Flowers& - November 2017

Flowers& NOVEMBER 2017 $6.50

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Sensational

Special vents E & Themes strategies for tone-setting, attentiongetting party flowers, all season long

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Weekly Wow!

Announcing this year’s Design Contest winners Pg 13

contents

NOVEMBER 2017

features 13

The Votes Are In!

Announcing the top three winners in this year’s Flowers& Design Contest.

18

Joy to the World

Festive themes for holiday celebrations.

pg 38

Floral design by Gerard Toh AIFD, CCF Photography by Ron Derhacopian

44

Long and Lean

Maximum impact for party tables.

Floral design by Alex Jackson AIFD, AAF, PFCI Photography by Ron Derhacopian

2 NOVEMBER 2017

ON THE COVER A tree shape cut from craft paper makes a versatile accessory that can be adapted to match any container and color scheme by using different papers. Piano roses (round like Christmas-tree ornaments!), plus a distinctive container, foliage and ribbon give this party design added value and flair. For how-to details and more holiday party ideas from Gerard Toh AIFD, CCF, turn to pages 18-42.

contents

departments 8

Focus on Design

A Flower Volcano

By Rich Salvaggio AIFD, AAF, PFCI

Design Tech 10 Banding

By Tim Farrell AIFD, AAF, PFCI 57 58

Industry Events

pg 9

Shop Profile

Raimondi’s Florist, Pikesville, Maryland

By Marianne Cotter

64

Where to Buy

66

Wholesale Connection

67

Advertiser Links

68

What’s in Store

Flowers& Volume 38, Number 11 (ISSN 0199-4751).

Published monthly by Teleflora, 11444 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064, 800-321-2665, fax 310-966-3610. Subscription rates: U.S., 1 year, $78.00.

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Copyright © 2016 by Teleflora. Printed in U.S.A.

4 NOVEMBER 2017

pg 10

Flowers& Publisher Editor Art Director

Rich Salvaggio AIFD, AAF, PFCI rsalvaggio@teleflora.com Bruce Wright Tony Fox

National Advertising Director

Peter Lymbertos

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A d v i s or y B oar d Teleflora Education Specialists Susan Ayala

AIFD, PFCI,

Riverside, Calif., Tom Bowling

Fairfield, Ohio, Tim Farrell

AIFD, AAF, PFCI,

AIFD, PFCI,

Syndicate Sales,

Farrell’s Florist, Drexel Hill, Penn.,

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Fountain of Flowers, Lone Tree, Iowa, David Powers AIFD, Potomac Wholesale,

Silver Spring, Md., Jerome Raska AIFD, AAF, PFCI, CF, Blumz by JR Designs, Ferndale, Mich.,

Tom Simmons Gerard Toh

AIFD, CCF,

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Three Bunch Palms Productions, Palm Springs, Calif.,

Garden Trade Services, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Cindy Tole

Botanica Flowers & Gifts, Greensboro, N.C., Jenny Thomasson

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focus on design

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Floral design by Rich Salvaggio AIFD, AAF, PFCI

•

Photography by Ron Derhacopian

This party design bursts with energy—and flowers!

Take advantage of the natural lines and forms in a wide-ranging selection of blooms to create a “flower volcano.”

Then, surround it with flower votives, lit with submersible lights.

2

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4. Insertions of cut kalanchoe complete the design Skyler White veronica were

itself. As a final touch, fill

angled in a way that makes

votive cups with water

a natural tier of color below

and place in each one

bowl with a wide opening.

the purple veronica. Like-

a submersible LED

Create a collar around the

wise, the beautiful curve

light and a single

edge of the bowl using a

of White Stars and Yellow

scabiosa blossom.

draping material like silver-

Stars ornithogalum is seen

dollar eucalyptus in Autumn

to advantage when they are

Red. Create a tall, strong verti-

placed around the perimeter

cal at the center of the design,

of the bowl.

1. Foam and tape a footed

using an upright line material like the Skyler Blue veronica seen here.

3. Golden Glory solidago fills in nicely between the stems of ornithogalum.

2. Begin to fill in with more

The round forms of Scoop

insertions, working both from

scabiosa create a band of

the inside out and from the

color and ruffled texture in

outside in. These stems of

the middle of the design.

8 www.flowersandmagazine.com

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See this

how-to on s

•

For product information, see Where to Buy, page 64.

at Flowers&or go to flowersandmagazine.com.

4

NOVEMBER 2017 9

design tech

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Floral design by Tim Farrell AIFD, AAF, PFCI

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Photography by Ron Derhacopian

BANDING What’s the difference between

helpful to keep the two terms and their defi-

wire in light green. With the mitsumata, the

binding and banding? Binding is functional:

nitions in mind, so that you can be focused

banding is purely decorative. With the equise-

“the functional process of tying or securing

on your intention and how to achieve it. You

tum, it also serves to bind the stems into tall,

materials together,” as explained in The AIFD

may choose to bind a bundle of stems with

straight bundles. Overall, however, the band-

Guide to Floral Design. Banding is decorative:

a rubber band or chenille stem for security

ing serves mainly as a unifying decorative

it’s “the process of using a decorative mate-

and efficiency, then to cover the binding with

element. The rhythmic placements interrupt

rial, such as ribbon or wire, to encircle a stem

a decorative banding of ribbon. Decorative

the upward thrust of the strong verticals with

or stems in one or more precise rings.”

bands may also be added to floral containers,

narrow, horizontal stripes, and reinforce the

True, the terms and concepts overlap.

for no other purpose than to add a color or tex-

harmony already established with materials

Binding can be decorative, depending on the

ture that may serve to harmonize the container

repeated in a monochromatic color scheme.

materials used and how it is done. Banding

with the flowers.

Recalling the natural bands on the equisetum,

may sometimes serve a functional purpose.

Here, Tim has banded the lime-green mit-

they lend a gleaming light value of the color

But for you as a floral designer, it can be

sumata and the bundles of equisetum with flat

green to the upper reaches of the composition.

Design techniques from The AIFD Guide to Floral Design, www.aifd.org 10 www.flowersandmagazine.com

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Here are this year’s top three winners—chosen by Flowers& readers worldwide.

But first, let’s pay tribute to all of the ten finalists, chosen by our panel of judges from among dozens of designers who submitted photo entries. The challenge: Create a design for a weekly business account. The finalist designs were published in our August issue, but without revealing the designers’ identities. All ten deserve kudos for a job well done!

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F I N A L IS T S

Design #1 Melinda Lynch AIFD Festive Designs San Luis Obispo, California

Design #3 Cathy Hock Merrimack Flower Shop and Greenhouse Merrimack, New Hampshire

Design #5 Anne Marshall NHMFD Distinct Floral Designs Greenland, New Hampshire

Design #2 Kimberly Frys Blooms by Plantscaping Cleveland, Ohio

Design #4 Ace Berry AIFD Katy, Texas

Design #6 Allison Hassard CFD The Frugal Flower Sudbury, Massachusetts

Design #7 Chikako Uzawa AIFD Mission Viejo, California Design #8 Kiyoko Way Irvine, California

And now, the top three:

Design #10 Lea Romanowski AIFD, CAFA

Designing on the Edge Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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Design #9 Nick Decker Ken Miesner’s St. Louis, Missouri

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Chikako Uzawa AIFD Mission Viejo, California

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Creating designs for weekly business accounts was something Chikako Uzawa AIFD always particularly enjoyed doing at Sami’s Flowers, the retail flower shop she launched in 2004 in Mission Viejo, California. “I brought flowers every week to a lawyer’s office and other businesses,” she says. “The budget was not high, but I had complete freedom to be creative and do whatever I wanted. So when I saw the contest theme this year, I thought, ‘I can do that!’ ”

Creative freedom doesn’t mean that budget is the only restriction. The flowers have to last the week—“and I knew my business clients were not going to water the designs,” says Chikako. She avoided using certain flowers that might not have sufficient vase life, like hydrangeas in foam, or that could be allergenic, like fragrant lilies. “If I used roses for this type of design, I cut the stems shorter to last longer,” she says. “I used lots of branches with long-lasting leaves and new materials like midollino to make the design bigger and taller. Also, I used containers that hold a lot of water, usually a tall vase like in the picture, and made deep insertions, with the stem ends close to the bottom.”

Chikako recently sold Sami’s to a new owner, for whom she works part-time. “I have less stress, but I can still do my design work,” she says. She got her start in floral design 21 years ago, in Colorado, studying at Mr. K’s Floral Design School of Denver: “I owe them a lot!” says Chikako. When her husband got a job in California, they moved to Mission Viejo, where Chikako worked part-time for several different flower shops while her daughter was still a young child. Later, when she had her own shop, she also taught floral design classes, mainly to local housewives.

Her winning entry is remarkable for its clean execution and graceful outline. The looped and bundled midollino adds so much, swirling on both sides of the central axis established by calla stems and blades of variegated flax. The upper loop is secured to the flax with UGlu to hold it steady.

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do get a lot of comments, and it brings in new business.” As it should! Here at Flowers& we like to think that contests like this one not only give evidence of design talent but help to cultivate it.

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Now celebrating her third win in the Flowers& Design Contest, Cathy placed second last year as well and was voted into first place in 2014. The striking and unusual color scheme she chose for her entry doubtless played a part in winning votes from readers. But the interplay of line and texture is equally eye-catching and impressive. Strong, straight horizontals and verticals are softened with graceful curves and swirls; textures range from the glossy black of flat wire and glazed ceramic to lichen, reindeer moss and craspedia.

Fresh tropical foliage, cut from plants in the Merrimack Flower Shop greenhouse, has become a trademark for Cathy, who walks through the greenhouse every day looking for snippets that can enliven her designs—like the Philodendron selloum leaves (similar to Xanadu philodendron) on the right, with their deeply lobed outline, or the layered sansevieria leaves at the base, on the left. “I do condition the foliage in the cooler with flower food after I cut it,” she cautions. The sansevieria has a natural black stripe that Cathy imitated on an upright, looped blade of flax with flat black wire, secured with UGlu. “The lichen sticks had been in our cooler for years,” she relates. “I kept saying, ‘Don’t throw those out!

I’m going to use them some day!’

After a couple of years the lichen appeared to start to grow again; it got nice and green.” She broke a stick in half and it became a key element in her design, along with the cymbidiums, pincushions, and the yellow and Night Cap callas.

Merrimack does service weekly accounts, including some in public places like a hair salon, where they are accompanied by business cards and serve to promote the shop. Cathy has also used her design contest wins to promote the shop and its superior design service. “I hate to brag,” she says, “but when we post about it we

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Cathy Hock NHMFD Merrimack Flower Shop and Greenhouse Merrimack, New Hampshire

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Ken Miesner’s, St. Louis, Missouri

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Eventually, Nick returned to floral design as a career—with no regrets, and subsequent success. But for some reason, he held onto that early design project for years—and the essential outline now inspired his entry for “Weekly Wow.” So the ways of design come full circle.

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Like Cathy, Nick is a repeat finalist who has also placed among the top three contenders multiple times. In 2013, readers voted him into first place. This year’s entry is a departure from Nick’s usual style, which is softer and more “organic.”

“For me, this was different, very linear and contemporary,” he notes.

“But I wanted to make something that would fit into a modern office.

I enjoyed the challenge, and I was pleased with the outcome.”

It was harder than he thought—to get the effect of perfectly parallel lines, for example.

One stem of liatris didn’t want to stand up straight; for the photo, he glued it to its next-door neighbor.

Some other tweaks show Nick’s attention to detail: he reflexed the outer leaves of the miniature kale to give it a softer, more flowerlike appearance, and enhanced two sponge mushrooms with spray color to get a deeper green that would blend with the foliage around them. The mushrooms, with their scalloped edges like geranium leaves, peek out from behind the red anthuriums; their rounded shapes harmonize with the contours of the ornamental kale. The edge of the black ceramic container is trimmed with electrician’s tape in green, red, and purple—a unifying touch.

As Nick began to sketch out some ideas that would accommodate the parameters spelled out in this year’s design contest announcement, he remembered something he created at the very beginning of his design career— “my first design project ever, for a basic class” at the University of Kansas. Here, after working in his father’s flower shop for years, Nick had embarked on a course of study to become an interior designer. The class was intended to teach the basics of line, form, composition, and color—and Nick’s project was realized, not with flowers, but with balsa wood and two-by-fours.

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CONE INSPIRED Iconic to the season, pinecones can be more than predictable accents to holiday designs. Take their shape and texture—with scales spirally arranged in Fibonacci number ratios—as inspiration, and combine them with complementary materials, as Gerry has done here with scabiosa pods and the alternating checks of Sandy Plaid ribbon. Once the pattern is established, even the boxwood leaves and red hypericum 118january 2012 www.flowersandmagazine.com

Festive themes for holiday celebrations.

Floral design by Gerard Toh AIFD, CCF For product information,

t

Photography by Ron Derhacopian see Where to Buy, page 64.

berries seem to echo the size and rounded shapes of the pinecone scales. The birch planters harmonize in color, and the votive holders in texture, with the frosted cones, which come on wire stems wrapped with jute so they can hover at a short distance from the planters, adding depth to the designs. Long-needle pine and arborvitae make natural companions to the cones, along with wine-colored callas.

NOVEMBER 2017 19

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JOY WORLD

Beehive ginger (spectabilis), long lime-green calathea blooms, and pale yellow banksia all likewise play with the pinecone shape and texture, taking the holiday motif into a surprising new realm. In these three designs (on both pages) Gerry has mixed in brown and yellow oncidiums, chocolate anthuriums, Caramel Antike roses in pale gold, both St. Augustine and variegated artificial holly, along with Gilded salal, Gilded curly willow tips, and a cascade of Gilded Leyland cypress.

The foliages play an important role, as do the textured ceramic vases.

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JOY WORLD

Every good floral design idea can be scaled up or down. Above, pinecones, beehive ginger, and Caramel Antike roses harmonize beautifully; anthuriums and millimeter balls add a touch of bright red, for a look that’s both traditional and innovative. Dusty miller brings the color of the Weathered Slate planter up among the flowers.

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JOY WORLD COOL GEOMETRY Angled, geometric shapes are trending and easily incorporated into an updated holiday party look in white, blue, silver and gold. Angled flax leaves and matte flat wire echo the facets of a silver and a faux-marble ceramic vase. White Cloud (with a pinkish center) and Alabaster roses seem to float against a background of blue hydrangea, baubles and glittered stars. Frosted and Gilded foliages can both work nicely with this look, depending on the vase. Gerry has created subtle geometric patterns on the spray-painted, upright ti leaves using stamps and stencils. On the opposite page, for example, he cut paper into an angled shape and used the paper like a stencil, starting at the top and moving down, spraying both the leaf and the paper with gold. To make the outline clean and sharp, he sprayed the paper first with a “remountable� spray glue. Available in craft stores, this type of spray glue is tacky but not too tacky, so it will make the paper stick to the leaf while you are spraying, but then allow you to pull it up and move it farther down.

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RED RIOT Reds in a wide array of tones and textures, enriched with burgundy, purple, and gold, create a look that’s elegant and exciting. Garden roses—bright red Wanted and the David Austin varieties Darcey, adding magenta and even plum tones into the mix, and deep red Tess—are joined here by spray roses, dahlias, amaryllis, callas, carnations, looped red ti leaves and hanging amaranthus. The gold votives and millimeter balls are reinforced with Gilded salal. Brilliant green arborvitae further enlivens the palette.

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JOY WORLD 28 www.flowersandmagazine.com

Purple phalaenopsis orchids, outlined in white, and red ginger add yet another twist to this rich, analogous color scheme. Here the folded ti leaves come into play like loops of holiday ribbon, gleaming in the light of a single candleflame.

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Curled, copper-colored flat wire brings the metallic tones of gold containers up among the flowers, echoing the scrolls of glittered open-fretwork spheres. The shiny red artificial berries and glossy green of St. Augustine holly also help to tie this look together.

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JOY WORLD 10 2012 32 january www.flowersandmagazine.com

IN THE GILDED FOREST Warm, muted, antique gold and an abundance of diverse foliages: each of these is a strong trend by itself.

Skillful and tasteful use of Gilded foliage brings them together into one charming Christmas story. Patience David Austin roses, with their creamy centers, make the perfect focal flower for this woodsy look. Tall foliage lends height and value to the twin designs on the opposite page, including Gilded curly willow, long-needle pine, leucadendron buds, St. Augustine holly, and Carolina Sapphire cypress. Above, Gerry has twisted the willow and cypress into an arch; its round shape is echoed with preserved boxwood spheres.

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JOY WORLD 34 www.flowersandmagazine.com

The cylindrical shape of pillar candles in Colonial Ivory color is beautifully echoed with a pair of brushed-metal Bryant Pots. White Mist boxwood offers a nice contrast to the warm tones of the pots, the candles, the gold pinecones and Gilded salal leaves.

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JOY WORLD WINTRY WHITES Always elegant, all-white designs take on an austere beauty when accented with the powdery gray-green of foliages enhanced with White Mist. They make a lovely setting for candlelight, as in the pair of designs above, with metallic-finish copper pillar candles inside gold-banded Jasmine Vases, enhanced with Gilded willow tips. On the opposite page, the pure white of Oriental lilies, Fuji mums, hydrangea, and Alabaster garden roses gleams like moonlight in a setting that includes an arch of Frosted willow tips and a branch of blue-green Carolina Sapphire cypress. Four tiny clusters of artificial red berries make the ghostly palette sing.

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JOY WORLD In monochromatic designs, texture always comes to the fore. Here, snowy twigs and White Mist long-needle pine enrich the mix, along with, above, snapdragons and dusty miller. On the opposite page, flowers and LED pillar candles seem to float, sitting in a long tray that is elevated on tall clear cylinders, with starbursts suspended below. The treasure box of contrasting textures includes glossy anthuriums and ruffled White Cloud roses.

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TREES I SEE Here’s a versatile idea that can be adapted to many different themes and color schemes. Buy squares of sturdy art paper (available at craft stores) with colors and patterns that suit the palette you are working with. Pre-fold each square in half; open it up and spray the back of it with adhesive, then fold it again, enclosing a dowel between the two halves that will serve as a trunk. Using a template, cut the paper into a tree shape. To get a spikey edge, cut it with pinking shears. In each design, the trees are complemented with an array of round shapes, from Christmas balls and pine cones to red Piano and pink Romantic Antike garden roses, gerberas and Green Ball dianthus.

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A decorative stand, equipped with water tubes that make it easy to add and replace fresh flowers, plays on the trendy idea of a living wall; it could also be a great way for a customer to keep holiday cards on display. Working with the Canvas Stand, Gerry notes that it’s helpful to place the water tubes before adding other decorative materials. He wove willow whips through the upright rods; tension holds them in place.

The Piano roses look like round red Christmas balls.

Obake anthuriums drape from water tubes in charming contrast to the vertical and horizontal lines of the stand and willow whips.

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Long &Lean maximum impact

for party tables.

“Long tables, like the feasting table, have become a go-to option for all kinds of special events, not just weddings,” says Alex Jackson AIFD, AAF, PFCI. Long and narrow designs can also be required for other display areas in a home or special-event venue. Here Alex shares some of his favorite strategies for party flowers that stretch wide.

FARM TO TABLE The country look never dies—it just gets updated. Today’s version looks like a trip to the local farmers’ market, with purple produce nestled in moss that has been packed around tonic bottles; the bottles come with their jackets of poultry wire. The selection of flowers and foliage conveys a country-garden look, with scabiosa and veronica, rosemary and scented geranium leaves.

Floral design by Bob Hampton AIFD, AAF, PFCI Photography by Ron Derhacopian Floral design by Alex Jackson AIFD, AAF, PFCI

For product information,

t

Photography by Ron Derhacopian

see Where to Buy, page 64.

For product information, see Where to Buy, page 00.

NOVEMBER 2017 45

Long &Lean HIGH AND LOW A few orange gerberas with their heads held high lend sufficient height and color to this long and low centerpiece in a footed, rustic metal tray—with plenty of interest just below eye level and clear sightlines across the table as well. The base is patterned with moss, Green Trick dianthus, and spray mums; layered loops of orange ribbon add the festive final touch.

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Long &Lean

ONE AND ALL A collection of small pedestal urns brings unity to an array of individual bouquets, each one a little different, that become party favors at the end of the evening. The flower assortment is not quite random: relatively small flowers in orange, lime green and purple coordinate nicely. They

include Blackberry Scoop scabiosa (paired with lime green spray mums), orange freesia (fringed with ming), veronica, statice, pincushions (collared with geranium leaves), Free Spirit roses ringed with kalanchoe, bullet alliums, and cymbidium orchids.

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Long &Lean LIVING ON AIR There’s a reason why tillandsias (airplants) are so popular. With misting, these mini planters will live and last indefinitely. Alex filled the Rustic Cones with dry foam (wettable foam isn’t needed here) and covered the top with a combination of sheet moss, green-dyed and preserved reindeer moss, and smooth stones.

Then he filled in with the tillandsias, piercing the bottom of each plant with florist wire and using the wire to secure the plant in the foam.

Finally, he created a cage effect with curly willow, attaching the willow to the stands with Bind Wire.

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Long &Lean

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INTO THE WOODS Above, strips of birch bark provide a unifying element in a long, composite centerpiece that could easily be extended down a table of any length with more of the Woodland Planters, partially faced with birch and filled with Green Trick dianthus, succulents, cymbidium orchids, bright green spray mums, scented geranium leaves, and smooth river rocks.

ROOT AND BRANCH Orchids with their roots exposed, cleaned of soil,

phales. Alex built a long, low support structure by inserting mitsumata

make a far more flexible design material than potted plants, and last

tips into floral foam and further securing them with pieces of chenille

far longer than cut stems. “These can be enjoyed long after the party,

stem fashioned into hairpin shapes. The orchid stems are then tied

or they can come back from a party and get used for something else,�

to the mitsumata with silver aluminum wire. Short, forked pieces of

says Alex. White mitsumata beautifully complements these white

mitsumata are also used to stabilize the structure.

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Long &Lean

MAKING THE CONNECTION Everyday containers can be adapted to the feastingtable format with a connecting material like curly

willow. Here, long stems of yellow Ornithogalum dubium reinforce the connection in one pair of designs. Connected pairs can then be placed side-by-side or staggered, one behind another, for an effect of depth.

Color provides another “connector,� bringing unity to composition that also offers variety and contrast of form and texture.

NOVEMBER 2017 55

Long &Lean

70 2012 56 january www.flowersandmagazine.com

A SLICE OF MEADOW A medley of small-flowered, finely textured blooms, in a rustic “tool box� with a long handle, conveys the wildflower look that so many customers crave. Alex lined the box with cellophane, filled it with wet floral foam and added scented geranium leaves and rosemary, then a variety of purple flowers incuding veronica, larkspur, hyacinths, freesia, tulips, seafoam statice, and two kinds of scabiosa including dark purple Blackberry Scoop with white sprinkles. b

industry events For the most recent additions to Teleflora Unit Programs, go to www.MyTeleflora.com and click on Design Education to access the Floral Event Calendar in the Unit Program section.

National and International November 2-6, Norwalk, CT

EMC (European Master Certification) classes (Part 1, North America, East Coast) with Tomas De Bruyne & Hitomi Gilliam, East Coast Wholesale Flower. Visit www.emcprogram.com.

Resort. Call the Society of American Florists at 800-336-4743 or visit www.safnow.org.

September 19-21, 2018, Quito, Ecuador

Expo FlorEcuador. Visit www.florecuador.com.ec.

July 6-11, 2019, Las Vegas, NV

National AIFD Symposium 2019, Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Call the American Institute of Floral Designers at 443-966-3850 or visit www.aifd.org.

Central Region

November 4-8, Riviera Maya, Mexico

March 2-4, 2018, Grand Rapids, MI

Association of Bridal Consultants Annual Conference. Call 203-775-0009 or visit www.bridalassn.com.

Great Lakes Floral Expo, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel and DeVos Place Convention Center. Visit www.greatlakesfloralexpo.com.

November 8-10, Vijfhuizen, The Netherlands

March 16-18, 2018, Decatur, IL

International Floriculture & Horticulture Trade Fair (IFTF), Expo Haarlemmermeer. Visit www.hpp.nl.

December 4-22, 2017 and January 2-17, 2018, Atlanta, GA 2018 Fall Christmas Market, Floramart. Retailers, contact your local wholesaler for information about the Floramart sponsorship program. Wholesalers, call 800-241-3733 or for a reservation request form visit https://goo.gl/Xf6EfC.

Illinois State Florists’ Association Convention. Visit www.isfaflorists.com.

Northeast Region

Bruyne & Hitomi Gilliam, East Coast Wholesale Flower. Visit www.emcprogram.com.

South Central Region November 5, Dallas, TX

North Texas Unit, Holiday Designs with David Powers, Greenleaf Wholesale. Contact MaryAnn DeBerry at 940-483-1800 or thefloristltd@ hotmail.com.

Southeast Region November 4, Louisville, KY

SAF 1-Day Profit Blast, Marriott Louisville Downtown. Call the Society of American Florists at 800-336-4743 (in Alaska, Hawaii and Virginia, 703-836-8700) or visit www.safnow.org/events.

November 5, Red House, WV

West Virginia Unit, Holiday and Plants with Jerome Raska, Gritts Midway Greenhouse.

Contact Sheila Larew at 304-288-9453 or graftonfloralwv@yahoo.com.

November 2-6, Norwalk, CT

EMC (European Master Certification) classes (Part 1, North America, East Coast) with Tomas De

January 17-19, 2018, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition (TPIE), Broward County Convention Center. Call the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association at 800-3753642 or visit www.fngla.org.

January 26-29, 2018, Frankfurt, Germany Christmasworld and Floradecora. Visit www.floradecora.de.

January 30-February 1, 2018, New Orleans, LA

The Special Event Conference and Exhibits, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Visit www.thespecialeventshow.com.

March 12-13, 2018, Washington, DC

Congressional Action Days 2018. Conference hotel: Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, Arlington, VA. Call the Society of American Florists at 800-336-4743 or visit www.safnow.org.

March 20-22, 2018, Chicago, IL

World Floral Expo, Rosemont Convention Center.

Visit www.worldfloralexpo.com.

June 30-July 5, 2018, Washington, DC

National AIFD Symposium 2018, Washington Marriott Wardman Park. Call the American Institute of Floral Designers at 443-966-3850 or visit www.aifd.org.

SEPTEMBER 12-15, 2018, PALM SPRINGS, CA

Annual SAF Convention, Westin Mission Hills

NOVEMBER 2017 57

shop profile

•

By Marianne Cotter

•

Photography by William McKeown

Raimondi’s Florist Pikesville, Maryland and 5 other locations Owner: Paul Raimondi Niche: Full-service florist Number of employees: 47 total (full time and part time) Square footage: Corporate offices and design center (Randallstown), 15,500 square feet Pikesville location, 2,700 square feet www.RaimondisFlorist.com

Adiversified, multi-shop, familyowned business, Raimondi’s thrives by changing with the times.

58 www.flowersandmagazine.com

R

aimondi’s Florist opens its doors at 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, ready to greet the business professionals who work in the Pikesville, Maryland office building where the shop makes its home. Upon entering, the morning crowd may check out the beautiful flowers and gifts displayed to their right—but they soon turn left and enter an intimate café, also part of Raimondi’s, where they order a coffee and pick out a

fresh pastry from one of the bakery cases.

Then they may sit at a bistro table, or head up to their offices. Noontime brings them back for a sandwich and to browse gifts. At the end of the day they may pick up a floral gift on the way home. Meanwhile, clients of the building’s doctors, lawyers and other professionals are in and out of the shop all day.

The idea of opening a café in the flower shop evolved out of a separate online

bakery business. “We started selling bakery items online in partnership with a local bakery, completely separate from the flower shop,” says owner Paul Raimondi. “When we moved to this location five years ago, we decided to bring in baked goods, coffee and candy in a café setting. We tried it and it worked. Today three of our six locations have Bakery & Coffee shops.”

The bakery cases display a variety of bagels, muffins, pastries, personal-size cake

slices, donuts, bread pudding, gourmet Greek and Italian cookies, Vaccaro’s cannolis (a well-known local Italian favorite), as well as many other bakery items. The Pikesville shop is located in a predominately Jewish community and carries kosher pastries, cookies and candy. The weekly Sabbath generates walk-in business on Thursday and Friday as people come in to buy fresh flowers for their Friday-to-Saturday observance. Paul keeps the store open

Combining retail flower shops with cafés where pastries, candy and other delicious edibles are sold is only the latest innovation for Raimondi’s Florist, a business that began life in 1934 as an Italian-American grocery store, started by Constantino Raimondi, grandfather to the current owner, Paul. Paul is seen on the opposite page with long-time business partner Marie Gaydos.

NOVEMBER 2017 59

A comfy wicker rocking chair, placed close to a lush display of green and blooming plants, creates a respite area within the Pikesville shop— one that’s likely to result in plant sales!

Each of Raimondi’s six locations is tailored to its local community, serving customers in the neighborhood according to their needs, with marketing to match.

on weekends, offering a weekend special of 50 percent off loose cut flowers. “The flower business and café complement each other,” says Paul, “driving business back and forth. People will come in for flowers and get something to eat, or they’ll come in for something to eat and take cut flowers home.”

Today, the three bakeries account for about 10 percent of the Raimondi’s total business. At the Pikesville store, the bakery dominates walk-in business, but the flower side makes more money because the ticket price is higher.

AN IMMIGRANT’S TALE Italian immigrant Constantino Raimondi started the business as an Italian-American grocery store in Baltimore City, Maryland, in 1934. Later it was taken over by his son Paul Raimondi, Sr., who ran it from the mid 1940s to the late 1950s, when current owner Paul Raimondi, Jr. came into the business as a teenager.

Today he runs the business alongside business partner Marie Gaydos, who has been with the company since 1987.

The original store was in the Park Heights neighborhood of Baltimore, near the

60 www.flowersandmagazine.com

Pimlico race course, where the Preakness Stakes is held (Raimondi’s did the Preakness winner’s floral blanket for 15 years, from 1970 to 1985, until a large grocery chain store bumped them out by doing it for free). Along with the grocery items, Constantino Raimondi sold cut flowers and plants.

Over the years the small, local ItalianAmerican grocery store started to grow.

Constantino’s son, Paul Sr., grew up in the shop and began working alongside his father as a teenager. When he met his wife, Stella Arpin, they married and worked side by side in the shop.

Paul’s parents, Paul Sr. and Stella, gradually took over the business, moving away from groceries and developing a fullservice floral and fruit basket business. Paul Jr., the third generation, worked in the shop just like his father did, starting at the bottom and working his way all the way to the top.

He had a very big part in introducing more floral sales to the shop in the late 1950s.

He was the general manager of operations for all locations. The floral industry and the family shop became Paul Jr.’s life. “I went there after school to do homework and hung out on the weekends helping with small

tasks,” he recalls. By the time he was a teenager, Paul was capable of operating the shop on his own.

After finishing high school in 1960, Paul was ready to jump headlong into the family business. He started by attending a monthlong floral design program sponsored by the state of Maryland. “I learned all facets of the floral industry,” he recalls. “The training went from making bows and filling containers to funeral work, table work, and corsages.

We were also taught the business side, and visited the big wholesalers and retailers of the day.”

Raimondi’s was still a small single shop at that point. “It was my parents, myself and one other employee,” says Paul. “I did everything from designing to delivery. I stocked the shelves and bought the perishable product for many, many years.”

JUMPING INTO A SECOND SHOP In 1972 the family decided to expand the business by opening a second shop in Columbia, Maryland. “It was a huge, scary step with a big learning curve,” Paul recalls. “I managed the second store and hired a staff; we had our first off-site manager as well. It was

a stressful time, but it gave us the necessary training for all the stores that were yet to come.”

Between 1973 and 1987, Raimondi’s opened nine more branches for a total of eleven, most of which were located in regional malls with substantial walk-in traffic.

In 1985, Paul’s parents retired, and the business was his to move forward. At that time Paul formed a corporation, Raimondi’s Inc.—a business entity to facilitate the management of Raimondi’s increasingly diversified business interests.

WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS Paul says that today, opening additional locations is not a stated part of Raimondi’s business plan, but he does look at opportunities when they come along. He researches each new location thoroughly to understand the demographics in the community. He doesn’t insist on serving only a narrowly defined clientele; he’ll work with any type of community as long as the business plan makes sense. He finds out who lives there, how old they are, what they do for a living, and what kind of homes they live in. From there he forms a picture of the customer and

creates a marketing plan that is tailored for that community.

“Our shops are all located around the Baltimore beltway,” Paul explains. “The corporate office in Randallstown is a professional community located midway between Baltimore and Washington, whereas the Rosedale shop is in a blue-collar neighborhood at the opposite end of the beltway. We service both areas according to their needs.”

Another acquisition was a candy company called Sweet Treats that Paul bought when it went up for sale in 1995. He looked at the product mix and thought he could make it work in the shops. Today, candy is a mainstay of the business, appearing in the bakery and gift areas as well as in arrangements and gift baskets.

Raimondi’s Pikesville shop had initially opened at a different location in town. The move was prompted by the business possibilities that came with operating in a professional building with clients coming in and out all day. That, in turn, gave rise to the idea of a coffee shop, candy store and bakery.

“When we open a new location, we always launch with a huge marketing

campaign and grand opening event,” says Paul. “With the current location, we were also introducing our first coffee shop and we wanted people to come in and experience it. It was a success, so we opened coffee shops in two other shops. At Christmas, we host open houses in those three shops and support them with TV and print advertising plus internet marketing.”

CORPORATE STRUCTURE While Raimondi’s shops are unique businesses, each serving a highly localized clientele, they are vitally supported by the Raimondi’s corporate offices. Paul formed the corporation shortly after taking over the business in 1985 and A well-stocked, well-lit, clearly organized design area is a must for any successful retail florist. Close by at Raimondi’s is a card printer loaded with custom-printed card stock. Marketing strategy has evolved with the times, focusing these days on social media and direct mail—but remains a priority for Paul Raimondi, who believes in marketing and isn’t afraid to spend on it— over half a million dollars a year.

NOVEMBER 2017 61

housed it in a 15,500-square-foot space in Randallstown that also contains one of the six shops, along with a centralized call center and a nine-truck fleet that handles deliveries for all of the shops except the two that are located farthest to the east. Also located here are the bridal consultants, who visit the other stores as needed to meet with brides.

Paul’s partner, Marie Gaydos, who has been with Raimondi’s since 1987, works out of the corporate office, buying gifts and supervising display and merchandising for In all, bakeries at three of Raimondi’s six retail locations account for about 10 percent of total business. At the Pikesville store, the bakery dominates walk-in business, but the flower side makes more money because the ticket price is higher. One side feeds the other, says Paul, with café customers picking up loose flowers (50 percent off on the weekends) or arrangements, and floral customers grabbing a bite to eat.

62 www.flowersandmagazine.com

all the stores, testing and deciding which product mix works for each location. Paul has his hand in all aspects of the business, particularly marketing.

Fluctuations in staffing needs are handled from a central location as well. The Pikesville shop has three full time employees—each of whom has a specialty task, all of whom can cover any base. When business gets busy the corporation sends in one of several floaters who move from store to store as needed.

MARKETING STRATEGY Marketing is another centralized operation. Paul Raimondi believes in marketing and isn’t afraid to spend money on it—a half million dollars a year.

When he opened the Pikesville store he advertised heavily, promoting all aspects of the business (flowers, candy, bakery), plus he placed big signs on the highway. Paul approaches advertising as a multi-tiered strategy combining traditional media like TV and newspapers with social media.

At its peak, Raimondi’s business con-

sisted of 11 shops and 75 employees. Then the familiar story began: In the late 1970s, grocery stores began to eat away at business, followed in the 1990s by the rise of internet sales. As Paul and Marie struggled to master the new business realities over the next several years, the recession struck. “We had to get smart,” says Paul, “and we did.”

They focused on the customer experience and got savvy about technology. In the meantime, their competitors were not coping as well, and the competition began to thin out.

The internet, which at first took so much business away, slowly became Paul’s friend as he mastered the nuances of social media marketing. “We are prominent on Google searches,” he says. “We do a lot of pay-forclicks, we have a Facebook newsfeed, and we send lots of emails. Whenever we do an email we put it on Facebook and boost it.”

Paul has found a powerful outreach tool in Facebook Business’s boost feature. “We have about 5,000 Facebook followers, but when we want a lot more people to see a

Marie Gaydos, Paul Raimondi’s business partner of 30 years, stocks the stores with gift items ranging from stuffed animals to spa products and greeting cards. Below, they are temptingly displayed close to tables where café customers can sit down to a pastry or sandwich.

message, we use the boost feature,” he explains. “It allows us to select the neighborhoods we want to reach. Then we opt for certain price points to be boosted to certain income levels in those neighborhoods. We can also pick friends, relatives of friends, and even lookalikes. We’ll send 10,000 direct mails and 30,000 emails and then boost the emails to another 50,000 with a Facebook blast.”

custom funeral pieces we offer families, quality products and service, and an easyto-navigate website,” Paul explains. “We’ve enjoyed a great reputation in the Baltimore area for over 80 years.”

Weddings are also handled at the corporate level. Several full-time wedding consultants are located in the corporate office and travel to the different shops as needed to meet with brides.

A MATURE SYMPATHY BUSINESS Throughout the years Paul Raimondi has built a substantial funeral business—47 percent of the corporation’s volume—that he attributes to the time he invested developing personal relationships with funeral directors. “Currently, we service 134 funeral homes in Maryland.

We have monetary agreements with a few of them,” Paul explains, “but most—about 75 percent—will refer their customers to us.”

Raimondi’s success in the sympathy business was earned thanks to excellent business practices, which have led to a great reputation. “We are known for the

GIFTS OF INDULGENCE Browsing gifts at Raimondi’s is like taking a walk through a garden. Bird-themed gifts are big, including decorative birds, natural willow nests, bird houses and other nature-oriented gifts that sell quickly. “I try to change it up with new pieces so the gifts are fresh,” says Marie.

She focuses on handmade pieces from local artists alongside other popular gift-show items: “We have a Maryland Pride section that features hand-painted glassware with all your favorite Maryland themes, all made by local artists.”

Marie stocks her shops with locally

made candles, organic vegan soaps, premium lotions, and other unique gifts including gourmet chocolates. All these gifts are also available online with fresh flowers.

As with every aspect of Raimondi’s operations, however, the gift offerings at each location are tailored to that location’s customer base. For Paul, succeeding in a multi-location business is not a matter of creating exact replicas of a model that worked in the first store. It involves understanding the characteristics of each neighborhood and then providing excellent service to the different customer bases according to their needs.

This year, that ability to run a first-class retail operation, showing the highest level of commitment and service to local communities, won Paul Raimondi the honor of being selected as recipient of the third annual Tom Butler Retailer of the Year award from Teleflora, announced in September. Congratulations are due—and well deserved!

Now, anyone for some coffee and a bagel? b

NOVEMBER 2017 63

where to buy

pg 18 For more information on merchandise featured in Flowers&, contact the supplier directly. Direct links to most suppliers can be found on the Flowers& website, www.flowersandmagazine.com.

Use the links under “Advertisers in This Issue” or the link to our searchable, online Buyers’ Guide at the top of the Flowers& home page.

DESI G N TE C H ,

CONE INSPIRED,

RED RIOT,

Color Splash Cubes, Teleflora.

Mitsumata in lime green, Accent Décor.

Oasis Flat Wire, Smithers-Oasis.

Frosted pinecones on wire wrapped with jute, Direct Export.

White Birch Planters and Array Votives, Accent Décor.

Sandy Plaid wire-edge ribbon, Reliant Ribbon.

Textured ceramic vases in green and white, Modern Collections.

Urban Earth planter in Weathered Slate, Syndicate Sales.

Array Votives in rose gold mercury glass, Pisces tray, and Lita Compote, Accent Décor.

Gold square vases with egg shapes, Modern Collections.

O N THE C OVER

Elevated wooden box container, Modern Collections.

Tussa Check cotton ribbon, Reliant Ribbon.

Piano red garden roses, Alexandra Farms.

Long-needle pine, arborvitae foliage and St. Augustine holly, Wm. F. Puckett.

FO C US O N DESI G N , page 8

Fresh flowers including veronica, ornithogalum, solidago, cut kalanchoe and scabiosa, Danziger via Galleria Farms.

Footed glass bowl in Vintage Champagne, Syndicate Sales.

Silver-dollar eucalyptus in Autumn Red, Wm. F. Puckett.

64 www.flowersandmagazine.com

pages 18-22

page 10

JOY TO THE WORLD ,

pages 26-31

pg 10

pages 18-42

Garden roses throughout, including Alabaster, White Cloud, Caramel Antike, Romantic Antike, Piano, Wanted, and the David Austin varieties Patience, Darcey, and Tess, Alexandra Farms.

Tropical flowers and foliages including anthuriums, calathea blooms, red ginger, spectabilis (Zingiber spectabile), and orchids, Green Point.

St. Augustine Holly with faux red berries, boxwood, long-needle pine, Carolina Sapphire, Leyland cypress, arborvitae, and color-enhanced foliages and curly willow in Gilded, Frosted (silver) and White Mist finishes, Wm. F. Puckett.

IN THE GILDED FOREST, pages 32-35

COOL GEOMETRY, pages 24-25

pg 25

Silver faceted ceramic vase and fauxmarble ceramic white vase, Modern Collections.

Matte flat wire, Smithers-Oasis.

pg 33

Lita Vases, Bryant Pots (each in two sizes), and preserved boxwood spheres, Accent Décor.

Scored gold and white pots, Modern Collections.

Tussa Check cotton ribbon, Reliant Ribbon.

Pillar candles in Colonial Ivory, Candle Artisans via the Pete Garcia Company.

F e at u r e d Suppliers Accent Décor, Inc. Call 770-346-0707 or visit www.accentdecor.com.

Alexandra Farms.

Call 305-528-3657 or visit www.alexandrafarms.com.

Creative Co-op.

Call 866-323-2264 or visit www.creativecoop.com.

Danziger Flower Farm. Visit www.danziger.co.il.

Direct Export Co. Call 888-881-0055 or visit www.directexp.com.

Galleria Farms.

Call 800-383-2939 or visit www.galleriafarms.com.

pg 48

Green Point Nurseries.

Call 800-717-4456 or visit www.greenpointnursery.com.

LO N G A N D LEA N ,

WINTRY WHITES, pages 36-39

Jasmine Vases, Accent Décor.

Metallic-finish copper pillar candles, Candle Artisans via the Pete Garcia Company.

White ceramic vases with smoky shapes, Modern Collections.

Whale white pot, Vasesource.

Classic Iron Urns, Park Hill.

page 44-56

Park Hill Collection.

Call 888-603-3334 or visit www.parkhillcollection.com.

Pete Garcia Company.

Call 800-241-3733 or visit www.floramart.com.

LIVING ON AIR, pages 50-51

pg 50

Rustic Cones, Creative Co-op.

Preserved and dyed reindeer moss, Accent Décor.

Tillandsias, Tillandsia International.

FARM TO TABLE, pages 44-45

pg 56

Wooden Crate Tray and Tonic Bottles with Poultry Wire, Park Hill.

HIGH AND LOW, pages 46-47

TREES I SEE, pages 40-42

pg 40

Elevated wooden box containers, Modern Collections.

Tussa Check cotton ribbon (banding one of the boxes), Reliant Ribbon.

Canvas Stand, Accent Décor.

Modern Collections.

Call 818-718-1400 or visit www.themoderncollections.com.

Chicken Feeder Centerpiece, Park Hill.

Country Trellis Hopsack, Country Weave Fall, and Linen Life orange ribbons, Reliant Ribbon.

Smithers-Oasis.

Call 800-321-8286 or visit www.oasisfloral.com.

INTO THE WOODS,

Syndicate Sales.

Call 800-428-0515 or visit www.syndicatesales.com.

Woodland Planters and Birch Strips, Accent Décor.

Teleflora.

Call 800-333-0205 or visit www.myteleflora.com.

ROOT AND BRANCH,

Tillandsia International.

Call 559-683-7097 or visit www.airplant.com.

pages 52-53

pages 52-53

La Vista bowls and mitsumata, Accent Décor.

MAKING THE CONNECTION, pages 54-55

Bamboo rectangles, Teleflora.

ONE AND ALL,

A SLICE OF MEADOW,

Small Fluted Iron Urns and Petite

Handyman’s Wooden Tool Box, Park Hill.

pages 48-49

Reliant Ribbon.

Call 800-886-2697 or visit www.reliantribbon.com.

Vasesource.

Call 718-752-0424 or visit www.vasesource.com.

Wm. F. Puckett.

Call 800-426-3376 or visit www.puckettfern.com.

page 56

NOVEMBER 2017 65

wholesaler connection

emporium accessories

Flowers& magazine distributors Arizona Phoenix Floral Supply Syndicate

hawaii honolulu Flora-Dec Sales

California CAMARILLO Floral Supply Syndicate Fresno Designer Flower Center LOS ANGELES Floral Supply Syndicate Sacramento Flora Fresh Floral Supply Syndicate SAN BERNARDINO Floral Supply Syndicate San Diego Floral Supply Syndicate San Diego Florist Supplies San FRANCISCO Floral Supply Syndicate San JOSE Floral Supply Syndicate SANTA ANA Floral Supply Syndicate Santa Rosa Sequoia Floral International UPLAND Floral Supply Syndicate VAN NUYS Floral Supply Syndicate

Illinois Chicago The Roy Houff Company Milan Bonnett Wholesale Florist Normal The Roy Houff Company Wheeling The Roy Houff Company

COLORADO DENVER Floral Supply Syndicate CONNECTICUT NORWALK East Coast Wholesale Flowers Florida JACKSONVILLE Floral Supply Syndicate PENSACOLA American Floral Wholesale of Pensacola Carlstedt’s, LLC Georgia omega Hornbuckle Wholesale Florist

66 www.flowersandmagazine.com

Kansas wichita Valley Floral Company Kentucky Louisville The Roy Houff Company Louisiana Lafayette Louisiana Wholesale Florists Massachusetts Boston Jacobson Floral Supply Michigan Warren Nordlie, Inc. Minnesota Minneapolis Koehler and Dramm missouri st louis Floral Supply Syndicate LaSalle Wholesale Florist NeVADA LAS VEGAS Floral Supply Syndicate RENO Floral Supply Syndicate New York Campbell Hall Alders Wholesale Florist

Ohio dayton Nordlie, Inc. North Canton Canton Wholesale Floral OREGON PORTLAND Floral Design Institute Floral Supply Syndicate SOUTH DAKOTA SIOUX FALLS North American Wholesale Florist, Inc. Tennessee Nashville The Roy Houff Company TeXAS DALLAS Floral Supply Syndicate UTAH SALT LAKE CITY Floral Supply Syndicate Virginia Norfolk The Roy Houff Company Richmond The Roy Houff Company Washington SEATTLE Floral Supply Syndicate Tacoma Washington Floral Service canada burnaby, bc United Floral Inc. malaysia selangor Worldwide Floral Services singapore Worldwide Floral Services

The original watering device for fresh flowers. Keep the water in the container, NOT on the table! www.bokaystik.com 406-599-9949 Find us on YouTube E M PLOY M EN T Florasearch, Inc.

In our third decade of performing confidential key employee searches for the floriculture industry and allied trades worldwide. Retained basis only. Candi­date contact welcome, confidential, and always free.

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equipment Refrigerators For Flowers

Combo walkins, storage, reach-ins 800-729-5964 www.flotaire.com

Shop @ the

Flowers&

Buyers’ Guide Available year-round at

www.flowersandmagazine.com

advertiser links schools

Advertisers’ websites are hyperlinked on the Flowers& website. Go to www.flowersandmagazine.com and click on “Advertisers in This Issue.”

Accent Décor, Inc.

5

770-346-0707 www.accentdecor.com Alexandra Farms

1

305-528-3657 www.alexandrafarms.com American Floral Endowment

inside back cover

703-838-5211 www.endowment.org Design Master Color Tool

17

800-525-2644 www.dmcolor.com Dollar Tree Direct

inside cover

877-530-TREE (8733) www.dollartree.com/floral/559/index.cat Floral Deliver Ease

65

877-740-3273 www.floraldeliverease.com Green Point Nurseries

6

800-717-4456 www.greenpointnursery.com

Advertise in

emporium

For rates and info, call

Peter Lymbertos at 800-421-4921

Pete Garcia Company back cover

800-241-3733 www.floramart.com Seminole 6

800-638-3378 www.seminoleds.com Smithers-Oasis 3

800-321-8286 www.oasisfloral.com Suntory 11

305-333-4466 www.suntoryapplause.com Teleflora

23, 43

800-333-0205 www.myteleflora.com

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November 2017 67

what’s in store TREND REPORT champagne sparkle Neutral metallic tones amplify the elegance of any holiday table setting. This less-is-more approach is timeless and easily adaptable.

GOLDEN HOURS A warm patina of champagne gold gleams through the snow flurries and evergreen trees molded in low relief on the clear glass bowl (with removable champagnecolored liner) that houses Teleflora’s Winter Pines Centerpiece. The color tones are carried up among the flowers with gold pinecones, magnolia leaves, matte gold millimeter balls, and roses in a pale wheat color. Call 800-333-0205 or visit www.MyTeleflora.com.

IN THE ROUND The look of smooth, raw wood was very much in vogue at Frankfurt’s Christmasworld trade fair last January. Here’s an easy way to offer customers a little piece of that European trend. The new Natural Wood Rings from Smithers-Oasis come in three diameters, ideally sized to accommodate drop-in Oasis containers. This centerpiece also incorporates a copper-colored Oasis Wire Armature and brown Rustic Wire for gleaming stem control and texture at the base.

Find more design ideas at www.oasisfloralproducts.com.

68 www.flowersandmagazine.com

Reprinted from Teleflora’s Resource Guide