Cherry Blossoms for Home Decor

Is there anything more ubiquitously spring than Cherry Blossoms?  From San Francisco to Washington DC the season of the Cherry Blossoms is met with festivals and hoards of people returning to the outdoors once again.

Also known as Sakura, the Cherry Blossom Trees do not actually fruit.  Rather, thay are purely ornamental and bloom in beautiful shades of pink with a pervasive floral aroma dropping petals as the season goes on.

Cherry Blossom branches are a great option over bouquets of flowers.  They vary in size, give a sense of casual organic elegance and make the whole room smell better than any candle or plug-in.

Luckily for me, my florist, Flowerworks, a family owned and operated little shop, is able to procure almost anything my flower lusting heart desires.  A few weeks ago she ordered me 5 branches of Cherry Blossoms for a piddly $35.

Tips on Buying:

1. Size. When I received the branches, they were taller than me and basically the girth of a small tree.  Make sure whatever branches you get you pick ones that are the right size for your needs and transportation.

2. Buds: Pick branches that have a high blood to bloom ratio.  The buds will continue to bloom as long as the branches are well cared for giving you fresh flowers for longer than branches that are already fully opened.

3.  Blooms: Healthy branches will have fresh, just bloomed looking flowers.  The petals should be well hydrated and not paper dry.

Tips on Caring:

1.  When you get your branches home, immediately snip the bottoms with pruning shears, as you would any floral bouquet, on a bias trimming at least one inch from the bottom.  Place in water immediately

2.  Place the branches in a stable vessel.  Mine were particularly large so I used a gold hammered vase with rocks on the bottom to counteract the weight of the branches and eventually just placed them in a rectangular heavy leaded vase.

George Kitteh loves the smell of Cherry Blossoms.

3. If you are going to arrange them beyond placing them in a vase and letting the branches fall where they may, use natural cord or twine the tie the branches instead of using floral wire.  This is both healthier for the branches and blends in with the wood for a seamless arrangement.

4.  Change the water regularly.  I didn't use my typical mix of flower-fresh water additives to keep the branches around longer just in case it would affect the buds opening so changing the water was important.

5. Check the branch bottoms regularly to see if they need trimming to keep water flowing.  Sometimes the branch bottoms will close up and you'll need to cut them with pruning shears again.

Wilma Catner just loves the luxury.

Additional Cherry Blossom arranging resources:

Northern Life Magazine
Martha Stewart
eHow

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