Gerbera Bouquets & Boutonnieres

Trendy Gerberas are the 5th most popular cut flower in the world. These cheerful flowers are in the same family as the daisy and the sunflowers Similar looking to the daisy but much larger, gerberas each have their own individual stem which is a thick tube with no foliage on it. These large lovely flowers are perfect for use in wedding bouquets and centerpieces. The mini gerberas are ideal for corsages and boutonnieres. They are available year round and come in many colors; red, orange, yellow, white, pink and purple. These bright beauties might be the perfect choice for your wedding flowers. They are easy to work with and thus lend themselves perfectly to do it yourself wedding flowers. Following are instructions on how to make Gerbera Wedding Bouquets...

What you will need to make a Gerbera Wedding Bouquet

- 3-9 regular gerberas or sunfl owers depending on your taste and budget

*(make sure your gerberas have the plastic straws on them for best presentation)

- Sheer ribbon

- Floral tape

- Wire

- 4-9 stems of tree fern depending on the amount of fl owers chosen

- 1-2 stems of baby’s breath (optional)

- Vase to fit bouquet

How to Make an all Gerbera Bouquet

Step One

First, gather all your ingredients and lay them out close by on a work table.

Step Two

Take your first gerbera and a piece of tree fern and place them so that they are pretty

even but that the tree fern goes past the flower a bit.

Step Three

Add another flower and your first piece of baby’s breath if you wish to use. Tape all pieces firmly together, about 2 to 3 inches close to the top of the flower head. Pull tightly on the tape for better adhesion but be careful not to pull too hard at the neck since it is the most sensitive part of the flower.

Step Four

Add another flower and another piece of tree fern. Tape your new additions together with the first grouping.

Step Five

Keep adding flowers and other ingredients by taping them to the rest of the bouquet. Always tape close to the top of the bouquet and secure firmly.

Step Six

Once you have added all your floral materials, it’s time to finish your bouquet. To do so, trim the bottom of your stems so that they are all even. Add a bow to one or two sides of the bouquet by wrapping the wire around the same area that you taped the flowers together. Cut off any excess wire.

Step Seven

Finally, you will want to “hide your mechanics” in florist lingo, which means, hide the tape that you used to secure your bouquet together. You can simply glue a piece of ribbon all around the area of the florist tape. For this purpose, it is best to use a ribbon that you cannot see through. You can continue down the stem with your ribbon, just make sure you leave at least 3 inches (7.5cm) at the bottom uncovered to allow you to place it in water to stay fresh.

Step 8

Place your bouquet in water after misting it with water or with an anti-transpirant and store in a vase or bucket in the refrigerator or in a cool area until it is time to hold at the special occasion. Remember to bring a towel to wipe the stems of the bouquet in order to avoid unnecessary drippage.

For more instructions on how to make all types of bouquets and celebration flowers get my book Unleash Your Inner Florist: How to Make Wedding & Special Event Flowers

http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com/howto..buyunleashinnerflorist.html