Bloom Therapy - Floral Ice Bucket Tutorial

Materials Needed:

1 Gallon of Purified Water

              -Purified water is necessary because it freezes clear, so you can see the beautiful flowers in your ice bucket.

1 4-quart container

1 2-quart container

Ankle weights, or something that is heavy like a paperweight or loose change

Scissors or Shears

Fresh Flowers and Greenery, at least 30 buds

-I like to use a mixture of flowers like miniature roses, carnations, floral stock, etc and eucalyptus for greenery

1)       Fill the 4-quart container with 3 inches of purified water and put the bucket in the freezer for 3 – 4 hours. This will create the base of your floral ice bucket.

2)       While that base is freezing, clip your flowers and greenery. Clip the flowers, right below the bud – you want to clip about 30-40 small blooms, and 8-10 6-inch pieces of your greenery.

3)       Remove the frozen base from the freezer. Place the weights inside of the 2-quart container, and place that exactly in the center of the frozen base inside the 4-quart container.

4)       Fill in the gap between the 4-quart container and the 2-quart container with flowers and greenery. I like to start at the bottom with 3-4 pieces of greenery (I use eucalyptus), then add flowers on top of that, and then end with the rest of the greenery/eucalyptus on top.

5)       Once the gap has been filled with your flowers and greenery, fill the rest of the gap with purified water. Stop pouring water when you reach 1 inch below the top of the bucket.

6)       Put the container back in the freezer and freeze overnight. Once frozen, remove the container from the freezer and run room temperature water around the outside of the container for 1 minute, to loosen it. Slide out the ice bucket CAREFULLY – it will be slippery! Place the finished bucket on a plate or a shallow bowl, add your favorite wine and enjoy!

Tutorial notes:

-When putting the container in the freezer, make sure that is on a flat surface, so your ice bucket freezes evenly.

-Your floral ice bucket will stay frozen, indoors, for at least 3 hours. Outside in warm weather, it will last less than 1.5 hours. Keep your ice bucket frozen until ready to use and keep in a shaded area.

-Your ice bucket will start to melt after it is removed from the mold. For best results, place a shallow bowl to catch this water while melting. I use something called a “designer plate” – you can order these online or at your local floral market. You can also use a “plant tray” – the plastic tray that catches the water under your houseplants.