A Florist's World
A Florist's World
How pleasant it is to enjoy the aesthetics of a vase full of
colorful and aromatic flowers. Flowers are known to have
positive effects on our moods, perhaps due to the fact that they
are a living creation of art, and thus the bilateral
relationship developed with their owner -- flowers offer their
beauty in return for their owner's attention and watering. This
living relationship is not the flowers' sole relationship. Don't
be alarmed, your darling flowers aren't cheating on you! But
your flowers have already shared a vital relationship with the
florist, who decides which flowers to buy and where to buy them
from, who takes care of the flowers even before they are in her
possession, and who certainly leaves a personal touch on the
flowers, using the talents of artistry and style to create a
bouquet you won't want to take your eyes off. Thus, it is the
florist who prepares your flowers for you -- not only in the
beauty of a bouquet, but also in the care that the flowers will
expect us to continue giving them.
Thanks to today's leaps in technology, specifically
communication and transportation, a flower growing in Mexico,
for example, can be transported to France within the span of
twenty-four hours. Of course, this seemingly simple statement
involves a lot of work. A good florist will scan the world
market for quality and prices. Naturally, flowers that can be
bought locally will be, as they will have less distance to
travel, and arrive at the florist's shop quickly and safely.
Since, however, freesias don't often bloom near London in
January, a large quantity of cut-flowers do use their frequent
flyer cards as they make the trip from this to that country, or
this to that continent. Needless to say, extreme care goes into
preparing these travelers for their voyage. When flowers are
coming right from the grower to the florist, they are usually
cut right before leaving for the airport (talk about last minute
preparations!) and prepared in the trucks on the way to the
airport. Flowers that retain water well are laid flat in boxes,
while more perishable and exotic flowers are guarded by
individual water holders on the stem. In this manner, the
well-prepared flowers make their trip. Most flights for these
delicate passengers will be extra cool to provide for a most
enjoyable flight. Upon arriving, the flowers are transported to
cooled trucks which take them to the florist. This exchange --
directly from the grower to the florist -- is ideal, as the
flowers spend less time traveling from here to there, and the
costs won't be increasing as the flower quality is decreasing.
The florist keeps track of the above-mentioned process to ensure
the fresh and happy arrival of her materials. Upon receiving the
packaged-up bundles of joy, the florist is like a new parent for
a few minutes, unwrapping the flowers with utmost care, in order
to get the flowers the nutrition and safety they need. However,
during the caring and feeding, the florist will consider the new
arrivals with much more scrutiny than would the parent of a
newborn (or so we hope), checking for imperfections and making
sure quality is first-rate. Once the flowers are cut to
appropriate lengths and safely refrigerated in water, the
florist communicates to the grower that all is well, and ideas
are exchanged for future interactions. Communication is a large
part of the florist's job, and this conversation with the grower
was certainly not the first, and will not be the last.
A good florist, while being a client of the grower, is also a
seller, and knows the importance of communicating with people
like you -- her clients. And communication with a florist is
important. In a job that requires such care for living flowers,
as well as artistic talent in arranging, the busy florist is
never too busy to hear your input, and in fact needs this
important information: if the client is to be happy with the
result, communication must be strong between the florist and
client. Flowers truly can convey what words cannot say, so the
specifics of what type of event, who they're for, preferences in
colors, flowers, textures, even the types of leaves used to give
the bouquet body, is important information. Specific holidays,
such as Valentine's Day or Mother's Day will also influence the
client's choices. The florist needs your feedback to create the
right bouquet. Watching a florist at work certainly gives the
impression of an eccentric or a mad genius at work. Suddenly, a
flower that was placed with such care is pulled out of the
bouquet with a displeased look, then placed almost identically
back in its place. But something is different, and the florist
continues working with an appeased mind. Florists are artists,
and take care to create the perfect picture, whether it is one
conveying carefree joy or somber mourning.
When admiring your bouquet sitting on your dining room table,
keep in mind that the florist who arranged it has done much more
than arrange. The florist ensures that the quality of the
flowers is top notch even before laying eyes on them. The quest
for the freshest flowers is now an international search, and the
florist makes sure her flowers are treated like first-class
passengers during their trip to her store. Once at her door, the
florist continues the care she started, dexterously cutting and
submerging the stems in water. Happily seeing that the flowers
are finally safe and ready for the chef d'oeuvre, the florist
will create the masterpiece based on what her client is looking
for. The florist, a person of many talents, is, at the end of
the day, a businessman, a caretaker, an empathetic listener, and
an artist.