Essential Floristry Items

Shown below is a list of my must have floristry items for wedding design work, a description of their purpose, and the product links/location i purchase them!

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Specific techniques and tools can vary from florist to florist, but this list can be a great guide to start with until you’ve discovered the tools and techniques that work
best for you and your business.

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floral tape- waterproof, stretchy, clear

All items can be purchased from Hobby Lobby, Amazon, Floral Supply Syndicate, or select craft stores.

• Waterproof Tape- used to wrap stems of bouquet or to secure chicken wire or foam in a bowl, compote, or other designing container (used only in cases the tape will be hidden)

• Stretchy Tape- used to wrap bouquet or more commonly used to wrap boutonnieres, pin on corsages, and floral crowns

• Clear Floral Tape- used to secure chicken wire or foam to a bowl, compote, or other designing container & when it is important that no tape is shown.

pins, clips, and magnets

All items can be purchased from Hobby Lobby, Amazon, Floral Supply Syndicate, or any other craft store.

• Small pins- used to secure ribbon to the boutonniere/corsage

• Large pins- are included with the boutonniere or corsage to secure to suit coat or dress shirt

• Magnets- are usually used in place of pin as an alternative

• Clips- used for mini boutonnieres. Usually for ring bearers or young children who could be poked by using a pin.

Chicken wire

Product link: Chicken wire

• I use chicken wire for nearly every design I create, since it is better for the environment and gives my designs more of a “free” look; however, if you are more comfortable using floral foam you might not use this item as often.

• I prefer to use green chicken wire so it blends in better to the greenery and flowers, but silver chicken wire works as well

Variety of ribbons

Satin ribbons-Hobby Lobby; High end ribbons- Silk, velvet silk, and small assortment ribbons

• I ALWAYS have a variety of ribbon types and colors on hand

• Satin ribbon is always included in my price quotes, but I also always ask in my consultations if the couple has a preference on ribbon type and color and adjust cost as needed.

Shears, scissors, wire cutters, rose stripper

Product links: Shears, rose stripper, wire cutters, scissors-local grocery store

wire

BULK: Floral Supply Syndicate, SMALL AMOUNTS: Amazon

• 22 gauge wire (thicker)- used mostly for garlands

• 26 gauge wire (thin)- used mostly to wire delicate flowers for bridal party flowers

• Shears-for cutting floral stems only

• Scissors-for ribbon/fabric cutting only

• Wire cutters- wire only

• Rose stripper- to easily remove thorns and leaves from each rose stem

zip ties

Amazon

• Used to secure arrangements to arch, stair case, etc.

• I buy primarily long (about 12”) zip ties in black, white, clear, and brown and use the color that best blends into the area attaching the arrangements to

Water tubes

BULK-Wholesale Floral, SMALL AMOUNTS-Amazon

• Used in large scale arrangements (such as arches, garlands, etc) for fragile flowers that need a firm water source to last the course of the event

oasis foam (w/ cages and w/out)

BULK: Floral Supply Syndicate, Wholesale Floral; SMALL AMOUNTS: Amazon, select craft stores

• Used for large scale arrangements, centerpieces, etc. There is a foam for pretty much any arrangement you need

• Caged foam- used in any arrangement that could use more stability to hold the flowers in, or to provide a more stable place to attach zip ties or wire.

• Standard foam- mostly used to be cut down to fit a space exactly (like centerpiece compotes)

Business cards, tags, mini cards

Business cards, Tags & Mini cards

• Business cards- to go with all weddings and orders, and extras just in case

• Tags- to label each boutonniere/corsage

• Mini cards- to write any needed instructions on

Command strips, glue dots, binder clips, rubber bands

Local Walmart, grocery store, or craft store

• Command strips & hooks, glue dots (not pictured)- Used exactly as they should be, to secure things in place.

• Binder clips- I typically use these to clip garland onto welcome signs or I use string or wire

Twine, Grapevine wire, & fishing wire

Hobby Lobby or other craft stores

• Twine and Fishing wire- used to secure or hang arrangements. Kind used depends on if it is is hidden or not

• Grapevine wire- I use this as the base for floral crowns, then wrap stretchy tape over the wire as I wrap flowers into it.

hair combs, a variety of wristlets, and faux leather

Hair combs, wristlets: Floral Supply Syndicate; Faux leather: Amazon

• Hair combs- for bridal hair pieces

• Wristlets- for corsages

• Faux leather- I use this for hat florals, necklace florals, etc. I cut the leather to size and attach the florals to the leather with oasis glue.

Dried Florals

Hobby Lobby, Afloral, Local Wholesaler-Esprit Flowers is my go to, Floral Supply Syndicate, etc

• ALWAYS have a good variety of dried florals! I use dried florals all the time!

Crowning Glory, Flower Food, Quick Dip

Floral Supply Syndicate

• Crowning Glory- spray on flowers and arrangements to provide more moisture to the flower buds

• Flower food- extra nutrients to the flowers

• Quick dip- for roses to stimulate faster blooming

Floral frog pins

Floral Supply Syndicate

• A great alternative to use in containers for a unique floral look

Spray Paints-Floral Friendly

Design masters brand: Floral Supply Syndicate, Michaels

• Great for clients who want a specific color that isn’t an available flower color

Lots and lots of buckets

I get mine with my wholesale flower orders, but you can also buy buckets from Floral Supply Syndicate

• To store flowers before and after processing

Hairspray-firm hold

Local grocery store

• Used to spray on Pampas grass to minimize shedding

Boutonniere/Corsage boxes & Varying sizes of liners

Hobby Lobby or Floral Supply Syndicate

• Boutonniere/Corsage boxes- to transport boutonnieres and corsages

• Plastic liners- to insert into containers that aren’t made for water to be poured directly into

Variety of vases, containers, compotes, bowls, etc-in all shapes and sizes

I get mine at a variety of places: Floral supply syndicate, Hobby Lobby, Afloral, Wholesale Floral

• To use for a variety of arrangements

Tall Ladder & Step Stool

I got both of mine from Walmart: Ladder, Step Stool

• To reach arches, fireplaces, ceilings, etc with ease

Poles for standing arches

Materials to make: Lowes

• I use these poles primarily for a variety of standing arches, like this one pictured.

• I wrap the poles in chicken wire then maneuver the flowers and greenery into the chicken wire.

Flower Care

As I’m sure many of you can relate, having fresh flower arrangements is one of my favorite ways to decorate my home. I’m probably biased, cause I am a florist ;) but I think we can all agree, they are such a wonderful way to help brighten up a room! Plus, there’s just something so special about the fact that those flowers grew and bloomed just for you to enjoy. Nature is absolutely remarkable and we are so lucky to enjoy the beauty of it!

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Now, once cut, flowers have a short life span. However, with the proper care, that life span can be extended to let you enjoy them a little longer!
Every flower type’s life span varies one to another, but taking these steps with each flower variety will help them to last longer than their typical life span!

FLOWER CARE TIPS

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prune the leaves

Once you buy or receive your flowers, the first thing you’ll want to do is pull the leaves off the stems, at least to the point of the water line. I usually prefer to pull off all the leaves, unless I want the look of a few leaves at the very top of the stem near the bud.

Pulling off the leaves, especially below the water line, helps prevent bacteria growth in the stems and gives your blooms a longer chance of living. Removing the leaves also allows the nutrients of the water to travel faster to the flower head.

Cut the stems

Cut an inch or two off of each stem with CLEAN shears at a 45 degree angle. Cutting the stems at an angle gives the stem more surface area to absorb water.

*Be sure to cut your stems every few days!

Remove any dead petals

Pluck any petals that are dying or show any sign of bacteria. It’s important to remove any part of the flower that could cause bacteria to spread.
*Also, make sure to check your flowers daily for any dead or wilting petals to remove.

Some flower varieties, such as roses, also have guard petals on the outer layers. These are usually a slightly discolored. Removing these petals allows the flower to bloom fully.

Water!

Flower NEED water to live! The sooner they are placed in water, the longer they will live. Flowers without a water source will wilt and die within a couple hours, so water is an absolute necessity.

Fill your vase with room temperature water for the flowers. You don’t want the water to be too frigid or warm or it will cause your flowers to wilt.

*Also, make sure to change out the water every few days!

Flower Food

If you have flower food, great! Use it. Using flower food can help to extend the vase life of your flowers as well.

There are a lot of different tricks out there for flower water, but many of them surprisingly don’t work as well as they claim to. The best method is plain water or water with the provided flower food. There are a few other methods that work fairly well, but none as great as these options.

I rarely add anything to my flower water and I’ve always had them last longer than normal. With the proper care, flower food isn’t as necessary in my opinion. But it is definitely a nice thing to have!

Use the fridge

Place your flowers in your fridge each night! Surprising, right?!

Flowers LOVE cooler temperatures when cut. Around 40 degrees farenheit is perfect! You don’t want anything much warmer or colder than that. This was something that surprised me when I first started in floristry. As a florist I always keep my blooms in a cooler place or a fridge when possible.

Just like food, keeping your flowers in a cool place slows the production of bacteria. Flowers are living organic material and behave in a similar way to food when they get old.

Avoid certain environments

Cut flowers should not be placed in direct sunlight or anywhere that generates heat. Extreme temperatures can kill the blooms. Also avoid anywhere that has a draft or cold air directly blowing on the flowers. This can cause them to get dehydrated quickly and wilt.

Another surprising fact is that you should not place them near fruit. Fruit gives off ethylene gas which can cause your flowers to wilt quicker.

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Well, there you have it :) These are all the tricks I use to ensure my flowers last as long as possible for weddings and events and hope they can help you with your flowers as well! <3 Always feel free to reach out with any questions you have! Much love to you all!

Xoxo, Kaity