Anna's Blog

For this week, I thought it would be fun to share some of my mom’s flower arranging tips (she has a flower biz). Maybe this will inspire you to try some flower arranging in your home… whether you are selling your home or you just want to enjoy something beautiful!

Some Flower Arranging Tips from Gunilla:

The Container:

I like plain, IE without patterns. Footed or raised vases display best; if in a crowd a high placement or on a tall foot is better. If on a dinner table, remember that seated guests should be able to see others on the opposite side.

The 'Mechanics':

Floral foam is great for opaque vases. In a clear container you can criss-cross tape over the top to support the stems. [They go in the spaces between the tape.] When finished, the mechanics should be invisible. My favorite tool is a Fiskars small cutter. I bought it last at Sears in the garden area.

The Water:

There are many commercial products used to stop the water from 'sliming up', which will quickly kill your plant material. A home product one can use is regular bleach, about 12 drops to a gallon. Always remove all leaves from below the water line.

The Arrangement:

Have fun; there are NO ugly flowers. Re cut stems at an angle and if using your yard material set in WARM water for a while. Hydrangeas need to have their cut dipped in boiling water for a minute. Since camellias often have short stems, inserting the cut into a grape gives it enough moisture and sugar. Then lay down anywhere. Be careful of wood surfaces. Moisture WILL come through all ceramic containers and damage your furniture. Put a coaster etc. under it. Glass is safe. My grandmothers advice,'Put in one stem at a time' is good, and so is my garden circle saying, ' Make it so loose that a butterfly can fly through it.

Color combinations are the same as for picking clothes, really, so the sky is the limit. Strong colors and larger shapes look good in the lower part of the arrangement. Avoid 'arms' or a 'face' and symmetry is not necessary either. I have a shaded yard and often make something from just greenery of different textures. My current favorite is three large leaves of papyrus in a tall glass vase. Curling aspidistras or a gigantic palm frond on a mantelpiece is striking too. Odd numbers in design tend to be more pleasing than even ones.

I get this a lot and it really depends on the house and it depends on your comfort level. Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless radioactive gas. And scientists have agreed that radon can cause lung cancer. And since we spend a lot of time in our homes that is the place we test. So here is a statistic from the EPA that may help you make a decision: if one thousand non-smokers tested for radon in their basements and got readings of 4 pCi/L, and if they spend 70% of every day over a 74 year period in their basement 2 of those 1000 non-smokers will get lung cancer from radon.

I hope this helps you to make a decision to test or not to test when you buy your next house! (This information is from the Wisconsin Realtors Association’s brochure: Environmental Issues Affecting Residential Real Estate).

In honor of Mother’s Day I thought I would mention some differences between buying a house in today’s market and when our parent’s bought their first homes.

When our parents bought their first home, here was the norm:

• You put at least 20% down
• You didn’t have a home inspection.
• You probably didn’t think too much about resale.
• You probably had a 30 year fixed mortgage rate of 10% or higher!

Today, it’s a different story:

• With good credit, you can buy a house with little or no money down. There are even great down payment and closing cost assistance programs for first time homebuyers.
• Most buyers do have a home inspection. $300 - $350 is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that you get with a home inspection.
• Most people today move within 3 to 5 years of purchasing their first home, so it is a good idea to speak with your Realtor about home features that are a benefit for resale – like 2 car garages, newer mechanicals, newer roof, updated kitchens & baths and of course location, location, location!
• The 30 year fixed rate is still a fantastic rate today, but depending on your situation an ARM may be a better option for you. It is a good idea to speak with a qualified lender to discuss all of your options.