Category: Flower Care

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DIY Floral Arrangements for Your Wedding

Arranging artificial flowers vest decoration at home, Young woman florist work making organizing diy artificial flower, craft and hand made concept.

With the availability of quality wholesale flowers from Cascade, having fresh blooms for creating DIY wedding flowers is a dream come true for budget-friendly and cost-conscious brides. Doing it by yourself can be overwhelming, which is why we are providing you with essential tips for DIY wedding flowers.

Modern table's centerpiece for summer wedding. A lot of greenery being composed into stunning arrangement. Step by step, tutorial.

6 Tips for DIY Wedding Floral Arrangements

Choosing Your Flowers

  1. While modern shipping allows for access to almost any flower at any time of year, it is easier and more cost-effective to choose flowers that are in season. Seasonal flowers will be more readily available, affordable,  and replaced easier if anything should occur to your bouquets right before the wedding. Fresh, seasonal blooms T also stay healthier for a longer period of time, looking more beautiful and appealing during the wedding.
  2. It is also important to understand the limitations of the flowers you choose. Some blooms may wilt quicker than others, and other blooms may need more water or sunlight than others. By understanding what each flower needs, you can care for them properly to keep them bright and blooming. Having this knowledge can help you select hardy flower varieties that will maintain the look you want.
  3. Our final tip for deciding which blooms to choose is to keep it to only a few varieties. All of your arrangements can be created with just three flowers –  a primary bloom, a secondary bloom that complements it, and a tertiary bloom that helps fill out the bouquet. These three flowers can be used across all of your arrangements, changing their positions and filling them in with greenery to create different variations.  

Florist at work. Woman making bouquet of pink roses

Preparing for Assembly

  1. Assembling bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces requires more tools than just flowers and vases. Making sure you have all the required tools and materials when the flowers arrive is crucial. To hold flowers in place and arrange them, floral tape, floral wire, floral foam, and twine are helpful to have on hand. For decorations and embellishments to make your flowers pop,  use ribbons, lace, or twine. To keep the flowers fresh, have a spray bottle of water nearby so you can periodically mist your floral arrangements.
  2. It r helps to make a plan for your fresh flowers ahead of time, so you know how many you will need for your wedding. Count the number of bouquets, centerpieces, and boutonnieres you plan to have and then how many flowers will be in each one. This will help you determine the number of individual flowers and greenery you will need so you aren’t left with too many or too few.
  3. Making a gorgeous wedding bouquet and centerpieces is not as easy as many think and often takes time and practice. Online tutorials are a great place for tips and advice on how to best prepare your flowers. Pick a tutorial that shows an arrangement like the ones you want to use and practice with your tools before getting started. It is important to remember that complex or time-consuming arrangements can lead to anxiety or frustration and simple arrangements often look just as beautiful and a lot easier to prepare.

Florist at work: How to make modern table's centerpiece for summer wedding. A lot of greenery being composed into stunning arrangement. Step by step, tutorial.

Cascade floral offers all the flowers you need for DIY arrangements that best fit your budget. Check out our selection today or contact us directly so we can help you make your wedding day special and memorable. 

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How to Arrange Ranunculus Blooms

Beautiful fresh blossoming single salmon colored Ranunculus flower on the grey wall background, close up view

Beautiful, dainty, and striking, the ranunculus is one of our favorite blooms! Their paper-thin petals and lovely hues give them a timeless, classic look that evokes romanticism and femininity. A popular bloom frequently used in weddings, ranunculuses are great for everyday bouquets as well. If you’re ready to try your hand at creating a stunning arrangement with ranunculus blooms, then keep reading. The floral designs experts at Cascade Floral Wholesale have step-by-step instructions for working with the resplendent ranunculus!

Beautiful fresh ranunculus flowers on white background

About Ranunculus

Also known as a “buttercup,” the ranunculus flower is native to Southwest Asia and was introduced to Europe in the 16th century. The Ranunculus is distinguished by its numerous thin, crepe paper-like petals that wind tightly around its center until it is in full bloom, where the outer petals expand. Each ranunculus blossom sits atop a curvy stem, and the flowers come in white, yellow, cream, orange, red, purple, and pink colors. Keep ranunculus stems away from kids and animals as fresh ranunculuses are poisonous. 

Florist at work. Woman making bouquet of persian buttercup flowers (ranunculus)

Preparing the Ranunculus Stem

Strip each stem of any foliage that will fall below the water line, and then cut the stems at a 45-degree angle an inch or so from the bottom. Since the stems are hollow, they may split or become too soft when placed in water. To prevent this, wrap a string around the base of each stem just above the point you plan to make your cut. Once the leaves have been removed and the stems given a fresh cut, place them in a vase of room-temperature water that has added floral preservative. Allow the stems to sit in the water for at least 2 hours before being stored or worked with.

Bright Pink Yellow Peach Orange Ranunculus Fowers on White Backg

Tips for Creating an Arrangement with Ranunculus

Once you’ve selected the vase, fill it with warm water and add flower food. Starting on one side of the vase, place in a ranunculus stem and then place a second one on the opposite side. Go back and forth from side to side, adding greenery and other florals (if you like) to ensure the arrangement stays balanced. As the stems are curvy, work with the curve instead of against it. Placing the stems so they curve slightly outward and over the rim of the vase produces a nice effect where the flowers face you. Remember, not every stem will be fully bloomed, so leave room between them to allow space for when the buds are fully opened. 

As ranunculus stems are long and curvy, the flower makes it top-heavy, so they will need to be supported. The best way to do this is with a vase that has a long thin neck. Just a few fresh ranunculus stems and a piece of greenery in a bud vase are striking.

To easily create a full and balanced arrangement, use the chicken wire, tape-grid, or mason-jar technique. To add dimension and intrigue, cut the stems to varying lengths. If you need to fix drooping stems, place them in plastic straws. This works best if the straws can be hidden by the vase or in a full arrangement with plenty of other stems obscuring the plastic straws. 

Beautiful fresh ranunculus flowers in kitchen sink

Maintaining Your Arrangement

Keep your beautiful arrangement of fresh ranunculuses away from direct sunlight, hot or cold drafts, and pets. Every two days, give the stems a fresh cut with sharp scissors, change the water, and put in more floral nutrients. With proper care, ranunculus can last for 12 days!

For all your flower needs and DIY floral projects, Cascade Floral Wholesale is there for you! 

Beautiful fresh ranunculus flowers on color background

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How to Prevent Flowers From Wilting in the Heat

Having fresh flowers in your home, on your porch, or decorating outdoor structures in your backyard adds instant style and beauty wherever they are placed. During the hot days of summer, though, these blooms may wilt and die much sooner than they should. Keep your fresh florals healthy and hydrated during high-temperature days by following the below tips brought to you by the floral experts at Cascade Flowers. 

Tips for Keeping Flowers Hydrated on Hot Summer Days

 

Fresh-Cut Flowers in a Vase

  • When collecting cut flowers, do so in the morning for the best results. Flower stems are filled with water in the morning, whereas picking them during the hottest part of the day will lead them to wilt quicker than usual.
  • Place stems into a container of cool water. Beforehand strip each stem of all leaves that will fall below the waterline. Also, recut each stem at a 45-degree angle with a sharp pair of cutters to avoid crushing the stems.
  • Place the container of fresh-cut blooms in a cool place, a cooling closet or refrigerator is fine, and leave for several hours or overnight. This allows the flowers to drink up plenty of water before being displayed in a warm environment. 
  • For flowers with heavy blooms on a soft stem, prevent bending and drooping by wrapping them in newspaper or wax paper so they stand upright.
  • When displayed outdoors or in a warm area, monitor the water level daily and refill as necessary. Also, change the water, remove dead or dying leaves, and re-cut the stems every 2 days to keep your blooms looking fresh for longer.

Flowers in a Container, on a Trellis, or in a Garden

  • You’ll know your plants and flowers are suffering from heat distress if the leaves and blooms are wilted in the afternoon but are fine the following morning. Other signs are brown, yellow, or white spots on the petals or leaves and dropped buds.
  • Prevent wilting by making sure the roots receive consistent watering, feeding, and regular weeding. Early morning waterings are better than evening watering where fungal disease may occur. 
  • Place flowering plants in a shady area to prevent wilting from excess heat. If this is not possible, place a shade cloth or umbrella over them to protect them from the sun. 
  • For vines or blooms decorating an outdoor structure, use plastic water picks to place stems and roots in to keep the vine and flowers hydrated. 
  • Container plants tend to dry out quicker than those in the ground, so check their moisture regularly. They made need to be watered twice a day if the climate is hot, dry, and windy. 
  • Move container plants indoors or into the shade to prevent wilting from the heat. Also, keep a saucer under the containers so they can soak out water as needed. 
  • Dark-colored pots absorb more heat and unglazed terra-cotta pots lose water more quickly and may not be the options for plants that will be in the sun. 

Plant Heat-Tolerant Flowers Instead

If you live in a climate with excessive heat and hot summers, you should consider planting flowers that are native to the area or heat-tolerant varieties such as Black-eyed Susans, Sedum, Bottlebrush, Begonia, Hibiscus, and Blanket Flower to name a few.