Monica MacCracken: 3 Floral Design Tips From Monica’s Floral Designs

written by: Zanne Lamb-Hunt

Monica grew up in Damascus, attended High School there and now resides in Walkersville with her husband of 25 years. She is the owner of Monica’s Floral Designs and has been providing wedding flowers to Frederick, Maryland and the surrounding areas since 1987.

Monica Shares 3 Floral Design Tips To Get The Most From Your Flowers

1. Prolong Your Tulips For a Penny!

No, it’s not your imagination or your eyes playing tricks on you. Tulips really do continue growing after being cut. In fact they’ll grow up to an inch or more! Keep them looking the way you want them to look for a much longer period of time by delaying the process.

“A lot of times, when you put tulips in water, they’ve popped wide open within a day and they’re not as pretty any more. If you drop a penny in the water, it keeps the tulips from opening up and continuously growing.”

2. Revitalize Your Hydrangeas With A Super Soak

Such beautiful, full blossoms – if only they could last for more than a day or so. Well, they can! Don’t toss them out when they first appear to be wilted. Just cut a little bit from the ends of the stems, fill a bucket with warm water and rehydrate your hydrangeas.

Don’t be shy about it. “Completely submerge the entire hydrangea – the stem, the head of it, everything! – upside down in the bucket of warm water. Leave it in there for a couple of hours.” Be prepared to witness a remarkable difference!

Hydrangeas can take up water through their petals, as well as through their stems! “When you come back, pull the hydrangea up, shake off the excess water and it’s rehydrated. It’ll look as fresh as if you cut it off the plant that minute! You can put it back into a vase for a decoration or into a bridal bouquet.”

3. Get The Textured Look In Your Bouquet For Less Money

It’s definitely possible to get the trendy textured look without breaking the budget or the bank! Once you know how your floral selections factor into the final cost, it’s easier to stay within your ideal price range.

“A lot of times, brides see beautiful displays of flowers with an abundance of different varieties. For texture in a bouquet, that looks great. If you’re working on a budget, you can still get that general look but stick to just choosing three different types of flowers instead of five or ten different flowers.”

Monica shares how this can make a huge difference in the ultimate price. “Florists have to order in quantity. If we keep the amounts down to three or four varieties, it helps cut on cost. The cost trickles down to the customer, so that’s a big bonus.

Monica stepped into the world of floral design when she was a teenager in her hometown of Damascus. Her mother decided it was time for Monica to get her first job and she walked her daughter over to a friend’s nearby flower shop. At just 14, she was put to work and learned about the floral business from the ground up.

“I started out sweeping floors, putting away the flowers that would come in, pricing things, generally keeping everything clean and taking out the trash.” She remained employed there all through high school. “The more I was there, the more interested I became in designing.”

A First Job As A Teen Leads To Business Ownership As An Adult

Monica was fortunate to have employers who were willing to teach her about floral design. Eventually, she was creating arrangements on her own for retail sale in their shop.

“When the weddings would come around, I’d really like that the most. I would make some of the bouquets.” Today, decades later, Monica is answering the call for beautiful arrangements and bouquets from her own shop – Monica’s Floral Designs!

Becoming her own boss took a giant leap of faith. What advice would she give herself if she could go back in time? “Go for it. Don’t hesitate. It’s going to be okay.”

“There was a lot to learn, especially with taxes and the business aspect of it but I wish I’d done it sooner.” Why? “Because, I thoroughly enjoy being my own business owner.”

Today, Monica equates learning to be an entrepreneur with learning to ride a bike. “Once you learn, you never forget.” That applies to life, the floral business and any business! “It’s scary at first but the more you keep trying and the more you keep working, the better you get at it.”

Turning A Dream Into Reality With The Help Of Pinterest

Still loving to work with brides, she’s well aware of what it takes to make the vision of that special day become a reality. The biggest challenge for Monica is to stay within the selected color scheme.

“When I order the flowers, I need them to come in fresh, looking good and in the right colors.” So, what can possibly go wrong? “You’re dealing with nature, so a lot of flowers have variations. You want it to be what the bride’s vision is.”

Pinterest makes that vision extremely clear. “Brides have really accessed this. It’s a visual site where they know they have something in mind – they want it to come to life! On Pinterest, they can scroll through, pin, make a board and then they can share the board with anyone.”

There’s also the option to block viewers. “There’s a privacy app that they can click. They can share that board with me, so we can see what kind of flowers they want but the guests are still surprised.”

“I can see the brides’ entire vision…not just the flowers, but the look they’re creating for their wedding. It puts everyone on the same page.”

To share your Pinterest wedding board with Monica or to consult with her about turning your floral dreams into a reality, get in touch today!

Facebook/Monica’s Floral Designs
301-639-2272

Content Provided by Frederick Advice Givers Podcast #18