As I was processing the flowers today that arrived from California, I was debating between writing about the LA Hybrid variety of lily or the multi bloom Oriental variety since I introduced the orientals in a previous blog. As you can see by my title I couldn’t decide between the two, and have decided to do both. I have worked for Lund Floral for 12 years now (wow! That’s hard to believe that many years has passed) and lilies are probably our biggest seller and most requested flower of them all. Well maybe roses. And gerbera daisies Roses might still have the lead. Anyways lilies are The IT GIRL of the flower shop and people are becoming more educated on how awesome the lily really is.

There are 3 type of lilies. Asiatic, LA Hybrid, and Oriental. The Asiatic lily is the smallest of the 3 lilies and also hold the shortest vase life 5-7 days. On a positive note asiatic lilies come in the widest variety of colors out of the three types and also have the smallest price tag. 💲

LA Hybrid lilies are my absolute favorite. They have strong thick stems, come in bright vibrant colors and are middle in size. My favorite LA Hybrids are the White Royal Bach from Sun Valley in California or the Hot Pink variety from Skyline Flowers.  The LA Hybrid lilies have a vase life of 7-10 days and are  offered in more varieties then I can count. 

Lastly the Oriental Lily the most fragrant and the largest of the 3. Also offering the longest vase life of 10-14 days. They have become extremely popular for Valentines Day and special events for their massive blooms and aroma. My favorite being the Casa Blanca. Because of its ridiculously large blooms offering the most scent of them all and it’s pure white color. 

 3 Things to look for while selecting your lily.

1. Count the number of buds rather than the number of stems. Cheap stem price doesn’t equate to quality lilies.

2. Look for thick sturdy stems. Lilies are top heavy and need a good support system.

3. Lookfor healthy leaves. Yellow leaves could mean ethylene damage.

Ethylene Damage is caused by the lilies sitting in their packaging for too long. It will cause the stems to turn yellow. 

Remember when dealing with lilies to remove the lily pollen as discussed in our Previous Blog. Also keep a close eye on the water level especially in flower bouquets that use Orientsl Lilies. These babies LOVE their water! 

Here are some examples of bouquets that utilize these lilies

Asiatic Lilies
LA Hybrid Royal Bach
Oriental lilies
Next time you come visit our flower shop, menchoin this blog and I will even throw in a Free Lily to your bouquet. 

Now get out there and Bloom! 

Good morning everyone! This past week I posted a video tutorial on our YouTube channel Lund Floral and am working with the website programmers to start putting our tutorials on Lundfloral.net but I wanted to also do a step by step version here on our blog. As you may already know I have 2 small children and my 6 year old daughter really enjoys this project.

The Soda Centerpiece

For this project you will need

1. Empty Soda Cans. Drink away my friends. I also pre rinse the can once the soda is gone.

2. Can Opener to remove the lid

3. Flowers from Lund Floral Ogden, UT

Let’s begin!

Now that we have an empty soda can that has been rinsed free of any left over soda we may have left behind we need to remove the lid. Do this by attaching the can opener to the rim of the soda can just like you would a can of olives.

Continue to turn the can opener until the top of the soda can is starting to remove and completely comes off.

Add cool room temp water to the soda can about two inches from the top of the can. (Remember you may need to add water each day and also don’t forget to change the water out completely and recut your stems on the third day.)

Now you have a vase for the flowers of your choice. In the video tutorial I recommend staying away from top heavy blooms such as tulips, roses, peonies etc. Place each flower into the soda can remembering to removing all foliage. Once you have added the desired amount of  blooms you can also finish by spraying the flowers with a preservative finishing spray!

Tada! You’re finished.

For more fun projects like this visit our YouTube  Channel here

Lund Floral YouTube Channel

Good morning everyone! I wish I was able to inform you how beautiful and sunny it is outside, and that summer feels closer than ever.  However, today it is windy, rainy and dark.. I must admit even though I watched the weather I am a little bummed out. On a positive note, today does make a perfect petal day for one of my favorite indoor floral project and always remember…all the spring showers will bring beautiful flowers. 😉  Let’s get to work! For today’s project you will need 1. A few fresh cut roses from Lund Floral located here in Ogden, UT (or any local flower shop of your choosing). 2. A microwave safe dish that will be ok to dispose after and that also has a large enough opening for our rose head. 3. Soy wax ( this can be purchased at your local craft store) The amount needed to do this project is less than 1 lb. however if you think you may want to do this several times, purchase what you feel is needed. 4. A floral knife & disposable spoon. 5. Cardboard or newspaper 6. Bottles or vase of your choosing.

First, we will need to prep our wax. Poor the soy wax chips into your microwave safe container to the appropriate level that when the wax melts, it will have enough to submerge the flower and be completely covered.  Then place container in the microwave. Personally I find it easier to melt the wax in 2 minute increments. I also stir the wax in between.  Here is what my wax looked like after 2 minutes in the microwave.mi have also stirred it around before putting it back in for an additional 2 minutes. Stir wax to ensure all the wax has been melted.

The appropriate pouring temperature will be 160-180 degrees.

Now before we get too excited and start dipping away. We need to get our containers ready for the roses. I used short vintage bottles and an old cardboard lid to protect my countertops from any dripping wax. It is also a good idea to pick low vases that will help support the rose heads. With the added layer of wax, they become very top heavy. For extra support you can also pre wire your roses. (See our tutorial on how to wire a rose)

Now for the fun stuff! We will be taking each rose and cutting the stem to the desired length for our vases, before dipping them into the wax. Dip each rose into your wax shaking off any extra wax before placing it in the vases to dry.

Before dipping into wax

Dip rose into the wax

Shake off all excess wax to create a thin layer and to eliminate any wax clumps or bubbles

Place each waxed rose into the vases to dry for one hour before moving to the desired location of your home. This will prevent any wax drippings from damaging  your furniture.

Notice the roses remain the same color even after we have dipped them in a thin layer of wax. You may also be able to feel the additional weight of the rose to help understand why it is important to use low vases or pre wired roses for this floral project.

60 minutes later..

Now it is time for us to display our new creation for all of our guests to enjoy! I hope you all had a wonderful time creating your waxed roses and wish you all a Petal Perfect day!

Until next time,

Erin

Check out our website to purchase one of our floral bouquets and much more

Lund Floral Website!

Also view our video tutorials on our YouTube channel.

YouTube Channel

Before we get to the tutorial of the extremely fragrant and simple, yet stunning design of the lily bouquet. I really need to warn all people that don’t like strong fresh smells to please step aside or if you have allergies to most perfumes stay away!! Like seriously these babies are topping the charts for being one of the most fragrant flowers and also being one of the industries biggest sellers.  Talk about hello from the other side, move over Adele the pink orientals are Here to dominate!! Remove the plastic protective sleeve and Bam, you have instantly been relocated to the perfume counter at the local mall. Just kidding, but seriously these beauties are powerful. In this tutorial we will be teaching you the simple techniques of design by placing your greens in first.

Then we will talk about lily placement, remembering to remove the foliage from each stem  and cutting it on an angle before putting it directly into the water. We will also be using our leaf shine and finishing spray in the video that can be purchased here: http://cbwholesalefloral.com/products/floralife-leafshine-25-oz-can. The most important step after your bouquet is finished and really the whole time you are enjoying your bouquet is to keep the water clean and the level high and to Remove the pollen.. Oh my goodness these magnificent creations of Mother Nature would be pure bliss  of the industry if they didn’t have their mess of pollen.

So before I give it all away.. Enjoy the video tutorial of the elegant lily bouquet.

How To Make a Simple Yet Stunning Lily Bouquet

It has arrived!!! We have been waiting for weeks for this magnificent creation that has come from Guatemala. THE PASTA GERB! It was announced weeks ago, however it didn’t come available for distribution until this weekend. Saturday couldn’t come fast enough. As we arrived to the airport freight dock for our routine pick up from our Miami broker, we couldn’t help but get a little antsy to see the skinny white boxes on the pallet calling our attention. “Guatemalan Gerbs” printed in bold green lettering.. It was them..There they were just feet away. Once the box was in our possession the poor clear packaging tape didn’t have a chance as we busted it open. There sitting amongst the white shredded packaging paper was THE PASTA GERBERA!! Just as perfect as we imagined, with curled string pasta like petals of perfection. The pale yellow variety immediately caught my attention it was nearly a mirror reflection of my all time favorite.. Fettuccine! It became crystal clear to me how these babies got their name. This was one for the books, a true petal perfect moment.