Shop Scissors Blog

Bringing Summer Inside: Top Tips for Arranging Flowers from the Garden

For many of us, the spring and summertime months are some of our favorites during the year, with lots of sunshine, warm weather, and colorful flowers everywhere we turn. With so many colorful blooms available, you may find that you would like to bring the summer inside the home, in the form of a beautiful bouquet of flowers. With these few simple tips from Gardening Know How, your home will be filled with flowers in no time.

1. The early bird gets the best flowers. Make sure you are cutting your flowers during the cooler part of the day, such as early morning or evening. An hour after watering is best, as the stems have had an opportunity to fill with water.
2. Barely bloomed. If you are selecting single-blooming flowers, such as tulips, select the flowers with buds that are nearly closed, as they will last longer in your bouquet once harvested. For the plants with multiple blooms, select the ones that have approximately three-fourths of the buds open.
3. Cutting technique. Use sharp, clean scissors and cut the stems at a slant, as they will be able to more easily absorb water once submerged. Make sure you are cutting the stems longer than necessary, as you will want to adjust the length when you are arranging the flowers.
4. After making the cut. Once flowers are cut, immediately plunge them into water. If a plant has milky sap, the lower half inch should be charred over a flame or dipped in boiling water in order to seal the ends. If you are dealing with woody stems, use a mallet to crush the ends and plunge into room temperature water. For these stems, the way to best ensure the longest vase life is to re-cut and crush each day.

To order floral shears, visit ShopScissors.com.

Stem Stripper Glove

With the spring sunshine follows the blooming flowers. My friend Maresa loves this time of year because she grows roses, and they start to bloom. Her only complaint was that her gloves are too thin to work with them and her hands always get small but painful punctures. Last week when she came into the office I recommended she try out the Rose Stem Stripper's offered on ShopScissors.com, and relunctantly she agreed (I think she still had thorn shock).

Well Maresa came in on monday and was simply raving about these gloves that protect your hands  while doubling as a stem stripper for her roses. She stretches the fabric in her hands and says that the SuperFabric brand material is what sold her: its super strong but also machine washable! She was so happy that she brought a bouquet of roses into work. They now sit proudly on her desk, where she can arrange anytime she wants, prick free.

Take care in handling roses

This time of year brings color and beauty to our homes and communities.  As we try and brighten our homes this summer with flowers - namely gorgeous roses - and sunshine, be sure not to damper the mood by pricking your fingers on thorns.  

Pick up the right tool for the job by buying the Clauss Stem Stripper Glove. This glove provides protection against thorn punctures while maintaining full mobility of your hand.

• SuperFabric brand material
• Puncture resistant
• Gentle on Stems 
• One size fits most
• Machine washable

Florists craft creative flower arrangements for summer grads

Professional florists have the art of arranging flowers down to a creative science. They use unexpected vessels and colors to surprise recipients and use tricks of the trade to handle occupational hazards like rose thorns (think stem stripper gloves).

If you're new to the arranging world, or just want to try your hand at making creative pieces, check out this video for some  basic tips you can adapt and make your own.