CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — In a season where the emphasis is often on abundance and over-indulgence, one business is looking for ways to reduce, recycle and reuse materials.
Alan Preston and his staff at Hearts and Flowers in Charlottetown often choose items from nature to enchance their seasonal arrangements.
“We use a lot of pine and fir that we pick locally. You just trim it up, so it regrows,” says Preston, pointing to the foliage resting on his worktable at his flower shop.
At a glance
Ways to keep holidays green
- Reduce wrapping paper waste by using brown paper, fabric or gift bags with ribbon that can be used by receiver
- Send e-cards instead of posting Christmas cards
- When decorating a Christmas tree, look for natural decorations like pine cones at a local park or, better yet, string popcorn together to make garlands
Source: excalibretech.com
Across the room, floral designer Mary Kate Stuart has just finished working on a Christmas arrangement for a customer.
“For at least 10 years, they’ve come back to us to refill this vase with flowers and seasonal greenery,” says Preston, pointing to the white roses and holly berries.
“It’s special because it was sent to them from someone and they love it. So, it creates a lovely Christmas tradition for their family.”
At another table, designer Mary Langille is filling a noodle bowl with seasonal greenery and cut flowers.
“Again, the bowl can be re-used so it doesn’t go into the landfill,” he says.
Minutes later Preston is weaving green boughs into the base of a Thomas Kinkade Christmas village. It’s an heirloom owned by customer Miriam Lank who, over the years, received each of the ceramic pieces from her sisters and other family members.
“Every year she brings these into the shop for us to fill with fresh foliage. By not throwing it away it becomes part of the home and heritage.”
Fresh pine fern also finds itself woven into a beachcombers’ centrepiece. It’s a great way to recycle natural materials like seashells, driftwood and bayberries, along with seasonal holly.
“These are all things we collected on our beach walks,” says Preston.
Sometimes customers have a large Christmas tree ornament they want to showcase. Preston says there’s a way of keeping it and making it part of a contemporary arrangement.
It’s starts by pressing the ornament into a florist’s oasis, then adding greenery all around it. Using fine or long, flowing greenery, create loops to centre the display. Then tie the ends together to bring attention to the middle. It creates a birdcage effect, with the ornament inside.
“It’s an easy way to highlight something important. It could be a statue or a star, something that the family wants to display, and this does it inexpensively,” says Preston, who uses 100 per cent biodegradable foam blocks for each piece of oasis.
In her office, Mary Preston is working on some seasonal ideas, including a candy cane wreath. She crafts it by gluing two candy canes together to make a heart. Then gluing each of the hearts together, adding some red berries and seasonal greenery as well as a pine cone and a ribbon, so it can easily be hung.
“If you have leftover candy canes, from last year it’s a great way to use them up,” she says.
