Flowers On Da Pernt

A newsletter by harkins, the florist

Jawn’s Believe It Or Not…

 The usual piece on the history of the business has centered on people or events.  The first item below triggered doing a series of “what can you say?” situations.

bullet“Are you the florist I called about this time last year?  I’m sure who ever made the arrangement will remember.  It was a great big arrangement.”
bulletCare tags go out on the different plants we sell.  What many Orleanians call “ivories” is actually pothos or variegated phildendron.  Unfortunately, the care tag says “pothos or devil’s ivy.”  No sooner had an elderly woman received one of these plants and looked at the tag, she called the shop is a hysterical state:  “You get back ova here and get that thing outta my house.  I’m not havin’ anything around me havin’ anything to do with the devil!”
bulletAt about 10 o’clock one night, Jawn got another frantic call from the widow of the High Sheriff of Plaquemines Parish.  Who knows what this is or if there is also a Low Sheriff?  She had just noticed that there was a stem of lilies in the arrangement, which she took as a symbol of death.  “I cannot go to sleep tonight until you come up here and get those lilies out of here!”  She was not a woman who would accept a “no,” so, dutifully, Jawn made the trek to Touro so that the patient could go to sleep.
bulletAnother Touro incident was an indignant, again elderly, patient who was outraged that the plant she received three weeks earlier had died.  Not wanting to be patronizing, Jawn politely began the questions as to what was the cause.  To the question how often she had been watering it, she replied, “I haven’t watered it at all.  That’s your job!  You’re the florist!”
 

Who needs television around a flower shop?

 

Care and handling of...........       Liatris

(Blazing Star, Gay Feather)

 

 

Meaning
I’ll try again

Origins
Liatris has become a popular addition to many floral designs. The flowers are members of the Compositae family, along with such notable blooms as chrysanthemums, cornflowers, asters and zinnias.

Availability and Vase Life
Year round.
7-10 days.

Care and Handling
Unlike most flowers, which open from the bottom to the top of the spike, the topmost flowers of liatris open first and blooming progresses downward. Avoid purchasing spikes with more than three-quarters of the blooms already opened.

Design Uses
A strong verticle line that is best used in contemporary arrangements. Is suitable for drying but a sealant should be used.
Colors: Purple and shades of lavender, although pink, rose and white hues are gaining popularity.

 

Thanks for visiting with us for a few minutes. Jazz Fest is here, and the weather has been nice! (knock on wood) If you happen to be in the neighborhood on one of these fine spring days, stop by and see what goodies we have in the cooler - we always have a wide selection of varieties in the spring. If you can't stop by, then see our web site at www.harkinsneworleans.com  , our FaceBook page at http://www.facebook.com/harkinstheflorist and have fun with our Pinterest pages at http://pinterest.com/harkinsflorist/

 

Archives:

#1        #2        #3

#4        #5        #6

#7        #8        #9

#10    #11        #12

#1-2010    #2-2010

#3-2010    #4-2010

#5-2010    #6-2010

#7-2010    #8-2010

#9-2010    #11-2010

#12-2010    #1-2011

#2-2011    #3-2011

#4-2011    #5-2011

#6-2011    #7-2011

#9-2011    #11-2011

#12-2011    #1-2012 

#2-2012      #3-2012

 

 

 

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Copyright © 2012 harkins, the florist                                                                                                                                                                                                
  09/25/2012