Agapanthus
Natives of South Africa (not the Nile as one common name suggests) agapanthuses grow from thick fleshy roots that send up mounds of strap like leaves. Their leafless flower stalks bear clusters of 1- to 4-inch blue or white flowers through much of the summer. A. africanus, an evergreen species, and A. campanulatus, which is deciduous, grow 18 to 24 inches tall and produce 12 to 30 flowers in a cluster. The evergreen A. praecox orientalis may become 5 feet tall and produce clusters of 100 or more flowers. Two attractive evergreen hybrids are Peter Pan, with dark blue flowers on 12- to 18-inch stems, and the 18- to 24-inch-tall Dwarf White. Excellent garden flowers in mild climates, agapanthuses are available from most Frankston Heights florists and can be grown anywhere in tubs or as house plants and are long lasting as cut flowers.

Seasonal Handtied Wedding Bouquets
It is all too easy for a florist to use similar combinations of all-year-round flowers on a regular, and perhaps monotonous, basis, but you can just as easily give your bouquets the flavour of passing seasons.
Handtied designs are becoming widely accepted by the public. Surveys suggest that customers, when given the choice, come out in favour of the instant appeal of immediately accessible flowers. It has not, however, been so easy to persuade florists to opt for handtied bouquets when getting flowers delivered Three Kings, which require extra skills that are not needed for a bouquet wrapped in cellophane.
Handtied bouquets have gained popularity with brides, who appreciate their Edwardian feel (note how Asparagus plumosus is making a comeback after several years during which gypsophila has been the favourite). The most recent handtied fashion is the waterfall, in which flowers cascade downwards. This can either be held over one arm or to the front, in much the same way as a shower bouquet.

A florist’s first job
A florist begins the long process of providing you with beautiful fresh flowers as soon as the wholesale order arrives at their shop. As the flowers arrive, a quick visual inspection is carried out to ensure that the stock tallies with the order. The boxes are stacked neatly, with the most delicate flowers on the top.
All flowers should be healthy and in good condition, so the florist will check for pests, broken stems and temperature damage. Once the flowers and foliage have been placed in water they can be stored in a cool room or fridge. A good florist will allow several hours for the flowers to recover from the stress of transportation before selling them. Good Wombourne florists are hard to find, and are always judged by the quality of the flowers they sell.

Baskets
Baskets are an ideal accompaniment for flowers. They are available in a multitude of materials and an amazing assortment of shapes and sizes, so it is possible to purchase a suitable basket for any occasion. Small delicate baskets can be used for designs to be carried, large ones for planted displays, and all the sizes in between for fresh, fabric or dried arrangements.
With a coarsely-woven rustic basket, use a profusion of dried country-style flowers, such as larkspur, yarrow, alchemilla and tansy. Fabric flowers in a small pastel-coloured basket can create a wonderfully romantic display for a bride or her attendants. Complete the design with a bow of good- quality fabric ribbon just as any good florists Droylsdon would do.
It is a good idea to link the colour of the basket to the arrangement, so choose pale pastel shades to fill a straw-coloured willow basket, or vibrant exotic flowers to complement baskets of woven palm or bamboo.

Wildflowers: Familiar Faces
Planting wildflowers in the cultivated flower garden can be a debatable subject, as most Chesterfield Square florists can attest to. Most are better suited to a more natural setting, and many require shade, especially in summer. There are notable exceptions, however: Violets fit nicely into even the most formal perennial garden, for instance, while bunchberries (Cornus canadensis) make great edging plants. In our own yard, we enjoy a clump of maidenhair ferns (Adiantum) in a shaded part of our back border, and wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) has seeded itself beautifully in part of one sunny bed. Wild shrubs, such as flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus) and red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum), add some interest as well as beauty to a planting, and wild roses can make a nice impenetrable background.

With Daffodils go natural
For the pots and tubs there are so many plants and even fruit trees that can be grown in them that the choice is very wide — starting in the early spring with camellias and going on to mixed bulbs and forget-me-nots. And I still enjoy forget-me-nots planted with the early double tulips, especially with ‘Murillo’ or ‘Peach Blossom’, old-fashioned perhaps but nevertheless very pretty.
I know many people plant daffodils in pots but to me they never look happy. Daffodils, I think, really look their best growing naturally in grass. There are many of the hybrid white, pink and very special colours which have to be specially cared for and these I grow in clumps together in the border, but I do not enjoy them in tubs. This, of course, is my personal opinion (and that of my florist Easterhouse), and many may not agree with me. Ideal plants are hyacinths and short double tulips, and the little pink double daisy Bellis perennis is most attractive either on its own or with forget-me-nots and short tulips.

Gift wrapping cut flowers
There are many ways of gift wrapping cut flowers — shop paper, cellophane on a roll, and cardboard and acetate boxes in a variety of shapes and sizes. When correctly wrapped, flowers are easy to carry and pleasant to handle. A bunch of cut flowers is normally just wrapped in shop paper, but clear cellophane may be used as an alternative, and a suitable bow may be added to make a bunch even more attractive.
Cellophane or presentation bags are still used by many shops, but the flat pack has been superseded in many areas by the all-round tied bunch. Cellophane on a roll can be fitted into a wall- hung dispenser with a cutting edge, providing accessibility and ease of usage; this makes an excellent covering for bouquets, arrangements and plants. Ribbon bows are normally added to complement the design. The florist Clubmoor shop’s name or logo is usually printed across the cellophane. Ribbon Gift wrapping makes any plant or bunch of flowers look festive, and a lavish bow adds the finishing touch.

A Line Bouquet
Perhaps the easiest style of bouquet to make, this requires only a limited number of flowers, foliage types and, if desired, ribbon. This basic bouquet is the foundation of other styles, such as the straight shower.
Constructing the bouquet
Collect together all the materials and equipment. Work on a sheet of paper. First make a ribbon bow for the handle, and two other four-loop bows for the bouquet. Prepare the foliage by support wiring, if necessary, then mount and tape the stems.
Lay the main flowers out on the workbench. Carefully cut them to the required length, and then support wire, mount and tape them. Next, wire and mount the secondary materials.
Start to assemble the bouquet, beginning with the longest foliage units (here, bear grass) and flowers (gerberas). Bend the mount wires at a 45 degree angle to form the handle, and bind them together. Bind in the main focal flower or flowers Pentwyn in a raised position to form an elevated profile, and add a fifth gerbera in an upright position. Next, add secondary materials in diagonal lines and recess a bow at each side of the focal flower.
To finish, trim excess wires from the handle and cut to 13.75cm (Shin). Add the bow and cover the handle with white tape. Take ribbon on a roll and hold it behind the binding point of the handle, leaving a streamer; take it down behind the handle and up to the front, covering the handle tip; bind the handle from top to bottom, carefully covering the tip again, and wind ribbon back up to the binding point. Cut the ribbon, again leaving a streamer, and firmly tie both streamers behind and in front of the bow.

Adding Texture to a Wreath
To add to the textures in the wreath, Viburnum tinus, a very versatile evergreen foliage, was used to fill in any small spaces. The rosettes of dark green foliage and the tiny bronze buds and white flowers add another dimension to this open wreath. The combination of bold and warm oranges and reds make this a suitable colouring for a cold, and perhaps bleak, winter service.
Flowers delivered Farragut are a comfort and act as a focus at funerals, when conversation can become difficult. Funeral directors are in a unique position to observe the effect of flowers at funerals, and many agree that the bereaved mention flowers as a comforting aspect of the funeral.
Companies sending flowers to a funeral service as a mark of respect will invariably choose a wreath as the traditional and more formal way of expressing sympathy.

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