Photos: Tate Carlson
Tips on bridal bouquets and houseplants from Hudson Flower Shop.
The wedding date is set and everything is starting to come together. The two of you have stopped flip-flopping over color scheme and the venue’s been booked. But some of those tricky details for your big day may have escaped your attention in the whirlwind of planning a wedding, especially one that’s key to the procession itself: the bridal bouquet.
Shelli Erck, owner of Hudson Flower Shop, actually advises couples to hold off on ordering flowers too early. She recommends details like color-scheme and clothing get confirmed first. “You want to make sure you get the big picture lined up before you start doing the decoration. Otherwise it’s easy to go back and forth on ideas and, frankly, the chance of wasting money is higher when you’re changing your mind so much.”
So, what’s fresh this season? “What I’m seeing mostly is fresh-picked, garden style bouquets,” says Erck. “Generally large bouquets with a variety of greenery and textures, accented with a little bit of color.”
“I’ve been surprised to see this brings a little more tradition to it,” Erck continues. “A lot of the [brides] are doing the gray-greens with white flowers, or a little bit of blush coloring if they add color at all. Of course, roses still hold strong in wedding bouquets, but also other garden favorites like stock flowers or ranunculus, tulips, lilies, hydrangeas.”
Increasingly popular with younger generations are standard chrysanthemums including Fuji and cremon varieties. “For that big, round look in their bouquets, they really enjoy those. Especially because the prices are reasonable.”
The shop suggests putting together an inspiration board, where you can look at the size, shape and type of bouquet you like. Pay attention to how the bride in the photos carries the bouquet, Erck adds, as this can also affect the type of flowers you choose.
Bridal Bouquet Glossary:
Biedermeier: These bouquets are formed using concentric circles of different types of flowers.
Cascade: As the name implies, these bouquets spill down like a waterfall of blossoms.
Composite: These tightly assembled arrangements combine many petals to a single “stem” for an oversized single-flower effect.
Hand-tied: Also described as “garden style,” these loosely arranged blooms look freshly picked from the garden.
Nosegay: A small, tightly wrapped arrangement generally using a single dominant flower cut to a uniform length.
Pageant: A long-stemmed bouquet carried in the crook of a bride’s arm, à la Miss America.
Houseplants
Looking for something long-lasting but aren’t ready for marriage? With the wide variety of houseplants available at The Hudson Flower Shop, we asked Erck for some plant-care advice.
Watering:
“My biggest tip for houseplants care and maintenance is most people over water.” Erck recommends letting plants dry out between watering. “The best way to check that information is to stick your finger into the soil and see what’s happening beneath the surface. Is the soil cool and moist or does the soil feel dry? Generally, when you feel the soil is dry you want to give your plants a good soaking.”
Lighting:
Keep plants in a bright area but out of direct sunlight. “Most of the houseplants you see around here don’t need a hot sun. They don’t tolerate south facing windows as well as they do when they’re backed out of it.”
Repotting:
“Plants are like people,” says Erck. “If you move into a house with too much room, you become stressed rather than if you move into a place with the right amount of room. Most plants like to be comfortable in their pot or tight before moving.”
She adds not to be overly alarmed if the top of the plant goes into shock. It’s most likely redirecting resources to rebuilding a strong root system before turning its attention back to leaves.
A Good Golden Rule:
“A big tip on plants is if you have a yellow leaf, that tells you there’s a watering issue. If you have brown leaves, that’s tends to tell you there’s a light issue.”
Hudson Flower Shop
222 Locust St, Hudson
715.386.2663Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday: 12-4 p.m.
Facebook: Hudson Flower Shop
Instagram: @hudsonflowershop
Twitter: @hudsonflower
