It doesn’t matter whether you’re at the grocery store impulsively buying a bunch of flowers along with the Lean Cuisine and Ben & Jerry’s or choosing the perfect bouquet at your favorite florist.
The same rules apply when shopping for all cut flowers. But what are the rules? What do you look for to get the best blossoms for your bucks?
I didn’t have a clue. But I knew who to call: Kelly Uss.
With her husband, Filip, Uss owns Fleur, an inventive flower shop in the Logan Square neighborhood. She let me tag along one recent morning on her daily visit to her not-open-to-the-public flower wholesaler on the Near West Side.
As Uss surveyed a huge array of options, some grown close to home on local farms and others flown in from far away Thailand and New Zealand, her enthusiasm was contagious. “I love these guys! They’re so cool,” she said, holding a bunch of winterberry branches heavy with the palest pink berries. “They’re just so interesting. It’s not your typical bouquet of mums.”
Wandering past bins of flowers of every conceivable color — including black and blue — Uss filled her arms with blooms that in a few hours would be for sale in her shop at 3149 W. Logan Blvd. (773-395-2770, fleurchicago.com). Along the way, she offered up some great suggestions for buying flowers, arranging them and — so important — making them last as long as possible.
Buying tips
It might seem obvious, but “You don’t want to get flowers that are already starting to brown,” she said. Similarly, if they’re droopy , take a pass, she said, rejecting some strawflowers that looked a little tired. “You’re not going to find them like in the magazines but you can get ’em pretty close,” she said.
Also, don’t be afraid to buy flowers that are not in full bloom. “We like to give our customers flowers that are a little bit more closed because they’re going to continue to open and they’ll appreciate watching them open … to get that pow of flowers versus something that’s just going to [be] open and then wilt.”
Keeping them alive
The single most important rule is “change the water every single day.” And, always use very cold water. “Throw ice cubes in the water. The colder the water, the less likely bacteria will form,” which brings early death, she said.
Uss, 28, said “don’t bother” adding an aspirin or a copper penny. “They don’t make any difference,” but the package of Floralife powder that you can get at most florists will make the flowers last longer.
It helps if you cut the stems at a sharp angle. This keeps the stems from sitting on the bottom of the vase and makes it easier for the flowers to “drink” the water.
If you’re using branches — for instance, forsythia, cherry blossoms or winterberry — “it doesn’t hurt to pound the stems a little bit with a hammer,” which also helps the plants to drink. Don’t pulverize them, just a couple gentle taps.
Making your bouquet look great
For the best chance of creating a professional-looking arrangement — especially with a rushed grocery store flower grab — “monochromatic is my No. 1 key. Honestly. Keeping flowers all the same color … [makes] a bold statement.”
Consider “more funky arrangements” by mingling exotic leaves like pointy flax leaves with conventional flowers. You can “manipulate” the leaves into interesting shapes, then use a tiny dab from a hot glue gun to make them stay that way.
Also, “group the flowers together kind of tightly. That’s going to make a more powerful impact” than a leggy mishmash of random colored flowers. Uss recommends “low, compact square containers” holding densely packed short-stemmed flowers for a maximum wow factor. And always toss the cheesy ferns, baby’s breath and other filler that sometimes comes with your flower purchase.
Uss likes to use unusual flowers and unexpected colors. Instead of traditional bright reds and oranges for autumn, “You can use non-traditional colors for seasons. Blushes and sages with chocolates are perfect for fall,” she said. “We try to find flowers you don’t see all the time.” These include the fun-but-goofy mink protea, which is one of her current favorites.
And, perfect for Halloween is a green and black exotica. Stop by the store and ask to see the “kangaroo paws” — an oddball choice that “I’m going to bet most of your friends haven’t seen — unless they’ve shopped with me.”
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If you’re looking for …
Long-lasting: Roses, especially the “Circus” rose (above), which is yellow with orangish red edges.
Strong fragrance: Oriental lily.
Exotic: Edibles like okra or kale.
Making a statement: Stick with one color, stems cut short and tightly packed.
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shopellen@tribune.com
