Your Flower of the Month bouquet features a collection of vibrant Hawaiian-grown tropical foliage highlighted by colorful exotic flowers. These jewels of nature were originally brought to the Hawaiian islands from far and wide, and today they flourish in their Hawaiian home.
The foliage centers around a stem of Song of India, whose scientific name is dracaena reflexa, a species of dracaena native to Madagascar and Mauritius, and other nearby islands of the Indian Ocean. (As a hardy decorative houseplant, it was formerly called Pleomele reflexa.)
The other piece of unique foliage is a stem of Phoenix Palm, a genus of the 14 species of palm native to both the Canary Islands and northern Africa. This is a tropical palm with green crownshaft and pinnate leaves, meaning the leaves are arranged on both sides of the stem in orderly pairs.
Focal points of this breathtaking bouquet include colorful flowers that also have their ancient roots in foreign soil but now prosper in Hawaii. Included are unique hybrids of Anthurium, Andreanum and Amnicola which both originated in Jamaica, brought to Hawaii and nurtured and hybridized by early Japanese laborers who came to the islands to work on the plantations.
Additionally, we have included stems of Heliconia called Tropic Fleur, which is native to both Central and South America.
When displayed as a unit, these spectacular pieces will bring beautiful colors and texture to your home, replacing the dark days of winter with the splendor and warmth that Spring brings to us all!
If you are aware of the ill health of the Phoenix Palm, please note that this refers to the Texas Phoenix Palm which is struggling to flourish in Florida, not in our Lone Star State of Texas. The decline is caused by a phytoplasma, thought to be spread by insects, namely Planthoppers, Psyllids and Treehoppers. The Phoenix Palm in this month’s shipment is of a totally different branch of the Phoenix Palm family tree.
SPECIAL CARE & HANDLING OF YOUR SPRING SPLENDOR BOUQUET
1) Your favorite Flower of the Month Club recommends immersing all components in your shipment in room temperature water for about five minutes to take the chill out.
2) Before arranging, remove all foliage that will fall below the water line of the vase. Cut off about one-quarter of an inch from each stem, being careful to avoid damage. Use a very sharp knife, with the angled cut made under running water or submerged in water.
3) Please add the enclosed flower food to the vase water before adding the stems. In all cases, the water should be rather cool, a slightly higher temperature than your own body temperature. For longest vase life, replace the water every two to three days, and re-cut all stems.
4) If a stem appears to need a little lift, revive it by recutting the stem (again, under warm water), and then laying the entire flower in that same warm water. When revived (about thirty minutes), you can return it to your arrangement.
5) Keep flowers away from drafts and all sources of heat,especially heating ducts. Do not refrigerate. Most flowers prefer a cool, dark environment at night.
