Flower Power

Ahh! the smell of roses,the colorful pallettes of mums and imported blooms, greeneries of various species... floral foam, aha! chicken wires, strings, laces? well you guessed it right! the popular flower market in Manila as many flower shop owners have already coined it 'Dangwa'(the name came from bus line terminals near Dimasalang).

I was an AB Sociology student of the University of Santo Tomas when i was elected as an officer in charge of organizing mass every month, and it was my first time to be in Dangwa since i would be needing flowers for offering and it was open 24 hours! and what's more amazing is that you could haggle for price like if it is off season, you could buy a two dozen of short-stemmed rose for Php25.00 and many flower shops I know will charge you P250 per flower arrangement depending on the artistry of the florist.
so if you want to get into flower business here's a simple tip:

Flower Business:
To be in this business you need to set a budget on flower stand flower containers, boxes, baskets, laces, Wrappers which can be purchased in Divisoria in Tabora St.
but if you have no idea how this business works it is best to ask someone you know who owned a flower shop or better yet take a seminar on flower arrangements. You could search the web for trainings since this business sells artistry of the florist,
creativity and uniqueness of your arrangements will be your ultimate marketing tool.
You will need too look for a location near universities, church, hospitals and make sure that your location is visible and accessible with lots of foot traffic.
Try to practice your creativity at home but i will give you some basic Flower arrangement:

Buying tips:

1. Buy flowers in Dangwa wednesday night or Friday nigh so you could get the freshest flowers.
2. Canvassing of price is important to get the cheapest yet freshest flowers try to haggle in every flower stand in Dangwa.
3. to check if a bunch of roses are fresh, the buds should still be firm when pressed, mums' middle section of the bud should be light green and leaves are still green and stems are long and green.
foliage are available make sure to check the leaves does not easily fall off from the branches. you will need to buy asters, baby's breath as fillers to your arrangements and flower foam. you will need cutter, pair of scissors, bucket of water, vase or pots.

Steps:
1. Drop flower foam to the bucket of water and let it sink( don't force it to sink or else water will not be fully absorbed by the foam.)you willl notice that bubbles come out as the foam sinks when there is no more bubbles then it is time to remove the foam from the bucket.

2. Cut the floral foam an inch higher than the vase, it should fit the vase well in order to secure the flower arrangement.

3. Start with fillers meaning covering the entire floral foam with foliage like asparagus leaves or any small leaves cutting the stem and inserting it to the foam.

4. cut the stem of the roses to desired height then insert it to floral foam alternately not too close then you can add another flower like mums with color that matches your design.

5. For finishing touches add baby's breath alternately around the flowers to soften the arrangement and spray it with water.

You will need a lot of practice to hone your creativity, for me the best way is to sell flowers during valentine's day because on the spot you will arrange flowers.
During peak season the prices of flowers rise so you have a better chance to earn
back your investment for example: Flower arrangement cost=500 x 2= 1000(selling price).

the best source of flower accessories like ribbons,laces,paper towel, cellopanes is still Divisoria in Tabora Street.