Bi4-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 12, 1987 BY LOU ANN GOOD LANCASTER Brilliant splashes of flowers punctuate the countryside during this season. Too often, an admirer who hopes to cany some of their beauty inside will cut a fistful of blooms, plop them into a vase filled with cold water and watch them wilt. Why do bought flower arrange ments last longer and Jtow do flor ists design eye-catching bouquets? Kelly Landis, an FFA graduate who concentrated on horticulture, believes that with a few guidelines and some practice, home garden ers can transform their flowers into artfully arranged centerpieces that match those florists produce. In a step by step approach, Kel ly, who lives on a farm near Lititz, shares some of her flower arrang ing secrets with “Lancaster Farm ing” readers. GATHER FLORAL EQUIPMENT To start, she suggests buying oasis and florist tape at floral supp ly departments. The oasis should be cut into a block shape which extends 'A inch above the contain er. Secure it with florist tapes crisscrossed on top of the contain er. Kelly prefers to work In an area with a plain back ground so she can judge more easily the proper heighth & width of each stem. ' 4 » ** For gasy flower arranging, place all materials needed on large work area covered with newspaper. Flower Arranging Made Easy Soak the oasis and fill container with water before arranging. If you wish, add a floral preservative to the water. These solutions contain water soluble compounds such as sugar and a mild bacteriacide. Without the preservative, bacteria will multiply in the water, clog ging stem ends and causing flow ers to wilt. Kelly prefers to use a wire cut ters rather than scissors to cut both greens and flowers. CHOOSING THE RIGHT CONTAINER Containers can add or subtract from the arrangement. For a coun try look, use baskets or wicker. For a modem look, try ceramic or light weight plastic that looks like cer amic. Kelly said, “The container deter mines the height of the arrange ment. Always have the tallest flower peak VA to 2 times above the heigth of the container.” GREENING THE ARRANGEMENT Kelly establishes the heigth and width by greening an arrangement. This is done by choosing com plimentary greens from shrubbery or flowers and placing them para llel to the container in north, south, r ' ' west and east positions. Greens should have sturdy stems. Strip off foliage that will be below the water line because submerged leaves will decay rapidly. The longest stem should be placed in a vertical position and then in spoke-like fashion fill in spaces with greens. To see if the stems are propor tioned properly, Kelly places the arrangement on the floor and looks down on it. The greens should have a balanced effect. Foliage if used too much will result in a fore st effect. To prevent holes, Kelly warned that flowers and greens should not be pulled out of the oasis. CHOOSING THE FLOWERS When choosing flowers, Kelly suggests checking the bloom to make certain it is firm on top. If soft, it has passed maturity and won’t last. Look for 2-3 varied sizes and a few buds. Some flowers have a longer cut life than others. Many of the fall flowers such as mums, daises, and marigolds last a long time. But to make the most out of their lifespan, cut flowers early m the day or in the cool of the evening. Bring a container of water to the garden and cut stems with a sharp knife, making a slanted cut. When flow ers are cut, the sap automatically places a seal over the cut edge. This hinders the flower from drinking water. For this reason, always place them in a bucket of warm water —never cold water. Wooden stems should be crushed with a hammer or sliced to open a water passage. *» * I FLOWER PLACEMENT Next, stick a flower above each greens placement. Choose small flowers for center top. Fill in with medium size flowers at second spot for greens. Never overcrowd an arrangement or have two flow ers the same length side by side. Keep the larger flowers lower in the arrangement and the smaller ones at the top or throughout to give a light touch. Each flower needs space around it. Use an uneven number of leaves and flowers. As a rule, Kelly suggests that no more than three colors should be used in an arrangement. Excep tions are victonan designs which mix all colors and shades. But these are best left to a seasoned flower arranger. Kelly suggests, “Use the nicest flowers as the focal point of the design.” The focal point is general ly near the middle of the bottom. FINISHING TOUCHES Kelly said, “For a filler, I love Baby’s Breath. I use it in every thing. It’s a wonderful filler.” She finds it versatile for using in fresh, silk* and dried flower arrangements. If the flowers do not cover die oasis, moss can be used to cover it or fill in the gaps with greenery. Ribbons, bows, birds and artifi cial mushrooms can add to the overall design. But use them spar ingly and put them at slragclic points- rather than placing them haphazardly throughout the arrangement. Don’t place your arrangement where it will be unduly exposed to heal and light, such as on a hot win dowsill or near a heat-producing appliance. Kelly had an interest in flowers and designing ever since she can remember. During high school, she worked in a craft shop where she observed a florist teach clas ses. There she learned to pick and Kelly Landis wins numerous ribbons at local farm shows for her flower arrangements. dye weeds and grasses and bleach them by garbage cans full. She encourages others to experi ment with silk and dried flowers. For ideas, Kelly suggests looking Begin the all-round arrangement by placing foliage stems horizon tally to the container. All the outline stems must be exactly the same length from the edge and placed the same distance apart. Determine the height by placing a stem in the middle. No other stems or flowers should be as tall as the middle one.* Fill In the outline with foliage before placing flowers in the arrangement. •» fj - t* fj at arrangements you admire and then immitating them. “It’s so simple,” she said. “If you follow my directions and experiment, you can duplicate professional arrangements.” Stagger the blooms In the arrangement. Never have two flowers the same height side by side. In this all-round arrangement, a bow is used for the highest point. Kelly believes this is one of the easiest arrangements for begin ners to design. 1 ■
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