Gerbera Bouquet Help

[bittyblossom]

Hello to everyone. I am back again after relocating our shop. Whew...the work!

Anyhow, I am in need of some design tips if anyone would be so kind. I have a wedding entirely of gerbera and hypericum at the end of this month. I am hesitant on how to wire the stems so that the heads don't pop when making the hand-tied bouquets. I was thinking about using the water stems (those foam ends with wire attached) and just wrapping them. Do you think they would hold up to just being wired down the center and wrapped?

I am just such a bubble head lately... my brain has gone blank on this.

Thanks so much for any suggestions!

D

 

[felicityflowers]

D,

The way we do them is to do a "fake" hand tied. Take whatever size oasis straight handled bouquet holder that you will need (small for bridesmaids and medium for the bride, or whatever) and use that to place the heads of the gerberas and hypericum into. Make sure to glue each flower w/ Oasis floral glue. Reserve the cut stems. After you have a round, tight bouquet gather the stems in your hand and tape them w/ anchor tape. Slide the bouquet holder down into the stems to hide the handle. Tie a ribbon around your stems and viola! you don't have to worry about drooping heads or a water source.

Hopefully I explained it ok. That is the way we have done them and never had a problem.

Good Luck!
Heather

 

[TOTO]

Re: Wiring inside the Gerbera stem

I use a 21 gauge wire and make a hook at the end of it with a needle nose plier.

However, and before I've forced that wire down from the top of the Gerbera on the inside of the stem, the flowers are completely rehydrated and the stems are straightened.

We use a grid system which sits on top of the floral bucket and the stems hang down from the top using the Gerbera heads to support them at the top of the grid.

For stubborn anglelated crooked stems (perones disease "], we still use the plastic sleeves at the top of them stem with a boutonniere pin stuck through it to keep it there.

Once you've managed to straigten all your Gerbera stems, that's when you can insert your looped wire into them and begin to create your hand held bouquet.

Obviously, and once completed, they all go back into water until the last possible moment before delivery.

 

[bittyblossom]

Thanks! Two very different options

The Bride is wanting to freeze-dry her bouquet. The handle will be wrapped with black satin and pinned all the way down with pearl pins.

Hmmm.... guess I'll just play around and see which way seems to work the best.

Thanks again!

D

 

[Joe Mioux]

Bitty:

both Felicity and toto have given sage advise. when your gerbs arive make sure you hang the gerbs as toto suggests. When processing make sure you see good white pith at the bottom of the stem, if it is brown and mushy looking keep cutting until you get to good tissue.

As a bit of a diversion from bittys explanation, go ahead and arrange your flowers in an Oasis holder. However, instead of doing what Bitty does with the stems, I just immerse the handle in hot glue, gather up a bunch of stems and stick them to the straight handle.

Works great and those stems will not fall off in the refrigerator.

After those fake stems are glued on, you can go ahead and decorate the handle with ribbons, beads etc.

Joe.