Grid Magazine, a Philly original publication on all things local and green, has just printed an outstanding “Farmbook 2010″ that features loads of local producers, their stories, and stunning photos. Be sure to check it out and see our ad on page 11.
Love ‘n Fresh Flowers will be setting up a booth at the Chestnut Hill Home and Garden Festival on Sunday, May 2nd. Be sure to come out to see us and to browse the colorful stalls of this long-standing festival. We’ll be selling succulents potted in vintage containers and offering on-the-spot wedding consultations. Doggie costume parade too! {Rain date: May 16th}
Seed sowing is in full swing now that March is here! Follow along with all that’s being planted at our blog, Straight from the Garden.
If you’re a bride -to-be in the Philadelphia area who’s getting married in 2010, consider using locally grown flowers on your special day. Love ‘n Fresh Flowers does unique designs for bridal bouquets, wedding party flowers, ceremony decorations, and reception centerpieces. Please get in touch with us well in advance so we can provide you with a free hour of consultation to talk about your wedding flower needs.
TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR FLOWERS FRESH
Fresh flowers are still living entities and can be encouraged to last much longer if you provide the right conditions for them. Here are a few things you can do to get the longest vase life out of your cut flowers, whether you get them from Love ‘n Fresh, you own garden, the farmers market or even the grocery store.
Tip #1 : Change the water in the vase every other day. Tip over large formal arrangements to let the water drain without disturbing the design.
Tip #2 : Trim about a half inch of stem off your flowers before you put them in a vase and each time you change the water. This exposes fresh tissue that can suck up the water efficiently.
Tip #3 : Keep your flowers away from heat and bright light. Also avoid sitting them beside ripening fruit, which causes the flowers to mature faster.
Tip #4 : After you throw out your last arrangement, be sure to wash the vase/container very thoroughly in hot soapy water or in your dishwasher. This way the next time you use it, the new flowers will have a fresh clean environment free of bacteria.
Tip #5 : Use “flower food” for most flowers. While changing the water every other day or so is often just as effective at making flowers last longer as adding those flower food packets that come with packaged flowers, most flowers do benefit from having a little food in the water. This is especially true if you’re forgetful and won’t be changing your flowers’ water regularly. You can make your own flower food by adding about 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 teaspoon of lemon juice and a 1 teaspoon of bleach to your vase before adding about a quart of warm tap water. It is worth noting that there are a few flowers that don’t like flower food in the vase. Some of these are: zinnias, sunflowers and glads.
Here’s a great link to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s page on caring for cut flowers: http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/design/2003sp_cutflower.html
