Thursday, June 28, 2007

Opening Birch Branches



When Birch Branches are harvested, the branches are folded in and tied into tight bundles. This allows them to be easily shipped, not only because they take up much less space, but also because the branches are oriented in one direction, which minimizes the potential for damage. We untie these bundles, trim off any broken branches and fluff them out a bit giving them some more volume. When displayed, these branches have a nice dense and vertical form.


For an airier look, you simply need to get the birch branches to go back to their pre-bundling form. This is easier than it might sound - simply grasp one of the lateral (side) branches at the base, and gently pull back to about 45 degrees, which is the approximate angle the lateral branches grew at. Repeat for all of the branches, and you have what looks like a birch branch fresh off the tree.

Birch Branches can be opened whether they are still somewhat fresh and pliable, or crispy dry. The natural form of birch branches is opened and airy, and the branches are happy to move back into their original positions.



In their opened form, the branches fill a great deal of space, and you'll need far fewer per vase. The display in the foreground of the top picture has 6-10 opened branches in it, and the vase in the background has the remainder of the 25 stem bundle.

While the example shown here is done with Yellow Birch Brush, you can easily do the same with White Sparkle Birch Branches or Goldleaf Birch Branches:


Iced Birch Branches can also be opened, but it is not for the faint of heart - the side branches get stuck together, and you have to pull them apart before you can open them, which will inevitably result in some of them being broken.

So, you've opened all the branches in a bundle, have filled 2 or 3 vases, but want that dense vertical form again (or need to transport them). Before you order another bundle, simply run your hand from the bottom of the branch up, and the branches will fold back in.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

What helpful tips! I love the idea of lining the entrance of the reception with a canopy of birch branches to create that amazing wow factor and take your guests' breath away from their first step into the reception.

Anonymous said...

This is just what I have been looking for my weeding. Can you tell me where to get the gold box or how it was made. The branches look so great in it!

Justin said...

Congratulations on the wedding! We got that at Jamali Garden a few years ago and it looks like they don't carry it any more. However, they do have other gold, and a lot of other great containers - http://www.jamaligarden.com/all/cID_16.asp

Anonymous said...

I was thinking of using either this type of branch or manzanita branches as an escort card tree. Our wedding is in October and i have decided to use cards in the shapes of leaves instead of those boring tent cards. Which would give me a better look and how many should i order. I will be using approximatley 75 - 80 leaves. Oh i should tell you that i will be hanging the leaves by ribbon.

Justin said...

Congratulations on the wedding! I'd definitely go with the Natural Birch - 1 or 2 bundles should be plenty. With that number of cards you might want to make two or three displays, and group the cards on the displays alphabetically so your guests can quickly find their cards.

SMcM said...

How many bundles of branches will be needed if creating an "aisle" for a wedding

Justin said...

Hi there - To line an aisle, you might want to go with something taller such as the Birch Trees - http://www.nettletonhollow.com/birch-trees-forks.html

Brooklynkitty81 said...

I need to make a display like the one in the gold cube for my company's staff appreciation party. I saw one entry where you glued faux flowers on to a birch branch (http://nettletonhollow.blogspot.com/2008/05/silk-flowers-natural-birch-branches.html ) can I glue preserved flowers too? I was thinking of these in different colors http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/bevfabriccrafts_2183_90299749 I have a Luau theme and I don't want it too novelty like. What kind glue can I use if it can be done? I also wanted to open the branch and throw some fountain grass into it. Is that too much for a center piece ? I was thinking of rather spray painting a square container gold or seeing if I can glue moss on the outside of the container that will hold the arrangements.

Justin said...

Hi there - You certainly can glue preserved flowers on there. We used a glue gun, but you can use anything that will harden or cure relatively fast. A bit of Fountain Grass would like nice in there. Let us know if you have any more questions!