Chapter 8 Flower Selection 191 To fi nd the total cost of the entire arrangement, fi rst add all of the other expenses: $ 15.00 labor 10.00 vase + 12.00 fi llers/accessories __________________________ $ 37.00 total other expenses Suppose your shop policy is that you must make at least $4.00 in profi t on every arrangement. The agreed-upon price of the arrangement is $50.00, so you have $50.00 – $37.00 – $4.00 = $9.00 left to spend on the fl owers. Right away, you can see from Figure 8-23 that you cannot afford to use all sweetheart roses in the arrangement, and you cannot afford to use a combination of spray roses and sweetheart roses. Both of these options cost more than $9.00. For $9.00, you could do an arrangement using all carnations. However, a nicer option would be to mix in two stems of the pink spray roses with four white carnations. This would actually cost a little less than using all carnations, and it would provide four to six roses in the arrangement. As you can see, it pays to think about the various design options before settling for the most obvious choice. Be creative, do the math, and determine which option will be the best for both the fl ower shop and the customer. Practice The “workhorse” fl owers such as chrysanthemums and carnations are used consistently for a reason. Practically the entire spectrum of color is available in these two types of fl owers. They are durable, long-lasting, versatile, and reasonably priced. For this reason, you may choose to practice on these fl owers before moving on to more expensive design materials, Figure 8-24. Thinking Green Use environmentally friendly products as much as possible. Using recycled vases or repurposing unusual items as containers keeps them out of landfills and may help reduce your costs. Smetana Natasha/Shutterstock.com Metinee Y/Shutterstock.com Figure 8-24. Chrysanthemums and carnations are available in a variety of natural colors and may be dyed to match themes for special events, such as weddings and homecoming dances. Carnations are versatile, often used for school fund-raisers and in the construction of corsages in school colors. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.