ADVICE NEEDED: Floral Casket Blanket of Roses

Gina B Kellogg

Gina B Kellogg

Pro Member
Sep 30, 2011
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Overland Park
www.hottcornflakes.com
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KS
Got an email from a FlowerChat newsletter reader:

She got her first request in all her years of working as a florist for a rose casket blanket and she's looking for some advice on mechanics. (I promised I'd pass your tips along to her...)

It needs to stay fresh for a visitation service in the afternoon and then the service the next day.

Advice she's gotten so far was to pan glue the heads or sew the heads. Her concern, of course, is freshness. Will spraying it with Crown and Glory be enough with either of those techniques?

She was thinking of "sewing onto fabric and putting a layer of damp batting underneath" with a vinyl cloth as a backing or using an "open-weave landscape plastic to weave the greenery and shortest stems possible thru. Will pin or stitch to batting that can be moistened and back that with a vinyl tablecloth fabric."

Please send your tips and suggestions along! Thanks in advance, all!
 
I know they used to stitch them but there is no way I'd do that these days. We have plenty of products that will keep the flowers fresh, along with better quality product to start with.

Not pan glue ~ it does not always hold in the cooler.

If it were me these days, I would get the roses as open as possible to save on quantity AND weight. The roses should be left out to open and then put in the cooler for a minimum of eight hours if possible to harden them off before use.

Then glue them with oasis adhesive (the bottle kind, not the tube). The calyx should be cut off flat and then spread with glue and allowed to sit for five or ten seconds, and glue should also be applied to the fabric with the same amount of setting time. This is the same as for glue corsages, it assures a permanent bond.

I would glue them to a couple of pieces of burlap sewn together for added strength since burlap is apt to fray and stretch but I would not use the indoor/outdoor carpet because it is very heavy. Then just glue in foliage. Then let all of the glue dry for an hour and the crowning glory BIG TIME. Bag it and put it in the cooler. It should hold up just fine as long as the roses start out fully hydrated and get that seal of crowning glory to hamper transpiration.

That's the way that I would do it, but I have not done one so what do I know? jmo
 
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I too would use Oasis Glue... pan melt does not stick to "live" smooth product as in the case of the rose. I've never glued one... always pinned to a double layer of burlap with about 1/2" thick cotton batting in between.

Lots of variables, like how large is it going to be. Is part of it going to hang vertically to cover the sides? Lot's of weight there... and when made laying flat, once it's on the casket, there will be gaps where it bends over the edges that will have to be filled in. As long as the roses are very fresh and hydrated, they **should** last, but I myself would be concerned for the second day and would share a disclaimer with the family in advance.

Have not made one of these in about 20 years, used to be fairly common for the "well to do" crowd.... I would likely charge upwards of $3000 depending on the number of roses, and keep in mind, I doubt one person could make one in a timely manner to keep it fresh and stable. Last one we did, took 3 designers over 5 hours to make start to finish, but that was with 20 Catalaya Orchids, 250 Gardenias, 15 bunches of Tree Fern and more... didn't take pictures back then... wish I had...
 
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same here, probably haven't done one in 19 or 20 years, but, Linda's advice is sound, the "wet batting" is a bad idea, way too heavy, get as much "coverage" as possible with least amount of product, and really tight spacing is not necessary. Do NOT use the "pan melt" we HAVE "experimented" with spray adhesives, but, good ol' "dab glue" works the best
It's a ton of work,and a ton of product, charge accordingly based on size, and product used, BUT, DON'T be afraid to charge accordingly either!
 
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Once she quotes a price...hopefully 5 grand or so, they may be willing to let her use a double casket saddle with the roses inserted as low and flat as possible for a similar affect and a fraction of the labor/price. I did a double with all white roses last year that was well received by the people who at first wanted a blanket.
 
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