Easter Flowers Announce Spring

Easter is such a fun time for flowers because spring showcases such amazing flowers that are only available locally, and for just a short time. After the cold and gray tones of winter, the colorful and soft pallets of spring colors are welcome. We love using these local flowers in our Easter flower arrangements. Pussy willow, anemones, ranunculus and tulips scream “Spring is here”!

The whole spring season and Easter in particular represents renewal and new life. As the first bulbs begin to burst from the soil, so too does the hope for warmer days and garden planting. We take nature’s lead and are inspired every day with spring’s bounty.

Care Tips for Your Spring Cut Flowers

After the winter weather, the warm days and clear skies we had this weekend were a tantalizing hint that the cold will be gone for good soon – at least for the season. Sunnier skies, warmer weather and fun, outdoor activities are on our doorstep! I spot my boots on the shoe rack and long to put them away until next winter. Even though the weather hasn’t quite caught up yet (it’s getting there!) spring is here, and so are the happy colors and delightful scents of spring flowers and bulbs.

So, when you come by and pick up a bunch of these bright beauties,  what do you need to know about them to keep them cheering your home longer?

Daffodils: Daffodils arranged in a vase all by themselves make for a cheery, eye-catching design. If, however, you want to arrange a bouquet with daffodils and other flowers, keep this in mind: daffodils secret a sap when their stem is cut. This does the daffodils no harm, but it will cause other flowers in the arrangement to wilt. So here’s what we do when making mixed arrangement of daffodils and other flowers: we cut the daffodils to the height we want them and put them in a separate vase of water for about an hour to allow the sap to drain. Then – without cutting their stems again – we rinse them and add them to our arrangement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hyacinth: With their bright colors and sweet fragrance, hyacinth are very popular. When bringing hyacinth home for a cut-flower arrangement, don’t cut the woody, bottom part of the stem if you don’t have to. This helps the hyacinth draws up water, and it will last longer this way. If you’re working with hyacinth bulbs it’s a good idea to wear gloves. The bulbs are acidic and can cause skin irritation.

       

Tulips: Did you know that not only do their petals open and close depending on the temperature in a room, but tulips will continue to grow a few more inches after they’re cut? This movement in the design makes for a wild and alluring arrangement.

  

Anemones: When arranging with this beautiful, whimsical flower keep in mind that the petals will open in the light and warmth, so while anemones are pretty hardy, despite their delicate look, keeping them in a cool area in your home will help them last longer. Anemones will also continue to grow after they are cut!

 

 

 

Fun, Quick DIYCenterpiece Idea

This Easter afforded us a perfect DIY centerpiece scenario: what do you do when you need something for your table, but you’re in a hurry and are low on flower options? Dandelions owner Shirley Lyons found herself in this situation this weekend, and was kind enough to share how she resolved her problem.

You’d think that as florists, we are constantly taking  flowers home to make fabulous and lush centerpieces and arrangements for family functions. That does happen on occasion, but usually, and  more often than we’d like to admit,  even the florist forgets to take flowers home!! Shirley was half-way home before she realized she did exactly that! So between babysitting her two-year and twelve week old grand-kids (a juggling act of princess dolls and diapers), and preparing dinner for twelve, she needed to come up with something fast and uncomplicated. Thankfully, Shirley had daffodils growing in her yard, and with some of these and a few vases in colorful, spring tones and varying heights, she had a quick, fun, artsy centerpiece on her dining-room table!

Using what you have growing in your yard (be it flowers or some pretty greenery)  and your collection of vases is a cost-effective way to make a great impression, and get your creative juices flowing!

We love flowers because they’re inherently beautiful and really don’t need much embellishment to make a statement. Artfully placed vases and simply arranged flowers are an easy way to enhance any event.

Spring Floral Decorations

As Spring is a mere 30 days away, we think it is time to start embracing spring fever by decorating with bright, cheery flowers like tulips, daisies and daffodils! Here are a few fun ideas to spruce your home up for spring!

Easter spring bulbs

Easter is very late this year (April 24!) but no so late that great spring bulbs have passed. Oregon has a wonderful spring season with a variety of bulb flowers that look as beautiful on the table as they do in the ground. My favorites include: daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, lilacs

Daffodils:

These bright pops of yellow can be seen as early as February here in Eugene, OR and are a most welcome sign that spring is on its way.  Fresh-cut daffodils release a sap that is harmful to other flowers so arrange them in their own vase.  If you want to include them with other flowers allow them to soak overnight in cool, clean water so that the daffodils have a chance to release some of this substance.

Tulips:

These graceful buds are one of my favorite because they continue to grow after cut! In a single day they can grow the length of their head!! The tulip fields pictured left are almost unreal they are so beautiful.

 

Hyacinth:

For fragrance lovers, hyacinth are a dream come true. Their little bell-like blossoms emit a most wonderful smell and their big, full blossoms fill out a vase nicely.

Ranunculus:

Although every bride wants this flower in their bridal bouquet it is really a spring bloomer. At times they look like mini peonies and at other times they resemble spray roses. Since they are available until May we are using them a lot here in the store as prom rings!