FLOWER ARRANGING TIPS

1.  In general, the height of your tallest flower should be 1.5 times the height of your container.

2.  You already have a collection of interesting floral containers.  Check cabinets for pitchers, creamers, jelly jars, and bowls.  It it’s water tight, it is suitable for use.

3.  Experiment with color!  Colors with high contrast such as yellows, purples, and blues can make for a vibrant and exiting bouquet.  Equally dramatic bouquets can be achieved by using all different shades of the same color.

4.  When choosing flowers try to select a variety of shapes and sizes; it will make your arrangement more interesting.  Graduating the sizes of the blooms gives the eye some stepping stone from which to travel around your arrangement.

5.  When cutting your flowers make sure to vary their height.  Keep larger blooms towards the center as focal points.  Smaller blooms should be used to create an outer line for your arrangement and to fill in around your focal points.

6.  Many people forget an important element in floral arranging – to green or not to green?  Foliage can be used to accent your flowers by creating a complimentary backdrop to show off their colors and forms.  Foliage can also add a different texture and create a line to your arrangement.  Other times, however, it’s best to leave the foliage out completely and let the flowers speak for themselves!


FLOWER CARE TIPS

1.  We recommend giving your flowers a fresh cut and changing their water daily.  (Except for tulips, see tip #3 below.)  Remove any foliage below the water line in your vase.

2.  Always cut flower stems on an angle using a sharp cutting implement.  Avoid dull scissors or blades as they can crush stems and impede water draw.

3.  We find tulips last a little longer if you do not recut them, but do change the water daily.  Believe it or not, putting a splash of gin or vodka in the water will help prolong their life.

4.  Flowers with woody stems (like lilacs or wax flowers) should be hammered at their ends or split an inch or so up the middle to encourage water draw.

5.  Roses are a water-loving flower!  Make sure there is always plenty of water in your vase and always recut the rose with its stem immersed in water.

6.  Using a floral preservative will help most flowers last longer.  We recommend sprinkling in a small amount of preservative each day as you change your water.  Preservative is not good for bulb flowers like tulips, iris, daffodils, and anemones.



Here are some links to various articles of interest to anyone who cares for a garden…

RAIN GARDENS — A beautiful way to clean and recycle rainwater
Rain Gardens and Storm water Runoff are two terms we will be hearing more and more about. Why are they important, and what do they mean to us and our community?

5 Steps to an Environmentally Friendly Lawn
Mowing… Watering… Fertilization and PH… Grass Seed… Weed and Pest Control…

Water Saving Ideas
Rain Collector Barrels… Turn off shower when… Install “Water Saver Toilets”… Work lots of compost into your soil… Water plants deeply at roots only…Use drip hoses…

Growing Green
We started a project in 2006 to introduce gardeners to more sustainable gardening practices. We educated gardeners on the environmental and economical advantages of using home composters and collecting rain water…

Simple Ways to Help the Planet — It’s the only one we have!
Collect Rainwater… Compost… Recycle… No Plastic Bags…

Tips for Environmentally Happy Gardening
Soil… Water… Plants… Fertilizers and Pesticides: healthy soil and disease resistant plants can greatly reduce the need for fertilizers…

Composting Is Easy!
To make compost, just follow these simple steps…

Following is the full text of an article to help you plan and plant next spring’s garden.

Hull Loving Plants!
Judy Dorner/ kayakflower@verizon.net

Gardening in Hull presents some unique challenges. We have a lot of wind which is very hard on plants in general. Wind is very drying, sometimes more so then heat and drought. Here in Hull, being surrounded by water, our wind can come from all directions and it is salt laden. We need to find plants that will tolerate these adverse conditions. Most gardeners know that the act of gardening is not an exact science. What works in one yard will fail in another. Successful gardening takes basic principles, love, nurturing, trial and error, and a good bit of luck.

Basic principles include enriching the soil with organic matter (compost), watering deeply and only as needed, mulching to preserve moisture, and using as few (if any) chemicals and pesticides as possible. There are so many organic alternatives to choose from and they really do work! Chemical fertilizers make plants grow, but destroy the healthy microbes in the soil. This leaves you with weak soil and plants more susceptible to pests. Many people then just use more chemicals and the cycle goes on. Build up your soil, and use organic fertilizers and organic pesticides when you must, and your garden as well as the Earth, ocean, bay and watershed will thank you!

After consulting fellow Garden Club members and the many sources found in print, we have compiled a list of trees, shrubs and perennials that just might work for you. There are many more to choose from. Good luck and Happy gardening!

Trees Evergreens Shrubs

Beach Plum
Kousa Dogwood
Red Maple
Shagbark Hickory
Ginkgo-Maidenhair Tree
Horse Chestnut
Rose of Sharon

Jack Pine
American Holly
Dwarf Inkberry
Blue Princess Holly
Blue Cloud Juniper
Japanese Holly
Eastern Red Cedar
Hydrangea (Blue Wave)
High Bush Blueberry
Spiraea
Bayberry
Winterberry
Butterfly Bush
Weigela
Perennials (Plants with gray, silver or blue foliage seem to do very well)
Sea Thrift
Joe Pye Weed
Montauk Daisy
Sedums
Daylilies (Stella De Oro)
Hosta
Yarrow
Bee Balm
Artemsia (Silver Mound)
Shasta Daisy
Catmint (not Catnip)
Lavender
Cranesbill Geranium
Lady’s Mantel
New England Astor
Basket of Gold
Garden Phlox (Eventide)
Cardinal Flower
Russian Sage
Ornamental Grasses
Globe Thistle