Don’t miss Mr. Michael Gaffney at the Macy’s Flower Show in Herald Square March 27th, 2015! This year the Macy’s Flower Show is being held in NYC March 22nd-April 4th and Michael will be there doing flower design demonstrations, hosting a free book give away and plenty of flowers, flowers, flowers for all to see!

For two weeks, the clothing and accessories at Macy’s won’t be the only colorful items on display by the iconic department store. Outside in Broadway Plaza, beautifully bright floral arrangements will announce this year’s Macy’s Flower Show. Special events including live music, kids’ activities and seminars will take place throughout the show. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit macys.com.

We hope to see you there!!

For additional information about our upcoming semesters, school locations and more, visit us at: www.flowerschool101.com

The Valentine’s Day Scoop

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, that special day is upon us….the day of L-O-V-E! Many people can be stumped on why the cost of flowers sky rocket during this most lovely of holidays…so I will be taking some time in this article to educate on why that is, as well as giving you some helpful tips to getting the arrangement that you want and try to save some $$ in the process.

The average American does not realize that there are several factors that come into play when it comes to shipping and receiving the massive amounts of product for the holiday. Here are a few factors as to why we, (Florists included), all pay more for flowers on Valentine’s Day:

1. Growers use manual labor for product development.
2. Transportation of the product costs more.
3. The demand for flowers increases.
4. Economy Factors come into play.
5. Paying for an expert to design the flowers.

After taking a look at these factors, I would suggest the following this Valentine’s Day as some money saving tips:
1. Take a look at the alternatives to the dozen roses vased. There are many other beautiful flowers available this time of year that are equally appealing, but may not be as expensive.
2. Request different colors such as pink, lavendar, purple, white or a combination of color. Red often is higher priced due to the high demand, etc.
3. Request a delivery date before the actual holiday itself. Some florists offer incentives for pre-order and different delivery dates.

Now, lets talk about buying LOCAL!!! Support your local florist this holiday. I cannot tell you how I cringe every time I see the commercials screaming at me from the TV…you know the ones, “ONLY $19.99 for 1 dozen red roses vased!” The truth is, the photos of those arrangements are manipulated to make the public think that they will be receiving a nice big full arrangement for the price listed. But unfortunately, that is not always the case. To get a big beautiful arrangement of roses in a vase, you will have to pay a reasonable amount. Remember the saying, “If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.” This rings true for flowers on Valentine’s Day as well. I would suggest calling your local florist and placing an order with them directly so that you know exactly what you will be sending… and you never know, they may be offering some additional perks & incentives to buy!

Enjoy your Valentine’s Day and remember to thank your florist! Many sacrifice time with their own loved ones and ‘special night out’ so that you can enjoy yours!

During the holidays is when I like to ‘wow’ my guests with beautiful centerpieces during parties and for hostess gifts as well. This can be a bit tricky, especially when working on a budget. The following are my tips and tricks for what I call ‘designing on a dime’:

1. During this time of year everyone loves their evergreen foliage, so this is my greenery of choice when starting my arrangements. Don’t spend tons of money buying greenery when you can either trim some from your yard or (with permission) from the yard of a neighbor. Some people do not know that Home Depot also gives away their Christmas tree trimmings for free. (There is usually a big bin in the tree lot area that the staff throws the clippings in)…So why buy when you can get it for free! Read More

Hydrangea is one of the hottest flowers used in event work and this trend has been going strong for quite some time now. There are some who may shy away from using this beautiful flower in their arrangements because of the fact that they tend to wilt fairly easily. ….NEVER FEAR, we are going to list some tips on how to properly prep this flower so that it looks great in your designs throughout your event.

After you bring home your hydrangea there are a few steps you should follow to prepare this flower before you use it in your design:

Design Tip #1: Remove all of the large leaves on the stem of the Hydrangea. The big leaves suck up a large amount of moisture that would otherwise be going to the petals of the flower.

Design Tip #2: Fill your sink or bath tub with water, trim the bottom of the stem and submerge the whole flower in the water for approximately 10-20 minutes. Flowers absorb water through all surfaces of the flower including the petals, stem, bark and leaves….not just through the bottom of the stem as some might think. Ever had wilted, rubbery celery in the refrigerator and soaked it in a bowl of water to make it crisp again? It is the same concept with the Hydrangea.

Design Tip #3: While the Hydrangea are soaking in the tub, fill a bucket with fresh water and add a liberal amount of Alum. Alum is a spice used for pickling and can be found on the spice rack at your local whole foods or grocery store. Alum forces water up the stem of the flower and makes the blooms of the flower nice and hard. Remove the flower from the water, gently shake off the excess and place the flower stem end down into the bucket.

Design Tip #4: While the Hydrangea drinks the Alum & water mixture, spray the bloom of the hydrangea with Crowning Glory. Crowning Glory is a wax based spray that seals the pores in the leaves, stem and petals of the flower preventing the loss of moisture through the flowers pores. Crowning Glory is distributed by Oasis Floral Products and is sold at your local Wholesale Flower Market or on Amazon.com.

Your hydrangea is now processed for use and will look beautiful in your designs for a prolonged period of time!

Ever wonder if the flower food packets you get with your flowers at the supermarket really work?

The flower food packets are used to ‘extend the life’ of your flower arrangement…Well, first we should think about what is killing the flowers in the first place.

~BACTERIA, BACTERIA, BACTERIA!!

Before you mess around with those messy packets of flower ‘food’, I would encourage you to keep the water clean and change it every 2 days or so….this will extend the life of your flowers with out messing around with the packets. Flowers are like our bodies and do the best when hydrated with clean fresh water….when changing your water on a regular basis, you are cutting down on the environment that bacteria grows best in.

At the American Schools of Flower Design, we instruct our students to add 1-2 DROPS of household bleach into the water of their arrangements to take care of any pesky bacteria that insists on polluting your water.

So as a recap of the design tip of the day….

1. Change your flower’s water regularly
2. Add 1-2 Drops of household bleach
3. ENJOY!!

Just a friendly reminder that if our in class schedules do not work with your personal schedule…we offer several online videos for your viewing pleasure at your own convenience. Check them out!!