Monday, January 28, 2008

Natural Manzanita Branches, Hanging Votives & Orchids

Below are some pictures of a centerpiece made with our Project Grade 24-36" Natural Manzanita, a few white Cymbidium orchid blossoms, and hanging votives. The richly colored Natural Manzanita Branches are matched by the color of the pot, and contrast nicely with the orchid blossoms.
Manzanita Branches are often the first choice for hanging relatively heavy objects such as votives or crystals, and for good reason - no other readily available branch is as strong at such small diameters. One drawback of Manzanita Branches is that due to their volume, once they go above 36 inches, the shipping cost gets very expensive. If you want to hang objects from a display greater than three feet and aren't ready to shell out over $100 for shipping, consider alternatives such as the Mitsumata (you'll probably want to shape these), Himalayan Birch Forks or some other Project Grade items, such as Sandblasted Redshank.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was wondering where you got those hanging votives?

Justin said...

We're not sure where those hanging votives came from, but Jamali Garden has a great selection of them - http://www.jamaligarden.com/all/cID_8.asp - they cost $3.50 - $4.00 each. Also, we'll make a post later today about making hanging votives from the non-hanging variety of votive holders.

Justin said...

P.S. - a set of 6 of the Antique style hanging votive is $16 ($2.66 each) - http://www.jamaligarden.com/pID_19847.asp

Anonymous said...

Great thank you!

Anonymous said...

I've been looking everywhere for a tree like this. I know it states that it was made with the Project Grade 24-26" Natural Manzanita, but am curious how many actual pieces/branches were used for the centerpiece. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I just posted the comment on 4/21/08 and put down the wrong size branches. I meant 24"-36".

Justin said...

That display used two branches. Manzanita tends to be fan-shaped, so we generally recommend three branches if trying to create a somewhat symmetrical display, although in some cases two branches will work.

Future Tacco said...

HI! I have bought the manzanita branches, and am doing the same type of setup for my wedding decorations. One thing though, how did you get the sticks to be red? Ours seem to be a powdery gray with only a few branches here and there that have the red color. We've cleaned them, and they come back the same.

Justin said...

Hi there - Send us an email at service@nettletonhollow.com - it sounds as though you may have Sandblasted Manzanita, rather than the Natural Manzanita shown. Also, if you want them to be really red like what's shown here - http://nettletonhollow.blogspot.com/2008/02/red-manzanita-and-votives.html - you'll definitely need paint for that. - Justin

Anonymous said...

Hi I was wanting to do something just like this for my wedding. My question has to do with the orchids, how do hang them and keep them from wilting?

Justin said...

Congratulations on the wedding! Quite a few orchids such as dendrobiums or cymbidiums will last a day or so without wilting, so if you put the finishing touches on the displays the day of, you won't need to do anything special. That said, you should discuss your options with your florist to make sure they'll last. One orchid that wilts fairly fast is phalaenopsis, so those should be avoided for a display like this.

Anonymous said...

How are the branches kept in place at the base? thanks!

Justin said...

This pictures were sent into us by a customer and I am not sure how specifically she did it, but for a low wide container, you should probably set them in plaster of Paris, and once dry, place some attractive filler on top such as river stones.