No WIRE Hangers!!
Same here. I thought that wiring would make the gerbs wilt faster. Plus, I love the fuzzy green stems on gerbs and the wire just takes away from the beauty of them. If the upper part of the neck is "wimpy," then I wire.
I never wire Gerbs, nor do I allow any of my designers to wire. It looks cheesy and less than elegant.
If they are grown and shipped correctly, conditioned well and are properly hydrated, they should not need wires. If they have wires, that is just a crutch holding up an inferior blossom. Reminds me of "Weekend at Bernie's."
If I regularly found myself with Gerbs that were less than crisp, I would find a new Gerb supplier. If that didn't help, I'd check with Karen Handlin, who takes care of my processing.
(Karen Handlin, get it? :spin Care and Handling.... never mind.)
Whenever I see wired Gerbs in another florist's arrangement, it makes me think less of that company. To me, wiring is a band-aid to help a broken product that shouldn't be sent out to a customer in the first place. It shows a lack of confidence in the product. My Gerbs hold up for well over a week without outside support.
OK - I'm ready for flames, because I see that so many of you proudly wire your Gerbs. But I'm just telling you honestly how I feel about wiring them.
I've also been told by experts that poking a wire into the back of a Gerb head inhibits its ability to SUCK. It's like poking a pinhole in a straw. You have to work much harder to get the beverage because you're drawing up air with the liquid. Same for the Gerb.
Wiring Gerbs is therefore self-perpetuating. Those who wire Gerbs cause the flowers to have trouble drawing water. Therefore, they need wires to support the heads. When they see the heads going soft, they say "gee, I'm glad I wired that Gerb for support!" which makes them poke a hole in a Gerb the next time, causing it to also need support.
ho hum woe is me... I live on the water and every bride wants a cottage/beachy/casual feel...
