Create a Scented Mother's Day Flower Arrangement with Lilies

Moms Do Better Than Sweethearts on Mother's Day
When it comes to flowers, more Americans give flowers on Mother's day than they do to sweethearts on Valentine's Day according to a 2004 Consumer Tracking Study by the American Floral Endowment. According to the American Society of Florists, flowers are the number one gift choice when remembering to take care of Mom on Mother's day .

How About Something Different?
But if you're looking for something a little different than a mixed bouquet, a floral arrangement stuffed with carnations or a bouquet of roses, why not try creating your own unique flower arrangement following a suggestion from Talmage McLaurin, vice president/creative of Florist's Review, America's most influential independent floral trade and design publication.

Scented Flowers
If your Mom loves scented flowers then single stems of oriental lilies can be easily found at your local florist or supermarket. Perhaps the most sophisticated approach, said McLaurin, is to place dramatic architectural flowers in a simple vase, then adding a subtle unexpected touch. Lilies are one of the most versatile of architectural flowers which is why the superstars of lilydom, Oriental lilies - with their large flowers, heady scent and luscious colors - star in so many Mother's Day and wedding floral designs.

Try an Arrangement of Oriental Lilies
For Mother's Day, McLaurin suggests a fun design: ake three Oriental lily stems and three sturdy broad blade-shaped leaves, use Ti leaves or any thick elongated leaves. Roll the stem of each lily in one of the leaves, stapling the leaf into a tall vertical cone shape . Be careful not to staple through the lily stem. Place the lilies into a tall narrow clear vase or large glass, with the lower stems submerged in water and the flower heads emerging only slightly above the vase top.

What Colors Are Available?
The blooms of oriental lilies can be found in elegant white and pale soft pink. Look for the dramatic dark pink stargazer lily with its abundant fragrance and bold color. Even without the ornate leaf wrappings, this simple but elegant arrangement of lilies is sure to be a welcome Mother's Day gift.

Words of Caution
As the blooms open up, there will be delicate looking dark yellow stamens with powdery pollen. It is alright to gently remove these to prevent them from staining furniture, floors and anyone's face when bending down to breathe in their intoxicating fragrance. Lilies are highly toxic to cats and not recommended if your Mom has flower loving, plant chewing cats.

By Adrienne Jenkins

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How to Make a Dried Flower Potpourri from Valentine's Day Bouquets

Potpourri is a multi-million dollar industry that helps people make their homes more beautiful and beautifully scented. But a lot of people don't even think about making their own potpourri at home. With Valentine's Day coming up, you may be looking for a craft where you can use the flowers you receive. Making your own potpourri is an excellent use of those flower petals. These tips and ingredient suggestions can help you make your own potpourri out of dried Valentine's Day bouquets.

To begin, you will need to display your flowers differently. The point to displaying flowers is to keep them fresh and beautiful for as long as possible. The point of making potpourri is to dry them out as quickly as possible. So this craft is something that you will probably have to decide beforehand. If you have displayed your flowers and there is no way to use them for potpourri, or if you have not received enough to make your potpourri, you can still use the directions below to make a nice potpourri for your home or apartment. Just omit the first step.

To dry your flowers, there are several methods you can use. First, place them in a food dehydrator. This warm dry air will suck the moisture out, and dry them very nicely. The downside is that you have almost no time to display them. You can place them a shoebox with silica gel, but this also means that you will not be able to display them. You can try a mixture of these drying methods by displaying them for a few days and then drying them. This will give you a few days to enjoy their beauty, and you should be able to still dry them without much difficulty. You can hang them upside down, staggering their length so that each one can get some air. This lets you display the flowers, although they are displayed very oddly. Probably the best solution that maximizes your time that you can enjoy them and also allows you to dry them sufficiently is to fill a vase with silica gel. Then, place the stems in the silica, as if it was filled with water. The silica will help dry them somewhat, as will the lack of water. When they start to wilt, move them to a shoebox. Trim the stems so they will fit, and then cover the head of the flower carefully with silica.

Next, you will want a nice flower to complement your own. Try a craft supply store, or visit www.sfherb.com. They have a large selection of potpourri making ingredients. Remember that you do not need much, so order the smallest size possible. Choose things that match your decor, and that look nice with the flowers you received. While you are at the store, pick a fragrance oil. This will be the scent for your potpourri.

Some things that make an especially beautiful potpourri that is suited for Valentine's Day will give it texture. Don't be afraid to use large items, and pay attention to the season. Whereas a fall potpourri might use gourds and a summer potpourri would use small sunflower heads, one for Valentine's Day would be out of place using these items. Angel Wings (Oroxylum Indicum), Belani Apples, Cockscomb, Pintado Hearts, Moneta Leaves, and Tulips can provide an interesting mix. Also, you should be aware that your scent will hold better if you use a fixative. The problem is that none are very attractive. Orris Root and Cellulose Fiber hold the scent extremely well, but they make the potpourri look cheap. If you decide to use them, do so sparingly.

Next, you have to decide how you want your potpourri to look. Most potpourris take the ingredients and mix them up. If this is the route you choose, you should get a very large ziploc bag and place the ingredients in it. Make sure to leave especially delicate items out, and items that have been dyed should be added after you add the fragrance, because the color can bleed out onto the other items. Put a few drops of fragrance oil, and shake the bag until everything is mixed well. If the scent is not strong enough, you can always add a little bit more fragrance. There is another look for potpourri that is more sophisticated, although it takes more time. You will need several ziploc bags that are big enough to hold some of the potpourri. Say you have six ingredients total. Put them together in groups of two, according to how well they complement each other. The size, color, and shape of the items should be taken into account. After these are in groups of two, place those two items in a bag with some fragrance, and then shake them each separately. This will leave you with three distinct groups of potpourri. That is when you move on to displaying them.

You will now be ready to display it in a large glass jar. If you are using the second method of preparing it, place the bags in the jar one at a time. This gives it a layered, sophisticated look. Because you chose all the ingredients to work well together, they will all complement each other. And because each layer has more than one type of flower or item of interest, it also has some complexity.

If your potpourri ever needs the scent refreshed, here are some things you can do. If you have the layered arrangement, obviously you will not want to disturb it because it will mix it together. Use a spray bottle filled with the fragrance oil, and spray it over the top of the flowers.

Hopefully these tips have given you ideas of your own. Don't be afraid to experiment with different ingredients, and make sure to add different textures to give your potpourri a classy, unique look. There are many different ingredients you can use, and specialty stores will carry them in many different colors to help you match your home decor. By using the Valentine's Day bouquet you received, you can enjoy your flowers throughout the entire year, instead of just in February.

By L. Brown

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How to Use Silk Flowers to Brighten Up Your Home!

Most people love to have some type of flower arrangement in their home. It really does help to add a little something extra to make your home look a lot more comfortable. Realtors often use flower arrangements to help when they are trying to sell a home. Whatever your reasons for adding flowers to your home, you may have also felt that you have a hard time keeping your plants alive. Let's face it not everyone has a green thumb. Some people just don't have the time or energy that they need to keep up with the care and maintenance of plants. This is why so many people choose to use silk flowers instead of the real thing.

What you don't need is some type of professional to come to your home and instruct you on how to arrange silk flowers in a way that will really add something to your home. If you visit some websites like TLC.com you are sure to find plenty of ideas and suggestions n how you can make some very beautiful silk flower arrangements. The first thing you will need to do is visit your local arts and craft store. Most arts and craft stores have some very beautiful silk flowers for you to choose from. They also have them at a very reasonable price. Try strolling through the store to see if you can find any flowers that you particularly like. You can also find some very nice vases to put your arrangement in. It really does not matter which vase you choose.

Most vases can be used both for real floral arrangements and silk ones. Some people like to get flowers that are appropriate for the current season, and then change them when the season changes. This is a really nice idea if you want to constantly give your house a nice fresh clean look. If you want to do this then you will have to choose several different types of flowers when you are at the flower shop. You should keep in mind that you want good silk flowers, not ones that look like they are about to fall apart. Some of the larger silk flowers may cost you more but most of the time you will find that the silk flowers are very reasonably priced. You should avoid adding ribbons or bows to your arrangement. Remember that you want them to look as realistic as possible when they are sitting in your home. Try arranging them in different ways until you find an arrangement that really looks nice in your home.

Remember that it is not carved in stone exactly how to arrange your silk flowers. It really depends on what you like and how you want to arrange them.

By renee

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Ideal Greenery Plants for Winter Flower Arranging

At Christmas, it is always fun to have lots of color, fresh scents and flowers to help cheer you through the darkness doldrums. I often like to give flower arrangements as gifts and use services like Harry & David's or FTD to send them. Sometimes I look up a local florist when I want to send a specific type of flower, for instance, a fuchsia basket for a birthday. A lot of the time I buy them at Thriftway, or QFC where they have many bundles of cut flowers and take them to a hostess. Buying cut flowers and arranging them yourself can save you money. Often, for less than $15, I can create 3-5 arrangements and have them in several rooms of the house. Arranged cut flowers or live plants are also really nice to add to the center of wreath.

One way I can make unusual flower arrangements from the same bundles of cut flowers is to have plants in the yard that I can use in my arrangements. The best plants to grow in wintertime provide the greenery used as backbone in the arrangement.

In Picture 1, I've followed Malcolm Hillier's advice from Flower Arranging for creating a facing arrangement. In creating one of these, you fill your container with wet foam, then use greenery to cover up the pot edges and supply the backbone of the arrangement. Greenery used in this arrangement include:

Yew (Taxus)

This time of year, or in late autumn, our yew has usually almost grown into the roof of the house, so just by pruning it back, I get nice cylindrical pieces with tiny evergreen leaves. Use this for upright center greens.

Sweet Bayleaf (Laurel Nobilis)

This plant's leaves are used in cooking. It took us several years to establish a plant, but now, this time of year it needs pruning and the leaves smell heavenly sweet and stay green for a long time. Use this stuck into the edges to hide the pot.

Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster Horizontalis)

There are many varieties of Cotoneaster. I grow a variety that lies low to the ground, usually less than 3' tall and use it to cascade down a wall. The plant flowers in spring, often with the red berries still intact. The deer browse on them and help me keep them pruned. Use this over a fern leaf on the side to extend the area of the arrangement and to provide color.

In Picture 2, I've added Alstromeria and Chrysanthemums bought at the store, Money Plant seedpods used for a fine light spray in back, and Christmas Camellia cut from the yard. In a second arrangement see Picture 4, I used red carnation, ivy and clematis seeds combined with the Alstromeria and Chrysanthemums and Viburnum Tinus.

Item 1, Picture 3: Chrysanthemum

I still have some in bloom despite having had frosts. The few flowering are rather stunted.

Item 2, Picture 3: Christmas Camellia (Camellia Sasanqua or Camellia x Vernalis (Yuletide))

Blooms near Christmas time for nearly a month and has a single petal flower with large yellow stamens. Blooms may freeze but the buds will wait and open later.

Item 3, Picture 3: (Viburnum Tinus Spring Bouquet)

This plant blooms through February, just starting right now and has blue-black berries the birds love. It is evergreen, a compact variety and grows to about 8' tall and 4' wide.

Item 4, Picture 3: (Skimmia)

This plant comes in male and female bushes. Both get red berries but the female bush flowers and has fewer berries. The flower scent is incredibly sweet.

I saved the containers used when I was given floral arrangements as a gift. I also copied how the original arrangement was put together, with layers of steadily decreasing sizes and deepening colors. The foam and additional containers can be bought at a craft supply store like Michaels. Most of the branches need to be cut with a pruner.

I also used a local variety of fern whose name I don't know. These can be split and planted or grown from starts bought at the nurseries. They like lots of mulch when planted and I used crumbling bits of rotted maple log at the bottom of the hole when I planted them. The usual produce new fronds in spring so cutting some of them this time of year will help prune the plant and allow the new stems to flourish.

Given a warmer period when the ground isn't frozen, this time of year is a good time to plant trees and shrubs since they are dormant. Most nurseries have shorter hours during wintertime.

Botanica edited by R. G. Turner was used for the latin names and has pictures of most these plants and explanations on their growing needs.

By Sheri Fresonke Harper

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Flower Arrangement Ideas to Brighten the Home

Flower arrangements can bring freshness to any drab area or room in your home, even an outside porch or patio. All you need is a little imagination. Doing it yourself brings a sense of satisfaction when all is done. Keeping the arrangement to the theme of the room is the easiest and most practical way to begin, along with color. If your room has, for instance, beige furniture, beige walls and carpet with accents of color in toss pillows or in pictures , make your arrangement in the accents colors, using the beige as a base color only in the arrangement as well. You can keep to one style flower, such as roses, or make a bouquet of all different flowers and greenery. What to put it in is entirely up to you.

For themed rooms, such as a Nordic look, find an old fishermen's lantern. Yard sales and flea markets are ideal places to locate hard to find items. Carefully remove all the glass panels and you now have a hanging plant holder. You can spray paint it to match your d?cor or just to freshen up the color. All home improvement stores carry spray paint in a variety of colors. You will need to get a chain, or rope to hang it from plus the ceiling hook to suspend the entire planter. With hot glue you can place a small piece of Styrofoam or oasis in the bottom of the lantern. Then, starting with greens, insert them into the Styrofoam, to cover the base, then start adding flowers. You can make it red, white and blue with a variety of flowers. For a more flowing effect, and this can be done with any hanging arrangement, add ivy before the flowers. Have the ivy flow out of each open window pane if the arrangement can be seen from all sides, or just the front panes if hanging in a corner.

If your house is filled with old fashioned dolls, bears, or has that country look, find an old wooden high chair. Again, flea markets and yard sales are the place to go for great deals. You can refinish the chair or just leave it in its worn-over-time look. Find a planter to place on the seat part, one high enough to come up over the tray of the high chair if it has one, otherwise, any size holder will do. Place Styrofoam into the bottom of the planter and make sure it comes to within 2 of the top of the planter. Add gypsy moss or any other ground covering to hide the Styrofoam. Then, start adding your flowers. Add Ivy first for the flowing look, followed by your flowers. Wicker baskets are inexpensive and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Use their natural color or spray paint them. Craft stores and even dollar stores carry them. Hot glue a Styrofoam square to the bottom. Add greenery and artificial fruit on picks to the arrangement for a fall look. You can buy pre-made bows or make your own with a variety of ribbons to pick from. It really doesn't matter what you put flowers in. Look around your home. If it has an opening, it can be filled. Mason jars make a great holder, fill the inside with gypsy moss and there's your instant filler to hold any flowers. Add a bow to the outside of the jar. New out now are the wooden roses, those can be inserted into any artificial arrangement. Glass long stem flowers that are heavy and hard to use, insert them into an already existing arrangement for an added shine. Indoor trees can be decorated with birds, bird houses, lights, holiday trim, etc. Cut the top off a bird house, and that's another planter idea. You can hang that outside or inside. A small child's tricycle with a plastic basket can be used as a planter on a front porch. An old milk box, mailbox, watering can, bird baths, are all great ideas. Paint to match your house or trim. Wintertime, fill old ice skates with holly and hang them from your front door. Use your imagination. Plastic flowers work best for outdoor to withstand rain and the elements but will fade with the hot sun after time, but they are inexpensive and can even be found in dollar stores.

Remember, paint is the cure-all for old containers and other objects. Be creative, use your imagination and most of all, have fun!

By M.Soozan

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