So, I googled the term Bouquet Maker. Am I misunderstanding something? Am I confused? Well, obviously I am confused/curious because I would not have otherwise have felt the need to google. Eh?

Bouquet Maker

Assemble; arrange floral bouquets in a production environment. Prior floral experience preferred, but employer willing to train the right applicant. Focus on speed and accuracy, piecework bonus above minimum production rate.

Must be able to stand for long periods of time on the production line.

Trish - sorry to confuse you! 'Bouquet maker' is a term frequently used in this region describing businesses that strictly assemble and market bouquets. They do not grow anything themselves. You might call them wholesale florists - but I'm just guessing! Eh!

hvander,
I understood what you meant by bouquet maker. I have a few friends in Ecuador that are growers and they have seperate companies that are now doing this. More and more retail shops and grocery stores want them that way.

Back to your question though. Salvia, Artemisia , Basil and Eragrostis get pretty big. I would use at least 9" or 12" spacing. Nigella would be good on 6", they will get taller.

Good luck.

Bryan

I space Cramer's Yardstick at least a foot apart. Eighteen inches is even better. At a foot apart, the branches sometimes become skimpy-looking as they stretch out for the sun. If you keep them cut, they won't have to compete as much and will do better.

Did the bouquet-makers already agree to buy artemisia? It has some wilting problems. First, it always wilts when cut, but perks back up in water (or preservative) if cut directly into the water (or preservative) AND put in a cool place for a couple of hours. Also, the cuts wilt horribly in hot weather, no matter what they're in. They perk back up then too, if put in a cool, shady place, even if they were so limp you're just sure they're dead. The problem is that customers hesitate to buy a bouquet with horribly wilted stems. The bouquet makers could be very unhappy with it if they sell bouquets outdoors in the summer. If they specifically requested it, and have agreed to buy it, that's great, grow it! I certainly used it, but not when market day was expected to be hot. I've pulled it out of too many bouquets at the market on hot days to want to bother even cutting it when it's going to be hot. I used plenty of it on cooler days with no hesitation. I've heard that once the branches bloom, they are less wilt-prone, but I don't use them that way. The pollen the tiny, almost-invisible flowers drop makes too much of a mess for me. I've seen the flowering branches in many dried arrangements, so apparently they dry well.

Jeanne

Henry,
You do realize I was only trying to give you a hard time. In good fun always.....

Anyway, regarding the spacing:

Nigella, Salvia, Basil should be spaced 6" apart with 4 rows to the bed.
Artemisia and Ruby Silk are planted 12" apart, with 4 rows to the bed.

You only want to plant 4 rows to the bed because the plants need good airflow. If you have some of the Hortonova support netting, you can lay this on the bed, and use the grid for proper spacing. This has always worked best for us.

And, of course, we've already discussed post harvest conditioning of the flowers. The salvia, basil, artemisia are especially going to need the hydrating solution we talked about in another thread. The artemisia is fine after proper hydrating. We have never had a problem with it; and, we live in an area of high humidity during the growing season. If you need the exact names of the hydrating and preservative products, you can email me for that information.

Trish

Trish...your 'eh' gave it away! No worries! However, I know there are words and/or phrases that are used differently from region to region - especially in Michigan! :) (I lived in GR for a few years in the late '80s.)
Back to your recommendation - you suggested that Basil, Nigella and Salvia be planted 6" apart with 4 rows to a bed. I'm wondering why you don't use 48" beds for these varieties?

We do use 48" beds Henry. Here in Michigan 48" equals 4 feet. This is the side bed you mentioned you were using in your first post!!! The Hortonova support netting also comes 48" wide.

With a last name of Vander-something, you would perhaps feel quite at home in Grand Rapids, Holland, Zeeland,
Grand Haven, Kalamazoo, Portage..........

Trish

Thanks Trish for the 'Imperial' refresher. We went metric 30 or more years ago!

Anyway...in your previous reply you wrote: "Nigella, Salvia, Basil should be spaced 6" apart with 4 rows to the bed." Now, this is my turn to be confused. 'Cause here in Ontario, that makes 2ft beds not 4ft. Just want to make sure we're on the same page!

Henry,
I was talking about length of the bed -- not width. Our rows are usually 100' long. If you use the Hortonova support netting which has 6" squares, you would plant Nigella, Salvia and Basil in each square the length of the bed (100') To start the next row, you skip one square over, and start the next row. This actually gives 12" between the rows. You need this spacing for airflow for the plants. So, you would plant 4 rows the length of the bed. In a 100' bed, you would have 800 plants with a 6" spacing down the length of the bed. In a 100' bed, you would have 400 plants with the Ruby Silk and Artemisia which you would plant 12" apart.

Trish

Thanks Trish. I appreciate the detailed reply as always!