Natural Branches: Consistently Inconsistent!
When purchasing natural branches such as Manzanita, Curly Willow and
Birch, keep in mind that they are unlike other decorative branches used
for floral design. Each one is an individual shape and sculpture, and
may take on a variety of shapes and variations. Manzanita is cannot be
reshaped like Curly Willow, and is quite strong. Most professional
centerpieces are created using several branches to achieve a full look,
so always consider purchasing additional pieces or fillers. This needs
to be a first consideration when purchasing your branches.
It's best to order your branches all at once. If you place an order today, and another order in a week, you will nearly always see a difference in the product. This is because the harvest areas change every 2-4 days, resulting in changes in the harvested product. No two harvests are ever the same.
The following characteristics of manzanita branches are naturally occurring, and are a part of working with the material.
Characteristics of Natural (red) Manzanita:
- Shape: shapes vary with each piece, harvest area, and time of year. Manzanita always grows wide and flat rather than symmetrically.
- Branches: branches can vary greatly in diameter with each piece.
- Size: sizes are approximate and vary with each piece, harvest area, and time of year.
- Bark: color and condition of the bark will vary with each season, harvest area and time of year. Spring through Summer (six month period), Manzanita bark will regenerate and peeling will take place. To remove loose or peeling bark, use a soft brush. For stubborn areas, use a light wire brush. Touch up with floral paint, such as Design Master's "October Brown" floral paint available at Michael's Crafts. Our staff will often color treat pieces before they are shipped in some cases.
- Age: Manzanita branches will last indefinitely (we have centerpieces in our showroom that are several years old). Cracks and splits will occur as the wood naturally cures, however this will not cause them to break in half, fall apart, etc. Using the floral paint mentioned above to add color into the spliting areas makes them practically non-noticeable.
- Leaves: leaves are mechanically or manually removed, depending on the current season, harvest or time of year.
Characteristics of Sandblasted Manzanita:
- Shape: shapes vary with each piece, harvest area, and time of year.
- Branches: Sandblasting removes 20% to 30% of the smaller branches, and the branches are sparse as a result. Remnants of the bark are sometimes visible, although the finished color is mostly ivory.
- Size: sizes are approximate and vary with each piece, harvest area, and time of year.
- Bark: the natural red bark is removed in the sandblasting process, leaving the ivory wood exposed. The ivory color may appear in different shades depending on the piece, harvest area, and time of year. Freshly sandblasted branches may have a bright honeydew shade, which is a remnant of the red bark, and dissipates to ivory usually within days. Brown or reddish grains and ribbons may or may not appear in each individual piece, depending on the particular characteristics of each piece.
- Age: Manzanita branches last indefinitely. Cracks and splits will occur as the wood naturally cures, however this will not cause them to break in half, fall apart, etc.
- Leaves: leaves are mechanically or manually removed, depending on the current season, harvest or time of year.
Characteristics of Curly Willow:
- Shape: shapes vary with each piece, harvest, and time of year.
- Branch Color: colors range from golden, reddish, to light green, depending on the current supply and time of year
- Size: sizes are approximate and vary with each piece, harvest, and time of year.
- Bark: Curly Willow material ususally ships fresh, and can arrive either fresh, semi-dried or completely dried.
- Leaves: leaves are mechanically or manually removed, depending on the current season, harvest or time of year.
- Adornments: Curly Willow is NOT SUITABLE for hanging votive candles. Use manzanita instead.
Characteristics of Birch Branches:
- Shape: Birch branches and trees are a larger diameter on the bottom, and taper to a small diameter tip on the top.
- Branch Color: colors range from ash white or brown at the bottom to a dark brown to reddish brown at the top, depending on the current supply and time of year.
- Size: sizes are approximate and vary with each piece, harvest, and time of year.
- Bark: Birch bark can be pealing or smooth, depending on the current harvest and time of year.
- Leaves: leaves are mechanically or manually removed, depending on the current season, harvest or time of year.
- Adornments: Birch trees are suitable for hanging adornments, while birch branches are sometimes too vertical to hang items from. Flowers, either fresh or silk, work well with all birch branches.
Manzanita Filler Pieces
Filler pieces are perfect for helping a centepiece to appear fuller. They are not intended to be used in place of our regular stock manzanita branches. There are intended to be used as filler, which means they can be added to existing centerpieces to make them appear fuller. They can be cut and trimmed to achieve this goal. In some cases, they can be combined with other filler pieces to create a centerpiece, but this is not the intended use. Once again, they are intended to be used as filler, without exception.
Branches or Containers: Which Comes First?
It's always recommended to purchase your branches first. Because of the individual characteristics of each piece, especially Manzanita, it's wise to purchase containers to fit the branches that you have. Some branches may be wider at the base than others, so containers may need to be wider or narrower to accommodate the natural inconsistency of Manzanita. Click here for instructions for a common method on standing your branches in a vase (one of several methods). The vases that are available on our website are especially selected for use with branches, and are good choices for your centerpieces.
Unpacking Manzanita Branches
Manzanita is by far the hardest product to ship. This is due to the varying sizes and shapes of each individual branch. When boxed for shipping, many of the branches may "hook" together, and may be a challenge to unpack. To separate branches with the least amount of problems, use the following technique:
Holding a branch in each hand, gently and slowly rotate each branch in opposite directions and gently work them apart. Do not twist each branch too far, or breakage may occur. Our shipping department uses this technique all day long, and it is extremely effective!
Designing Manzanita Branch Centerpieces
There are literally thousands of photos of Manzanita displays and centerpieces on the Internet, in addition to the ones on our website at Blooms and Branches. The most beautiful pieces photographed are nearly all created by professional florists and consist of 2 or more branches if the centerpiece is full and symmetrical looking. While creating centerpieces is not extremely difficult, it can be quite time consuming and does require creativity on the part of the purchaser. Blooms and Branches is a provider of raw materials, and does not provide design services or instruction. Be ready to be creative, and have fun!
Curly Willow Branches
Curly willow ships fresh, and dries out quickly. To restore flexibility to dried branches, soak fully immersed in water for 1 to 2 hours. They can be shaped more easily, and can be generally re-shaped and left to dry. When dried, Curly Willow will often change to a darker color. Color can be altered using floral paint, available at craft stores such as Michael's Crafts. Look for Design Master paint, available in many natural colors. Curly Willow is a fresh floral item, and as with all fresh floral items it cannot be returned. All sales are final.
Hanging Crystals, Attaching Flowers (real or artificial)
How many branches should you purchase if you are hanging crystals and attaching flowers? It depends on the look you are trying to achieve. Most branches fill up pretty quickly with few ornaments, but it's truly a matter of taste. The best answer is to start early creating your pieces (not a week before the event), in case you need extra pieces- and better yet, be sure to order additional pieces to save on shipping and time! Please note that Manzanita (size 18"-24" and up) is the ultimate for hanging crystals and flowers, however Curly Willow is not suitable in most cases.
Our Product Photos: Manzanita
Each piece of Manzanita is an individual sculpture and may take on a variety of shapes and variations. Our product photos of Manzanita are of random pieces, and do not in any way represent the best piece or the worst piece available. They are are a fair and reasonable representation of Manzanita branches in general. The product photo that you see for each product is not the actual piece shipped.
Custom Orders: Orders consisting of over 100 pieces, or a large
order of one particular product with a total of over $500.00, or include
items that are off catalog, are considered a custom order. Custom
orders require a non-refundable pre-payment before harvesting and/or fulfillment commences.
Requesting Certain Types of Branches
Our checkout system allows the purchaser to include Special Instructions during checkout. The box is aptly named "Special Instructions", and you can use this box to let us know the type or shape of branches you are looking for. While each piece is indeed unique, we will do our best to pick pieces that will best match your description or the intended usage.
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