Beth Shalom Garden Club Newsletter February 2009 Volume 9-5 Letter from the President Don't despair all the snow and ice; our fabulous February Luncheon is almost here. It's always an event that s not to be missed! The sun is always shining inside. We have a fun morning of flower arranging led by our own Sue Kaplan. She always comes up with a unique design we can all do and take home after the meeting. The luncheon is at noon. This year our theme is Diversity, and there should be quite a variety of goodies. Please refer to the invitation for details and get those checks in. Another exciting event we are planning is Needham s "Art In Bloom". All the details for this are in the January 19th e-mail each of you received. Volunteer for whatever you can. This is a new program for the Club as well as the High School artists. The dates are March 27, 28 and 29, with a reception at the Needham Library Saturday the 28th in the Community Room. Please help. Only your participation will make this a success. Also, save the date, March 10 for the Tri-Club meeting at Simon Hall. "French Floral Design" by Yvette Viard of Charlotte Design Floral Boutique In Walpole Marlene Cohen, President NEEDHAM ART IN BLOOM If you haven t yet signed up to do a floral arrangement or work on a committee, please contact Sue Kaplan at 781-444-6085 or email her at suekflowers@yahoo.com.
TRI-CLUB PROGRAM FRENCH FLORAL DESIGN BY YVETTE VIARD CHARLOTTE DESIGN FLOWER BOUTIQUE WALPOLE, MA Tuesday, March 10, 2009 Temple Beth Shalom/Simon Hall 670 Highland Ave Needham, MA GUESTS ARE WELCOME & ENCOURAGED! $5.00 GUEST FEE Raffles and Refreshments All floral designs will be raffled at the end of the program.
CONDITIONING FLOWERS: Words of Wisdom from Sue Kaplan Have you ever asked Sue a question and not gotten an answer? She is incredibly gracious and willing to share whatever knowledge she has gained over the years, even when she is pressed for time. I picked her brain for nearly an hour about how to condition various flowers. It seemed an appropriate topic to address, since Needham s Art in Bloom is coming up soon (March 27-29). The following are notes from our conversation. Donna Lane General Rules for Conditioning Flowers 1. Make sure your containers are disinfected with a bleach solution after each use. Bacteria are the enemy of flowers. 2. Always select flowers with healthy leaves; make sure none are yellow. 3. Select flowers that have just begun to open. If they are too tightly budded, they likely will not open. 4. Attend to the flowers as quickly as possible as soon as you get back from the market or as soon as you ve brought them in from your garden. 5. Cut 1 to 2 inches off of the stem. Microorganisms grow in the bottom 1 to 2 inches as they sit in water. 6. Cut the stems of each flower at a sharp angle. This allows more water absorption and keeps the stem from getting blocked with air. 7. It is not necessary to cut flowers under water. 8. Make sure none of the leaves are under water. Submerged leaves rot easily. 9. Trim flower stems to suit the size of your arrangement when conditioning. The shorter the stem, the longer the flower will last. 10. Add a drop of bleach and floral preservative to the water before immersing stems. If you don t have floral preservative, use a teaspoon of granulated sugar. 11. Remember, the less handling of your flowers the better. 12. Condition your flowers for at least 24 hours before arranging. Proper conditioning means keeping your flowers in water for a long enough period of time for them to hydrate. 13. Avoid drafts. 14. Never put flowers in the refrigerator with fruits or vegetables; they emit ethylene gas which blackens flowers. 15. Always make a fresh cut before you put a flower in an arrangement. 16. Don t let greens sit in deep water. One to two inches is sufficient. 17. Do not put shrubby materials in zinc buckets. 18. If a flower wilts, make a fresh cut under water, then place the stems in hot water. 19. Tropical flowers (Birds, Orchids, Anthyriums, etc.) don t like the cold. They are happiest at 50-55 degrees. Most other flowers can withstand temperatures as low as 38 degrees.
Conditioning Specific Flowers 1. ALLIUM & ONION FAMILY Make sure to put a drop of bleach in the bucket to prevent rotting. 2. AMARYLLIS put a dowel up the hollow stem to keep it straight, since they tend to bend. Immerse stem in cold water. 3. ANTHYRIUMS, BIRDS OF PARADISE & OTHER TROPICALS Submerge flowers before conditioning. They take up water though their flowers. Let them stand in deep water. 4. ASTILBE Cut stems, place in water and cover the heads with a dark bag so heads don t collapse. 5. CALLA LILY Do not place in deep water when conditioning. Use no more than one to two inches of water. 6. CARNATIONS Select blooms when they are just starting to show color. At an earlier stage, they won t open because the buds are held in place by the calyx. 7. CELOSIA Place in hot water 8. DAHLIAS Remove all foliage, cut and submerge stems in deep water. Hot water is recommended, but many dahlia arrangers say room temperature water is fine. 9. GERBER DAISIES These flowers need support. Keep them straight by wrapping them in paper before placing them in water. If they are drooping, give them the hot water treatment. 10. HOLLYHOCK Place stems in deep water. 11. HYDRANGEA Remove the leaves. Submerge the flowers in room temperature water for a few minutes. Make a fresh cut and make a horizontal slit up the stem. Hydrangeas need moisture to look their best. Mist the flowers frequently. Water is absorbed through both the petals and the stems. Green hydrangeas seem to hold up the longest. 12. IRIS Select flowers that are just beginning to open. Too tightly budded heads will probably not open. 13. KALE Place in deep water with a drop of bleach. Keep separate from flowers. 14. LILACS AND WOODY PLANT MATERIAL do not smash stems. Make a fresh cut, and then make a vertical slit up the stem. You may also scrape off some of the external woody bark. Make sure to remove all leaves from lilacs to allow maximum absorption to the flower head. 15. LILIES (ASIATIC & ORIENTAL) To avoid staining furniture or clothing, remove the pistils that carry the pollen. If pollen gets on clothing or furniture, use a pipe cleaner or double-stick tape. Do not rub. 16. NARCISSUS/DAFFODIL Make sure to condition them in a separate container. They produce a slime that creates bacteria. Clean your knife or scissors after each cut. 17. ORCHIDS These are sold in water tubes. Put them in fresh water, and then put them in clean tubes or in a shallow bucket. 18. PEONIES Cut, scrape the bottom of the stems and let stand in deep water. 19. POPPIES These stems need to be sealed. Place the flower in a deep container with 2 inches of very hot (but not quite boiling) water. Leave them for 5 minutes then place them in cold water. Don t cut the stems. This process seals them.
20. PROTEA Do NOT store in a dark place. Darkness makes them turn black. Place protea in hot water for three hours, and then place them in warm water. 21. QUEEN ANNE S LACE Place in hot water. 22. ROSES If petals are bad, take them off. Otherwise, don t take off the guard petal until arranging. Strip most leaves and remove all thorns. Try not to damage the outer sheaf of the stem. If the rose head droops, place the rose head and stem in a tub of warm water to rehydrate. Note that this does not always work. 23. SNAPDRAGONS These flowers tend to curl toward the light. One book says to put a drop of antifreeze in the water to keep them straight. [If anyone does this, let us know how it works.] 24. STOCK Needs space in the bucket. Do not jam them together 25. TULIPS (and other bulb flowers) wrap with paper to keep them upright for a couple of hours. Place in cold water. Remember that tulips continue to grow in an arrangement. If tulips have been out of water for a long time, prick the stem with a needle under the tulip s head to release trapped air. (The same process can be used for dahlias.) 26. HOLLOW STEMMMED FLOWERS such as amaryllis, lupine and delphiniums. Hold flowers upside down and then fill the hollow stems with cold water. Stuff cotton in the water-filled stems to keep the water in. MEETING REPORT ON THE MECHANICS OF ARRANGING; OR MECHANICS 101 with Helga Frazzette Gail Bor Under the heading of "better late than never," here is a synopsis of a wonderful joint program with Temple Shalom of Newton that took place in December of 2008. Helga Frazzette, a long-time member of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts (GCFM), and owner of Country House Floral (www.countryhousefloral.com), brought her bottomless bag of tricks of floral design mechanics to demonstrate and educate. Who knew there were so many types of oasis? Helga explained the different types from Oasis designer blocks, instant Oasis and Aquafoam, a different brand with the same properties as Instant Oasis. (She doesn't recommend the last two because they fall apart easily). She showed us the best ways to secure oasis into containers for shows, large arrangements or those that need to be transported. There are also many special forms of Oasis such as heart shaped, extra long bricks, and candlestick holders. Oasis also makes colored oasis to use in clear glass containers so the Oasis becomes part of the design. Another way to support stems is with pin holders. These come in a variety of shapes and sizes and some are contained in a cup (square or round) that can hold a water supply for use in containers that are not watertight. She demonstrated a pin holder that you can screw into a large branch or other material for more support. Helga showed many different containers from those used in miniature arrangements to those large enough for floor arrangements. Containers were
glass, ceramic, metal and a very interesting flexible container that can be used as an insert into antique, metal or any unsealed container so you can use water or Oasis without worrying about leakage. This container folds flat and can even be used as a travel container that you can easily pack in a suitcase, so you can put fresh flowers in your hotel room! The newest item she showed us was gel beads or cubes that swell with the addition of water. They look really great in a glass container and become a support for stems. These come in a variety of colors including clear, and they last a very long time. You can even save them between arrangements and use them again. Other mechanics that can be used decoratively or as camouflage are soft aluminum wire in a variety of colors, binding wire in green and brown that blends in with foliage, and bark covered wire. A lot of information, a nice turnout from both clubs, and delicious refreshments! All in all, a great evening! For comments, corrections, submission of articles for consideration and suggestions for this Newsletter, please contact Newsletter Editor, Donna Lane at donnamlane@verizon.net or call 781-769-3854.