Here's the replay of December's Mornings with Mayesh featuring answers to YOUR flower questions and a Q&A with our 2018 Mayesh Design Star, Kaylee Young of Flourish! Also, be sure to watch to get an EXCLUSIVE discount promo code to use toward your 2018 MDS workshop tickets! Keep on scrolling if you are looking for the show notes. Enjoy and post your questions for next month's show in the comments below!
SHOW NOTES
FLOWER QUESTIONS
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF FLOWERS?:
- https://www.mayesh.com/flower-411-december/
- Happy holidays everyone! Christmas can get boring with the same color palette and evergreen scheme but there are ways to make it sparkle! Here are a few ideas for some higher end flowers and foliages.
- Euphorbia fulgens is available now and can bring a modern flair to your arrangements. It is tall and has a dramatic arch that adds visual interest & movement and it comes in the familiar red and white seasonal colors. A relative to the poinsettia family, it bleeds that trademark milky sap. Make sure to wash your hands after handling this product as the sap is slightly toxic.
- Ranunculus are in good production from Holland and we are seeing a lot of the fancier Clooney and pom pon varieties returning to our inventories. Since these are sold on the auction in Aalsmeer, pricing can fluctuate and some *in demand colors are a little pricey. Always consult your Mayesh rep about pricing when procuring novelty flowers.
- Amaryllis are more stylish than ever and make a gorgeous focal point in any arrangement. New varieties are showing up every year in crazy cool variegated patterns, unusual colors and some with multiple petals. My favorite is the green Valley variety, they fade to an almost perfect match to the Mayesh logo color.
- What about greens you say? Well, there are lots of novelty alternatives to your standard Christmas greens being supplied by our friends in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Why not try some Blue Spruce or gold Cryptomeria instead? Using novelty and unusual colored Christmas greens allow you to move out of the standard color palettes and create your own unique holiday style.
- As always, visit our website to see the complete list of seasonal availability!
- Question from Cari: I just was curious about this. When I go to my local wholesaler and walk around the cooler, how can I tell which flowers are the freshest? Is there a secret code? Thanks!
- First off, we only use the freshest flowers for filling pre-orders. By pre-ordering in advance you are guaranteeing that your order is being filled with only the freshest flowers! During our busy seasons, we encourage that you place pre-books 2 weeks or more in advance. If you choose to come in and shop our inventory, just ask your rep which flowers are the best! We stage our shipments as they arrive early in the week so it’s easy for our crew to pull pre-book orders and reserve those flowers for deliveries. If you are a regular walk-in client it’s easy to spot which ones are the freshest. Once a week we sort through our open inventory and eliminate anything that looks like it’s ready to perish. Then everything gets consolidated and merchandised. If ever in doubt, just ask your rep!
FLOWER CARE
- What’s the best trick for keeping cut flowers as long as possible? I’ve been using pennies lately. Thanks!
- There are many aspects to maintaining healthy flowers but we will cover the basics of temperature, food, and handling:
- First and foremost is proper cold chain management. Flowers don’t like temperature fluctuations and by maintaining a constant temperature between 36 & 42 degrees you are keeping them in stasis which greatly extends their shelf life.
- Use the right kind and amount of floral food. Know which flowers need a bulb food formula and which will take a standard solution. MORE IS NOT BETTER! Always follow the manufacturer's directions.
- Always cut your stems at an angle with a sharp, clean implement. This helps with the uptake of water by not blocking the stem uptake. Don’t let water sit on the surface of leaves or petals as this can activate botrytis spores which are present on all flowers and greens. Keep your stems stored loosely in your buckets so that air can flow through them.
- Keep your water and vases clean! I cannot stress this one enough. I always say if you would want to drink the water neither do your flowers. It is very important to change your water daily and keep it crystal clear-that means there are no bacteria clogging up the stems. This is the number one reason most flowers die prematurely. Gunky gross water is a sign that YOU are not properly handling your flowers and that they have been left to sit like that too long.
Adding a few drops of bleach will keep your bacteria growth down. Keep those buckets and vessels clean. Residue can create more bacteria growth.
- There are many aspects to maintaining healthy flowers but we will cover the basics of temperature, food, and handling:
- Question from Susan: Are magnolia leaves best stored in or out of water?
- You definitely can leave them in water, they hold up well as a cut stem. You can also use glycerin to treat them (there are instructions online) to help preserve the leaves. Magnolia leaves will curl slightly as they dry in arrangements or in a garland. They can be stored for years if well cared for. You can also use a foliage sealant on them.
- In Phoenix, we have a fairly quick turnover of greens. We dry store many of our sturdier greens in giant Rubbermaid storage tubs with locking lids. The bins keep the foliage from dehydrating and they can last up to a couple weeks before needing hydration.
FLOWER DESIGN
- Question from Carrie: I have been designing for 17 years. I feel like I put out really classy high-end arrangements and then for some reason I feel like I have never put together a flower arrangement and I struggle and work to bring it back up to my standards. Sometimes it just never gets there. The arrangement is ok, but does not have that wow factor. Do other florists ever feel this way, and if so how do they get their mojo back. Where do they go for inspiration?
- This is actually a quite common phenomenon with floral designers and artists. Most of us go through periods when we feel really on fire and then, at other times like, we feel like we just got out of basic training and are all thumbs. I myself went through a period of burn out every 4-5 years as a designer and needed a recharge every so often. The hardest part of being a florist maybe seeing yourself confidently and assertively. You must really know who you are, what your brand is and learn to curate that well. All florists feel insecure about their work.Take time to reinvent yourself if you need to, or take classes on design that are out of the box for you. Network with other florists( a wonderful thing I see happening with our younger florists), even doing a swap-the-shop trade once in awhile and see yourself from another florists friend perspective.We can all learn from each other...even those who think they “know it all” as designers. Staying relevant means staying fresh and looking at the world with open eyes.
- Question from Erica: Please show us how to make the large 7ft floral hoops and how to prop it up.
- There is a tutorial from our Mayesh design star Christy Griner on this one.
- And we talked in more detail on how to go about creating the base on your own if you are so inclined. You can watch the reply here: https://www.mayesh.com/mornings-with-mayesh-november-2017/
- Can you do a tutorial on a wildflower wedding bouquet?
- I would be happy too! I see a new video design series in my future! I also teach workshops here in Carlsbad. I will try to put together a video for this and other bridal bouquets if y’all are interested.
- Pantone just announced the color of the year to be Ultraviolet. It's a great color, and I would like to see Mayesh's approach to designing with it.
- We will see if we can make that happen!
FLOWER BUSINESS
- Question from Jayme: What does an average floral/wedding shop look forward to when purchasing from you versus other suppliers? I’m just starting out after a long career in a non-artistic but rewarding occupation. I have always worked with flowers but was mostly self-taught until I took a course last year. To gain experience I think I should intern and not necessarily take more courses, but more hands-on experience. I don’t want to run a full bridal business, but perhaps freelancing, photoshoots, events. Is interning a good idea? How do you go about finding a place to do this? I’m not sure other designers would hire someone with as little commercial experience on my resume. How do you even go about getting freelance jobs? Is it all word of mouth?I do love workshops and the skills and networking they provide. I don’t want to work in a shop. Any thoughts from your experts?
- To address your first question: Mayesh specializing in working with wedding and event florists and designers. We carry an extensive collection of unusual and high-end flowers from around the world. We also have dedicated sales reps who are assigned to each of our customers. Those sales reps are like your eyes and ears in our warehouse. They can alert you ahead of time to the best products available as soon as they know about them.
- We also do something unique in the industry called a My Mayesh Pull were we custom pull orders for you based on your color palette and budget. Check out our IG for more examples of this.
- In regard to your other questions: the best way to get started in this business is either interning with studio and event florist and shops who specialize in wedding work. I would also work in a regular brick and mortar flower shop too because the floral business is very diverse and complex and there really is so much to learn. It is an art form but mechanics and certain skills must be learned to bring that art to life.
- There are many online videos as well.Aside from our own which are top notch, look for European produced as well. European designers are trained very well and must pay special attention to proper mechanics.
- It takes years of practice to not only hone your skills but your confidence as well. But if you are naturally artistic, good with color and proportions, good at accounting and business, marketing etc... and are ready for the hard work and grit it takes to be a florist you can fake it til you make it- well until you do! Best of luck to you :)
- At Mayesh, you get sales reps who know all the trendy flowers, colors, and design techniques. You also get our epic customer service. We want you to be completely satisfied with your experience with us! My customers are my extended family and I want them to be proud enough of the services I provide that they recommend me to all their florist friends.
MARKETING NEWS
- Question from Rebecca: My website doesn’t pull up on a smartphone looking like it looks on a computer. Is it worth it to invest the money to redo my website so it’s smartphone compatible?
- My two cents: absolutely-most consumers will leave your site within seconds if they can’t pull it up on their smartphone. You can’t get that attention back. And make it user-friendly...they will leave if it doesn’t work well either.
- Yes, yes and yes! I recently redesigned the Mayesh website and it was imperative that our new site was responsive - meaning that it adjusts itself based on the size of the browser - from a full-size monitor to a mobile device. Studies show time and again that user experience is critical to them actually staying on your site, so this is one component to that. It needs to be fully functioning on smartphones.
- Instagram news - can you tell this is my favorite news to share?
- Instagram Stories highlights on your profile page: https://techcrunch.com/2017/12/05/instagram-stories-highlights/
- This is old news apparently and dates back to August/September but I’m just seeing it on my end for the last couple of weeks - but you can watch IG stories on your desktop!
KAYLEE YOUNG INTERVIEW
- So you were first trained in a more traditional flower shop, and then learned from some studio designers like Tinge… how did both of these educational experiences influence your mechanics and design style? Do you think it’s a combination of the two?
- What is your design philosophy / where do you draw inspiration?
- Tell us a little bit about your mood boarding process and how it helps you as a designer…
- What is your hope for each attendee to walk away with at the end of each MDS workshop?
Now we have a few announcements regarding our workshop. First, we finally can announce the Mayesh Design Star Flower Workshop ticket giveaway …. drumroll please …. the winner is Flower Girls in Thibodaux, Louisiana. You will receive a free US workshop ticket or you can apply that amount to our international workshop ticket!! Congratulations!
Next, we have a very special promotional code just for our Mornings with Mayesh viewers as a thank you for tuning in each month. Watch the video to get the code!
If you have any questions for next month's show, be sure to post them in the comments below or send them via our contact page!
Happy holidays and have a wonderful New Year!!