Christmas Information 2021

The evenings are getting shorter, the trees are shedding their leaves, the rain is getting heavier and the cold, south westerly winds are coming in from the Atlantic Ocean.

Over here, in South West Ireland this means it’s time to dust off the ski jacket, dig out the woolly hat and start knuckling down for the Christmas rush. 

Christmas is by far our busiest peak with over 60% of our yearly turnover in November/ December. Our range is probably at its best at this time of year as it has hardened off fully after the extra long growing season we have down here. It’s also before the really hard winds in January and February start to do a little bit of damage.

I thought I would take this opportunity to run through some of the frequently asked questions we get about our Christmas range…

 

We make all our wreaths on a wire clamp ring system. This is very different to the typical straw based wreath, but we find that it gives much more uniformity when producing on a large scale.

When we sell our wreaths, we talk about the wreath frame size.

The picture above is of a 10” wreath frame. You can tell the size of the frame by counting the number of clamps on the ring.

 

Our most asked question is “What is the finished size of the wreath once the foliage is applied?” So here you go!

10” - 45-50cm
12” - 50-55cm
14” - 55-60cm
18” - 70-75cm
24” - 90-100cm

All wreaths are made by hand.

 

This is the million dollar question and there is no right answer. If stored out in a field then the wreaths will last until Mother’s Day. If they are stored in a hot sitting room then they will drive out within a week. I would suggest the following:

• Order your wreaths in batches rather than one big lot. 
• Store them outside, away from direct sunlight and wind. Heat is obviously not good for wreaths but strong winds will dry out the foliage too. Ideally, store them on a sheet of plastic in a dark damp part of the garden.
• If you feel they are a little dry then they will enjoy a light spray of water.

Most of our wreaths are supplied as plain noble fir wreaths. Noble fir is a fantastic, long lasting Christmas foliage and a great base for florists to add to with their creative minds and fingers.

We also supply a mix of Noble fir and Pine wreath, and a mixed of Noble Fir, Pine and Sussex Silver.

Other options are available upon request.

 

Our Christmas Garlands are sold in 6 foot sections. 

The garlands are easy to wire together using florist wire and easy to cut if you require smaller sections

We have 4 types of garland:

Plain Noble Fir
Noble Fir and Pine mixed
Noble Fir, Pine, Scented Eucalyptus and Sussex Silver

They follow the same guidelines as the wreaths in terms of lasting. Typical width is 20-25cm but again, they can be made heavier if needed.

 

We supply Noble Fir in Bundles of 10 stems and we put 3 bundles in a cardboard box for transport. 

Each stem is between 60-80cm. The grading is not as tight on these bundles as our other foliages but all stems are usable.

The industry norm in Holland is selling it in 5kg bundles but we feel that could be a mix of any number of stems and probably a lot of timber in some cases to get the weight up!

Because of our climate the foliage does not have the absolute premium blue colour and is probably more of a green blue colour which may not be suitable for all.

Again, please store this outside but away from direct sunlight and wind. That damp corner of your garden is perfect!

 

We also supply beautiful Lodgepole Pine which is a great foliage to give bulk, scent and Christmas texture to hand tied bouquets and arrangements. Hemlock is a softer, finer foliage and Olearia is a foliage we grow as a holly substitute. It looks like holly but doesn’t have the spikes or questionable vase life!

This year we have introduced a new product. Graded 60-65cm stems of Nobilis Fir which are pre-cleaned and perfect for use in hand tied bouquets when time is of the essence!

Other products such as the grey Sussex Silver or the yellow Cuppressus are also really long lasting and inject some winter colour.

 

Our painted Birch twigs at 90cm in length are long lasting. Ideal for corporate work, or in retail. Bunch the twigs as they are or split them up to add to arrangements.

We paint all the foliage here in Kerry which saves 2-3 days on vase life compared to our competition. The Sussex Silver and Goldcrest last for weeks if you require a long life foliage painted in a particular colour.

 

Please give us as much notice as possible.  We have bought in a lot of wreath frames but once they are gone, they are gone as they come from the other side of the world! 

For large orders please give us  2-3 weeks notice to guarantee supply.

We send all orders via DPD couriers and recommend you give you a minimum of 1 week’s notice for smaller orders. 

UK customers, delivery is available on Tuesday and Thursday only. 

Irish customers, delivery is available Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

You will receive a tracking number for your order once it has been dispatched and you will be contacted with an estimated delivery time on the morning of delivery.

 

Our website will have the most up to date information on product availability. It will know more than I will! If you have a special query then please email us at enquiries@irishgreenguys.com 

Phone coverage will be patchy on the mountains and we will to get back to you in the evenings.

I am looking forward to working flat out over the next 2 months to deliver high quality foliage to as many of you as possible!

Best of luck,

James

I might be smiling now…