A Florist’s Quick Guide to Prepping for the New Year
It’s that time of year when every florist looks at their work space and thinks, “What the heck happened here!” We start the year with ribbon and containers organized, floors mopped, counters pristine, and papers neatly put away. If you’re like me in December, you look around and everything is a total wreck-no matter how hard I had tried to keep it nice all year.
The new year is not only a time to set new goals, but also evaluate what worked (or didn’t work) and set new rhythms. I take January to get myself ready for the next year’s wedding season. Here are a few things that I do.
Organize - I take everything out of my drawers and storage room to organize supplies. I throw items away that are broken, and I make a goodwill/recycle pile for items I no longer want to use.
Clean- I deep clean everything and make sure to use something to get rid of bacteria that may have built up from the flowers.
Taxes- I pay my 4th quarter taxes and get all my information ready for my accountant so we can file early.
Examine Processes- I evaluate my marketing, social media, finances, and workflows. Look at what worked well and what didn’t. Change up what I need to make things run more smoothly this next season.
Rest- I take a little breather. Once everything is cleaned, organized, and evaluated, I take a week or two for myself. I enjoy the quiet and let my mind and body do things that brings life in ways that are not work related.
This job is an amazing and crazy ride and extremely rewarding, but in order to be our best season after season, we must do these little things to stay organized and evaluate our business. Also taking a pause for ourselves gives us time to rest and be more creative for the upcoming season!
Floral Design 101: How (and why) to process flowers
Floral Design 101: Processing Flowers
What exactly is the “processing” step in flower arranging? If you’re new to floral design you may not be familiar with this term, which just means prepping the flowers and greenery before using them in arrangements. This is an important step, because processing your florals correctly can significantly increase the life of your work!
Processing flowers can sometimes feel overwhelming because different varieties of flowers may need specific techniques. (Pro tip – It’s helpful to look at Mayesh’s Flower Library (link to www.mayesh.com/flower-library) if you have a flower that you are unsure how to process correctly. They have tips for every flower variety – it’s a go-to resource for me!)
Before you start to process your flowers, you want to gather all of your tools. Make sure your buckets, knives, and cutters are clean. Working with clean floral processing tools will prevent issues with bacteria and give your flowers the best chance for a long life.
How to Process Flowers for Arrangements
Step 1 – Gather clean buckets and vases. Fill everything with cold water and add flower food according to the instructions on the package.
Side note: Is flower food really that important? Yes! Flower food provides a nutrient supplement to help the flower bud continue to develop into a beautiful, fully opened flower. It also helps lower the pH, which helps keep the water and food conducting system in the flower working at maximum efficiency. Aka a hydrated flower is a healthy flower! And just in case you weren’t convinced yet, flower food can keep floral stems from becoming plugged up. During transportation stems can become clogged with debris, but flower food has special ingredients that keep the water uptake flowing!
Step 2 – Unwrap the flower bunches. Cut off rubber bands, and remove any foliage that would be submerged under water.
Step 3 – Give the flowers and foliage a sharp angle cut before placing into water. This increases the surface area for the flowers to drink. Be sure to put the flowers back into water immediately after cutting! Once a stem is cut, most of the flower’s energy goes toward healing itself and preventing moisture from leaving. This is why it needs to go immediately back into water (with flower food) after being cut.
Step 4 – Allow flowers to hydrate for a few hours at room temperature. This gives them enough time to adjust to the new water, food, and location. Once the stems are rehydrated and filled with flower food, flowers should be moved to a cooler or cool area. Cold storage significantly extends a cut flower’s life span.
Floral Design Tips for Everyone
Whether you’re making a home arrangement with grocery store flowers or thinking about taking clients as a freelance florist, these flower processing tips will help you extend the life of your floral designs!
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