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Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com R E A D O N L I N E 55 ALSTROEMERIA / PERUVIAN LY Alstroemeria is another great budget- friendly option. ese flowers are versatile in both form and color. ey can serve as a line flowers in contemporary arrangements, and they also make a statement in clusters and on their own. It is advisable to remove the foliage because it often turns yellow long before the flowers fade. "ese flowers are often looked at askance by many designers," Dahlson says, "yet, at Mayesh, we have found that carefully removing most of the foliage that surrounds the flowers and all the foliage at the junction of the lateral stems results in an almost different product. We also recommend that the blooms be open or starting to open before placing them into a design." Also, keep your eyes peeled for new Alstroemeria varieties. For example, two of the world's leading cut flower breeders and growers— Royal Van Zanten, headquartered the Netherlands, and e Queen's Flowers, based in Miami—joined forces to create a brand-new flower: the 'Astronova®'. Ten years in development, Astronova blooms look like "double-flowered" Alstroemeria blooms, but they are larger and have only one bloom per stem. Currently there are five varieties—pinks, lavenders and purples—but more are on the way; Astronovas were just introduced in February. Discover more about them at astronovaflowers. com, queensvarieties.com/astronova- gallery and royalvanzanten.com. In 2014, Royal Van Zanten also introduced 'Charmelia®' in the U.S., a kind of "spray Alstroemeria" featuring blooms growing consecutively along long lateral stems—somewhat like Gladiolus and Freesia. Check them out at royalvanzanten.com/en/ cut-flowers and charmelia.us. CHAMEUCIUM / WAXFWER "Chamelaucium has come a long way from the straggly species discovered in Western Australia," Dahlson reports. "Today's hybrids are rich in color, with an abundance of decorative sprays of tiny flowers. Some newer hybrids even have double flowers, which cast them in a more bucolic light than their single counterparts. A frequent problem with waxflowers is an 'overgrowth' of foliage that shoots up above the flowers, causing a weedy look. Again, careful editing of the wispy needle- like foliage reveals charming blooms that are equally at home in lush wedding compositions with garden roses, Dahlia and peonies as they are in sylvan, wild arrangements that evoke the spirit of the countryside." HYDRANGEA Hydrangea gives designers big bang for the buck because the large "mophead" blooms occupy a lot of space in arrangements and are great mass flowers. "ese wonderful flowers can be used in a wide variety of ways, limited only by the scope of one's imagination," Dahlson says. "Hydrangea are incredibly versatile flowers for floral professionals and, while the unit price can be high, the size and mass of the umbels provide significant value for money." HYPERICUM Hypericum is relatively new to the basket of budget-friendly flowers, but its decorative value and hardy character are important attributes for modern designers. "e predominant feature of Hypericum is the glossy berries that occur in corymbs at the end of the stems and laterals," Dahlson says. "Carefully removing the leaves reveals sparkling 'pearls' in a vast range of colors. While unadulterated stems are fine for bouquets, Hypericum becomes quite sophisticated when the foliage is removed."

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