Jewellery News and Reviews

Summers fade quickly, probably because each weekend is filled with a birthday party, a housewarming party, a barbecue, a holiday celebration or a wedding. Your flower garden looks great this year but the weather is starting to get colder. Sometimes the best way to prolong the joy of summer is to grab a handful of daisies, tulips, peonies and lilies to create beautiful summer bouquets. The good news is you don’t have to be a master florist to create something stylish and inspiring!

Step one toward creating vivid summer floral bouquets is, of course, the planting. The best time to begin is late March in the West or May in the East, after the threat of frost has diminished. According to Beth Benjamin, floral expert at Renee’s Garden Seed Company, the best flower garden picks are cosmos, sunflowers and zinnias. In the front row of her garden, she’s planted purplish blue cerinthe, deep violet love-in-a-mist and phlox. Her second row is comprised of white cosmos flanked by chartreuse bells-of-Ireland and backed by white ammi majus as filler. In the third row, round colorful zinnias grow next to blue and red salvia. The fourth row hangs ardent love-lies-bleeding to the left and cherry pink cleome to the right, flanked by pink and rose cosmos. In the rear, tall sunflowers grow with strawflowers at each end.

For perfect summer bouquets use sharp clippers to make a clean break that won’t crush the stem. Given the right cut, water will be able to travel up the stem into the flower head to make your bouquet last longer. Another trick is to give the flowers a second snipping underwater, by filling your sink with several inches of water, which will send water up the stem, rather than air. Before arranging, keep the blooms in a cool, dark spot for a few hours. “There are many old wives’ tale recipes for flower food,” says floral consultant Libbey Oliver. “Flowers fresh from the garden really don’t need extra nutrients. Instead, every few days re-cut the stems and change the water in the vase. This will prolong their life more than anything added to the water.” Florists do offer small packets of nutrients as well.

Summer bouquets can be colorful or fragrant, relaxing or invigorating, country or contemporary, depending on your selection. Nothing sets the mood like a bit of fresh nature in your living space. A recent Harvard Study found that people who had floral bouquets in their homes were generally happier, with greater productivity at work. They felt more compassionate and more energetic, the study found. “Other research has proven that flowers make people happy when they receive them,” said head researcher Nancy Etcoff. “What we didn’t know is that spending a few days with flowers in the home can influence a wide variety of feelings.”

Ancient Egyptians knew of flower power when it came to expressing love. They adorned their pharaohs, their tombs and their warrior carts with flower bouquets. The blue and the white lotus (water lilies) or the papyrus flower were frequently depicted in hieroglyphics and found in tombs. Lovers still enjoy giving and receiving bouquets of flowers, breathing in the poignant aromas, gazing upon the fresh natural beauty and pondering the significance of such a thoughtful gesture.

The first thing to consider when choosing floral arrangements for lovers is the nature of the relationship. Daisies and chrysanthemums are perfect for a cheerful and playful lover in an innocent and new relationship. Another flirtatious favorite for new loves is the fragrant hyacinth. Modest and shy lovers will like something sweet and simple like violets. Rose bouquets are the most famous, particularly red roses, but there are many other flower garden contenders: tulips, lilacs, lilies, wildflowers, irises and orchids, for instance. For intensely passionate physical relationships, it should be noted that tulips are traditionally known to represent “the perfect lover.”

Sometimes flower bouquets look best when coordinated with the recipient’s home decor. “The recent Harvard research is proof that if we live in places that lift our spirits, we can live happier, healthier lives,” said Rebecca Cole of the Discovery Channel’s Surprise By Design show. “Fresh cut flowers are the perfect everyday accessory for any budget, as they add color, fragrance and style, and now we know they even increase energy and compassion.” Traditional homes work best with traditional flowers, such as rose bouquets, gladiolus, irises, lilies or carnations, whereas contemporary designs call for bold colors of anthuriums, heliconia, callas and orchids. Victorian homes look best with fragrant pastels, such as roses, peonies, lavender, gardenias and freesia. Country homes often go for a bouquet of wildflowers like yarrow, wild roses, scabiosa, heather, daisies or sunflowers. To instantly de-stress a home, try varieties like cyclamen, kalanchoe, pothos, ivy, sunflowers, daisies, hydrangea, delphinium or tulips.

A good way to feel out a person’s flower favorites is to take a trip to the local botanical gardens and check out the flowers there. Does she admire big flowering plants or quaint intricate beauties? Is she fond of the fragrant, the exotic or the traditional? Finding the perfect flower bouquets is a matter of personal taste and the more the giver knows about the receiver’s preferences, the easier it’ll be. Needless to say, receiving flowers is one of the most joyous feelings in life.