J Schwanke’s Life In Bloom

>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... >> That flower feeling.

At home.

At work.

Or anytime.

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... Dollar Tree.

>> Today's "Life in Bloom" reminds us that arranging flowers doesn't need to be complicated.

We'll review simple ways to display flowers for a great pick-me-up.

Show how to chop and drop to increase creativity, and flower flavors to simple syrup, and arrange sunflowers.

I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

Many times, a simple approach is best for enjoying flowers.

We lead busy lives and often feel we simply don't have time to do one more thing.

The rewards of a simple bunch of flowers, however, are many and varied, from a mood enhancer to a memory jogger.

How many times might you view the same simple bouquet during a week and feel an involuntary smile across your face?

Merely for taking a few moments and placing blooms in a jar with water.

I love fragrant flowers, and I like positioning fragrant flowers around my house.

I especially like them at the nightstand, because I love going to sleep or waking up smelling flowers.

These are freesia, one of my favorites.

The yellow color is wonderful, and the fragrance smells like Fruit Loops.

It also smells like spring.

When I was a little kid, we grew freesias in the greenhouse, and the smell of that reminds me of walking through the greenhouse when there was still snow on the ground outside, but it was warm inside the greenhouse, and the freesias were blooming.

This is a spray rose called scented air, and it's super fragrant.

It smells like a rose, and that might give us memories of our grandma's rose garden or smelling roses when we were children.

Spray roses are also a great value because there's several flowers on one stem.

Lilac is another one that people love.

This is a pink lilac bush that I've planted, and I've babied it along and moved it a couple of times to get it to a spot where it blooms profusely every year.

[ Sniffs ] It has a wonderful lilac fragrance, and I like the pink color.

And one of my all-time favorites is the gardenia.

I just love a gardenia, and I love the fragrance that it has.

It's one of my favorites to have on the nightstand.

There's nothing quite like waking up or going to sleep to the smell of gardenias.

So we'll take these and arrange them into this little crate vase.

It has four vases in it.

And it's great to stand alone, or we can take a vase out and move it to a special room in the house.

So, Eddie, we are in a sunflower field.

>> A sunflower field, J!

I love it.

>> Isn't it fun?

>> You know, my name is Sunshine -- my nickname is Sunshine.

I'm bringing the sunshine to the sunflowers.

>> I love it.

I told you we were going to arrange flowers, and you were like, "Well, I don't know how good I am at..." >> I am not good at arranging flowers.

>> But I am gonna make you good at it.

Okay?

>> Okay.

I love that!

>> Because we're gonna do simple things.

>> Okay.

>> Okay?

We have several different kinds of sunflowers.

This guy is called a Teddy Bear sunflower because he looks -- look at how he kind of looks like a teddy bear.

Right?

Okay.

Then, of course, obviously, the sunflowers we have over here have a black center.

This one has a yellow center.

>> Oh, my.

Okay.

>> Okay?

>> You're educating -- he's educating me already.

>> Okay.

So, this one is a painted sunflower because the blooms, the petals, look as if they've been painted.

Right?

So, this is one that's super popular now.

Everybody's crazy about these chocolate-brown ones... >> That's beautiful.

>> ...which, you know, are just absolutely beautiful, too.

We also have some black-eyed Susans.

>> Ah, yes.

>> Not really sunflowers, but they look like it.

Okay.

So look at that -- single stem, right?

It's an arrangement all itself.

>> Okay.

>> Okay.

So if we want to do a simple flower arrangement... >> Wow.

There it is.

>> Right?

>> Okay.

All right.

Big sunflower.

Right?

And so I always want to take off leaves that are gonna fall below the waterline.

So what I'm gonna do is, I'm gonna give him a just a little bit shorter cut, one more leaf, and then he can just sit in this.

And I like it when he just kicks off to the side like that.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> So now this -- I cut this off in my yard this morning.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> But it's viburnum.

>> Viburnum.

>> And these are gonna turn blue in the fall.

Not right now, but in the fall.

Okay?

Okay.

So, this is an ashtray.

>> Yes.

>> Okay.

>> It looks antique.

>> Haeger pottery, right?

Made in the -- Made in the '50s.

And it -- And so I figured this is gonna be your -- this is gonna be your first experiment.

>> Okay.

>> Okay?

>> Question about these over there real quick.

>> Uh-huh.

Yes, ma'am.

>> Both of those.

Do you change the water every day for fresh flowers?

Should you?

>> That's a great question.

I don't, because I use flower food.

>> Mm.

>> So when I use flower food, there's so many things in there.

One of those is an antibacterial agent that helps keep the bacteria level low.

So you're going to notice that my water doesn't discolor.

Now, if you don't use flower food and your water discolors and it gets cloudy or it may even get smelly, you should change it.

>> Okay.

>> Let's use your Teddy Bear.

Let's use the Teddy.

>> The Teddy Bear.

>> You're gonna use the snippers.

You're gonna go to the back of that flower, and you're gonna cut it off as close as you can.

>> Here?

>> Right there.

>> Okay.

>> There you go.

And you're gonna set it in there.

>> Oh, my goodness.

So simple.

I like simple.

>> You've got a couple of those little guys?

>> Yes.

>> Take off one of those little guys.

And take it off -- give it a little stem.

>> Give it a little stem like this.

>> Uh-huh.

There you go.

>> And here I go.

Just one?

>> Do both, yeah.

See, look, you're just gonna jump in and do both.

>> [ Laughs ] >> Okay.

So what you're gonna do, you're gonna get him into that water.

So you're gonna maybe use that little cigarette holder.

>> Okay.

>> Look at that.

And those two guys hold that in there.

Eddie, you are a magician.

Aren't you?

>> I'm a flower arranger.

>> I know!

I told you, right?

Right?

It's exactly right.

And, now, do you feel accomplished?

>> I feel accomplished, I do.

>> A sunflower sometimes will start to lose these little petals.

And as it gets older, that's okay, because that's still kind of pretty.

Look, it looks kind of like two eyes and one's winking.

You know, one's winking at you, right?

>> You are so creative with these flowers.

Who would've thought?

>> It's pretty.

Okay.

So I'm gonna -- We're gonna take this guy... >> Yes.

>> And the thing about a sunflower is that a sunflower instantaneously makes a topiary, right?

>> Okay, yes.

>> Okay.

So I got some more of my viburnum.

And we're just gonna take some pieces of these.

Oh, I'm just gonna take them all.

There we go.

Take it all.

Okay.

So now I'm gonna stick these guys in here low.

>> Okay.

Can I help?

>> You can.

You can.

We want little pieces like this.

And I have our flower foam down inside here.

So I've soaked my flower foam in flower wa-- in flower food water.

>> Sharp.

That is sharp, J.

>> And then, we're gonna use our little blinking one.

>> Our little winky.

>> Our little winky.

I love it.

I love the little winky one.

The winky one.

>> The one that's winking at us.

>> At the bottom, just like that.

>> Oh, my gosh.

>> Isn't it cute?

>> That is beautiful.

Oh, my goodness.

And I love how you do the high low.

You know, some high, some low.

>> Okay.

So now we have two left.

We've got this guy and this guy.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Let's put those -- And we're just gonna -- we're gonna float them in there.

>> Okay.

So then I cut this back up?

>> Uh-huh, uh-huh.

>> Do I leave any leaves?

No?

>> No.

>> Oh, look at that.

That's beautiful!

>> I know.

Now think about this.

This could be a centerpiece that you could make in five minutes... >> Yes.

>> ...when somebody's gonna pop over for a little drink or something.

Look at that.

>> That is beautiful!

And so simple.

>> Eddie, I am so glad that you came with me today and that we were able to see the sunflower fields and that we were able to make simple arrangements.

But I also have a tradition at "Life in Bloom."

>> Yes.

>> And we have taken some sunflowers, and we have created a flower crown for you.

>> Oh, my goodness.

>> I know.

You look awesome!

[ Laughs ] >> You know how you wave, and... Hello!

>> It looks beautiful!

You look beautiful!

>> Do I?

>> I think that's the best flower crown yet.

Well, thank you so much.

I really, truly appreciate it, and I'm so glad you could join us today.

>> This was so much fun.

>> I've taken a whole bunch of reclaimed vases.

I just look for a shape that I like.

This is a honey jar that I had or a tonic bottle.

Different types of things that are great shapes.

I painted the outside of the glass.

So what we're going to do today is we're gonna work with the cool colors.

So we'll pull out the warm colors.

And isn't that fun?

Look at how that changes it up almost immediately to have those.

And if I pull the green out, it becomes really calm.

If I add that green back in, it starts to activate those other colors and they look brighter.

I think that's an interesting thing.

So you can use green with a cool color palette or you can use it with the warm color palette.

We'll use these today.

We're using a bouquet from the grocery store and some flowers out of the garden.

We use different types of flowers in each vase.

I'm starting with some of the blue African basil.

I'll use that in my tall, purple vase.

We're also going to use our Trachelium.

Those are big-headed flowers.

So, I could put all three together, but I think it's interesting to put two in one vase and one in another.

In another container, we'll put our Agapanthus.

I love how the electric blue of this container picks up the electric blue in those Agapanthus blossoms.

We'll create a bouquet of just greenery using pittosporum in the blue vase.

I can accent the Trachelium with a blue African basil and also with the pittosporum.

Then, we use our statice, and we'll add our lisianthus.

Arranging flowers is so much fun, so I want you to enjoy the process.

A project like this with several different vases is really fun because you can mix and match your flower content together.

Notice that I'm using some of the flowers in the different containers.

That way, it makes the entire arrangement cohesive, or they can break out into different places in the house.

It's a colorful way to repurpose our jars and make fun flower arrangements.

Daffodils are also known as Narcissus and Jonquil and is a genus of predominantly spring-flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family.

The plant is associated with a number of themes in different cultures, ranging from death to good fortune.

The daffodil bulb lies dormant after the leaves and flower stem die back and has contractile roots that pull it down further into the soil.

The flower stem and leaves form in the bulb, to emerge the following season.

The flower's often viewed as a symbol of spring, due to its blooming early in the season.

Most species are dormant from summer to late winter, though a few species are autumn-flowering.

Daffodil are popular as cut flowers and as ornamental plants in private and public gardens.

I found this vintage daffodil vase at a local antique fair.

It's perfect for fresh-cut daffodils.

Mix flower food into your ice-cold water.

Use four bunches of daffodils, about 40 stems.

Gather all the stems in your hand, lining up the flower heads.

Bind the stems gently with craft-covered wire.

Fill the daffodil vase with prepared flower-food water.

Cut the stems below the binding and drop into the vase.

Enjoy.

Here's a great way to dress up your dinner party with flower cocktails.

Using traditional barware, we can create arrangements using shot glasses or a stemless wine glass or even a martini glass.

It's easy with a few flowers.

The shot glasses are great little vessels for holding just a couple flowers.

Here we're using tulips.

We'll cut the tulip blossoms short.

Place them right into the shot glass.

We can also add a dendrobium orchid blossom next to those.

Each one of these could be at a place setting, or you could use them in a pattern down the center of the table.

Our stemless wine glass is perfect for floating a single rose blossom.

We'll cut the stem short and tuck the rose inside the wine glass.

Setting those at each place setting is a great way to create a romantic dinner party.

Or how about the popular martini glass?

It's perfect for floating a gerbera daisy and accenting it with a different type of flower.

This is bouvardia, and it looks great right next to it.

This is a terrific way to toast in your next dinner party using the fun of flowers.

Simple syrup is basically sugar and water.

It's combined to sweeten alcoholic beverages, or it can be used with soda water and make flavored beverages.

Today, we're making a mocktail with soda water and a simple syrup that we're creating with lavender and blueberries.

We'll start by adding a cup of water, then we'll add a cup of sugar.

Then 2 tablespoons of culinary lavender.

And then, roughly a cup of fresh blueberries.

We'll put all the ingredients over medium-high heat until the blueberries start to burst and the mixture thickens.

This will make about 11 ounces of simple syrup.

So now our mixture's ready.

And we'll cool this and then strain it into a decanter.

I've already prepared some right here.

And so now we can make our mocktail.

We've got our mixture down inside there.

We'll add some ice and some soda water.

We can even garnish it with a few fresh blueberries.

Oh, that's so refreshing.

The wonderful lavender flavor and blueberry mix together so well.

It's a wonderful mocktail for flower cocktail hour.

So, here's a simple way to take the beautiful flowers that you buy and bring home and put them in a vase.

I know that we all kind of maybe get a little intimidated when we pick out that beautiful bouquet of flowers, and we want to put it in a vase at home, and we want it to look just as good.

One of the simple things I learned early on was chop and drop, okay?

And so we use that term that you chop them and drop them into a vase.

That works really well when we have functional vases.

So, when you look at vases, you might be familiar with something like this that has a little bit of a taper and then a more bulbous shape at the bottom so that we've got plenty of water inside there or one like this that has plenty of water at the bottom and then angles up towards the top.

Because when you have a bouquet, you're gonna notice it has a grab point right here where it was created.

And so when that sits inside this area right here, the stems at the bottom can go out, and the stems at the top can open up.

And so that makes it really, really easy for us to chop and drop.

Now also remember to use cold water, and there's a packet of food that comes with these that I've already mixed into these vases.

So, again, I've chosen a smart vase.

I took off my wrapper, I took off my rubber bands.

I'm going to take off this binder, too.

And trim that away.

I want to make sure that I pull any leaves that might be down here lower on these off.

And you're noticing, I'm just keeping it in my hand.

I'm just holding onto it right here.

And then, I'm going to cut these stems.

I like a bypass cutter like this because it cuts all the stems easily.

Chop... and drop.

Now look at how beautiful that is, right?

Super simple.

And my bouquet's all ready to go.

Now, sometimes we might have a vase that's a little bit shorter.

And I don't want you to get scared about that, either, because we can still chop and drop that, as well.

But the thing is, that bouquet in here, like this, isn't gonna look very pretty.

We want to make sure that that bouquet sits in there like that.

So see that amount of stems that need to come off the bottom?

And what I might do, because this is a little bit shorter of a vase, I'm going to go ahead and leave that binding on there.

I'm going to get my bypass cutter.

And then, I'm going to drop that down inside there.

Now you know what?

I can already tell I didn't cut it short enough.

So I'm gonna cut it just a little bit shorter.

Gonna take off another inch.

And then, I'm gonna drop it in there.

So, shortening the bouquet is a wonderful shortcut to having your flowers fit beautifully in the vase.

It's a great opportunity when we can chop and drop our flowers and simply put them in a vase.

A couple of simple strategies for flower arranging, and you're always ready to enjoy flowers from anywhere, be it your own garden or a bouquet that you just picked up on a whim.

This way, you can enjoy the flowers and the benefits they provide as much as possible.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

>> Do you change the water every day for fresh -- fresh flowers?

Should you?

>> That's a great question.

I don't, because I use flower food.

So when I use flower food, there's so many things in there.

One of those is an antibacterial agent that helps keep the bacteria level low.

So you're going to notice that my water doesn't discolor.

Now, if you don't use flower food and your water discolors and it gets cloudy or it may even get smelly, you should change it.

>> Okay.

>> But if you use flower food, you generally don't have to worry about that.

>> Okay.

All right.

So you look for flower food with certain additives in it.

>> All flower foods have it.

>> Okay.

>> So as long as you grab flower food, you're good.

>> All right.

>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> Visit J's website, ubloom.com, for flower projects and crafts, complete recipes, behind-the-scenes videos, J's blog, flower cocktails, and more.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... >> That flower feeling.

At home.

At work.

Or anytime.

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... Dollar Tree.

Closed-caption funding provided by Holland America Flowers.