How to Create a Spring Floral Arrangement on Good Morning Arkansas

Vice President Chris Norwood demonstrated how to create a gorgeous, tall arrangement on KATV’s Good Morning Arkansas.
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The design includes yellow budding forsynthia branches, iris, tulips, hyacinth, dianthus balls and lily grass, and it is a part of our 2015 Spring Collection.

Watch the video here: http://www.katv.com/clip/11213446/spring-floral-arrangement
Or purchase the arrangement at http://shop.tiptonhurst.com/little-rock-flowers/spring-splendor-578296p.asp?rcid=349722&point=1

Silk is in Season at Tipton & Hurst

Tipton & Hurst has a big announcement: we now have the largest collection of silk flowers and plants in the South.  It’s a selection so life-like, you’ve got to touch them to believe they’re not real. It’s a collection you won’t be able to match anywhere else in the state. We invite you to come by our stores in Little Rock, North Little Rock or Conway to see them for yourself.

When it comes to silk flower arrangements, we still lend our expert creativity and delivery services. Watch Chris Norwood’s KATV appearance below to see what he crafted together for the Good Morning Arkansas set using silk flowers.  You can catch Chris every Tuesday on KATV Channel 7 between 9 and 9:30.

St. Patrick’s Day Floral Design with Chris Norwood

After the winter we’ve been having, it’s nice to see green again. This week, Chris has an amazing St. Patrick’s Day floral design perfect for brightening your home and your spirit. For this arrangement, you’ll first need a small, thin green vase. Next you’ll need Bells of Ireland and gold wire (very festive for St. Patrick’s Day).

Begin by twisting the gold wire along the leafed portion of the stem. Do not wrap the wire along the entirety of the stem, because you’ll be trimming the bottoms. So be sure to leave extra wire at the top and the bottom. You’ll do this to six stems. Once they are each “wired”, take two each and begin entwining the extra wire at the bottom together so that the bases of the plants are stuck together. Now bend the tops of the plants toward each other into a heart shape. Bend the wire as needed to get the effect. Do likewise to the next two couple of plants.

Once you have three heart-shaped designs, combine them together at the base with gold wire so that they are arranged into a three-leaf clover. Cut off the stems and insert them into the vase. Now take moss and place it between your “clover” design and the vase. Take green-colored roses (which we have grown naturally) and add them. And last but not least, the daffodils. They are finally in bloom and give the perfect yellow accents to your green floral design.

Remember to stop by Tipton & Hurst for all of your floral arrangement needs and inspiration. Watch the video below to see Chris in action as he crafts together this amazing arrangement piece.

Early Spring Designs with Chris Norwood

Despite the freezing temperatures and wintery season, there’s no reason not to put a little spring design in your home decor. And there’s nothing like fresh, young bulb flowers to bring in an early dose of spring freshness. So here are a couple of great arrangements you can easily do yourself.

First thing, when you get your bulbs, you’ll want to peel off the brown covering of the actual bulb. This will reveal the white “skin” that adds clean, fresh color to match the green of the stem. For our first arrangement, take a short, clear glass vase and run bark wire around the vase, twisting the loose ends together. Next take the bulbs and place them in the vase.  Once the bulbs are in, take red dogwood sticks and insert them vertically between the bark wire and the outer wall of the vase. You don’t have to use dogwood, any stick with a little bit of bend and texture to it will work. Now begin placing sticks horizontally between the vertical sticks and the bulb stems, criss-crossing them to create a grid. What this will do is help support the flowers as they continue to grow, since bulbs tend to get lanky with age. This also creates a very organic, naturalistic effect that is currently in style for indoor plant decor. Add a little water and they’ll continue to grow.

Another option is taking a tall and narrow clear vase along with tall-stemmed bulbs, such as daffodils. After you place the bulbs in the vase, take long sticks with texture (such as the red dogwood sticks) and insert them vertically into the vase. Next, clip the sticks into smaller pieces and drop them into the vase to sit with the bulbs, adding more colors and a stronger organic feel.

You can find several different types of bulbs already at Tipton & Hurst, along with vases and other additions for your spring design needs. Watch the video below for a visual approach to this arrangement and be sure to catch our floral design genius, Chris Norwood, on KATV every Tuesday morning between 9 and 9:30.

 

Gifts that keep on giving

Flower arrangement in a decorative, reusable pitcher
Flower arrangement in a decorative, reusable pitcher. Courtesy of Society of American Florists, aboutflowers.com

Flowers make wonderful gifts, no matter the occasion, but their beauty is temporary. All fresh flower arrangements will eventually whither and die, even if you follow your florist’s recommendations for keeping them looking good. There are alternatives, however, that still have the beauty of flowers but are less temporary.

If you really want to give fresh flowers—they are always a good gift after all—consider the container in which they are arranged. You don’t have to use a standard glass vase. Container choices are as endless as the flowers they hold. Your florist likely has teacups, coffee cups, bamboo pots, baskets, ceramic vessels, silver bowls, and other less-than-traditional containers already on hand.

There’s no reason to limit your creativity to what is in the floral shop, however. Your florist can most likely order anything you can dream up, with a little notice, and may even let you bring your own container to use for an arrangement. Here are some idea’s to get your creative juices flowing:

  • A flask or beaker for a doctor/researcher/lab technician
  • Pyrex measuring cup for a cook or baker
  • A Mason jar for someone with a country decor or someone who likes to make preserves
  • A silver ice bucket for a wine lover (maybe include a bottle of champagne if the occasion calls for it)
  • A watering can for a gardener

Another option to consider is giving a plant instead of fresh flowers. Plants can last for years with proper care and can remind the recipient of your generosity every time he or she looks at it. Whether the plant is intended to live in a pot inside the home or be planted in the yard, some are easier to take care of than others so talk to your florist about the best plant for the recipient of your gift, as well as the occasion.

With a little outside-of-the-box thinking (a wooden box might make a good container!) you can come up with a gift that is both beautiful and long-lasting. Don’t be afraid to ask your florist to help you come up with the perfect container or plant to make your gift memorable. After all, that’s what they are here for!