Wild Flower Bouquets

[vfem]

Thanks everyone! (Steve you don't have to ignore the orchid, in this house it refuses to be ignored)

I was thinking $7-8 would be nice, with the larger ones touched up with a bit of ribbon and $10. My husband made the suggestion and its funny how everyone kinda agreed! He's getting better at this.

I may goto the thrift shop and see what they have for jars. I had a couple small mason jars just to put them out on display and the rest would end up in an orange bucket!

:watering

I am glad I have so many perennials, this should go well for a couple of months, and my coneflowers will go on all summer. My snapdragon have been trimmed back from there last flowering as not to seed, and they are starting their second flowering now. :rainbow-sun Canna's should be blooming next. I have 2 types of daisies... the one at the back of the property that looks like a daisy but is a very pretty weed... and then my shasta daisies which will bloom next. My hydrangea are just starting, so I realized I have quite a collection of things that will just keep on going. :mow

If you think of anymore ideas let me know! I'm going on a hunt in the yard for a weathered piece of wood right now... I'm planning on making a nice 'farm' sign for my stand. As I do already have business cards for 'Fogl's Kitchen' on Etsy I will pretty much be established.

Again, this is only a test, as a new market that just started in the last month. So we'll see if its worth it or a waste... but it is on a major highway with LOTS of parking in front of a SUPER busy shopping center. I think the location can't be beat.

Maybe I'll bring pictures back from Saturday to share. It will be fun.

 

[ninnymary]

Looks nice Vfem...I like the price. Do you have anything you could use as fillers. You don't need to much, just alittle. How about putting in a few sprigs of herbs? Maybe, lavendar, mint, sage, etc. Lamb's ears are also nice. Around here, the flowers are wrapped in bright colored tissue. Just some ideas.

I wish you well and hope it is a success. Will anxiously be waiting for your news.

Mary

 

[Southern Gardener]

Your flowers are very pretty - what great ideas you have! Good luck!

 

[vfem]

Looks nice Vfem...I like the price. Do you have anything you could use as fillers. You don't need to much, just alittle. How about putting in a few sprigs of herbs? Maybe, lavendar, mint, sage, etc. Lamb's ears are also nice. Around here, the flowers are wrapped in bright colored tissue. Just some ideas.

I wish you well and hope it is a success. Will anxiously be waiting for your news.

Mary

Oh, the lavender would be so nice if I had enough, but its a new plant and VERY small still.

I do have some fennel and lots of fern in the wooded areas.

 

[digitS']

You may want to just take your bouquets out of their jars, vases, and buckets and put them in 1 gallon plastic bags to keep the stems from dripping on your customers. Tissue around the bouquets adds something special. Careful with buying, buying, buying, tho'. Easy to turn a money-earning enterprise to a march into the red . . .

You may want to do some "disbudding" on your daisies. You'd be surprised how much larger the terminal bud will be and how large the flower, if the lateral flower buds are removed when they are small. That will also increase the length of the stem. Has to be done when they are tiny tho'. Leaving stubs and scars won't help much.

Take the foliage off that will be in the water. It will decay and some customers wouldn't even think do that on something they take home .

Fennel sounds like an excellent idea . . . ferns, too! I used to collect wild asparagus foliage along the river .

Steve

 

[vfem]

Thank you Steve, I wish I thought of that earlier. There are tons of tiny little side buds that I bet are holding up the bloom time.

I do have a question though, I harvested my garlic today...after much debate... I cut the flowers off and they are these ton elegant looking buff balls of purple. Gorgeous actually! I was wondering if I should add a few to the bunches I sell.

They don't smell garlic like to me, but my fingers and hands are covered in the garlic smell so I'm not quite sure. I've smelled them previously and they didn't... but since I cut the stem, I want to make sure the pungant stench of garlic isn't mixed in with my cut flowers if its in the stem. Again, they are GORGEOUS! So if I don't they stay in with my bouquet instead.

I will be cutting bouquets tomorrow after dinner for Saturday for sure. All the flowers need to soak in a cold water sink to help debug them before I arrange them. And I'll trim those lower leaves as well Steve, thanks for the point! I'm so used to buying bouquets and just arranging them myself, snip a little here and there... one of my favorite things to do.

 

[digitS']

You may be the perfect candidate for this, V.

Surprising how many people won't even try to put flowers together in a bouquet. I thought cut flowers could be sold in bunches, like to the florists. It didn't work and had to make bouquets, but maybe times are changing.

Don't know about garlic blooms. We had some very nice allium flowers that went in recent bouquets. Gotta say that when allium shows up in the wholesale florist's cooler, the room smells like chopped onions, but . . . it is a little hard to locate the source of the smell. Might help to close the eyes - allium can sure be pretty!

Steve

 

[ninnymary]

What about making bouquets with just the garlic flowers?
Just a thought.

Mary

 

[vfem]

What about making bouquets with just the garlic flowers?
Just a thought.

Mary

I only have 8 flowers... not so big or splashy then.

 

[Beekissed]

VFem, you could even extend your bouquets by drying some of your annuals and everlastings, if you have any, and making Tussy Mussies. The garlic flowers are supposed to dry very well for this purpose.

These simple dried flower bouquets are wrapped in pretty tissue paper and tied with a ribbon and they sell for $15-$25 each in the local shops.

I'm planting many everlasting types of flowers this year for this very purpose. Once I get my perennial beds up and running, I will be doing much the same as you are at my own little farm stand here. I've always loved arranging wildflowers and they are the first thing I look for at a farmer's market.

Please post a pic of some of your arrangements? I love to look at the different colors and textures!