Tamie's Tips - March 2001

Tamie's Tips - March 2001
A Hand-Tied Gardenia Wedding Bouquet I won't kid you on this month's tip -- it isn't for the faint of heart or those lacking in patience! However, if you're willing to invest some time and plenty of twisting and tying, you'll be rewarded with an always-unique and elegant "natural" Gardenia orchid bouquet. Gardenias are a delicate yet versatile flower, one of the few that truly has a distinct fragrance. Although the Gardenia is often requested by customers, many florists shy away from them because of their fragile nature and perishability. However, if you remember two things, you should find your work with Gardenias much more successful: 1. ALWAYS handle the flower from the back, never touching the flower head itself. 2. CONSTANTLY SPRAY the flower with water to keep it hydrated. Ready to begin? Let's get started!
The Gardenia Wedding Bouquet
I chose a medium size Mystery Gardenia for this bouquet, combined with smilax greens to create this simple hand-tied bouquet. The first step is to dislodge the Gardenia flower from the plastic collar. Using a staple gun, attach any type of pear-shaped or oval-shaped leaves to the four corners of the plastic collar.
Insert the Gardenia flower back into the finished collar. IMPORTANT: Handle the Gardenia flower from the back stem, not the head. Handling the head will easily bruise or dehydrate the flower.
It's important to continually spray the gardenia head with plain water. If you add a few drops of lemon juice to the water, you can prevent the head from yellowing. With or without lemon juice, the most critical thing is to keep the flower hydrated from the top, as Gardenias draw more water from their heads than their stems.

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