Ask Nancy: Seasoned Pros...

Nancy,


Truly enjoying reading your blog daily ....can you give me your wisdom regarding Peonies!! I am going to be doing my first Peony bouquet - need advice!! How far ahead should I pick up Peonies from my wholesaler as I am sure they will be tightly budded....I have heard that you should expect not all of them to open...which is fine but I want to be sure there are enough White and Sara B's to create a lush bridal bouquet. Have also seen advice to plunge them head down into water to help remove sticky sap as well as doing a long cut and using quick dip prior to putting them in water with preservative..... Should they be stored in the cooler or left in room temp once they open???


Thanks!
PP


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Dear PP


Well, I usually do answer most Ask Nancy questions, but this time instead of answering your question, I would like to ask my own question and talk about another issue which is the heart of your question, working with uncertain materials.


My dear PP, you are a floral designer and getting paid by a client to do a peony bouquet. I understand that it's your first. There is a first for everyone. The first time I did a lily of the valley bouquet, boy did I learn things. And yes, I'm learning every day about things. One of the things as a floral professional that I do and I highly encourage you to do this as well is -


Test flowers


Test concepts


Test materials


Yup, I just said "test" which isn't new to most large companies. Companies have been doing that for years, it's called Research & Development.  Are you doing your own research and development?


If you don't how long it takes for a bunch of peonies to open, then buy a bunch and test it out for yourself. I know what you are thinking, it is so expensive to do this. But hey, that's part of the learning curve and that is why you can tell your client that you are worth what you charge because you take the guess work out of the equation(I've just given you something more valuable - a tip for your value proposition!!!!). It's part of the process that we floral designers have to take.


Don't you think Apple tests it's products? Don't you think that chefs try their recipes out first before serving dishes to their guests? Don't you think that I make samples for myself to see if I can do a certain new design? When you don't test things out, boo boos are bound to happen.


And if you read a few of my previous posts on Peonies, you are 100% right that not all stems open, that's why we have to overbuy flowers like peonies as well as roses, rananculus., anemones..should I go on?


The key is that as a designer, you have to set aside time and money to do research.  You can't develop and grow as a business without R&D.  We should all understand that. We should test out "leaky" wooden boxes. We should test out tall pieces to see if they will balance in the wind. And on and on and on.


If you are not certain of something, you should take the first opportunity and test it out.  Period. Trust me, the best thing you can do is practice your craft and not during the week of the wedding unless you over have the extra time and the patience to stomach the stress.
 As for plunging peonies in the water to remove sap, my advise is try it for yourself. See if that works.  Don't wait for my answer or ask other designers, go for it, jump in and take the plunge.  Find out for yourself what works.  


Bottom line: You have to constantly test things until you find a system that works for you.


Good luck PP!