In April, we mark Easter and the arrival of new life: the perfect occasion for a colourful flower. With its cheerful appearance, the gerbera is the ideal candidate to make celebrations extra special this month. Consumers can read all about this versatile flower at Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk.
Origin of the gerbera The gerbera is an unscented flower which is part of the Asteraceae family. It originates from South Africa, Asia, South America and Tasmania. Some 900 million gerberas a year are produced in the Netherlands with 600 different varieties of colour, shape and size. She’s a very popular lady!
The gerbera’s colours and shapes If you think of gerberas, you think of colour! The gerbera’s basic colours are white, red, yellow, pink, purple, orange and green. The flower is also available bicoloured, multi-coloured, and in various colours derived from basic primary colours. The flower’s beautiful heart can be black or green. In other words: there’s plenty of choice when it comes to colour! The shape is always cheerful: single and double flowered, pom-pom and spider shapes. Have you noticed that when a child draws a flower, it’s always in the shape of a gerbera?
Caring for gerberas
Trim the stem diagonally with a sharp knife.
Use a clean (glass) vase and fill it with approx. 7 cm of tap water at room temperature. Use cut flower food for a mixed bouquet.
Ensure the right ambient temperature (max. 20 °C).
Do not place gerberas in a draught, in full sun or near central heating.
Regularly top the vase up with tap water.
Symbolism of the gerbera The gerbera has no symbolic meaning, but why should that matter? With its colourful and sunny appearance it instantly makes your home a cheerful and welcoming place. Its presence means: you make everything more beautiful!
A few questions we get asked a lot about these gorgeous flowers
Question 1: Gerberas come in all sorts of colours, but how many different colours are there actually?
Gosh, there are so many you can't even count them… Gerberas really do come in hundreds of different colours. They can be single-coloured, but also multi-coloured. The gerbera's heart is also colourful; it can be green or black. The most popular colours are orange, yellow, red, purple, salmon, white, pink and bi-coloured.
Question 2: Gerberas can get quite large. What makes a gerbera 'standard' or 'mini'?
First some background: gerberas are part of the plant family Asteraceae and come in three types. These are: large-flowered varieties (standard gerbera), small-flowered varieties (mini gerbera) and specialties. If a gerbera has a diameter of between 6 and 8 cm, it is classified as a mini gerbera. A standard gerbera ranges between 9.5 and 13cm. There are also gerberas with a diameter of some 15cm, incidentally!
Question 3: My gerberas’ heads are drooping a bit. What can I do?
Let us give you the golden tip for perking them up!
Start by cleaning your vase thoroughly. Use bleach for this.
Put fresh water in the vase, but be careful: too much water is not good, since the stems can then start to rot.
Cut another piece off the bottom of the stems and then return the gerberas to the vase. They will be radiant again soon!
Question 4: Sometimes you see a box of gerberas stored upside down at the florist. Why is that?
Gerberas love light. If the light is coming from the right, they will grow to the right. If the light is coming from the left then… well, you can guess the rest. The end result is bent stems. Upside down in the box the gerberas are unable to grow towards the light. In this way your florist is preventing the gerbera stems from growing crooked. Gerberas with bent stems are difficult to use in bouquets or floral work.
Question 5: With which other flowers do gerberas combine well?
Gerberas like to flirt with Fritillaria meleagris (also known as snake's head fritillary), asparagus, lilacs and roses. Another good combination is gerberas with freesias, chrysanthemums and Chaenomeles japonica. Need more inspiration? Ask your florist for advice on which flowers to use to make your own bouquet, or ask them to create an arrangement for you.
Question 6: In the past you saw gerberas with a wire in the stem. Why do you hardly see that nowadays?
That answer is easy: there’s no need any more! The wire was used to strengthen the stem. Nowadays the quality of gerberas is so good that this is no longer necessary. The gerbera remains nice and straight on its own.
Question 7: Gerberas are often used in bouquets. But can I also use them on their own, and if so how?
It's no surprise that gerberas are often used in bouquets. Their colour and shape simply means that they work well in conjunction with other flowers. But the gerbera is also very beautiful on its own. Try putting together a number of bottles, each containing a single gerbera .... guaranteed to provide a colourful spectacle!
Question 8: Are there gerbera plants?
There certainly are! There are gerbera plants for use both indoors and outdoors. You can even enjoy gerberas in the winter, thanks to the hardy garden gerbera.
Question 9: Can they be used for wedding flowers?
Absolutely!! They are our second most popular flowers (after roses). Many florists won't use them, there is a little bit of snobbery when it comes to these flowers, but we will!! And more importantly we love them!!
If you are looking for a bright and bold flower for your bouquet then gerberas are definitely a great choice. Ask us for more details or book a consultation to go through your options.
With thanks to Flower Council of Holland and Funny How Flowers Do That for content.
Spring is imminent - the perfect opportunity to celebrate with not one, but three Spring flowers on the Flower Agenda: ranunculus, hyacinth and daffodil.
The origin of ranunculus, hyacinth and daffodil Ranunculus originally comes all the way from Central Asia. It travelled through many exotic places before arriving in Europe, where it was given its official name. The hyacinth arrived in Europe in around 1560 from Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. Daffodils grow wild in meadows, forests and rocky places in Western Europe.
Colours and shapes of ranunculus, hyacinth and daffodil Ranunculus comes in white, yellow, orange, red, pink and purple. Hyacinths are waiting for you at the florist’s in white, red, yellow, pink, purple, orange, green or multiple colours per flower. Obviously bright yellow is the most familiar colour for daffodils, but there are also beautiful combinations with white or salmon pink. And did you know that daffodils come in various variations? With leaves, without leaves, with large trumpets and small, strongly scented and unscented.
Care These care tips will enable consumers to enjoy their Spring flowers for even longer: • Use a clean vase and fill it with fresh water. • Add cut flower food to the water for a longer vase life. • Trim the stems diagonally with a clean and sharp knife or secateurs. • Place the flowers in a cool spot away from the fruit bowl and not in the sun. • Replace the water once every three days so you can enjoy your bouquet for as long as possible.
Symbolism of Spring flowers The Spring flowers ranunculus, hyacinth and daffodil are bursting with symbolism, from pride and vanity through to charm and love. Plenty of options for giving someone a real surprise!
Bouquet recipe with Spring flowers Close your eyes and imagine the season of Spring. Which colours do you use? To really capture the feeling of Spring in a vase, it’s a good idea to use colours like orange, blue, purple and white. With so much colour, the vase doesn’t need much else. A tall, cylindrical vase is contemporary, puts the spotlight on the flowers, and offers enough room for the large number of stems.
More about Spring flowers Consumers can find more inspiration to really get stuck in at Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk. Check out the beauty of the ultimate on trend colour, create a bouquet for the morning people around you, start the Spring cleaning, and be enchanted by the most adorable flowers of the year.
Spring flowers are fabulous for your home as a gift or if you are having a spring wedding keep it seasonal. We have many ideas for adding these flowers to your wedding displays and bouquets, including daffodil posies for your bridesmaids and narcissus for your shower bouquet. Ask us about our full portfolio to help you choose from the many options available.
Spring flowers are available to buy as gifts during the season, ask what we have in stock for your displays.
The Alstroemeria is in the Flower Agenda in February
In February we celebrate love. Love of your partner, but also love your friends and family. With its symbolism, alstroemeria is the perfect candidate for marking friendships. Consumers can read all about this versatile beauty at Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk.
The alstroemeria’s origin The exotic alstroemeria is also called the Inca Lily. This is a reference to its natural habitat: the cool mountain ranges of the Andes in Chile, Brazil and Peru. The flower was discovered there in the 18th century by the Swedish scientist Clas Alströmer. It was he who gave the flower its current name.
The alstroemeria’s colours and shapes The alstroemeria hides somewhat shyly in its buds in the shop. But gosh, what a surprise when those buds open in your home. Then you will see six to eight flowers on the stem, with a flaming interior of white, yellow, red, orange, purple or pink which you can really enjoy. Particularly since these flowers have a very long vase life.
Caring for alstroemerias If you want to enjoy your alstroemerias for a long time, follow these tips: • Trim the stems diagonally and remove the bottom leaves so they don’t dangle in the water. • Arrange the alstroemerias in a clean vase with fresh water and some cut flower food. • Avoid placing the vase in full sun, near a fruit bowl or near the central heating. • Remove wilted flowers and regularly top the vase up with tap water.
Symbolism of the alstroemeria The alstroemeria symbolises enduring friendship. It’s therefore the perfect gift to confirm a beautiful friendship. All six of the alstroemeria’s petals are very important: they stand for understanding, humour, patience, empathy, commitment and respect. You can decide for yourself which petal represents which quality.
More about the Alstroemeria Consumers can also find more information at Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk about how to celebrate friendships with a bouquet full of alstroemerias, there’s a remarkable alstroemeria petal DIY project in prospect, and we show three ways of displaying alstroemeria in a vase.
If you are looking for flowers for your wedding these make excellent additions to any display and come in such an array of colours there will be something for any colour scheme.
Create fun posies for your bridesmaids
Or add a splash of colour to your tables with single stem displays and pretty vases
Or group together for a vivid style.
Whether for your wedding, for your home or for a gift, alstroemeria is a long lasting hardy flower and we use them a lot in our displays
They are available all year so whatever the season we will have them in stock.
Ask us how we can incorporate them into your designs today.
