Fall Flowers: Inspired by Nature

Fall flowers take their inspiration from nature, at a time of year when summer’s humid grip is broken and winter’s gloom is still over the horizon. And that natural beauty is all around us! So why not capture that inspiration in your floral designs? This question is asked and answered in the latest Floralife article for Floriology: “Fall Care & Handling Tips.”

Here are the highlights:

Branching out: With the turning leaves in mind, we take a look at a fall flowers alternative – flowering branches.  There are special instructions for placing branches in the vase, including the use of Floralife® Express.   

Fun Fall Accessories: Fall is full of dramatic colors and shapes, so why not incorporate these into your designs? We’re talking pumpkins and gourds, apples and pomegranates, and evergreens. But keep in mind all of those cautions we give about decaying produce giving off harmful ethylene – and maybe hold off on the organic accents until closer to the sale. And, as always, ask your supplier about using EthylBloc™ to help protect your fresh cut fall flowers!

Keeping Cool: Speaking of evergreens, they last a long time in dry storage. Proper humidity and temperatures are key so… read the article, won’t you?

Defend Against Dryness: We offer further tips on preserving foliage and greens. Specifically, using an anti-transpiration or a protectant spray such as Crowning Glory® from Floralife® to help evergreens stay hydrated.

Display Location: We discuss the importance of building and placing your displays of fall flowers away from extreme heat, cold and drafts.

And, once again we stress the comprehensive list of best practices we call…

The 5 Steps of Fall Flowers Fresh

• Sanitize: You know the drill – buckets, tools, surfaces, and the cooler get scrubbed and sanitized. And remember, DCD® Cleaner beats bleach!
• Hydrate: Professional Hydrating treatments get the party started by jump-starting water uptake. Especially helpful with field-grown flowers.
• Feed & Nourish: Commercial flower food , properly dosed, is what’s on the menu. It’s the best way to lower pH in the water, keep stems flowing, and nourish flowers.
• Protect: Finishing sprays, naturally! They refresh, hydrate, protect, and make flower enjoyment last longer.
• Customer Care: More precisely, customer education! Show them where to place flowers in the home (and where NOT to). Give tips on changing flower food solution. And don’t forget those flower food sachets!  

So, no need to drive three hours into the wilderness to Look at Leaves (though, you will probably still do that!) Take your cues from fall’s bounty and design a fall flowers arrangement that truly inspires!

And, as always, please read the original article!