Incorporating Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs In Your Flower Arrangements

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Creating flower arrangements doesn't mean you have to stick to floral elements. Unique and bold designs can be easily put together by marrying flowers with edible fruits and vegetables. Bright colors, strong shapes and a variety of texture make edible elements especially sought after. They also can prove cost friendly, especially when paired with expensive stems of flowers.

Usually, all we see in flower vases are the stems of bouquets. However, a large clear vase can be a display case for much more. Root vegetable and fruit with hard rind are the best to display in your vases, as the continued exposure to water will not cause them to spoil fast. Fill a vase with bright yellow lemons, Or sticking freshly scrubbed carrots into a square vase, and using the protruding stems as greenery for a rose arrangement. Limes, celery and radishes all work well underwater. Cranberries submerged in a vase make for a fun and festive holiday arrangement. Make sure to change the water frequently, at least once every two days, to avoid it turning cloudy.

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Tips:

1. Dip bananas, pears and apples in lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
2. Leave pomegranates and berries intact to reduce the risk of stains.
3. Support pieces of fruit or veggies like apples or whole lemons within your floral arrangement with stiff, heavy gauge flower wire.
4. You can also use bamboo or metal skewers, wrap the skewers with green floral tape to make them look like stems.
6. Keep the arrangement hydrated. You may need to mist the top to keep produce looking lively.

Squash and Pumpkin Floral Dishes

Gorgeous colored squash can be hollowed out and used as a display dish for your floral arrangements. Use a waterproof lining, to avoid getting the vegetable soggy, and some floral foam as your base. Then add the flowers so they spill out of the top. Ivy plants, or other short plants such as succulents, can also be used with this display idea.

Colorful Edible Designs for Your Flower Arrangements

Look around at the grocery store for bold color that can be used. Long red onions add a pink-purple tone to a display. Purple artichokes, cabbage, kale and grapes can be used as well. Oranges and tangerines have a hard enough rind to be kept out of the fridge and in a display.

Be careful not to eat vegetables or fruit that has been in water for long periods of time, especially when exposed to cut stems, as they may have absorbed unhealthy or poisonous sap.

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Herbs

If you pick the right herbs, like chamomile, they will hold up longer without water than colorful flowers in boutonnieres and bouquets. Others, again like basil or chives, should be avoided because they wilt quickly.

Here are a few that work well in arrangements:

Pineapple Sage- A late summer bloomer, these flowers can be used to add their bright color and subtle fruity fragrance to autumn arrangements. The bright green leaves and red flowers look great combined with purple.

Rosemary- Sprigs of rosemary create a dark green backdrop to complement showier flowers such as roses. The clean, alpine scent is invigorating.

Bee Balm- Bee balm has an exceptionally long vase life. Depending on the variety the blooms are pink, red, purple or white. Lemon bergamot, a variety of bee balm, has lemon scented leaves.

Dill-Dill's- Feathery foliage and lacy flowers are a nice alternative to baby's breath in flower arrangements.

Lavender- A few fresh sprigs of lavender placed in a small vase is really simple and very effective. It's a relaxing scent perfect for bed and bath rooms.

Adding fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs to your flower arrangements create interesting look that will make your flowers pop by adding interesting textures and shapes. Consider food as design inspiration for your next get together or your next holiday table display.

Alaric Flower Design creates custom fruit/vegetable/herb flower arrangements call us and we can create a beautiful one of kind piece for you!

Call us at 212-308-3794

6 Stylish Halloween Centerpiece Ideas

We here at Alaric Flowers absolutely love Halloween. There are so many ways to get creative with flowers and decorations this time of year.

We’ve put together a must have list of 6 stylish and fun centerpiece ideas for your next Halloween bash.

1. Make sure to scrape out all the pumpkin seeds of this fun pumpkin arrangement before inserting a vase with flowers.

2. Paint a terra cotta pot or any plastic vase like candy corn, and use dried branches and flowers to create a unique fall design.

3. Use plastic insects and rubber snakes to make a sophisticated yet spooky arrangement.

4. Use a pale or a bucket and mix in fall inspired flowers with halloween accents such as plastic spiders or spiderwebs.

5. Stick your favorite flower into a vase with water and fit it into a larger vase and fill with candy corn or any halloween candy of your choice.

6. Get inspired from the Mexican holiday, the day of the dead. Paint skulls and adorn them with roses and traditional carnations of your choice. 

Need a custom Halloween or Fall theme centerpiece? Contact Alaric Flower’s to help, we can create a spooky stylish arrangement for your special event.

Have you ever received a beautiful Alaric flower arrangement and wanted to preserve it forever? Well we have some tips that just might do the trick. Follow these handy steps to create a gift that keeps on giving!

1. The Microwave Method

Who knew cat litter could be used for something other than the litter box! You can dry flowers in minutes instead of weeks by using a microwave. Choose the flowers for drying. One at a time, place the flower in a microwavable bowl and cover with about four cups of cat litter. Microwave on high for two to three minutes. When the cat litter is cooled, remove the flower and brush off excess.

2. Silica Gel

If you want your flowers to look just like they did in your garden, trying using silica gel. The sandy-like substance can be found at craft stores and works best with sturdy flowers like zinnias or roses. Bury your blooms in a large container of silica gel. In a few days to a week, gently uncover vibrant, preserved flowers.

3. Pressing Method 

To use dry flowers for more than household decorating, use the pressed method. Take an encyclopedia or other heavy book. Line a page with parchment or wax paper and arrange flowers face down so they don't overlap. Close the book and leave untouched for about a week or more. Once all the moisture is gone and they have a papery texture, you can use them to make bookmarks, jewelry, greeting cards, or wall art.




4. Air Drying

Hanging bouquets upside down is the most traditional technique. Gather the flowers in a bunch and secure the stems with a rubber band. Hang upside down in a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight, like from kitchen rafters or in an empty closet. Watch the petals shrink and change color, and within a few weeks you'll have beautiful dried flowers in vintage hues.

5. The Easy Way

Drying flowers in a vase is effortless. Place the stalks in a few inches of water and forget about them. Once all the water is evaporated, the flowers should be upright and perky, but dry. Hydrangeas or baby's breath are good choices for this method, as blooms with more tender stalks might droop. Simply use the vase as a table decoration or remove the flowers, tie a ribbon around the stems and hang on the wall.

Drying out your flowers arrangements is a great way to enjoy your flowers year round; they offer a unique texture and design effect to any room. It takes little effort and lands great results!

Trend Watch: Terrariums

Even though Fall is upon us why not hold onto a little bit of Summer with a simple and eye catching terrarium. They’ve certainly gone main-stream and can be found in homes, offices, and businesses. Modern terrariums are one of the latest trends in home décor and plant and flower decorating options.

The supplies needed to build a terrarium can be found at most garden stores—from the proper plants to the soil and pebbles as well as glass containers and domes of all sizes. Accent pieces such as orchids, drift wood, sea shells, or any other miniature decoration are also useful to add a bit of color and whimsy to your encapsulated arrangement.

      Supplies:           
      1. Small rocks or pebbles for drainage and texture                                                                                                                      

2. Small piece of charcoal (the type found in the pet supply department for aquarium filters.)
3. Potting soil.
4. Miniature house plants and mosses. Ivy, ferns, succulents, and orchids work well.   5. Sand                                                                                                             6. Driftwood or branches                                                                                     7. Glass container with no lid                                                                                     8. Spray mist bottle of water

Directions:
1. Line the bottom of a glass jar with pebbles—one inch is usually adequate.
2. Place a small piece of charcoal in the middle of the pebbles. The charcoal helps to keep the soil fresh.
3. Add a few inches of potting soil and sand to the layer of pebbles and charcoal.
4. Gently place three or four small plants into the container. Make sure the plants are nestled together but not crowded or root bound.                                                             5. Arrange live moss around the plants. The moss adds visual appeal as well as lending support and anchorage for the plants.                                                                        6. Mist the terrarium and cover.                                                                             7. Place your terrarium in an area with moderate light, making sure that the terrarium is not exposed to direct sunlight.

Maintenance:
Open the lid of the terrarium and feel the soil every week or two. If the dirt is moist to the touch and condensation is built up in the terrarium, it’s fine. If the soil feel dry, mist until dew drops appear on the leaves of the plants and on the insides of the glass.

-Contact Alaric Flower Design for custom one of kind Terrariums for your home or office!

How to Care for Your Fresh Flower Arrangements

Every day at Alaric Flowers we get calls from people wondering how best to care for their fresh flower arrangements. We have a few techniques to help keep your flowers looking fresh and beautiful.

-Fresh flowers need care and the better you care for them the longer they last.

Never leave the arrangement in direct sun, they can actually burn if you keep them too warm or near the sun.

-It is also very important to keep the water fresh and clean. We suggest that every other day you change the water in the vase. If you carefully pour the original water out of the vase and replace it with room temperature water, then there will be less bacteria growth and the flowers will stay fresh longer.

-If you are able to pull the entire bouquet out of the vase, it is not a bad idea to give the flowers a fresh cut as well. This will ensure that the flowers will stay really hydrated and keep them from starting to wilt.

-It is best to cut the flowers at an angle in order to expose a larger surface area to the water. You can sometimes give the vase a quick wash while I have the flowers out of the vase. This ensures that any bacteria that might have started to grow will be eliminated so that the flowers have a truly fresh environment. It is not necessary, however, to wash the container every time.

-All flowers have a different vase life. Some flowers, such as orchids, last a very long time when cut, while other flowers, like hydrangeas, have a shorter vase life. You can always pull out flowers as they expire and either replace them with new flowers, shift the arrangement around, or even break it up into smaller vases. By pulling out the flowers as they expire, you will be able to enjoy each and every stem in the arrangement!