Floral Designs from Treasure Finds

My mother always said, “You spend the first 50 years collecting stuff, and the next 50 years trying to get rid of it.”

Collections, as I prefer to call them rather than stuff, express your unique personality and make any design totally your own. Collectables can create whatever mood you want, from whimsy to drama; from serene to outrageous.

Incorporating a collection as a centerpiece at your next dinner party can streamline expenses, show off your personality, and give everybody at the table something to talk about. It can set the mood for the evening, and also make you a star! Every hostess loves to hear, “Oh my dear, you are so talented!


ONE MANS TRASH IS ANOTHER MANS TREASURE.

Chess in Play: Miniature beverage bottles have become chessmen (brown versus clear), the flowers in each are the same. The paper white narcissus are pawns, the rose is queen, a nerine lily is king. Cyclamen, miniature carnations and alstroemeria form the other warriors.

Catching the Light: A handsome collection of Steuben crystal provides both the inspiration and the appointments for this arrangement.

Old Blue: A collection of Meissen china is enraptured by azaleas and cornflowers.

It's all about whimsy: This intriguing hippopotamus collection is all dressed up and no place to go, but to make you smile.

The flower that dances.

The first flower to make a debut in the spring is the crocus. However, the one I’m most anxious to see, is the tulip. I just love tulips, because when I cut them for an arrangement they are the only flower that continues to stretch and grow. You can literally watch them dance, sway and turn and pirouette to the light.

If you want your tulips to stand strong and tall like you drew them when you were a kid, you need to give them a little vodka. Yes, I said vodka, the tulips have an alcohol problem; a tablespoon of vodka (they don’t care if it’s Grey Goose or Kettle One) to three cups of water. Cut the stems on an angle, place them in the vodka water and watch them come to attention! It works all the time. I call this recipe the vodka Viagra for the tulip.

A TULIP TIDBIT: During the tulipmania in 17th century Holland the variegated tulip, Semper Augustus, was called the holy grail of all tulip bulbs. One bulb is believed to have been sold for 5,500 florins, equivalent to $2,500. Now, wouldn’t you love to have a garden full of those babies!


Come tiptoe through the tulips with me. Al Dubin

Little Frog

If you’re like me, you’re ready to leap into an early spring. I’m suffering from “cabin fever”, and as my Mother would say…”It’s time to get out and blow off the stink!”

One of my most favorite springs was some years ago when I visited Cousin Gerry in San Diego, he took me to see the famous Flower Fields of Carlsbad, California. What a breath taking site!

Ranunculus! Ranunculus! Ranunculus!

The Flower Fields of Carlsbad, a direct result of over 85 years of floral cultivation, are located between San Diego and Los Angeles. The nearly 50 acres of ranunculus and gladiolus are in full bloom six to eight weeks a year (early March through early May).

It’s a must see if you are ever in the vicinity, and the perfect place to “blow off the stink.”

The name Ranunculus is Late Latin for "little frog." Ranunculus is a large genus of about 400 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae, which includes the buttercups.

I am most fascinated with the ranunculus because of its multiple petals, which to me appear to be made from the finest of silk.


We cannot fathom the mystery of a single flower. Nor is it intended that we should. John Ruskin

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

...ENJOY IN JOY!

It doesn’t have to be roses to say “I Love You.”

Here are a few examples of past bouquets and arrangements I have made and wish to share with you.

Remember as I continue to preach…”flowers add beauty to our lives.”

PEOPLE FROM A PLANET WITHOUT FLOWERS WOULD THINK WE MUST BE MAD WITH JOY THE WHOLE TIME TO HAVE SUCH THINGS ABOUT US. Iris Murdoch

Why is my rose drooping?

...because it wants a drink!

When you see a rose in your bouquet turning soft and drooping, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a "goner". It's telling you "I need a drink!" Sometimes there might be a blockage in the stem, preventing the water to travel the long distance to the rose.

REMEDY: Fill the kitchen sink with warm water (half hot/half cold from the tap which gives you the perfect temperature.) Remove the droopy rose(s) from the vase, and submerge the entire rose (stem, foliage and blossom) under water, weight it down. With a sharp knife in hand, give a fresh angled cut to the stem under water. The water uptake is immediate...leave rose submerged for 45 minutes to an hour. It should have perked up and be ready to be place back in the vase.

Therefore, an important tip to remember is the shorter the stem the longer the flower will last.

If the one you love is bored with red roses, you might want to consider these alternatives: Pink says "grace and beauty", coral says "you are desirable", lavender says "love at first sight", a white rose combined with a red rose says, "unity". It amazes me how many women are fond of yellow roses; perhaps they don't know that during the Victorian Era the yellow rose spoke "jealousy". Today "google" says it means joy and friendship.

"THE FRAGRANCE ALWAYS STAYS IN THE HAND THAT GIVES THE ROSE." Heda Bekar

The Language of Flowers...

WHAT DO THESE FLOWERS SAY?

Every time I ask my audiences "What does the red rose say?" I get a loud and immediate response, "I Love You." However, one time a man in the very back row shouted "When I send them, they are always saying, "I'm sorry!"

Over 200 years ago, during the era of Queen Victoria, there was a code known as The Language of Flowers. Every flower carried its own sentiment, thus allowing bashful beaus to express their most intimate feelings without ever uttering a word. Cool, huh?

Now, the ladies of course, had a journal of the code listing each flower and its message. So, when the bouquet (known as a tussy-mussy) arrived his true feelings for her were revealed. Where she wore the tussy-mussy was her reply to his message. If she wore it at her waist, she was saying "I'm thinking about you, but there is a new guy on the block and I want to check him out first." If she wore it in her hair, she was saying "No way Jose!" But, of course, if she wore it pinned over her heart she was saying "My sentiments are the same as yours." Ah, love bloomed in silence.

The flowers above are saying "I LOVE YOU" - "YOU HAVE BEAUTIFUL EYES" - "UNOBTRUSIVE LOVELINES" and are "RADIANT WITH CHARMS."


Valentine's Day is not just for lovers, but also for the people you just love.

Flowers fit for a queen.

Just before Christmas, St. Louis hosted the Veil Prophet Ball which has been a St. Louis tradition since 1878. This social event is filled with splendor and pageantry, and the most beautiful flowers of the season.
For almost 40 years I have been asked to create the bouquets for the queen and her court. Each year the queens bouquet consists of over 300 orchids all of which are donated by the Missouri Botanical Garden. The retiring queen and the special maid's bouquets are designed to compliment their magnificent gowns.
I have included pictures of the queen's bouquet and the 2009 retiring queen, Elizabeth Hailand. She was so thrilled with her bouquet, she sent me this note. Now...how cool is that!

WITH FLOWERS IN HER HAND...EVERY WOMAN IS A QUEEN.

Flower Power...

Now I realize, not everyone shares my "soft spot" for flowers. There are those who feel flowers only die...why spend the money? Others see them necessary only for weddings, funerals, or a means to get themselves out of trouble. In truth, the power of a single flower can bring a whole bunch of unexpected joy!

Remember as a child picking dandelions in the back yard and bringing a bouquet to your mom? Trust me, your mom remembers. Every mom everywhere has tucked that joyous moment into her heart. It's all about love.

By the way, if you've always considered the dandelion to be a weed, it's time to do some rethinking. The dandelion (taraxacum officinate) belongs to the family of flowers called Compositae. This is a pretty impresssive group of some nine hundred genera and thirteen thousand species. This means the dandelion is a distant cousin to such flowers as the chrysanthumum, dahlia and the sunflower. That's not bad company to keep!

NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER

Email me at dalerohman@sbcglobal.net for Dandelion Wine recipes or Mama's Dandelion Salad.

In the beginning...

When I was a kid my father gave me a small patch of ground behind the garage and told me I could plant anything I wanted. He was never disappointed when it didn't turn out to be tomatoes. (He was in the produce business.) Zinnias and marigolds were my choice. My bouquets to mama were always rewarded with a hug and a whisper, "flowers add beauty to our lives."

You'd love my mother. She's 96 years old...feisty as hell and still vocal with her favorite words to live by. I visited her yesterday at the nursing home just in time to hear her tell her roommate to, "wish in one hand and spit in the other and see which one fills up the fastest!" Then turning to me with a smile, she took the bouquet I brought and again in a whisper uttered, "flowers add beauty to our lives."

THE BEST REASON FOR GIVING A FLOWER IS FOR NO REASON AT ALL.

Let me introduce myself, I'm Dale Rohman, America's Flower Man® and I'm totally new at this blogging thing. My grandkids think I'm a real hip and cool PaPa, so I decided in order to keep that image I decided to get into the 21st century. So here goes!