Poinsettias Topiaries

Christmas has come and gone but I couldn't pack up my beautiful Poinsettias Topiaries  without letting everyone see them one last time.
If I sound like I'm really proud of them, it's because I am!  I really enjoyed making these and got a ton of compliments. And they were so easy.
Maybe you saw these beautiful giant stems at Hobby Lobby. They are about three feet tall and the bloom is about 12 inches in diameter. On sale, they were affordable at $25 each. 

Here is a list of the supplies I needed in order to make my Topiaries 

      A bag of Plaster of Paris at Home Depot.

      Two lengths of PVC pipe- about 12 inches long and approx 1iinch in diameter. the nice people at                        

      Home  Depot cut it for me  

      Two 10" buckets 

      About six bricks of styrofoam at 

      Hobby Lobby

      A variety of berry picks, short poinsettia stems, Christmas ornaments   and some tall, snowy branches.

 Use what you have. I spray painted some ugly peach ornaments copper and couldn't believe how beautiful they looker

      Red Deco Mesh - also at Hobby Lobby.

      Two cheap evergreen wreaths - I found mine at Goodwill.

      Two large decorative pots - if you used 10" buckets your pots will need to be just a little bigger.

If you've never done this kind of thing before the shopping list may have you confused but trust me. 

First off, you pour the Plaster of Paris slowly into the two buckets in even amounts. Slowly, because you don't want to be engulfed  in a cloud of dust - very bad for your lungs. Then, you add water slowly, to the first bucket and stir. Don't add too much or it will be sloppy. It will set up almost immediately if you add just the right amount of water so have your length of PVC pipe ready and place it all the way down in the bucket of Plaster before it sets up hard. Make sure it's nice and straight.

Believe it or not, that's the hard part done.  About now, you could set the bucket of Plaster in the decorative pot so you can see what you're doing. Carve up some styrofoam and wedge it in tightly so when you pop the evergreen wreath on top it forms a base for all the fun berries and ornaments you're going to stick in. I filled in the centre with a length of old garland I had lying around. You'll figure it out!

Next, I made a great big bow out of the deco mesh and placed it high up under the bloom - that really super sized the poinsettia!  Drop it down into the PVC pipe and wedge it in place withe the snowy branches.

I had some berries with pine cones and evergreen and I stuck those into the pipe too. that really jazzed it up and the poinsettia stayed nice and upright 

Now all that's left is for you to dress up the bottom!  Tweak the evergreen wreath so it doesn't look like something you found at the thrift store and  stick in all those goodies that need a home. Ideally you should be sticking the stems all the way deep into the styrofoam. Otherwise a good gust of wind will blow everything away!

So, there you have a matched pair of awesome topiaries for your front door or entryway. Just look at what you made - Way to go! 

      

       

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Florists in Crisis

I decided I needed to invest in myself if I was serious about getting  educated so I took out a subscription to Florists Review, the  floral industry's trade magazine.  Every month, my lovely glossy magazine filled with great ideas, information and inspiration arrives but what is very exciting for me is their website.  That is where I discovered that I can read Past Issues of the magazine  online - very cool - and where I found a series of six articles by Kenneth Royer on the subject of Florists in Crisis.

I had always been a huge fan of Kenneth Royer when he was a columnist for Florists Review years ago. He really had his finger on the button  back then and  I knew I had found the mother lode when I found the first of six articles in the Nov 2009 issue.

He laid it all out  giving a marvelous overview of the tsunami of events that  occurred over the years resulting in the crisis that befell many floral shops starting in 2005 and the recession that followed. The changing nature of holidays like Easter, the drop off in the demand for funeral flowers, the influx of cheap flowers from South America, the loss of market share to the grocery stores, the order gatherers, the internet and not to mention their own wire services. He sums it up so poignantly when he says the flower shops were selling something that the customer didn't want - they wanted plain and simple flowers but the florists wanted to sell them big beautiful expensive arrangements.
In the final articles he offers his solutions to all who will take his advice.  It's the same advice he offered in 1989 when he published  his book Retailing Flowers Profitably. In my opinion that was not well received  because it was not glamorous. He talked about cost of goods and budgets and labor reductions. He used terms like "arrangers" versus "designers" and recommended  using recipes so as to control costs. He realized he needed to rein in creativity in order to stay in business.

I have been told that it must be like "therapy" working in a flower shop or like working in "God's Garden"  Yes, I love what I do and I'm so sad to see all the talented florists who have lost everything .
Kenneth Royers book and another by Peter Pfahl should be required reading for any creative person thinking of getting in to the floral business.
Like no other, it is not for the faint hearted. It's time to reinvent ourselves and to get back in the saddle.

Back to School after 40 Years

Blame it on my Catholic sense of humility or that pride was frowned on by the Catholic nuns, but I have never been one to take photos of my work. My work ethic would never allow me to whip out my camera and start taking photos of my gorgeous arrangements.  There was never time nor did it seem appropriate in the rush and panic to get everything out the door.
The 40 years of weddings, flower festivals, shows and floral events that I have been involved in and I still don't have a picture - much less a portfolio of my work.
Does it bother me?  No, too late for regrets but in hindsight I would do it differently and that is what I would like to share with my readers - may I call you friends- today
It's September and if you're like me you have sons, daughters or grandchildren going back to school and college. We lecture our kids on the importance of getting an education but let me ask you this. Have you given any thought to your continuing education as a floral professional?
Whether it's learning a new technique, attending a workshop or taking out a subscription to Florists Review or a similar trade magazine, you must invest time and money in yourself if you want to be successful.
Oh dear, now you're getting all upset  because you've heard all this before and you know what I'm saying is true.  But who has time to be running off to shows and seminars?  And yes, you know all about the importance of having an internet presence and social media. But you can't afford it and sometimes you feel like the Mad Hatter running around trying to do it all yourself.
I just want to remind you to take the time to prioritize and to put yourself and your professional image up at the top of your list.
 After 40 years I have taken the first step towards being certified as a CPF - a Certified Professional Florist and  Membership in  F.A.R - the Floral Association of the Rockies.
A light has gone on in my head. Education is important and being measured by a group of your peers and held to a standard is more important. Have to say it - credentials matter.
So, just do it

Ireland for Garden Lovers

I was born and raised in Ireland and moved to Colorado after meeting my husband in England.  At the time I was sitting at Reading Railway Station, waiting for the train and  who should sit down beside me only Himself,
Fast forward 30 years and here I am, transplanted from sea level and the misty moist climate of Ireland to The Mile High City of Denver. Typical rainfall here is about 15 inches annually and we get about 250 sunny days.  And of course it's hot now.
 I love it.  Except for right now when I'm homesick for lush and lovely Ireland .  A little retail therapy always helps and for me that can only mean a visit to eBay and Books.
Now, I am very happy and eagerly planning my next trip to Ireland thanks to this little gem that I found and want to share with all you lovers of things beautiful and lovely.  It is Georgina Campbell's Ireland for Garden Lovers
Not another coffee table book of pretty pictures, this is a compact, sturdy paperback designed to be tossed in the glove compartment or tucked into your shoulder bag. Of course it has lots of gorgeous pictures but it is a workhorse of a travel guide, packed with great information, phone numbers, contacts, sites, directions and whether a garden is wheelchair accessible or suitable for children. Also, opening times since many gardens close up between September and April.
This contains everything any garden lover needs to plan  her own "Gentle Journey through Ireland's most beautiful gardens with delightful places to stay along the way"
Is that something that you would like to do? If so, contact me.

Irish Gardens

What can I say!  I'm just returning from my yearly visit to Ireland and I have to tell you- flowers were just everywhere !  Hedges of multicolored hydrangeas, fuchsias growing wild in gardens that were abandoned years ago and geraniums  so blindingly, vibrantly red and prolific . They were  in window boxes  and  hanging baskets,  even planted up in an old horse trough  that wasn't needed  anymore.
Rose bushes, sparkling with rain bore some of the most fragrant and enormous blooms  I've ever seen They are prone to black spot and powdery mildew in the damp climate of Ireland but these diehard gardeners are not to be deterred
Petunias, the likes of which I've never seen, resembled enormous flower balls in baskets suspended over the ancient bridges and streets.
Montbretias in the ditches lined the narrow one lane roads. Considered a weed by most Irish gardeners it defies all attempts to suppress it, coming back year after year brighter and stronger. Queen Anne's lace which is commonly called Cow Parsley is another example of one persons weed being another persons prized flower.
 I loved that people without gardens still had flowers !  And while some people call it "yard work", these hardy souls were gardening in the purest sense of the word