Floral Notes with Mood Moss Flowers

It’s been a long winter and a bumpy start to spring. Time to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors and while we’re at it, bring a little outdoors, in.  Let’s get into the mood with Mood Moss Flowers!

Nothing makes a space more inviting than fresh cut flowers or a well chosen house plant. As event planners we consider living elements to be an essential part of any good tablescape or event design. Eric Cardinal and his team at Mood Moss Flowers on Beechwood are our neighborhood florists and ongoing resource. We task them with our seasonal shop displays as well as our in-house plants that travel from table to table.

They get us. Our shop displays are built to last, our potted greenery is custom selected to withstand occasional mishandling while still looking great.  We thought we’d ask our local experts at Mood Moss for a few tips to pass along to you on how to make the most of the season’s blossoms – from cut arrangements to current bridal trends – because living well is about more than eating well.

Q & A with Mood Moss Flowers

Epicuria: When you’re designing indoor floral displays what are your first thoughts?

Mood Moss: Longevity. We want whatever we do to last as long as possible and often that comes down to selecting plant material with a longer shelf-life. Fleshy spring bulb, like Tulips, Daffodils and Snapdragons won’t last as long as Spider Mums, Daisies, Lilies, Orchids, Ornitogalum, Hydrangea, Portia and berries/tough greenery.  After that, we consider colour and variety.

Epicuria: Once we have our favourite flowers picked out how can we make them last?

Mood Moss: It’s always best to find a position for your cut bouquets that’s out of direct sunlight.  Cut flowers do best in a cool, shaded location.  As flowers stand in water the base of the stem begins to dry and then the stem does not absorb water.  It’s best practice is to cut back the stem [by an inch or so] every second day and change the water if it becomes cloudy.  This will help keep the arrangement perky and fresh, longer.

Hydrangeas like hot water (hot from the tap, not boiling).  Tulips like cold water.  Roses are highly temperature sensitive and, once cut, they like to be where it’s cool and shaded.

Epicuria: What about tricks like sugar water or a penny in the vase, do those actually work?

Mood Moss: We recommend using the Flower Fresh [or similar product] that comes from your florist.  It’s specially formulated for cut flowers.

Epicuria: The Peonies are starting to bloom and I love to bring in big bouquets out of the garden but can’t stand the ants that come in with them.  Any tips?

Mood Moss:  Ants love peony nectar, found on the petals of peony buds so they’re kind of inevitable.  However, you can wash the bloom before you bring it in.  Best to pick Peonies before they fully flower, just as you start to see colour on the ball, and then lightly wash the entire floral stem with a light spray of water – just water.  Ideally, use light mist with your garden hose, this should wash away all those unwanted critters.

Epicuria: When we’re looking at table centerpieces we’re often looking at height because we want to be sure that guests can communicate across the table.  What are the rules of thumb for centerpieces?

Mood Moss: Height is our number one consideration when we build a centerpiece. So when we’re doing flowers for an elaborate function (like a wedding) where the centerpiece is high, we often use a clear vase to avoid table blind spots and keep the conversation area open.

“I decided that if I could paint a flower on a huge scale, you could not ignore it’s beauty.” – Georgia O’Keeffe

Epicuria: You have some gorgeous bouquets and table pieces going out for a wedding this weekend.  I see a lot of Lilac and Lavender, is that part of what we’re seeing in this year’s wedding trends?

Mood Moss: This weekend’s bride is very fond of lilac and lavender, so her choices were very personal.  More and more we’re seeing brides make selections that are based on personal preference as opposed to a specific design trend.

The one trend that brides are picking up this year, is the lean towards a deeper colour palette, the Marcella Palette, which is focused on burgundies and pinks mixed with sage and taupe.  That’s a shift from the oranges, purples and reds we’ve been seeing in the last couple of years.  Our focus is always on making a wedding personal, and beautiful, within budget.  (For more beautiful ideas, follow Mood Moss Flowers online via their Facebook feed.)

“Living is not enough, one must have sunshine freedom and a little flower.” – Hans Christian Andersen

Epicuria: Any final thoughts, perhaps tips on outdoor pots and planters?

Mood Moss: For outdoor pots consider spacing to allow plants to grow.  So many people over-plant because they want a full look, but then the basket or planter suffers as the growing season continues because there’s not enough soil to hold moisture in the heat of the summer months, so watch your spacing.  Plants need room to grow.