Wine and Design

We at Country Flower are always thinking of ways to get involved with our community. We have two ideas we would like to implement based on how you, YES: You the customers, view our ideas. We would like you to vote Yes or No on whether we should do a "Wine and Design" on Friday Evenings and Vote Yes or No on "Wonderful Wednesday's Happy Hour".

"Wine and Design": For a small fee, we would provide wine and stories, your input and stories are welcome. While we show you how to design arrangements. Each week we would cover a different design. An example includes:
Week 1: Centerpiece Arrangement
Week 2: Corsage: Pin-on and Wrist
Week 3: Floral Table Runners
Week 4: Boutonnieres
Week 5: Wedding bouquet: hand held
Week 6: Wedding bouquet: cascading
Week 7: ....the stars are the limit...

"Wonderful Wednesday's Happy Hour": We would like to Thank Our patrons by offering free coffee, or seasonal beverage for visiting our store.

"FREE BALLOONS": Did you know that Country Flower gives away a free helium balloon to any child who comes into the store. This is nothing new, we have been doing it for years!

Now how to win 6 complimentary Roses: Simply Email:
office@countryflower.com or info@countryflower.com with your opinion of "wine & design" and your opinion of "Wonderful Wednesday's Happy Hour". Copy and paste each idea and yes you would like to see it happen or no you don't think it is a good idea.

Simple as that!
Thank You So Much!

Sincerely,

Country Flower
406.587.7679
office@countryflower.com

Succulent Care

SUCCULENT CARE:

There are several types of Succulents. The secrets to success include a marked difference in temperatures between summer and winter months. Succulents like warm Spring through Autumn and 50 degree winters. They prefer South facing windowsills as they are considered a Cactus type plant. Watering in the spring through autumn should be similar to regular house plants: once weekly or when the compost starts to dry out. In the winter, they only need watered once every month or two! Succulents like fresh air so try opening the window. Succulents prefer being transplanted in shallow pots. They rarely need transplanted and should only be done in the spring if needed. 

PROBLEM SHOOTING:

BROWN SOFT SPOTS ON LEAVES: LEAF SPOT DISEASE: water with fungicide systematically and improve the ventilation.

SUDDEN LOSS OF LEAVES: TOO COLD WATER FROM TAP or UNDERWATERING IN SUMMER: Use room temperature water for watering and remember to water when soil dries out.

BROWN DRY SPOTS: UNDERWATERING. Remember that succulents require generous watering in summer.

LEAVES WILTED & DISCOULOURED: OVERWATERING. This happens especially in winter. Root Surgery.

If water-logging is suspected remove plant from pot and inspect roots. If they have brown mushy roots, you will have to throw it away. If the roots are firm and white, leave plant out of pot for 1-2 days, trim off the brown roots; cut off stems and leaves showing rot, and plant into pot; watering with carbendazim solution. You can purchase it at your local store or online here: http://www.planetnatural.com/

If the roots are not firm and white or brown and mushy, you can remove all the compost from around the roots by holidng the soil ball under tap room temperature tap water. Lay the plant on table and cut the brown  mushy roots with a sharp knife or pair of scissors. Cut stems and leaves off that show signs of rot. Trip some of the healthy leaves to balance the loss of roots. Follow the steps above with watering using carbendazim solution only after the plant shows new growth.

ROT AT BASE/STEM COLLAPSE: BASAL STEM ROT DISEASE: caused by over-wet conditions in winter months. Cut the plant above the rotted areas with sharp knife or scissors, cover compost area with a layer of stone chips Replant and AVOID OVER WATERING!

How to Make an African Violet Terrarium

There are three ways in which you can enjoy foliage without tons of upkeep.

1. The first is the cheapest way and that is through purchasing silks, aka faux foliage. These are fake plants which look like real ones. When purchasing silks, the price really determines the quality. So I would not order online. I would visit several stores to see their silk collection. Dollar stores are the worst for real looking plants.  For the local Bozeman area I suggest Country Flower located at 720 West Main Street.

2. The second way to enjoy foliage without the constant maintenance is to lease or hire a plant maintenance person. This can be quite expensive. There are a host of plant maintenance people around. Country Flower does offer plant maintenance contracts for businesses.

3.  The third way to enjoy foliage with low maintenance and cost is through a terrarium and that is what this article is about. To start you need to acquire:

Clear container

Soil

Pebbles or coarse sand

Activated charcoal

African Violets & Moss

Water

*You may also need a LONG tamper, 2 grippers; depending on the type of terrarium.

If you can either click the link to watch a video (about 10 minutes) or read the instructions!

Video

1. Clean your container with 50% diluted vinegar water.

2. Add a small layer of pebbles or coarse sand for drainage

3. Add layer of charcoal

4. Add soil

5. Add your plants and moss.

*If you are putting terrarium against a wall, then put your taller plants toward the back.

*If you are putting terrarium in center of room, put the African Violet in the center and lay the moss around the outer edges. Remember the tall plant will be the focal point. In this particular case, the African Violet is the focal point.

Azalea Care

Azaleas have been nicknamed the queen of flowers because of their beautiful blooms. If you care for them correctly, they will keep blooming and growing for years. Azalea’s prefer a pH level of 5.5 or to 6.0. To obtain this pH level, use pine needs and bark as a mulch. Azaleas like partial shade and do best when the light they receive comes from either the East or North. They need well draining soil to prevent root rot and do not do well in clay. When you transplant an Azalea, make sure to leave the top of the root bundle just showing.

Bromeliad Care

Since we are selling Bromeliads for Mother's Day, we decided to give a crash course in Bromeliad Care! Enjoy...

Bromeliads are native to tropical regions so unless you live in an area like Florida, it is best to keep your Bromeliad indoors. They love warm, wet, shady areas.

Humidity:

They like humidity at 60%. There are 4 ways to increase humidity.

1. Mist with a spray bottle.

2. Humidity Tray: You can get any dish large enough and fill with rocks. Then fill 80% with water and set under or near your Bromeliad to increase humidity in its general area.

3. Transpiration: If you put several other plants in the same vicinity as your Bromeliad, transpiration will occur naturally raising humidity.

4. Humidifier: If you put your Bromeliad near a humidifier or diffuser, it will help your Bromeliad.

Watering:

They will get root rot quickly if over watered. So your Bromeliad should have a good draining pot. Soak in water for five minutes then let drain completely. Do not water again till the top 2 inches of soil is completely dry. The plant can handle under watering, but not over watering. Also, you should use distilled or rain water. The best way to water your Bromeliad is by pouring water down trunk as it contains a water reservoir.

Potting and Media

For dry climates: it is better to choose a plastic container which will hold the moisture longer.

For Humid Climates, you should choose a non-glazed clay type of pot so that the Bromeliad dries out quicker and prevents root-rot. When using this type of container, put a drip saucer or pad under to prevent damage to your furniture. I suggest again putting pebbles in bottom of saucer to ensure the roots are not exposed to drainage water: causing root-rot.

Light

Bright INDIRECT sunlight is best.

Check back for how to harvest Bromeliad Pups!

Traditions and Transitions: Colors, cascading, and permanent botanicals!

One thing I learned about spending time at the Bridal Fair is there is the growing trend of constant change. Booths were themed for the 2015 trends: like Pantone's Wedding color of the year: Marsala!

What I don't understand is how they know that is the color of the year when the year just started? Is it that Pantone marketing is trying to sell this color and so if they advertise it as the color of the year, more people will choose Marsala as their wedding color? Interesting enough, this color is "earthly wine red".

I guess we will only be able to tell by the end of the year what color was most used in weddings. I suggest couples be themselves. Decide what the bride and groom's favorite color is and decide from there what colors they want to use in their wedding. Meanwhile if you are wanting matching colors for your floral arrangements it is best to visit florist shops local to your wedding destination and ask what flowers and colors may be available during the date of your wedding. If they don't have authentic fresh flowers with your chosen colors and styles, you still have a few options.

Option 1: Ask the designer if they are willing to spray your flowers the color you choose. Look at these pictures of succulents that were sprayed:

In both these photos the succulents were sprayed. The top "Cascading" bouquet was sprayed rose pink. The second picture has the succulents and spore pods sprayed silver. The pictures do not do the bouquets justice.

Option 2: Ask about silk arrangements also known as permanent botanicals. Some floral shops will not carry silk, others have poor qualities so be careful when deciding if you want to use silk. However some silk arrangements are gorgeous and will last the rest of your life! Check out these pictures of arrangements:

Can you tell which are silk and which are fresh? The fresh arrangement has the black background: amazing is it not?

Did you know that you can get an elegant cascading bouquet for only 1/3 more than a regular nosegay bouquet? There are 2 reasons for the price difference. 1. There are more flowers 2. Mechanics of the cascading bouquet take include taking more time to put it together because of the intricate techniques required in the design! But if you have seen cascading bouquets in person you would definitely agree the increase is worth it! Here are three cascading bouquets

To schedule your consultation call us at 800.841.1147
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