Over the course of the last few thousand years, the art of flower-arranging has come so far, it almost seems like there’s nowhere left for it to go. But thanks to a burgeoning popular acceptance of cannabis, there’s an entirely new way to decorate with “flower,” and one SoCal-based wholesale cannabis delivery company wants to help show you how.
To understand the state of flower-arranging today, we need to look to the past. The recorded history of flower arranging extends as far back as 2,500 BCE, when ancient Egyptians used bouquets to decorate dinner tables and honor departed loved ones, not unlike today. Later, the Greeks and Romans also showed an affection for flower-arranging, and were especially partial to unconventional plant material such as acorns, ivy, parsley, and the ubiquitous laurel leaves, which continues to bring to mind athletic competitions and film festivals alike.
Meanwhile, flower-arranging became a big part of the culture in ancient China, specifically in the worlds of religion and medicine. Buddhists were squeamish about ending the lives of growing things, but various seed-bearing plants still held different symbolic meanings and were often depicted in paintings and carvings. The Byzantine Empire saw the introduction of ribbons to complement increasingly artful floral displays, while ikebana — the Japanese art of flower arrangement — became popular beginning in the 7th century, and there are still more than 1000 different schools of ikebana today.
Monks in the Middle Ages loved gardens, and flowers started to make their way into European books and artwork about a thousand years ago. Flower-arranging in Europe really took off during the Renaissance, and became increasingly visible through the Baroque period, becoming a full-fledged phenomenon during the Victorian era. The 20th century brought us florists who deliver, and a result, giving flowers has become one of the biggest symbols of appreciation and affection in contemporary society ever since.
Today, however, it seems like the art of flower-arranging is undergoing a crisis. How is it even possible to improve upon a classic? Plastic flowers don’t cut it, but live flower arrangements still feel inherently ephemeral, as all flowers die in the end. So it seems especially necessary to make flower arrangements even more special right now. Enter Flower Co., which on top of being a wholesale cannabis delivery company, wants to revitalize the somewhat stagnating art of flower-arranging by introducing “flower” of another kind and making bud part of the bouquet, and anyone can do it. Here’s what we learned at a recent workshop at Le Petit Garden in Los Angeles.
Start with making a tic-tac-toe type grid on the open part of a vase with simple clear tape. Then, cut down the stems of the flowers with pruning scissors. This ensures that the stems are all the proper length for the vase, and that there aren’t any leafy bits left to muddy up the water. Next, place different flowers in the various slots of the makeshift grid so they stand upright without caving into the vase. Finally, take a few floral picks (the long, thin things that hold cards in traditional arrangements) and insert a joint into each one. The result? A gorgeous handcrafted bouquet that can also get you high.
If all that sounds too involved, Flower Co. is making cannabis bouquet kits that are “specifically designed to elevate any floral arrangement with an artistic assortment of joints.” Each kit includes a wooden box, glass vase, six joint holders, a to/from tag and a letterpress card — all for $20 or $40 for non-members. Right now the service is available in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with the potential to blossom in other parts of the country, too.
Given the long history of flower-arranging, it’s not only important to keep the practice alive and thriving, but to redefine altogether. Putting flower in your flowers truly makes for a next-level bouquet.
Hence proved that Cannabis plants and flowers are beneficial for all purpose 🙂