Between Mother’s Day…my Mom’s birthday AND Ryan’s birthday…we have a ton of flowers in our house right now! I have been putting together arrangements, ordering arrangements and setting up for parties for the last week!
Sometimes, I feel a bit overwhelmed and wonder if I am doing things right?! I felt that there was no person better suited to show us a thing or two in the flower department than the man behind Wildflora, my favorite floral shop in Studio City. So, owner Mike Scholtz came over to give me some tips on how to keep things fresh in the flower department…
Strip the Leaves!
Leaves under water will breed bacteria growth which lowers the vase life of the flower.
Always Cut the Stem on an Angle
Cut the stem of the flower on a 45 degree angle, it increases the surface area. Increasing the surface area of the stem makes for better water absorption.
Heavy duty shears are a good idea too. Not scissors.
Arranging
Start with the greenery! Lots of people skip the greens, and Mike says nooo! Always pick up greens or even forage for some in your own yard! You always want a nice base of greenery!
*Thrifty girls tip: Greenery is less expensive than the big blooms so you want to fill the base of your container with lots of greens, then place the larger blooms.
When arranging flowers, put bigger blooms towards the bottom, then places smaller blooms more upright and work in as you go towards the top.
Picking a container:
Consider what you will be using the arrangement for…is it for a dining table? If so, you want something low…no higher than 12 inches, so you can see each other over it….
You generally want to arrange your flowers 1- 1.5x the height of your container. Don’t go too tall and don’t cut them too short.
Floral Trends:
Like most things, there are trends with florals too! I love Wildflora’s vibe! They pull their inspiration from wildflowers…taking a cue from the wind and letting their arrangements have abstract shape and form. Most of their designs have one side flowing over the edge, while one side stands high and proud. It’s whimsical and always seems to tell a story. Gone are the days of the stiff and super tight arrangements and I couldn’t be happier about it!
Thanks Mike, for always keeping our flowers arrangements on point!
You can follow WildFlora on Instagram @WildFloraDesign here
