Encore – Carnations

by Two Chums on June 21, 2014

Just last week I had a baby shower for a sweet friend who is having a baby girl in a couple of weeks. What was the flower of choice for the centerpieces?…Yes that’s right…carnations. One of the first posts we did here on Two Chums in March 2012 was about the virtues of, and our love for, carnations. Using them at the shower last week reminded me that it was time to sing their praises again 🙂

I, along with a lot of other people, used to poo poo carnations. What, carnations for a dinner party centerpiece? Are you crazy? Carnations are only used for funerals because they are hearty and last a long time!

Many years ago, when I met my Chum, Robin, these are the thoughts I carried with me. Robin, on the other hand, explained to me that she loved carnations – loved everything about them – their texture, their one-of-a-kind scent, the way they look, the wonderful colors they come in, and on and on. I began thinking, “Well perhaps there is something wrong with me”, and began to try to get my head around liking carnations. I have to say, it did not take me long to realize their beauty, their cheerfulness, their joyous nature and I am now hooked on them myself.

We have used carnations for many different occasions. No matter when you go to Robin’s home, you can usually find a bouquet of perky carnations in her bathrooms, on her mantle or by her bedside.
They are wonderful, bunched together en masse, all the same color or different colors together. Carnations can last up to three weeks and still look adorable, as long as you change the water every few days.

As shown in the accompanying video, carnations make wonderful floral globes and are very easy to put together. Just be sure that when you by the floral foam to put the flowers in, that what you are getting is really oasis or ‘floral’ foam and not just regular styrofoam which is sometimes green and looks much like the floral foam but will not absorb water. That type of foam is made for silk flowers not fresh ones. Once you have created a ball out of your oasis, pop it in some water for about two minutes. This is important as this is how the carnations will get their drink.

When your floral balls are finished, the fun begins. These globes might be placed on a candlestick to make a short topiary or a taller vase to make a wonderful centerpiece at a luncheon or dinner party. The vase would enable people to see each other across the table. The globe makes a great adornment for a flower girl to hang on her arm, with a simple piece of ribbon up through the middle of the globe…..that same globe with the ribbon up through the middle looks great hanging on the backs of chairs, or on pews at a wedding. And yet another fun way to use these hardy and lovely gems is to make a flat base of carnations ( in much the same way as we showed you the flower ball) and use this base to display Cake Pops

or anything that you might need to stand upright and want a pretty way to do it. This was also made for a great display for the table cards at Robin’s daughter’s wedding.

I think you might be surprised at how very lovely a bunch of carnations, all cut at the same length, looks. Robin and I have taken prospective brides to the Flower Market looking for flowers for their weddings and they have been astonished at how wonderful a bunch of carnations can look. They are very reasonably priced as well!