Fall Floral Styling with Rolling Hills Flower Mart
We’re so excited to share today’s post with you! We love having fresh florals at home and we offer a wide array of vessels to style those florals. Flowers are an easy way to transition your home into a new season. Since we’re not floral experts – just lovers – we got a real expert to share her styling tips for creating gorgeous and simple fall arrangements.
Meet Chelsea Gaudenti, owner of Rolling Hills Flower Mart in Los Angeles, CA. Chelsea created three stunning and unique fall arrangements for us using Cailíní Coastal vases. All of your questions answered below on arranging, prep and care, so you can recreate these gorgeous looks at home!
BROOM CORN + FLORAL VINE TEMPLE JAR
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
CC: Tell us why you selected broom corn for this vessel?
CG: Broom corn is a great fall greenery. For a tall container like this one, you want to use a tall floral to complement its size. This particular vessel has interesting thin vertical lines that will complement the shape of the broom corn head. The wider the mouth of your container, determines the amount of stems you will need. We used about 35 stems for this vessel.
CC: How do you prep broom corn?
CG: First, go through and trim or pull off any leaves you don’t like. I like keeping some leaves on because they are so pretty and green and add fun texture. Be sure to remove all leaves that will sit below the water line, because if you leave them on, the water will dirty and the flowers won’t last. Cut the ends of the stems before they enter the water...if the stems are out of water for longer that 30 seconds cut them again. Gather all the stems, give them a flush cut all the way across the bottoms.
For Broom Corn, it's most important to keep the water clean. You can actually add a water bottle cap size of bleach to the water. This helps the water to stay clean and prolongs their life.
I like to let the leaves drape over the sides, but if you prefer a more tailed look for your arrangement you can simply just tuck the leaves into the mouth of the vase.
CC: What are some pros of using Broom Corn?
CG: Broom Corn is both an affordable and long-lasting option. It's also a low maintenance flower.
SHOP OUR FLORAL VINE TEMPLE JAR
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
ANTIQUE HYDRANGEA + CATALINA VASE
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
CC: Our Cailíní Coastal customers love hydrangea. Can you tell us the best way to prep hydrangea?
CG: Hydrangea are so thirsty! The most important thing with hydrangea is that their stems get as much water as possible. Fill vases half way or more with water. Cut the stems at an angle, slice up about two inches and put them into water immediately. Remove the leaves. As beautiful as the hydrangea leaves are, the water will go directly to the leaves and not to the head of the flower. If you keep the leaves on, it will require a lot more energy from the hydrangea to keep the flower alive.
CC: Ok, when they get droopy is it hot or cold water we dunk them in?
CG: Hydrangea drink from both their head and their stems. You can actually dunk the whole entire hydrangea head under water in your sink or a bowl. Let it soak for at least 15 minutes, then rinse the head and recut the stems before placing back into your vessel. We like to use cold water with ice cubes because it’s just easier and less high-maintenance. The main idea here is to shock your hydrangea to spring back to life.
CC: What is the appropriate lifespan of hydrangea?
CG: This depends on the type of variety you have, what part of the country they are from, and the climate of the room. In general, they do not like any sun, no direct external heat of any kind. Most importantly, love on them by changing their water regularly, rinse the heads, and recut the stems. This can help add weeks to your arrangement! For hydrangea, and a general rule for all fresh florals, keep them away from ripening foods and fruits. The ethylene gases from other foods tend to kill hydrangea and fresh florals alike.
CC: What's the best way to dry them?
CG: Antiqued hydrangea generally dry better than your blue and white varieties - this is due to their unique petal structure, the different ingredients in the soil, and they are cut at different stages of their lives. Antiqued hydrangea are typically cut at a more mature stage of their life, while white and blue are cut more prematurely. When you do dry them, hang them upside down, no dramatic temperatures in the room - not too hot or too cold.
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
FALL ORCHID + EAST HAMPTON ORCHID POT
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
CC: What's the first step when creating an orchid arrangement?
CG: Before you do anything, first determine where you want this piece to be in your home. Determine the front and back of the arrangement and whether it will be placed somewhere where you'll see all sides of it or if just one side is exposed. This will help dictate the placement of your orchids within the pot.
CC: How do we prep our orchids before putting them in a pot?
CG: Keep the orchids in their plastic wrapping because the stems and roots love to be confined and are very happy like this. Next, trim the top of the plastic wrapper (1-2 inches), but don't take the plant out. The reason we do this is so that it doesn't stick up and show through your arrangement.
CC: How do you get the leaves so shiny?
CG: Gently use olive oil to wipe down the leaves. Leaf shine spray can get messy if done incorrectly, whereas olive oil is foolproof.
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
CC: What is an easy tip to dress up your orchid?
CG: Remove the wooden sticks and butterfly clips that come with orchids and replace them with glass rods and twine or raffia. This will instantly add style to your arrangement. Once you secure the rod between the roots, it should be about the same height if not a little taller than the orchid.
CC: Our DIY arrangements are often wobbly. What should we use at the base to fill the space?
CG: Sometimes you don't need anything in the bottom, but if you do need a little something to secure them in place you can use anything from plastic, newspaper, or a washcloth. We like using a washcloth because it's a little easier on the plants and you can reuse them.
CC: What is your recommended filler for orchids?
CG: Spanish moss is our absolute favorite. You can decide if you want to go more free flowing or more compact with the moss. The moss is a great tool to cover up the mechanics of the arrangement and you can water right over it.
CC: Once we've created the arrangement, how should we care for our orchids?
CG: Many people think an ice cube is best for watering, but that's really just to help with portion control. Ice cubes are actually too cold for orchids and can shock them. Orchids like the most even temperatures as possible so keep them away from vents and air conditioning. If they are positioned next to vents this can dry out their blooms. Orchids truly thrive on neglect, so the less fuss the better.
Keep them in a room with bright natural light but very little change in temperature. Orchids also love mist. You actually don't have to water the base, but just mist them from a distance. If you are ever unsure whether or not to water, stick your finger into the roots and feel for moisture. It's very common for people to overwater and the roots will rot if unable to drain properly.
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
If you loved this blog post, let us know in the comments below and head to our IGTV for a live recorded video of Chelsea creating these arrangements. Be sure to check our Rolling Hills Flower Mart on Instagram at @rollinghillsflowermart or visit their website www.rollinghillsflowermart.com.
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