and create stunning grab-and-go bouquets available at the farmstand on a regular basis, once the flowers begin to bloom of course.
However, those blooms are still several months away. While we daydream about strolling through our u-pick fields, we’ll also share some of our favorite tips and tricks for creating stunning bouquets and making them last as long as possible.
Maybe you’re going to a florist this Valentine’s Day and creating your own bouquet. If you are, consider these three things:
1. Structure and texture. Ground your bouquet by adding greens as a base. In our u-pick fields we love to use peony foliage and sometimes even herbs such as flat-leaf parsley, mint, and shiso. Then add something textural—it could be something airy like dill flowers or ornamental grasses, or maybe something dried like scabiosa starflower or nigella pods.
2. Make the color pop. Now that you have your basic elements, greenery and texture, it’s time to add the color. Generally pick no more than three different colors as you don’t want your eye to get overwhelmed when taking in the arrangement. You want everything to work in harmony and the flowers to be the star of the show.
3. Arrangement. The flowers are home, now what? First you want to choose a vase proportional to the bouquet. Then start with your greenery to establish structure, adding in your textural elements next, and finally finishing off with your colorful flowers. Inserting the flowers at an angle will give the finished product a more natural final design.
If you designed a bouquet yourself or picked one up already made, you certainly want it to last as long as possible. Here are some things we do to increase our flowers’ vase life.
- When you get your bouquet home re-cut the stems before arranging in a vase. We recommend cutting them at a 45° angle. This allows for maximum surface area to take up water. It also allows stems resting at the bottom of the vase to still take up water.
- Keep flowers away from heat, bright light, and ripening fruits and vegetables. Flowers may wilt faster if exposed to ethylene gas, which is given off by ripening fruit and vegetables as well as decaying plant matter.
- Last, but not least, remember to change the water in your vase at least every other day!
We hope you enjoy some gorgeous flowers this Valentine’s Day—whether you receive them as a gift or simply treat yourself.
If you’re still searching for something perfect for the flower connoisseur or garden enthusiast in your life our bedding plant pre-orders are still going on. Head to our shop, and give the gift of flowers all summer long and endless bouquets!
Happy Gardening!
The Rosaly’s Crew