Babble Community

c/florists

19

harper_foster•1mo ago

Had to pick between poultry netting and chicken wire for my garden beds

I was trying to keep the squirrels out of my cutting flower bed last spring after they dug up half my tulip bulbs. I ended up going with poultry netting because it was cheaper at $15 for a 50 foot roll at the local hardware store. The 1 inch holes worked great for keeping critters out, but I didn't think about how much of a pain it is to work with. It snagged on everything and took me like 3 hours to get it staked down around my zinnias and dahlias. Has anyone else tried both and found one easier to manage?

3

the_diana•1mo ago

That $90 floral foam alternative that was a total bust

I saw an ad for this eco-friendly floral foam made from coconut husk and figured I'd give it a shot for a big wedding order. Spent $90 on a case of the stuff and it arrived looking like weird brown bricks. Soaked them overnight like the instructions said, and they never fully absorbed water - they just floated and crumbled. Tried using them the next day and the stems kept slipping out and the whole arrangement fell apart in under an hour. Has anyone else tried one of these natural foam alternatives or am I just stuck with the green stuff forever?

18

the_miles•1mo ago

Had to pick between foam and wire cages for a wedding arch last weekend

I was building a big arch for a wedding at a barn venue outside Portland and had to choose between using foam blocks or wire floral cages to hold the mechanics. I went with wire cages because the arch was going to be outside all day and foam gets heavy when wet. Plus the bride wanted a mix of garden roses and dahlias that needed deep water. The cages held up perfect even with the afternoon breeze. Took me about 45 minutes to wire them all onto the frame but it was worth it. Has anyone else had foam collapse on them during an outdoor event? I'm still nervous about trying it again.

2

blair_martin•1mo ago

Debate: are we overdoing the rustic wildflower look for weddings?

I was at a bridal expo in Austin last weekend and caught two planners arguing about this. One said clients are tired of the messy garden style and want more structured arrangements again. The other swore that loose, foraged bouquets are still the top request she gets. It got me thinking because I've been seeing half my brides ask for that airy, unmounted look and the other half want tight, classic rounds. I personally lean toward the wildflower vibe since it's more forgiving with seasonal blooms, but I've lost a few contracts to shops that push formal designs. What do you all think? Is the unstructured trend fading or still going strong in your markets?

30

burns.jenny•1mo ago

Vent: That customer who asked me to wire a bouquet with zip ties

A guy came into my shop in Austin last Tuesday and insisted I use zip ties instead of floral wire because he said it was sturdier, and I spent 20 minutes trying to explain why that would destroy the stems before he just walked out.

4

anthony_campbell88•1mo ago

Green wire stems are taking over funeral arrangements

I see it more and more. People wrapping stems in that bright green florist tape. It's everywhere now. I've been doing flowers for 22 years. Back in 2002 we used brown or white tape for everything. The green tape looks cheap up close. Especially on white roses or lilies. It distracts from the flower. Anyone else notice this trend getting worse?

9

the_sam•1mo ago

Vent: A wedding coordinator in Greenville made me lose an hour of time

I had a wedding gig last Saturday at a venue in Greenville, the old mill place. The coordinator told me the bride wanted all the centerpieces done by 10 AM, so I got there at 6:30 to start. At 9:45 she walks up and says the bride changed her mind, wants everything moved to the outdoor gazebo instead of the tables inside. I had 45 arrangements already placed and wired down. It took me and my assistant an hour to undo everything and redo it out there, and she just shrugged. Has anyone else dealt with coordinators who don't communicate changes ahead of time?

17

ivanross•1mo ago

Spotted a weird wilt pattern at a local nursery last weekend

I was at Bloomfield Greenhouses in Ohio checking out their stock and noticed a bunch of eucalyptus had this pale yellow stripe down the middle of the leaves. Turns out it was a nutrient lock from too much boron in their water, something about the local well. Has anyone else seen this kind of discoloration on their plants and figured out a fast fix?

9

jenny_hall•1mo ago

PSA: Checked my wholesale supplier's new rose shipment and the difference was night and day

I've been ordering from the same place for 2 years. Last week they switched to a different Ecuador farm. The stems went from thick and straight to bendy and thin in just 7 days. Anyone else's supplier pull something like this without warning?

9

faith_thomas•1mo ago

Found a trick for keeping hydrangeas from wilting in under 2 hours

I was losing half my hydrangea stock within a day until I tried dipping the stems in boiling water for 30 seconds before arranging. Has anyone else tested this method or got a better hack for keeping them fresh?

12

annaw73•1mo ago

My bucket truck bucket got stuck up in the air for 45 minutes last Thursday

I was delivering a big funeral arrangement to a church in town. Got the bucket up to the second floor window and then nothing. Controls just stopped. I was stuck up there for 45 minutes until my buddy came with a ladder. Turns out a pin sheared off in the control linkage. I carry spare pins now in my tool box. Has anyone else had a bucket truck fail on them mid job?

1

milaw14•1mo ago

Took me 3 hours to figure out a simple stem wrap issue

I spent a whole Sunday afternoon trying to get bridal bouquet stems to stop slipping out of their tape, only to realize I was using the wrong kind of floral tape from a batch I bought six months ago. The tape had no grip at all once it was warm from my hands, and I must have rewrapped the same three bouquets four times. Has anyone else run into a supply problem that made a simple task take way longer than it should have?

10

rubyshah•1mo ago

Ditch the pre-made bouquet hooks, just use rubber bands

I used to spend $15 a week on those little plastic bouquet holders from the floral supply store. Then about 6 months ago I ran out during a big wedding order and just grabbed a box of rubber bands from my truck. Turns out they hold stems way tighter, don't crack in the cooler, and a $5 box lasts me 3 months. Has anyone else swapped out some overpriced florist gadget for something from the hardware store?

11

theagibson•1mo ago

Had to pick between wholesale local flowers vs cheap imports for a wedding last month

I was prepping for a wedding in June and had to choose between a local farm 30 miles out or this big distributor out of state. Local stuff was $2.50 a stem for peonies and they had limited colors. Imports were like $1 a stem and way more variety. I went with the local farm because the bride wanted that farm fresh look. The peonies arrived with some bug damage on a few heads. Had to strip petals and rearrange the whole centerpiece setup the night before. The bride loved them anyway said they looked more real. But I lost money on that job with all the extra labor. Has anyone else taken a loss to go local and regretted it or was it worth it?

26

parker_price•1mo ago

Stopped by a wholesale market in Miami and saw something wild

I was down in Miami last month visiting a flower market I used to hit back in the 90s and noticed almost no one was buying roses. The old timers were all grabbing tropical foliage and unusual greenery instead. Is the demand for standard roses dying off or is this just a regional thing down here?

2

julia_anderson•1mo ago

Veteran florist told me to stop using floral foam and switch to chicken wire for arrangements

She said it would save me time and look more natural, but my first three attempts with chicken wire ended up a tangled mess and I lost like 20 minutes each time. Any tips on how to actually get the wire set right without it falling apart?

16

grantw32•1mo ago

Finally gave up on floral tape for stems, never going back

I used to spend 20 minutes on every bouquet taping stems together, fighting with sticky fingers and tape that wouldn't hold. Last month at a workshop in Portland, a lady showed me how she uses zip ties for the base then wraps with ribbon. Now I get through a dozen arrangements in under 10 minutes each. The trick is to snip the tail flush with cutters so nothing pokes out. Has anyone else found a faster way to secure stems without all the fuss?

6

matthewmartin•1mo ago

Switched from foam to chicken wire for a big arch job

The foam base soaked up all the water and drooped by noon, but the chicken wire frame held everything perfect for three days straight. Saved me from a total redo on a $1200 wedding order. Anyone have a go-to brand for that heavy gauge wire?

16

barbarah19•1mo ago

Pro tip: check your cooler's temp sensor after that crazy hot week in Phoenix

Lost about $400 in wilting peonies and lisianthus because my backup unit's sensor was off by 10 degrees, so what's your go-to method for a quick temp check during a heat wave?

32

julia_anderson•1mo ago

I mixed a weird flower into a bouquet for a friend's birthday and it actually worked

So my friend loves purple, and I was making her a birthday bouquet last week. I ran out of the usual filler greens and grabbed a few sprigs of this ornamental kale from the back of my cooler. I thought it looked kind of weird and maybe too 'vegetable garden' for a pretty bouquet, but I was in a rush. I put it in with some lavender roses and purple lisianthus. When I gave it to her, she went nuts for the kale! She said the texture and that deep purple-green color made the whole thing look way more interesting and modern than just flowers alone. It lasted over a week in her vase, too. I've been so stuck on using eucalyptus or baby's breath that I never thought to try something like that. Has anyone else had a surprise hit with a non-traditional filler?

9

jamesroberts•1mo ago

Tried a new flower food packet from a local supplier and it turned my white roses brown

I got a sample of these new 'long life' flower food packets from a supplier at the Denver market last month. The guy said they were great for delicate blooms, so I tried them on a batch of white garden roses for a wedding order. Within 24 hours, the edges of every single petal started to turn a nasty brown, almost like they were burnt. I lost the whole batch, about 40 stems, and had to do a mad rush re-order. I think the mix was way too strong, maybe the pH was off. I've gone back to my trusted brand, but it was a costly lesson to always test a small bunch first, especially with white flowers. Has anyone else had a flower food react badly with a specific bloom?

26

jasonf17•1mo ago

A wedding in Phoenix made me rethink using succulents in bouquets

The bride wanted a desert theme, but the succulents wilted in the heat before the ceremony even started. I've started keeping a small mister in my kit for any outdoor events now. Has anyone found a better way to keep them from drying out so fast?

11

eva_thompson•1mo ago

Serious question, has anyone else had a huge batch of hydrangeas just refuse to drink?

I was about to toss 30 stems from a Portland wholesaler, but a grower told me to submerge the whole head in cool water for 45 minutes. They perked up in 2 hours and lasted the full week. What other weird flower hacks have saved your butt?

25

gavinb97•1mo ago

I tried both a local flower farm and a big wholesaler for my roses this month, and the farm's blooms lasted twice as long.

The farm's stems were shorter but the buds opened slower and stayed fresh for over 10 days, while the wholesale ones drooped after 4, so is paying more for local quality always the better move for client bouquets?

9

diana_west27•1mo ago

A lady in Phoenix asked for a bouquet that smelled like her old cat

She came into the shop last Tuesday and said her cat, Mr. Whiskers, had a very specific smell she missed. She described it as 'dry food and sunshine.' I tried to be nice and suggested some herbs or maybe a scented geranium. She sniffed a few things, then looked at me and said, 'No, this is all wrong. He smelled more like a dusty couch.' Has anyone else gotten a request this wild?