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Behind the Design: Flower love & care - Cutting stems
Remember the last time you took as looong trip or came home after a long, loooong day. Exhausting right? What's the first thing you like to do? Well, for me it's refresh myself a bit. Maybe taking a quick taken bath, grab a little something to eat, rest-up and relax. Sounds good right? Here's a little secret, flowers feel the same way... kinda.
That is, I think of flowers as living art materials and, just like the rest of us, they really do look their best after they get a little well deserved pampering.
When flowers arrive in the studio the first thing I do is give them a "Spa day!" In the industry this is called, "Processing your flowers". This preps them to look their absolute best when it's time to design with them later on in the week.
You can do the same thing with you receive or bring home fresh flowers too. Here's one of my super simple "pro tips" that makes a big impact in how your flowers "refresh" after a long, hard day or trip.
Begin by removing any dry (or dead) leaves from each stem. Then, with your favorite floral clippers, cut about a inch off from the end of the stem at a 45 degree angle. That angle is the key!
Cutting this way does 3 things...
It creates a larger surface area for the water and nutrients to enter into the flower.
When you cut it at an angle it also creates a "point" at the end. This allows the stem to stand up (on it's what I like to call "Tippy-toe") and not lay flat against the bottom of the contain so it can still get plenty of water.
Lastly, cutting your stems at a 45 degree (even while you're actually designing your arrangement) can make it them easier to insert into your arrangement.
That's it! One super simple technique with a lot of benefits. If you have any questions or need anything at all don't hesitate to contact me! I love nurturing talent, strategizing ideas, and helping people manifest magic. Or you can checkout our resource page for links to more great tips, educational programs, etc.
Oh, one more thing. I want to say a special "thanks" to our friend Judith at Fresh Look Photography for these lovely pics of me at work!
Now, go out bring something beautiful to life!
Best,
Janel
Janel Bailey-Keen
Executive Creative Director
Principal Designer and Educator
Certified Floral Designer
Vivid Expressions LLC
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