Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC. Chrysanthemums are considered one of the four noble plants among bamboo, the plum, and the orchid. It was once believed that drinking from a stream that flowed between Chrysanthemums would help a person live to be 100. From this myth came Chrysanthemum tea, wine and medicine to encourage a healthy, long life. The chrysanthemum is also an edible flower.


Common Name: Chrysanthemum, Mum
Botanical Name: Chrysanthemum indicum

Modern cultivated chrysanthemums are much more showy than their wild relatives. The flowers occur in various forms, and can be daisy-like, decorative, pompons or buttons. This genus contains many hybrids and thousands of cultivated varieties. In addition to the traditional yellow, other colors are available, such as white, purple, green, orange and red. Over 140 varieties of chrysanthemum have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

In general the Chrysanthemum symbolizes love, cheerfulness and optimism. It is also the birth flower for November, hence the reason to feature this flower this month. They can provide a wide variety of colors and textures to any floral design. Although they are thought of as a fall flower, chrysanthemums are available all year as a cut flower. The best part, they are super affordable.


Interesting Fact: It was once thought that bringing a Chrysanthemum indoors meant a wishful death.

Thanksgiving, a day to stop and give thanks for all the blessings in our lives, a day to spend time with family, a day for good food and gorgeous table arrangements. But if you are like most people I know, the gorgeous table arrangement may have slipped your mind. Well, I have a quick and easy idea to help you out, think Cornucopia.

Ever since I was a kid the Cornucopia has always captured my interest.  I guess even then I was drawn to things floral and decorative. The cornucopia or horn of plenty is a symbol of abundance and nourishment and commonly in a large horn-shaped container. Not only do cornucopias make lovely centerpieces at Thanksgiving they are great for the DIY'er.

How to make a Cornucopia:
First choose a container. If you don't have a cornucopia you can pick up a wicker or grapevine one at most craft stores. Or you could use a basket or even a burlap sack. Next choose any combinations of fruits, vegetable, nuts and seasonal flowers that you like. Collect and use things you have around the house; apples, oranges, pumpkins, gourds, potatoes, dried Indian corn, fresh or silk flowers, you get the idea, be creative and use your imagination. Then take your container and place it where you want to display it. You could choose to place a table runner, place mat or such underneath the container. If you are using a basket you could choose to tip it on it's side to create a spilling effect similar to the cornucopia. Finally arrange the items you found, in and around your container, start with your larger items. When you are happy with the placement of your items, sit back and enjoy.

We would love to see pictures of your "Cornucopias". Please post them on our Blooming Envy Facebook Page.

Happy Thanksgiving!

OK, so me and winter are not the best of friends. Granted, I was born and raised here in WI and I don't see moving anytime soon. I have also been know to bundle myself up on occasion and try to make the best of what mother nature has to offer. Regardless, I consider myself a fairly tropical person. I prefer the warm weather and when it turns cold outside I can't help but think about the spring, the warmth of the sun, the new growth of the flowers and trees and of course the fun new color trends in fashion industry. Although I am not a fashionista, these color have a huge influence on wedding trends and thus trickle down to us floral designers.

Where does one look for trending colors? Pantone is the go to source for such answers. Who is Pantone you may ask? Well Pantone began as a commercial printing company in the 1950s. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, primarily printing, though sometimes in the manufacture of colored paint, fabric, and plastics. The idea behind the PMS is to allow designers to "color match" specific colors when a design enters production stage.


Are you planning a spring wedding? Do you need some design inspirations? Or are you just curious what colors will be big in spring, check out this awesome video by Pantone. What is your favorite color?

Maybe you're crafty, determined to be individual or trying to save some cash, there are many reasons one may choose to DIY when it comes to your wedding flowers and decor. Although I would highly recommend hiring a professional if you want to decrease your stress level and enjoy the few days right before your event. That being said I can understand the DIY bride, in fact I was one. I designed my own flowers(I used silk so I could make them ahead of time), made my own favors, planned out all the decor and had friends handle the setup, I even printed my own invites, all in attempt to have a beautiful wedding on a small budget. In my case everything did work out and it can for you too. Here are a few tips and ideas for some easy DIY flowers and decor. 

• Silk flowers can be bought and arranged months ahead of time. No need to worry about them wilting.

• If using fresh flowers:

    -Where will you buy them?
    -Make a practice bouquet/arrangement to see how long it will take to make and how long the flowers will last. This will help you decide how soon ahead the designs can be made but still make sure you will have time to finish.
    -Choose tough, hardy flowers to make your job easier. Roses, calla lilies, mums, carnations and babies breath are a few good ones. You will want to avoid gardenias, stepanotis and asiatic lilies, they are far more difficult to work with.

• Keep your arrangements simple. Small Groupings of similar flowers in various vases look really clean and don't require a lot of design skills. Vases with colored rocks and floating candles are also a great DIY option, dress it up a bit and sprinkle rose petals on the table.

• Hand-tied bouquets are can be created by most. For a clean, modern look, choose all one type of flower in one or multiple colors. Or choose 3 or 4 flowers you like in the same color palette and create a hand picked look.

Check out the examples below. These are all things we feel would be rather easy DIY projects for your event. Have your own ideas but don't know how or where to start? In need of DIY flowers or supplies?  Contact us.  We are here to help.