Name a Song with the Word "NICE" in the Title or Lyrics

Name a song that you like with the word "NICE" in the title or lyrics.

First, make sure you're registered for this contest! Then tell us a song that you like with the word "NICE" in the title or lyrics as a blog comment below. Each week we're giving away FOUR ORCHIDS! TWO orchids to a random registrant and TWO orchids to a random weekly participant. Each winner will have one to keep and one to give away to someone "Nice"!

Hint: Follow Just Add Ice ORCHIDS on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date information about this contest including announcements of winners!

Phalaenopsis Orchids Add Elegance to Candlestick Centerpiece

We’ve been sharing floral design tips from Cleveland, Ohio wedding and event planner Stephen Tokar. Today, we show you how to create a candlestick centerpiece that is as stunning as it is quick and easy to put together. Just Add Ice Orchids are the key to the centerpiece’s beauty and simple construction. Tokar’s floral table decorations were featured on Cleveland’s WKYC-TV. Click here to watch the video; then follow the instructions below to create your own fabulous floral centerpieces for parties, events or weddings.

Orchid Candlestick Centerpiece

To decorate for a wedding or event, place a single candlestick in the center of each round table or display in groups of 3 on longer tables and buffet or serving tables.

You will need:

• 1 clear glass pillar-style candlestick per table
• 1 potted Just Add Ice Orchid for each candlestick
• Floral moss
• Clear plastic tape, 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide

Directions:

• Select clear, glass candlesticks made to hold 3-inch diameter pillar candles. Candlesticks that have a cup-like holder for the candle are preferred as they provide a secure and adequately-supported place to put the orchid. Candlesticks with a tall stem make a particularly attractive display. If grouping several orchids together, consider selecting candlesticks of varying heights. If sturdy enough to take the weight of the orchid without falling over, decorative stemware can be substituted.
• Remove the orchid from its clear grower pot. Gently grasp the plant under the leaves and pull gently from the pot. If the orchid sticks, run a blunt knife carefully around the inside edge of the grower pot to loosen the roots, being careful not to cut into the roots. Save the grower and decorative pots so you can replant the orchids after the event.
• Gently brush excess potting mix from the roots.
• Place the orchid in the candle receptacle.
• Add moss to the receptacle to cover the roots.
• Secure the orchid and moss to the candle receptacle with at least two strips of clear plastic tape. Place the tape under the orchid’s leaves, crossing it over the roots and moss in an “X” to hold the orchid securely in place. Use additional strips of tape if necessary.

How to Make Stunning Centerpieces Using Phalaenopsis Orchids

In our previous post, we shared floral design tips from well-known Cleveland, Ohio wedding and event planner Stephen Tokar. As featured on Cleveland’s WKYC-TV, Tokar shared tips for creating stunning floral centerpieces using Just Add Ice Orchids and items purchased at a hardware store. Click here to watch the video; then follow the instructions below to create your own fabulous floral centerpieces for parties, events or weddings. While Tokar used several types of flowers, we have adapted his ideas for use with Just Add Ice Orchids.

Dish of Floating Orchids and Candles

You will need:

• 1 stem of Just Add Ice Orchids
• 3 round floating candles, 3 inches in diameter
• 1 large, shallow clear glass dish, approximately 12 inches in diameter by 3 inches deep
• 1 can spray paint, any color
• 1 roll bleed-proof painters’ tape, 1 inch wide
• 1 small tree branch about 15 inches long
• Newspaper

Directions:

1. Apply painters’ tape around the inside top edge of the glass dish.
2. Lay the dish on several sheets of newspaper and spray paint the inside of the dish. When the paint is dry, remove the tape. You’ll have a painted dish with a clear top edge.
3. Choose a tree branch with a V shade and interesting protruding twigs.
4. Place candles and tree branch on newspaper. Spray paint each object, applying paint in several light coats to prevent paint drips. When dry, flip and paint other side and allow to dry thoroughly.
5. Cut 1 stem from your Just Add Ice Orchid plant. Look for a stem with at least 3 large blooms or 5 smaller blooms. Use a second stem if necessary.
6. To assemble the arrangement: Fill the dish with water to the top of the painted area. Lay the orchid stem on top of the water so that the flowers curve along the left side of the dish. You may have to trim the stem to create the desired curve. Trim off any excess stem.
7. Balance the tree branch on top of the dish with the V over the water.
8. Float the candles in the middle of the dish in the V of the branch.

Event Planner Chooses Just Add Ice Orchids as Party Centerpiece

Noted Cleveland, Ohio wedding and event planner Stephen Tokar recommended using Just Add Ice Orchids when you need to quickly pull together decorations for an elegant event. Showcased on a WKYC Cleveland television segment featuring last-minute decorating tips for New Year’s Eve parties, Tokar noted that Just Add Ice Orchids are his first choice for “instant” event décor. The stunning beauty and wide color range of Just Add Ice Orchids allows them to be brought home and immediately placed on the table without additional adornment, creating an instant centerpiece that will win you rave reviews from your guests.

Tokar said he uses floral centerpieces at events to draw attention to the table and the food. When planning weddings, Tokar often uses flowers and a single, strong color to create a cohesive theme. Glossy black vases are used to create a rich, handsome anchor for the thematic color with a touch of gold or silver adding a bit of sparkle to the finished creation. To ensure perfect color matching, Tokar uses spray paint to color candles, decorative branches, floral containers and glass bowls.

To emphasize how easy it is to create event centerpieces that are quick, easy, affordable and elegant, Tokar combined a little creativity with a few found objects and items purchased during a single trip to a local hardware store, including the Just Add Ice Orchids featured in his floral creations. He said it took him about an hour to create the three stunning floral centerpieces demonstrated during the program, any of which could easily be used to dress up a wedding or special event. Click here to watch the video clip.

Stay tuned! We’ll provide you with how-to instructions next time.

Describe a N-I-C-E Person in Your Life!

Using the letters from the word “N-I-C-E” as an acronym, describe a nice person in your life in four words! (example: N-nurturing, I-innovative, C-creative, E-enthusiatic)

First, make sure you're registered for this contest! Then tell us how you would describe a nice person in your life in four words as a blog comment below. Each week we're giving away FOUR ORCHIDS! TWO orchids to a random registrant and TWO orchids to a random weekly participant. Each winner will have one to keep and one to give away to someone "Nice"!

Hint: Follow Just Add Ice ORCHIDS on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date information about this contest including announcements of winners!

How to Trigger Reblooming of Your Phalaenopsis Orchid

When your Just Add Ice Orchid stops blooming and enters dormancy, it is not dead. You can encourage your orchid to bloom again with just a little TLC. Phalaenopsis orchids rebloom on old spikes with a new stalk emerging from a triangular node along the stalk. To trigger the growth of a new stalk and reblooming, your Just Add Ice Orchid will need a little more attention than these easy-care orchids usually require. The thrill when your Just Add Ice Orchid blooms for a second time, however, makes the small investment in time and effort required to trigger orchid reblooming well worth the effort.

Phalaenopsis orchids expend a lot of energy to create the large, beautiful flowers for which they are prized. Under normal circumstances, your Just Add Ice Orchid will enter a resting period called dormancy once it has finished blooming. Dormancy allows the plant time to rest and replace the nutrients expended during blooming. Nutrients and water are stored in the plant’s leaves until they are needed for growth and blooming. Dormancy typically lasts from 6 to 9 months and your orchid may rebloom on its own as orchids do in nature. However, most display orchids need a little help activating the natural rhythm that leads to blooming.

To trigger orchid reblooming, follow these steps:

1. When your orchid stops blooming, begin fertilizing it every other week with a balanced houseplant fertilizer (20-20-20) mixed at half strength. Do not water your Just Add Ice Orchid with 3 ice cubes on the weeks you fertilize your plant.
2. Move your orchid to a cooler environment where nighttime temperatures are between 55 and 65 degree F. until a new flower spike emerges.
3. Return your plant to its usual location and continue watering with 3 ice cubes once a week.

Check our website and orchid care videos for more detailed instructions on orchid reblooming.

Photo credit: violet monde

Don’t Throw Out Your Orchid! It’s Not Dead!

When Just Add Ice Orchids stop blooming and enter a dormant state, many new Phalaenopsis orchid owners make the mistake of thinking their orchid has died and throw the plant away. Don’t! Your orchid is not dead! With a little rest and some tender loving care, your Just Add Ice Orchid will bloom again and again, providing you with years of pleasure.

Unlike many common houseplants that remain green and healthy-looking year round, orchids are more like the perennial flowers and bulbs in your outdoor garden. Just like other flowering plants, orchids must rest and replenish their energy between bloom periods. Producing flowers consumes tremendous energy, depleting the resources the plant uses to produce healthy new growth. The large, showy flowers your Just Add Ice Orchid produces and maintains week after week when your orchid is in full bloom eventually drain the plant of energy. When this occurs, the flowers will fade and fall off the stem. (Do not confuse this natural blossom drop with traumatic bud blast or flower blast which causes orchids to lose their buds or flowers suddenly and prematurely.)

The stem of your Just Add Ice orchid will become dry and shriveled. The plant’s leaves will also lose their bright luster and deep-green color and, while remaining green, will take on a dull and faded appearance. The plant’s leaves will also lose their perkiness and become limp and flat. All of this is normal. Your Just Add Ice Orchid is not dead! The plant is simply going through a natural period in its life cycle called dormancy. This dormant stage allows your Just Add Ice Orchid to rest and renew its energy before blooming again into a profusion of gorgeous new blossoms.

What is the Nicest Compliment You’ve Received?

What is the NICEst compliment you’ve received? Here’s your chance to brag!

First, make sure you're registered for this contest! Then tell us about the NICEst compliment you've received as a blog comment below. Each week we're giving away FOUR ORCHIDS! TWO orchids to a random registrant and TWO orchids to a random weekly participant. Each winner will have one to keep and one to give away to someone "Nice"!

Hint: Follow Just Add Ice ORCHIDS on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date information about this contest including announcements of winners!

Unusual Phalaenopsis Orchids Created by Hybridization

When you select a Just Add Ice Orchid for yourself or to give as a gift, have you ever wondered how a single variety of flower could be purchased in such an amazing range of beautiful colors? Do these unique plants sport such remarkable stripes and surprising spots in nature? Nature exhibits almost limitless diversity. In their native environments, Phalaenopsis orchids, for example, can be found in every color of the rainbow except true blue. Man’s imagination, however, often extends beyond what Mother Nature creates; and he must give nature a little nudge to bring his ideas to fruition. Many of the more unusual colors and extraordinary markings available on Just Add Ice Orchids today have been achieved through years of hybridization.

Hybridization is the process used by horticulturalists to create new varieties of plants, including Phalaenopsis orchids. By painstakingly cross-pollinating Phalaenopsis orchids that exhibit different desirable characteristics, horticulturalists are able, over time, to change the genetic makeup of an individual plant and produce a new orchid variety that exhibits the most desirable characteristics of both parent plants. In plant cultivation for both decorative and agricultural use, hybridization can be used to manipulate nearly every aspect of a plant’s characteristics and growth, including color, markings, size, scent, hardiness, nutrient level and yield.

Of course, cross-pollination also occurs in nature which accounts for the incredible 21,000 and 26,000 naturally-occurring orchid species native to our planet. Since the popularization of orchid cultivation in the 1800s, horticulturalists have used cross-pollination to add to nature’s bounty by creating more than 100,000 new orchid hybrids. The end result is an outstanding selection of Just Add Ice Orchids of nearly every imaginable color.

Photo by: anonymous to you

Low Winter Humidity Can Harm Just Add Ice Orchids

Phalaenopsis orchids are epiphytic plants, meaning that they grow on and are supported by another plant. In their natural tropical environment, these beautiful orchids attach themselves to the trunks and limbs of tall trees and are typically found growing high above the jungle floor. Unlike parasitic plant species, Phalaenopsis orchids do not rely on their host trees for nourishment. These orchids use their towering hosts to gain access to the humid but well-circulated air that floats above the densely-vegetated jungle floor, providing the ideal growing environment for these exquisite flowers.

Just Add Ice orchids thrive in humidity levels of between 55% and 75%. Unfortunately, naturally low winter humidity can frequently drop below these optimal levels, causing the emerging flowers or leaves of Just Add Ice Orchids to have a stunted or deformed appearance. Phalaenopsis orchids obtain the majority of their moisture requirements not from direct watering but from the moisture (i.e., humidity) in the air.

When humidity levels are insufficient to promote healthy orchid growth, Just Add Ice Orchid owners should use one of the following methods to raise winter humidity levels:

• During the day, run a humidifier in the same room in which you display your Just Add Ice Orchids. Limit humidifier use to daylight hours to allow excess moisture that may collect on orchid flowers or leaves to evaporate. Exposing Phalaenopsis orchids to excess moisture overnight can promote orchid diseases and the growth of fungus.
• If you have multiple orchids, create a more humid microclimate by grouping all of the plants together in a small space.
• Place orchid pots on shallow pebble-filled trays of water. The pebbles will keep orchid roots from coming into direct contact with the water.
• Run a small fan on low to keep humid air circulating.

For more tips on combating dry winter humidity, watch our orchid care video on Caring for Your Phalaenopsis Orchid in a Dry Environment.

Photo by: GollyGForce