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when they are in bud or half open. You will then have the pleasure of seeing them slowly open up. The color of the petals should be starting to show. If picked too tightly in bud, they may never open. This is especially true of Tulips, Irises, Daffodils and Roses. Gladioli should be picked when the bottom three or four florets are open and the top florets are still in bud.

Don't place your finished arrangement in full sun, over a radiator, or in a draught. This will cause excess water loss from the flowers, and they will wilt very quickly. A cool room is the best place to put your flowers for maximum life.

Lightly spray your finished arrangement with clear water from time to time, to create a humid atmosphere around the flowers. (Don't spray the flowers near furnishings or electrical appliances though - move the arrangement first!)

When using open flowers such as Roses, Daffodils, Gerbera, etc., try to turn some of them at different angles to show a different shape. Never arrange all your flowers facing forwards as we do not want to have a boring arrangement, do we? Make sure that your colors are evenly balanced - this means not having more strong colors over one side of the arrangement than the other. Fillers such as sand, small stones or gravel can be used under the foam to raise it up so that you don't have to use so much in a deep container. This will also add weight to the container to make it more stable.

When using Lilies in an arrangement, Always remove the stamens on Lilies. There are several reasons for this: 1) the pollen will stain the flower; 2) The pollen will stain any clothing or furnishings it may come into contact with; 3) removing the stamens makes the flowers last a bit longer (this is because a flower which has been pollinated has completed its job in life, and therefore dies fairly soon after pollination - by removing the stamens, this is prevented, thus making the flower last longer). NEVER cut off the stamens with scissors. This is ugly, and unprofessional, and causes discoloration. Use your fingers to pull the stamens off, leaving a nice neat point which will not discolor.

I like to use clear containers some times and when I do, I add marbles, layers of interesting pebbles, or shells to hide the foam or just to stabilize the stems.

Nothing looks better than some tulips in a clear container. The stems seem to enrich and empower the arrangement.

Just about anything can be done with even the simplest of flowers, including wild flowers, in and around your home. Do not be afraid to try anything with them. But do bring them into your home. You will be surprised how much grace it will add to even the humblest of abodes.

"Tread the Earth Lightly"
and in the meantime may your day be filled with.

Peace, light and love

Learn more about this author, Arlene Wright-Correll.
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