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closeCheryl Jackson knows the power of flowers.
The florist wants to pass that knowledge along to others through a community education class she's co-teaching on May 31 at Whatcom Community College. "From Garden to Vase," aims to teach flower lovers how to cultivate their own cutting garden — courtesy of instructions from landscape design instructor Debra Olberg — and make their own floral arrangements. That's Jackson's role.
The Everson resident, who's been a florist for 29 years, talks to The Bellingham Herald about the class and other flower-related topics.
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IF YOU GO
What: "From Garden to Vase," a class that teaches how to create your own cutting garden as well as how to care for and showcase cut flowers.
Where: Cascade Hall, Room 163, at Whatcom Community College, 237 W. Kellogg Road in Bellingham.
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 31.
Cost: $39 per person.
You should bring … Flowers and foliage from your garden, pruning clippers and a sharp knife. Containers and other flowers will be provided. You'll create a pretty bouquet to take home. Bring a snack or sack lunch.
Sign up: Go online to www.whatcomcommunityed.com and click on "Register." Or call 647-3277 to register using a Visa or MasterCard.
Details: 647-3277 and www.whatcomcommunityed.com.
Who should take the class? "Anyone who enjoys gardening and wants to enjoy the fruits of their labor, indoors and outdoors. People who just want a better appreciation of flowers. Rather than sticking (flowers) in a Mason jar, come to class and learn how to make something really stunning out of something that you've grown."
How do you make flowers last? "One of the tricks of making flowers last longer in a vase is to make sure you can re-cut a stem," says Jackson, who owns Courtyard Gardens in Everson.
That's because bacteria starts to form at the end of stems as soon as they're cut, which makes it difficult for flowers to continue drawing water and nutrients. Re-cutting takes care of that problem, at least for a little while. Another option is to use Jackson's homemade flower food.
What's a common flower-arranging mistake? "The mistake that most people make is they just try to put their stems in perpendicular, just straight up and down. It makes it so that you don't have any control where the stems and flowers end up, so you get that columnar look."
To avoid that, Jackson will teach class-goers how to make what she calls an "armature," which involves placing stems so they form a sort of woven mass. That in turn allows for pleasing domes or other almost sculptural shapes to be formed.
Flower arranging as art: In addition to practical tips on caring for flowers, Jackson also will pass along design principles. "There are reasons why things are pleasing to us," she says.
Those concepts include focal point, movement, line — and color.
What about color? Working with them, for one.
Take yellow, for example. The color is an eye-catcher and not for the timid arranger.
"Yellow that's placed incorrectly will totally throw your design off. If you're not sure about yellow, use it with gusto. Put it in there and make it stand out for you. Other colors you can kind of fudge with," Jackson says.
If you see someone messing with a floral arrangement in a restaurant … you might be seeing Jackson in action. She can't help it, like a writer who can't help but see spelling mistakes jump out from signs or restaurant menus.
"I'm the one who goes into restaurants and rearranges their vases," the 52-year-old Jackson says laughing. She's good-natured about it, though.
"I get a lot of pleasure out of it. I like instructing and trying to impart knowledge to other people just so they can appreciate flowers more. Flowers by themselves are beautiful. I think everybody gets pleasure from it."
Planting seeds: "I want to turn people into flower lovers. I think it's good for the whole industry. If people have success with what they've grown or what they've bought … they're apt to repeat the process."
FLOWER FORMULA
Florist Cheryl Jackson says you can whip up your own flower potion using ingredients you have in your home. She says her formula has nearly the same chemical analysis as those found in the packets of white powder that often come with flower bouquets to help them last longer. To make your own combine:
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- ½ teaspoon of bleach Then pour into a quart of water.
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