What do you get for $70 total Funeral Piece??!!

[supflo1]

here is something my grandfather used to say : Anybody can make nice arrangements (pieces) from beautiful flowers, but it take a FLORIST to make something nice out of crap. He made alot of money in his day using flowers that most people today would toss today. We are still here over 70 years later.

 

[Victoria]

btw: peonies are weeds. As a kid I used to have to mow around an old cut flower bed that was established by either my grandfather or great grandfather. Those beds probably dated back to the late 1800's or early 1900's. FINALLY, in the 1980's those "weeds" were removed.

Oh my gosh Joe... that pains me to the depths. I love heritage flowers and gardens and yours was definitely in that league.

As far as peonies being thought of weeds, roses were on that train too about 5000 years ago.

And, yes the sign of a true floral person is one who can create beauty and satisfaction from the "dregs" as it were.

V

 

[lori042499]

I have been know to design some stunning work out of a cooler full of crap...some can some can't...

I have worked with some designers that could not make a 50.00 funeral piece with 300.00 worth of wholesale flowers available...because "there was just nothing nice to wrok with" @@@@ prima donna designers...bah humbug..

 

[HeatherTuckey]

doesn't anybody use pomps , mums and spiders anymore? Using these types of flowers certainly would fill up the basket and give greater value for the money. Designers and shops have to keep in mind what they are using for specific applications.

We do!! Our funeral work is made with "showy flowers" whenever possible, and they are not fan shaped flat maches. We regularly make "rounds" of baskets, one table of 8 baskets, maybe twice a week, using the most "mature" flowers and flowers we are heavy on maybe b/c of a standing orders at non busy times... and sometimes these are not necessarily the tallest showy flowers that we'd prefer to use... so we mix these with pompons, open showy roses, anastasia fugis, etc. We pull these "extra" funeral baskets as needed. We leave them 75% done, and "finish" off... according to the order and the $ given. Half of the time one can be "pulled" for a funeral order... and the rest are more specific, but it does allow us to rotate product well.

We have a standing order with a columbian grower that grows OUTSTANDING poms in sooo many varieties and I change the SO up 4-5 times a year depending on the season. I do order mostly novelty and daisy quarter boxes and usually never a cushion except at Xmas, but they are a very inexpensive way to make all our designs showy, great in the lowball everyday and any funeral work. We ship out of Miami, but you could also ask your wholesaler if they would carry this grower. I have bought from them for several years... it is a family owned co. They are at SAF every year and the World Floral Expo in Miami. I also buy their hydrangea and anastasia mums too... and they give a great show in our funeral work and many other designs

http://www.libertyblooms.com/novelties.htm

 

[RWK]

This is an old thread, but I had to chime in as well regarding the quality, maturity, and flowers used in sympathy design. My take on that is this. For the most part, people who order flowers for sympathy want a nice showing. That does not automatically mean large as possible, or as full as possible however. I think it means a distinctive design that stands out from the others.

One of my favorite designs to send for sympathy is a low mache design of all gladiola....done in a creative western line style. I'll use the glad leaves to make the bow. I'll use the full height of some of the stems and some will be tighter and less mature than others.

As stated on here already......Poor design is just that......poor design.

I am hoping that with the new CFD designation being established by AIFD......that wil help in establishing some type of credilibilty and setting a minimum stnadard for designers and florists.