We all love looking at and smelling real flowers. They literally add life to a room. Think about a time someone brought you an arrangement or a plant. Didn’t just looking at it make you feel good?
As we mentioned in our last blog (HERE), having live plants and flowers in our spaces has lots of positive effects. Increased mood, etc.
So how do you go about sourcing florals to be a vibrant part of your community?
Find a florist or service to take care of things for you
They will know which florals and plants will thrive and last longest in your environment. They can recommend certain species for specific areas of the building. Once you have that figured out, you can create a standard program with them as far as what you want addressing regularly. For example, you might want 20 small bud vases of flowers for your dining room table centerpieces each week. Work with them to narrow downsize, budget, and any things you do or do not want to see (colors, types, etc.). The best part about using a florist or service is that it can be done without leaving the building, and everyone can spend more time completing their growing to-do lists.
Don’t have a budget for a florist or service?
Make Simple Arrangements Yourself
While I completely recommend leaving larger, more complicated arrangements to professionals, you can handle simple arrangements yourself. Dollar stores or craft stores often have plenty of inexpensive vessels to choose from. From there, you can source floral from local grocery stores, farmer’s markets, or purchase overstock from a florist. Again, making friends with a florist or flower farmer is probably one of the smartest things you can do.
You can also purchase easy-to-maintain plants like potted succulents, which often do not require much watering or sunlight.
We asked our friend, Liz Egan of Floral Alchemy, to help with a quick bud vase arrangement tutorial for you:
Find vase with gathered neck or small opening in opaque ceramic or glass. Be sure opening is big enough for a straw-cleaning brush to pass through with ease.
Clean, disinfect and dry vase. Fill ¾ full with cool water.
Clean flower stems of damaged leaves, thorns, or any leaves that would fall below the waterline.
Cut three flower stems to short, medium, and long lengths so they look like steps when lined up on your work surface.
Just before adding stems to a vase, make a small diagonal cut at stem’s end to reopen stem flesh for proper hydration.
Add stems to a vase in a 3D X shape. Make sure each stem is in water. Trim, zhuzh, and adjust as needed. For a fuller design, continue adding stems following the 3D X shape.
Keep Your Floral Arrangements Fresh
Avoid placing in bright sun, near fruits, and vegetables, or under vents. This will wilt florals more quickly.
Add fresh water daily.
Store in cooler or refrigerator every night.