Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Prom Flowers

Our 2012 Prom Contest Winner!
This picture portrays the classic and timeless moment of Prom.

What a beautiful Prom season we had at Bank of Memories & Flowers!  We had students enter from Menomonee Falls, Pewaukee, Germantown, Hartland-Arrowhead, Sussex-Hamleton, Waukesha, Pius, Kettle Moraine, Slinger and Harford.

Here are a few of our entries that students sent in for their chance to win a $25 gas card.  Thank you for all who entered. Next Homecoming we will be doing the contest again so be sure to take your best photo of your flowers and send them to info@bankofflowers.net!

Here are a few more of our favorites!







Monday, May 21, 2012

Flower Designer Wanted



Grow With Us!
Bank of Memories & Flower's Pewaukee shop is growing and we need a talented florist that is energetic and ready to get their hands dirty.  Hours are 25-30 a week; with rotating hours and some Saturdays.  MUST have experience in a flower shop and designing.  Please contact Melissa Maas at 262.253.9111 or email info@bankofflowers.net for more information.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Delaying Peony Blooms



Peonies are lush, romantic and very fragrant.  I absolutely love everything about this flower and they look gorgeous in any bouquet.  Every year I plant a new peony bush in my yard, I am up to 9!  I have a fuchsia, baby pink, medium pink and even peach.  This year I am on the hunt for a white one.

I was thrilled when I came across an article that tells you how to pick peonies early and refrigerate them to delay blooming for up to 3 weeks or more!  Ideally, the bud should be neither too loose or too compact, almost the consistency of a soft marshmallow.  Cut the peony, leaving a 14-16inch stem attached the bud. Make sure the buds are dried and remove the leaves.  Wrap the stems individually in newspaper and put a bag of some sort over them and refrigerate with a temperature around 36-40 degrees.  Store the peonies flat on a refrigerator shelf.

Remove the peonies from the refrigerator at least 12 hours before use and trim the dried ends from the stems.  Place the stems in deep water and store them in a cool place.  The buds should then bloom naturally after several hours.  I can't wait to try this!  

Please let us know how this works for you!

-Melissa Maas
Owner

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Succulents!




We fell in love with succulents after seeing so many different things you can do with them on Pinterest.  We have always been fascinated with succulents because of their different shapes, sizes, and colors.  But especially because they are 'neglectable'- hard to kill them with a non-green thumb! 
Succulents are very easy to grow. The internal structures of succulents are designed to retain water so they only need to be watered once a week or even less often.  Succulents like bright, indirect light.  All you need is a little imagination and these adaptable, abstract shaped plants will present an amazing display. 
Succulents look amazing in wedding bouquets and centerpieces.  At Bank of Memories & Flowers we find a lot of our brides loving this idea.  These luscious plants will not only last through the ceremony, but they can be enjoyed long after the wedding.  Sempervivum, echeveria (pictured above in silver urn) and other rosette forming succulents have become the trending succulents to use in bridal bouquets.  Color may be what a lot of brides see first, but texture is coming to play an increasingly important role in consumer choices.