Top 10 Sizzling Summer Blooms
As I enter into my third week at ArenaFlowers.com, this is my first (of hopefully many) blog posts as new online marketing bod, so what a better way to become acquainted with each other than to take a timely look at some of the top flowering picks this summer at Flowers HQ – along with some tips on how to make the most of your cut flowers throughout the warmer months…
#10 White Orchid Delight
The Lady in White
Our summer journey begins with a FFP accredited product, meaning it’s fair to plants and fair to the people who grow them. Our beautiful white orchid makes a perfect long-lasting present for any occasion and, unlike a traditional bouquet, has an indefinite life expectancy in the right circumstances and with the right care. See Jackie’s blog below for more about our hardy orchids!
Flower Care Tips: In order to bloom, orchids need some bright indirect light, but not too much. Natural light in a sunny east or south facing window is perfect for your plant. Watering is the key component in the longevity of your orchid. Most orchids grow on trees in the wild and thrive on moisture from humid air, so never water your orchid more than once a week, or allow it to stand alone in water. The best watering method for your orchid is to spray mist over the roots and surrounding moss provided with your plant.
#9 Freesias Cube
A Naturally Fragrant Friend
Who needs obnoxious sprays and those awfully wasteful plug-ins when you have the naturally gorgeous fragrance of these beautifully coloured freesias filling your home or office? Even with our inconsistent summer months, these pink, red, purple and yellow freesias will be as reliable as a wet Wimbledon weekend to enliven your senses.
Flower Care Tips: Freesias flower in full sun or light shade, with the latter helping the blooms to retain their colour. Make sure your freesias are topped up with plenty of water, never letting the stem ends dry out. To encourage new flowers, pinch out the topmost buds and deadhead as appropriate. Try to keep your freesias away from fruit, vegetables, and excess heat, as they are very sensitive to the ethylene gas produced and will die quickly if exposed.
#8 Summer Surprise
All Things Bright & Beautiful
It’s sod’s law that when the long warm days eventually arrive, you’re holed-up in hospital, work or even worse – stuck at home entertaining the kids. This seasonal alternative to the firm perennial favourite ‘Bright & Cheery’, contains a truly scrumptious collection of roses, gerberas and lilies – bringing the fruits of outside back into your world.
Flower Care Tips: Keep your mixed flowers in a cool place and out of direct sunlight, avoiding draughts or extreme heat or cold. Gerberas are particularly sensitive to any pollution in the water from a dirty vase, which may cause their stems to collapse due to blockages caused by bacteria. Be sure to remove any leaves below the water level and freshen your container every few days to get the best from this wonderful mixed bouquet.
#7 Strawberries & Cream
Perfect Summer’s Day
Like Pimms ‘n’ Lemonade and sunburn ‘n’ heat rash, Strawberries & Cream are a key traditional summer pairing. Quintessentially English, this classic combination of delicate white roses and frothy pink peonies interspersed with the violet spikes of veronica makes a perfect romantic summer bouquet.
Flower Care Tips: Long distance travel can temporarily dehydrate peony buds so cut the stems immediately after receiving them to give the flowers a chance to take up some water. Repeat this practice and change the water every 2-3 days, keeping them out of direct sunlight and wind or draughts.
#6 White Lily Bouquet
A Whiter Shade of Pale
In Feng Shui, white lilies represent summer and abundance and from this ethically sourced product it’s easy to see why. If you’ve recently spring cleaned and de-cluttered, this cool and elegant bouquet will set your sparkling home off a treat.
Flower Care Tips: Display your lilies in a well-ventilated spot with bright, indirect sunlight, taking care to keep them away from air conditioning units and strong drafts. Lilies are thirsty flowers so make sure you keep water levels topped-up daily and replace every few days. Remove the pollen stamens as the flowers open as this will enhance the lifespan and prevent any staining from the pollen.
#5 Golden Honey
A Taste of Sunshine
Summer wouldn’t be complete without the naturally uplifting sight of shiny happy sunflowers bobbing up and down from behind sunny garden walls. Bright and cheery, bold yet comfortable, the sunflower is a warm and caring gift and regularly associated with adoration. As sunflowers can be top heavy, we provide you with a jolly decent vase that can support and display them to the max.
Flower Care Tips: With good care and attention, your freshly cut sunflowers can last up to two weeks with a change of water every three to four days. Apparently the combination of a drop of bleach, half a teaspoon of sugar and a squeeze of lemon is supposed keep sunflowers going if you run out of flower food. Once the life of your sunflowers has expired, hang them outside to encourage seed eating birds such as finches and jays to your garden.
#4 Sunset Bouquet
Summer Loving
This gorgeous mixture of gerbera, calla lilies, nutans and roses in warm shades of apricot, peach and amber complemented by beautiful foliage and arranged in a glass cube makes a perfect trouble-free gift for both home and office and will appeal equally to the sophisticated woman …or man in your life.
Flower Care Tips: This item will be delivered arranged in an oasis of floral foam, a sponge which holds water. Never let the oasis dry out, just add water daily and enjoy. If found to be dry, simply pour water down the back of the arrangement slowly so that the water is gradually absorbed by the oasis and so that air pockets aren’t created.
#3 Lemon and Lime
Fresh ‘n’ Zingy
If you’re like me, and any rise in temperature leads to mild irritability and fatigue, you’ll know how important a little light refreshment can be. This is a fabulous combination of yellow and green flowers and foliage with lovely yellow roses and bright yellow gerbera contrasted with the elegant simplicity of the anthurium and ‘shaggy’ shamrock chrysanthemums. A bright citrus arrangement that is perfect for the long hot days of summer.
Flower Care Tips: Most anthuriums originate from the tropical forests of South America so humidity is key to the prolonged life of this arrangement. Regularly spray a mist of clean, warm water daily over the flowers to keep up the humidity while being sure to check the water level frequently and top up the vase with lukewarm water to avoid chilling the flowers. It is also recommended that you submerge your anthurium flower heads in lukewarm water for thirty minutes every three days – if you’re that way inclined.
#2 Oranges and Lemons
Fresh ‘n’ Wild
If you’re looking for a slightly more colourful alternative to Lemon and Lime, Oranges and Lemons is a zesty combination of orange gerbera and lilies, contrasting with the deep orange of the hypericum berries and cooly beautiful talea roses and is highlighted by the bright flowers of the alstroemeria.
Flower Care Tips: If you’re a gardener, you’ll appreciate the feeling of fulfillment that growing your own plants brings. Cut mixed bouquets are perfect for mulching or composting for fabulous organic compost. Get your garden blooming for 2009 with the help of your ethical summer flowers from ArenaFlowers.com!
#1 Days of Wine & Roses
Fresh Peach Roses
Long summer days are perfect for catching up with friends and relations over a barbeque or garden party. So make the most of the next few months with this suave and elegant arrangement of fresh peach roses and the stylish Vondeling Petit Blanc white wine – an essential gift for any alfresco occasion. After all, enjoying the great outdoors with fine company is what summer’s all about!
Flower Care Tips: Roses make the perfect showy centrepiece for summer garden dining. Scald the bottom of rose stems in boiling water for approximately thirty seconds before placing them in a clean vase of fresh water mixed with flower food. Refresh the vase and water daily, re-cutting the stems if they begin to wilt. Your Vondeling Petit Blanc comes with a nice and easy screw top – so no faffing around with corkscrews required…
Enjoy your wine (and flowers!) responsibly – and here’s to a long warm summer!
Filed under: Flowers on May 30th, 2008
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