Holiday arrangements with theme, height have impact

By Jomay Steen, Journal staff | Friday, November 09, 2007

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RAPID CITY — For the holidays, the late etiquette queen Emily Post would have frowned on fresh flowers brought to the door as a hostess gift. She probably would have been more forgiving if they were cut, watered and arranged in a vase “so as not to take the hostess from her duties.”

Plenty of people would love a colorful bouquet of fresh flowers to brighten up their home during the holidays. Rather than arriving at the door with flowers wrapped in tissue from the store, it’s a great idea to take on the arrangement chores.

Two prize-winning floral designers from Jolly Lane Floral of Rapid City offer expert advice to do just that.

Last month, floral designers Carrie Stinson and Katherine Donnelly, both first-time contestants, walked away with best of show for their work and designs at the South Dakota Florist Association’s Ninth Annual Design Contest at Cedar Shore Resort in Chamberlain.

What caught the judges’ attention were their outstanding designs, the jumbo proportions of rich-hued flowers, balanced arrangements and overall themes.

“I pushed the limit on size,” Stinson said last week at her work station.

Donnelly urges at-home designers to find a theme and stick to it. If working with a Thanksgiving theme, find the fall colors in varieties of alstromeria lilies, the boldness of sunflowers as well as leaves cultivated from the backyard.

She especially likes using copper, bronze and teal-colored plants and flowers in arrangements to add to any home decor.

“You’ll definitely get the smell factor with live plants,” Donnelly said.

“Red and green is still the classic look to enjoy at Christmas,” she said of yuletide arrangements.

Mums, carnations, fall leaves and cattails recently were used by Stinson as part of an arrangement in a basket, where greenery had been placed into the brick of floral foam. To build the arrangement, three cattail stems were inserted first.

“It’s where I get my height and size. I’ll fill in from there,” she said of the tall stems.

“I’ll put the buds toward the top and the fuller flowers toward the bottom,” she added.

Stinson tends to form a triangle with the tall cattails because it helps with placement of the other flowers.

Adding dried, preserved leaves gives the arrangement texture and color.

In a tip for gardeners, Stinson pointed out that rather than hauling extra-large outdoor flowers pots into the potting shed or garage, gardeners can leave them out and drive the spruce tips into the soil. The evergreens generally will retain their shape and color.

“It usually freezes in place and looks good all through the winter,” she said.

Candles in an arrangement do pose a rare hazard of catching live plants on fire, which is more problematic with Christmas trees. Yet the floral designers warn their clients that once they light the candles, make sure to extinguish them as well.

“We don’t want a fire truck to end the evening,” Stinson said. “You don’t want to take any chances.”

Tips for flower arrangements

Here are some tips from flower-arranging experts:

n For longer-lasting fresh flowers, arrange in a vase.

n Mix a plant preservative or a bit of sugar into the water.

n Clip the ends of the flowers at an angle before putting into the vase.

n Keep the buds toward the top with the fuller blooms toward the bottom.

n Check water daily.

n Keep arrangement away from heat and warm surfaces.

n If ordering holiday centerpieces, take samples of plates, linen or containers to be used at the table.

n When ordering for flowers to be delivered in a different town or state, have a second floral choice.

n Allow several days for delivery when ordering flowers for relatives in other cities.

n If using candles in an arrangement, extinguish them when leaving the table.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.