On my online workbook this week: As light as a super thankful pumpkin

Dear

This week's inspiration is the evocative message of small details, of slow design… of something handcrafted to celebrate this moment..

This week I want to talk about detailing. In our designs we are taught to use absolutely the best floral details. No blemishes, no imperfections. I do agree with that. You can’t really make something beautiful if you are cutting corners or using materials that are less than the absolute best.

But maybe there are corners we do need to cut… or more specifically tips. As an industry we are going to have to come up with strategies to create quality but at the same time reduce waste. Throwing out something with the slightest of natural blemish that will still have a vase life of weeks seems just too wasteful. What if you purchase a few bunches of grass and the very tips are starting to brown? Surely we do not just throw that out!?!

My tip for you this week is how to detail grass so that the imperfections are not visible and how to add a few details so that you won’t even suspect there were any imperfections to begin with.

The first step is to cut away the brown tips from the lily grass. Always cut it to mimic the natural shape of the fresh and healthy leaf tips, in this case at least to a point, if you are short on time or to a “v” if you prefer (see the pictures above) rather than simply cutting it straight. Curl the grass with the tips rolled into the ringlet. And insert it into the design. Lily grass will still be beautiful for weeks and neither the brown tips nor cutting it will shorten the vase life.

Then… and here is the trick: pick out the few absolutely perfect tips you might have in the bunch. Give those only the slightest curve so that the tips are visible. And insert those into the design. Now the brown tips are removed and concealed and the perfect tips are on display. Surely they must be all perfect, right?

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine

Ps: And make sure the dose of flower food you use is not too strong. The tips browning in a vase is often an indication that something in the water is burning the foliage resulting in burst leaf cells. Allow the water you hydrate your flowers with to reach room temperature for any chlorine in the water to evaporate before adding the plant material. Also make sure you rinse your container after washing so that no cleaning products remain that can burn the foliage.