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 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... PassionRoses... Suntory Flowers.

>> Permanent flowers provide many of the same benefits as fresh flowers.

I'll create several arrangements, show you the best techniques for assembly, and even discuss flowers suitable or long-lasting enough for display in the home.

I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

Sometimes it's not practical or even possible to enjoy the beauty of fresh flowers.

Should we deny ourself the benefit of being with flowers?

Scientific studies show that even mere images of flowers can provide relaxation and stress relief.

Artificial flowers -- sometimes known as silk, faux, or permanents -- can provide enjoyment and a welcoming greeting in a variety of spaces where fresh are not convenient or possible.

Allergies are not an issue with these varieties.

They are also often a good choice for offices, second homes, or cabins, and for individuals who may find fresh flowers too difficult to maintain, such as the very elderly.

Over the long term, artificial flowers provide the additional benefits of low maintenance and affordability.

Modern artificial flowers are highly detailed creations whose beauty reflects that of fresh flowers, thus providing a similar uplifting experience.

There are also similar benefits to creating your own permanent arrangements, and this episode includes tips and tricks for making your own beautiful bouquets.

Arranging permanent flowers is very similar to arranging fresh flowers, with a few exceptions.

You can take more time arranging permanent flowers since they are forever flowers.

Also, you can bend and manipulate permanent flowers for two purposes.

One, to make them more realistic.

I call this breathing life into permanent flowers.

Two, adjusting the flower to make it look better in the arrangement, something you cannot do with fresh flowers.

Notice how realistic these flowers look.

And again, I can adjust them to make a lovely arrangement.

The flower foam we're using today is a dry foam.

It's for permanent botanical flowers, so it's a little more coarse and it holds things in place better.

It's also dark in coloration, so we usually don't have to worry about covering it up because it'll look like shadows inside the container.

When I'm looking for permanent botanical flowers, I'm always looking for the most realistic.

There's home stores.

There's craft stores.

There's professional florists.

All of them are great resources for permanent botanical flowers.

We have leaves that are independent.

So we can move these leaves up and down the stem a little bit by moving them into a little more natural position.

It also allows us to make use of those leaves so we're not cutting them off and leaving them on the table.

They go into our arrangement and make it look more natural.

I'm using a hand-held bolt cutter when I'm cutting my stems, and it works really easily because it has a titanium bit and it cuts through them just like they're butter.

It's important, just like any type of flower arranging, that you practice because practice is going to allow you to get the hang of it.

And that's super important when it comes to permanent flowers.

They have lots of benefits, and some people believe that they're even easier to arrange because you can make Give it a try and see what you think.

I love sunflowers, and they brighten up any location.

They're like a positive ray of sunshine.

Today I'm using some permanent sunflowers, along with a few other yellow permanent stems, and some ribbon to create a faux flower arrangement that will evoke the same health and wellness benefits that any fresh flower provides.

Everyone tries so hard now to make the flowers look botanically correct.

And they're permanent, which means that we can use them for a long period of time.

So, I refer to an arrangement that's made of artificial flowers as a "permanent botanical arrangement."

We're working in a wooden box today, and we've got our silk and dried foam down inside.

We're also gonna use a few dried stems, some millet, and then we have some artificial branches, eucalyptus, and bush material that we'll use inside here, as well.

We'll cover up our silk and dried foam with some moss.

Our final step will be to add some ribbon.

We'll start by taking our moss and covering the flower foam.

You'll notice that I use a smaller piece of moss and tear it apart so that I have spaces to go through the moss and into the foam.

Then we'll start with our branch material and our foliages.

We'll cut them into several different pieces so that we can define the shape of our bouquet.

It's gonna go out on one end and out on the other end.

And we'll also bring some of those branch pieces off of the front.

I'm not gonna put all of my foliage in yet.

I'll reserve a little for later on.

Next, we'll start with the black-eyed Susans.

They're the longest flower that we have, and they're also the smallest.

They come on branches, but you'll notice that branches don't always look like flowers.

So the technique I use is breathing life into permanent botanicals, bending them and twisting them, inside it.

So do the leaves.

So we can bend them and twist them to make them look more realistic so that they don't just look like a straight stick with a flower on the end.

Then we'll use our big sunflowers.

We'll tuck a couple down close in front.

That'll be our focal area.

That's where our eye is gonna be attracted.

Then we'll add our teddy bear sunflowers.

I like that we have three different kinds of flowers in this arrangement.

We have the sunflowers, the teddy bear sunflowers, and the black-eyed Susans.

That makes it interesting to look at, the different textures and the different types of flowers, making sure that we can see all three flower types from both sides.

We'll add in our last piece of foliage, and then we'll bring in the millet.

We need to make sure that the millet follows the same line as the flowers.

I like having a dried material in with the permanent botanicals.

It adds a little more touch of realism.

Then we'll add a ribbon.

And I'm simply cutting off lengths of ribbon and then poking it into the arrangement in loops.

I don't really want a bow on this arrangement.

I want this beautiful ribbon to be part of it so it flows from one end to the other.

I'm just tucking it in between the flowers with my bamboo skewer.

I use two different types of ribbon.

I've got the plaid.

It has oranges and yellows and greens.

And then I have the mesh.

The mesh has that vibrant sunflower color.

That adds another layer of texture to our arrangement.

This is another great way as flowers in our home.

Our featured flower today is the Southern magnolia, also known as the Magnolia grandiflora.

I acquired a deep fondness for this Southern flower when I lived in Atlanta and traveled the South.

One of the things about the magnolia is their short vase life.

You can cut a magnolia blossom, but it will unfortunately only last about 24 hours or so.

And it goes through a magical transformation, going from cream to tan to dark beige.

There's also the remarkable cones that form on the tree after the bloom is faded.

There's also the dark green foliage with a brown velvet back.

Enter the permanent magnolia, made by a company that specializes in detailed and botanically correct permanent flowers.

These permanent magnolias show all stages of development, from bud to bloom, and the evolving colors, of leaves and even cones.

When you have a flower that simply does not last as a cut flower, a realistic permanent botanical is a remarkable and enjoyable replacement.

I've always felt it's important to have baskets so they can hold something.

Many times, we'll take a basket and put an arrangement inside it, and then it doesn't really get to function as a basket anymore.

But this cool project allows us to have a functioning basket and still do a floral adornment on it.

So, we're going to make a perimeter basket, and we're gonna have the flowers go all along the edge.

So then we can still use the basket for other fun things.

We could put candy in it or we could put magazines in it or we could put pine cones in it.

We can have anything we want inside the basket and still have this decoration.

Our essential tool for this is our glue gun.

We'll start with some crimped ribbon.

And I crimped up a length that was easy enough to go all the way around the basket.

I'll glue it in place along the edge, but leaving pieces of it exposed so that I can glue right to the edge of the basket.

I just like that ribbon to kind of be flowing in before I add the flowers.

If you want to, you could add all your flowers and just go back and glue ribbon in, too.

That's another option.

Then I'm cutting off all of the heads.

I've moved the foliage up right underneath the bloom, and then I cut it off short.

I'll do that with all the bushes of the beautiful, colorful flowers.

I typically try and glue one color in all the way around.

Then I'll go back and do another color.

That way, it gives me a very serendipity look.

If you wanted to, you could make it grouped, as well.

Or you could use all one type of flower.

And then I have my one butterfly.

I'll put that right next to the handle.

It's my final placement.

And now we have a beautiful perimeter basket that has flowers all the way around, and we can still use it.

Besides the realistic permanent flowers we see at craft and home stores, there's a new form of permanent flowers that has become very popular.

These flowers are created out of toy building bricks and come in kits that allow anyone to create flowers from children's construction blocks with quite remarkable results.

I thought it would be fun to take these modern permanent flowers and create a flower arrangement using these flowers and foliage out of toy building blocks.

The container that we're working in is a ceramic container.

I glued a piece of dry foam down inside, and then I added rocks around the outside to give the arrangement weight.

Because these flowers aren't heavy like normal flowers, it's not going to weigh down the arrangement.

So I want to make sure that it has weight at the bottom so it won't tip over or roll around easily.

When you assemble the flowers, they're pretty much the same length because they're made to sit in a vase.

In some cases, I have to shorten the stems.

So I'll pull off the extenders.

That might work.

Or sometimes, if I have two flowers that are the same, I can take the one stem and cut it in two segments and use one for one flower and one for the other.

When I do that, I make them two different lengths so that one's taller and one's shorter.

Of course, when I'm adding flowers, I may knock off a piece and I've got to go back in and replace it.

That's kind of a challenge.

Well, this certainly was fun, and it was a fun challenge.

It's different than having them just in a vase.

I like this because they're more arranged and organized, and I think it's gonna be a wonderful accent in the house.

These flowers made from building blocks that you saw in the last segment have a very special meaning.

The kits to create these flowers were given to me a few Christmases ago by my brother-in-law, Paul Blank.

This past May, Paul passed away unexpectedly and much too soon at age 63.

Paul was Kelly's oldest brother and a twin brother to Kelly's sister, Tisha.

Paul was a skilled golfer and a movie fan and a Disney aficionado.

Paul was also a devoted fan of "Life in Bloom."

You might think that friends and family automatically keep up with the show, but people have busy lives, and we understand that time is precious.

A lifelong PBS fan, Paul watched every episode, to our surprise and great joy.

He noticed a dedication to family friends in the credits of the very first episode.

Paul would often notice family heirlooms that are present in some of our shows, sometimes by accident, like drinking glasses from their grandfather's farm.

It almost became a game of sorts.

Kel and I would hide Easter eggs in the episodes for Paul to find, such as the mid-century modern ice bucket that was a Blank family fixture or a mixing bowl from the Blank household, swizzle sticks, or even a souvenir from a favorite attraction.

Paul also enjoyed cooking.

The Turkey Noodle Ring recipe in the episode titled "My Favorite Things" was a family favorite.

Paul noticed that I made the recipe in his mom's pan, and obviously he also appreciated the episode devoted to her.

Noodle Ring was just one of the many recipes that our families made frequently.

Oftentimes, we'd check in with one another to see if there were any forgotten tips for perfecting the results.

Paul shared his techniques and usually a fun story about so many recipes, from orange rolls to beef roasts and meat pie to holiday goodies and more.

As Paul watched each episode of "Life in Bloom," he often made notes to share with his wife, Sara, for things to be sure to watch for.

Paul's daughter Grace and her husband, Nick, have both been guests on the show.

Those episodes were naturally among Paul's favorites.

Paul also encouraged me to expand my vocabulary with good-natured ribbing.

He suggested that maybe I find a word other than "refreshing" to describe our flower cocktails.

Its aromatic, slightly sweet, and refreshing.

It's a refreshing citrus drink.

A refreshing cocktail.

It's a wonderful, refreshing drink.

>> That is delightful and refreshing.

>> Oh.

Quite refreshing.

>> Right!

Kel and I enjoyed visiting with Paul, catching up, talking about favorite TV shows or music, vintage toys, or the latest movie.

And we even enjoyed family vacations together to The Happiest Place on Earth many times.

I want to show the special flower tributes I created.

We included his and Sara's wedding flower -- alstroemeria.

There was a golf-themed tribute with Paul's clubs, hat, and favorite golf balls.

Paul always enjoyed buttered popcorn at his weekly movie outing, represented here, and, of course, Mickey Mouse made from flowers.

Why?

Because we like you.

I share these because, after all, it's a show about flowers.

And somehow I think Paul would get a kick out of it.

We lost someone very special that day -- a husband, a father, a brother, and for Kelly and I, our biggest fan of "Life in Bloom."

We will miss his presence and laughter, but most of all, we'll miss him.

Thanks for the memories, Paul.

Until we meet again.

Permanent flowers can be a wonderful way to enjoy blooms all year long or in unusual circumstances.

Remember, even images of flowers can provide the same health and wellness benefits of fresh flowers, including improving mood For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

Oh, no.

Where's my tweezers?

>> It's fun.

>> It's fun.

Right.

Nothing I love better than flowers that fall apart.

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

>> Visit uBloom.com to access all episodes of "Life in Bloom" plus exclusive flower videos, J's newsletter and blog.

Find recipes, flower tips, techniques, and much more.

Be sure to follow "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" on social media.

"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 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... PassionRoses... Suntory Flowers.

Closed caption funding provided by fabulousflorals.com.