Ep. 410: Crafting Stunning Arrangements with Canaan Marshall - Outdoor Mini-Series Pt. 4

Summary

Podcast Summary: Ep. 410: Crafting Stunning Arrangements with Kanan Marshall - Outdoor Mini-Series Pt. 4

Introduction & Guest Background

In the finale of their four-part mini-series focused on preparing outdoor spaces for spring, Ballard Designs hosts Caroline, Taryn, and Liz welcome floral designer Kanan Marshall from Georgia. Kanan is renowned for her vibrant and extraordinary floral arrangements, often showcased in publications like Southern Living Flower Magazine and Traditional Home. Additionally, she gained recognition as a contestant on Season Two of HBO Max's Full Bloom.

Kanan Marshall [01:09]: "Thank you all so much for having me."

Kanan's Path to Floral Design

Kanan shares her journey from working at a museum in Macon, Georgia, to becoming a professional florist. Her passion for flowers as the quintessential table accessory led her to pursue floral design. A pivotal moment was when she was mentored by Allison Lucas, her "flower godmother," who inspired her to embrace the creative and emotional aspects of flower arranging.

Kanan Marshall [03:17]: "Flowers are the best accessory for a table... you need flowers to bring it all together."

Flower Arranging Techniques and Trends

Kanan delves into her creative process, emphasizing the importance of understanding clients' preferences through conversation and observation.

• Choosing Flowers and Color Trends

  Kanan highlights the current trend towards using more whimsical and varied flowers beyond traditional roses. She mentions favorites like tulips, peonies, and orchids, favoring clumps of blooms to create impactful focal points within arrangements.

  Kanan Marshall [11:13]: "Color is a big thing this year. I think people are getting to more whimsical type flowers."

• Importance of Greenery

  Greenery plays a crucial role in Kanan's designs, providing a lush base that enhances the overall beauty of the arrangement. She advocates for incorporating native plants and leaves to add texture and depth.

  Kanan Marshall [13:10]: "I use a lot of greenery, too, so that's the impact."

Tips for DIY Flower Arrangements

Kanan offers practical advice for listeners interested in creating their own flower arrangements, particularly using grocery store finds.

• Budget-Friendly Tips

  She suggests setting a budget (e.g., $30) to inspire creativity and strategic selection of flowers and greenery.

  Kanan Marshall [13:39]: "If you go to a grocery store, you should have $30 in your mind that you would spend on an arrangement."

• Container Selection and Usage

  Choosing the right container is essential. Kanan recommends using containers with smaller necks for larger arrangements to balance the number of flowers and enhance visual appeal. She also discusses innovative methods like using chicken wire and gridding to secure flowers in various containers.

  Kanan Marshall [17:09]: "Containers are the best way to show off your flowers... you wouldn't have the flowers if you didn't have the container to show it off."

• Stem Cutting and Placement

  Proper stem cutting is vital for flower longevity and aesthetic. Kanan advises cutting stems at an angle and adjusting as needed during arrangement to achieve the desired look.

  Kanan Marshall [28:13]: "Just cut it so short at the first beginning because you want to be able to play with it."

• Maintaining Arrangements

  To extend the life of flowers, Kanan recommends adding a capful of bleach to the water and changing it weekly. This practice keeps the water pure and prevents foliage from decaying in the vase.

  Kanan Marshall [19:45]: "I do once a week. So this is what I do. I do a cap full of bleach in the water."

Floral Design for Weddings and Events

Kanan discusses her experiences designing floral arrangements for weddings, emphasizing the importance of diplomacy and understanding client dynamics.

• Working with Clients and Managing Expectations

  Navigating the preferences of both brides and their mothers requires tact. Kanan observes that mothers tend to have clearer expectations based on their experiences, while brides are more relaxed and open to creative processes.

  Kanan Marshall [09:55]: "At the end of the day, it's their wedding. It's their wedding."

• Installation Process and Timing

  Effective planning is crucial. Kanan recommends arriving a day early to installations, allowing ample time to set up reception arrangements before the ceremony.

  Kanan Marshall [43:15]: "A whole wedding? Yeah, like the actual installation. So I always say give us two days."

• Managing Challenges During Events

  Flexibility and preparedness are key. Kanan shares anecdotes about handling unexpected issues, such as unstable arrangements, by relying on her "mechanics" and team support.

  Kanan Marshall [37:41]: "If I did not do my mechanics right, that whole arrangement, I was done."

Outdoor Entertaining and Floral Integration

Kanan offers insights into enhancing outdoor spaces for entertaining, focusing on container gardens and utilizing natural elements from the environment.

• Container Gardens

  She emphasizes the beauty of container gardens, which can be both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Incorporating local greenery like smilax adds a whimsical and structured element to outdoor setups.

  Kanan Marshall [48:40]: "I love container gardens. I love that so much."

• Utilizing Surroundings

  By using plants and materials from the outdoor environment, such as magnolias and succulents, Kanan creates natural and relaxed arrangements that complement the outdoor setting.

  Kanan Marshall [51:48]: "I love things like that. So using outdoors for something very relaxed, I do more natural."

Conclusion and Future Plans

As the episode wraps up, Kanan expresses her enthusiasm for future collaborations, particularly during the holiday season when she plans to discuss Christmas trees, mantles, wreaths, and more.

Kanan Marshall [53:44]: "We could talk about, you know, I always say, holidays. We do Christmas trees. We do mantles. We do all the things."

Notable Quotes

• Kanan Marshall [03:17]: "Flowers are the best accessory for a table... you need flowers to bring it all together."
• Kanan Marshall [11:13]: "Color is a big thing this year. I think people are getting to more whimsical type flowers."
• Kanan Marshall [17:09]: "Containers are the best way to show off your flowers..."
• Kanan Marshall [19:45]: "I do once a week. So this is what I do. I do a cap full of bleach in the water."
• Kanan Marshall [28:13]: "Just cut it so short at the first beginning because you want to be able to play with it."
• Kanan Marshall [43:15]: "A whole wedding? Yeah, like the actual installation. So I always say give us two days."
• Kanan Marshall [48:40]: "I love container gardens. I love that so much."

Final Thoughts

This episode provides a comprehensive look into the art of floral design, blending professional insights with practical tips for enthusiasts. Kanan Marshall's expertise offers valuable guidance on creating stunning arrangements, whether for personal enjoyment or large-scale events.

For more detailed show notes and to send in your decorating dilemmas, visit howtodecorate.com or email [e-mail]. Follow Ballard Designs on social media to stay updated with future episodes and decorating inspiration.

Transcript

[Caroline]

Welcome to how to Decorate from Ballard Designs, a weekly podcast all about the trials and triumphs of decorating and redecorating your home. I'm Caroline. I'm on the marketing team. And I'm Taryn and I'm a product designer.

[Taryn]

I'm Liz. I head up the creative team.

[Caroline]

We're your hosts. Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks and tales from interior designers, stylists and other talents in the design world. Plus, we'll answer your decorating dilemmas at the end of each episode.

[Taryn]

We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email [e-mail] now, on with the show.

[Caroline]

Okay, so it is our last installment of our four part miniseries. For any new listeners out there this month, we've been focusing on getting ready for spring with a four part miniseries around your outdoor space, gardening, landscaping. So if you haven't listened to any of those, go back and listen to the last three weeks. Although you can listen out of order. So you can can finish this episode and then go back too. So that's fine. Anyway, we had some great conversations and we're going to round it all out today with Cain and Marshall. He is a floral designer based in Georgia and we're gonna be talking all about flower arranging and outdoor entertaining. You do lots of weddings.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yes, yes.

[Caroline]

And you're known for your vibrant personality, extraordinary floral arrangements. Your creations have been showcased in Southern Living Flower magazine, Traditional Home, many more publications. And you were on, you were one of the contestants on season two of Full Bloom on hbo. Max. Very cool.

[Kanan Marshall]

Thank you all so much for having me.

[Caroline]

Thank you for coming. So happy for you to be here.

[Kanan Marshall]

Y. Yes. Yes. This has been such an honor and I'm just grateful for Ballard Designs because, you know, I love your stuff.

[Caroline]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Kanan Marshall]

Love it. I love it.

[Caroline]

Well, I think you met Karen, our president, at an event.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yes. We were in, I was thinking on my way here, we were in St. Pete. Yes. And I was speaking for like 500 people, 500 women in their garden clubs. And the museum brought me down and we. There was a whole. And it was actually, I think two weeks ago when it happened in April, so. And so we. So it's been a year. And she said, we need to talk. I said, thank you. So. Yeah. She said, come on. And I said, so thank you all so much for having me here.

[Caroline]

Oh, my gosh. So you've been on my list for a long time. And then when you were planning this series and I was like, I Have the perfect person. So here we are. And I didn't even know at the time I knew y'all met in Florida, so I thought you were Florida based. So I'm so glad you're here. And then we can record with you in person.

[Kanan Marshall]

Ah, Georgia born and raised. I'm from Macon, Georgia, born and raised. I went to Mercy University. Go Bears. And so I always had a knack for flowers. You know, I think I came from a museum background, worked there, and worked my way through school, through college, but always said flowers was the best accessory for a table. So we don't, like. We don't leave home with our bracelets, with our earrings, our lipstick and different things. And so you need that to, like, feel complete. So I think that I always say flowers, containers, things, makes up a whole event. You need flowers to bring it all together.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Well, I am sorry for our faux arrangement that we currently have today.

[Kanan Marshall]

Well, I say silk and it's beautiful. It's beautiful. No, it's really beautiful.

[Caroline]

Should have brought something. Maybe azaleas.

[Kanan Marshall]

No, no, don't tell. Don't tell. You don't.

[Taryn]

Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

That's a long story, y'all. That's a long story.

[Taryn]

These two bonded before the show about their. Their dislike of azaleas.

[Caroline]

People don't come for us.

[Kanan Marshall]

Y. Yeah. I mean, let's explain it.

[Taryn]

Let's talk about it.

[Kanan Marshall]

We think they should be in the yard. That's where they belong, Right? Yes. And I think people bring them in and I mean, I think it's a beautiful flower when it blooms one time.

[Taryn]

In front of your house, in front.

[Kanan Marshall]

Of your home, and I think that's where it should be. How do you feel about it?

[Caroline]

I don't need to go into it. I was just. So you know what? I think there are a lot of beautiful options, and they're just not at the top of my list.

[Kanan Marshall]

Right.

[Caroline]

That's it. But I understand that some people have.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

Affinity for it.

[Taryn]

So I think they're beautiful in front of your home and in a landscape. And I think that this year in particular, I have seen the blooms out of control here in Georgia. They've been gorgeous. Gorgeous. Like much. Many more blooms on the bushes, in front of people's homes or on the golf course.

[Kanan Marshall]

The golf course. The Masters. So I say we all agree.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

Front of home. Yeah. Okay.

[Caroline]

Yeah, yeah.

[Taryn]

Front of home.

[Caroline]

They don't like to be cut, so we're just going to leave them on a stone.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah, leave it right there.

[Caroline]

All right, well, tell us about how you got into, like, the flower arranging part. Like, obviously, you always took a liking to it, but then how did you take that into it being your profession?

[Kanan Marshall]

So when I started out, I was at the museum, like I said before, and it was. I call her my flower godmother. So this lady came in. I mean, flowers everywhere. I'm like, ugh. She's just all over the place. And I call her my flower godmother. Her name is Allison Lucas. I would give her her shout out. She's like, oh. And so she kind of took me under her wing. I was like, I want to learn how to do that. You know, I want to follow you and learn how to do it, because I always love flowers. And she did. And so now, to this day, I'm going to tell you a story. I was working in a church, and we was doing altar arrangements, and I was making my arrangement. You know, she just finally let me kind of do my own, you know, And I was out there making it all big and elaborate, and she was doing, like. We were pairing up, and she said, well, Kanan, get mine still look like yours. I said, okay. So we switched. And by the time we switched, the mother of the bride walked in. She said, oh, Allison, your arrangement is so big and so vibrant. And I was on her arrangement. I did like this. And she turned around and said, thank you. So I tell that story all the time. So that lets you know, like, and she'll tell you that I have a. I have a little something to work with. So, you know, and that's why I love flowers. I think bringing into business. I never thought in a million years that I would be a florist. You know, I thought. I knew I always wanted to own my own company. I didn't know what it looked like at that point in time. I love interiors. I love anything accessory homes. And I think fashion. I love all those things. And so I said, well, flowers are one thing. Everybody can agree on. Mm, might I agree on the color, but we always can agree on it. And I think that's one thing I have more than most. I can really talk to my girls. I call my flowers my girls, talk to my girls. They smell good. They never talk bad. They might prick you. But they are always a conversation piece between everyone. And so if I walk in a room holding a vase of flowers, it's gonna bring someone to me, and they're gonna talk to me about it. So I love my job when people say, you don't feel like you work. Cause, you know, if you love something that you do. It's true. It really is true. I think about it. It's really good. I really love what we do. So that got me to doing my flowers. And so full blown happened. They asked me to be on the show. I supposed to be on first season. Nobody knows this. And the producers called me and I just got through with the wedding in St. Simon's. I was coming back, I was all set. And I told them just sitting, look at it. Well, I never looked at it because I was just like, whatever, you know, it's not true. It can be. And so a guy named Ben called me from North Carolina. He said, look, the next year, he said, you have to be on the show. I sent everything. I said, well, send it to me. I send it to my attorneys. And lo and behold, I did it. And it's the best thing could ever happen because sometimes we get in a box, get comfortable and complacent. And that pushed me out of my comfort zone. So I met great friends, great flower friends. And so it just made it happen for me.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

So now we're here. Ta da.

[Caroline]

Yeah, that's. Well, I do want to talk about the show at one point, but first I feel like we should talk about flowers.

[Kanan Marshall]

Let's do it.

[Caroline]

You know, gosh, there's so many. We. We have a whole list of questions, but maybe we start at the beginning. Where do you. When you're looking for inspiration, you're about to do an arrangement maybe for a wedding or an event. Obviously there's pictures, but where. Where do you kind of get your inspiration from?

[Kanan Marshall]

Initially, I study people. So having conversation with people tells me a lot of things about them. So I was at. This weekend, I was at the Masters, and it was this beautiful couple that was. She was from Alabama and her fiance was from New York, upstate New York. And they was talking, she moved to New York and all this. And she's an influencer and all this. And she said, are you Kayna Marshall? I said, yes. She said, I want you to do our wedding. It's not big. 100 people. And she was talking and I was just studying her. I was looking at what she had on, and she had on all neutral and very, like, very posed, very put together. And she was like. I said, let me guess, you like whites and greens and you like it very clean and just not. So. She said, how did you know? So I think the conversation also picking up what they like and dislike. I asked you a question. How are you? What this looks like for you? And so therefore, I can kind of pick up. And then you have the mothers of the brides.

[Taryn]

Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

So sometimes mothers live through their, you know, daughters. Because, you know, baby, when they got married, they didn't have that budget that they want to have for their wedding. So therefore, I look at the mothers, and they'll tell me, but then I look at the bride, and I get the okay.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

At the end of the day, it's their wedding. It's their wedding.

[Caroline]

You have to be very diplomatic in your job.

[Kanan Marshall]

I imagine you're our referee.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Do you find that the parents and the couple, like, disagree a lot?

[Kanan Marshall]

I think it's more of mothers and daughters. Fathers are really easy because they, like, I just write the check and make it happen, and the daughters just batting their eyes, and it just happens. But I think mothers, you know, they know. You know, they've been doing it. They know about the weddings. They get parties and all these things. So it has to be a certain way. And now I'm finding that brides are more relaxed and, you know, more, you know, free thinking of the process. You know, I'm like. One bride said, oh, I haven't sent my invitations out. I said, well, girl, you're kind of late, you know. But her mom was like, I was on here, like, two months ago to get it done. I was like, oh, more people show up. They thought, I'm not the planner, you know.

[Caroline]

Yes. Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

So that's all fine, then.

[Caroline]

Well, it's interesting, you know, Like, I feel like in, like, the 2000s, flower arrangements were very, like, tight, right? Like roses and tight bunches and very uniform. And then call it roundy moundy. Roundy Moundy, Yes.

[Kanan Marshall]

Roundy. Just roundy moundy. Yes.

[Caroline]

And then things were, like, very, you know, English garden. Whimsical, loose.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yes.

[Caroline]

So where. Like, where are we going now? What's kind of. What are people asking for these days?

[Kanan Marshall]

I think so, first of all, I think people, when they have a wedding, they look to the people, they know, like, what they like. And I think people come to me solid to me, because I'm gonna give you really big little fun. But then I like to cluster. So, like, some people just poke their roses throughout the arrangement. But I like to cluster my flowers. So I might have five roses in one impact moment. So you can really see that flower. Cause if it sometimes in the eyes, there is so much going on that you don't really see the true beauty of that arrangement. I. Color is a big thing this year. I think people really. And they're getting to more whimsical type flowers. You know, you can use a lockspur. You can use. Instead of being so tied in with roses, they're kind of going out to like, you know, stock, you know, different things. Tulips, peonies, which is my favorite. Yeah, of course, I mean orchids. So I see people more kind of going out of the. Not the traditional looking of flowers, but I love, like a free floral arrangement in a silver, old silver container pitcher. So I love things like that. Or put it in pottery. You know, that's how my home is. Like, it's always like that. So.

[Taryn]

And from what I've seen from the weddings that you've done, like, it's all about abundance as well. I mean, it's not just arrangement on a table.

[Kanan Marshall]

You need it. You got all the things. Yes. Somebody said, how in the world did you bring a vine out of the woods and create it with a vine? I said, I have people for that. Don't tell all the secrets.

[Caroline]

You'd be surprised what you can find at the wholesale florist.

[Kanan Marshall]

They have a lot of stuff. It's true. And then also I always say, be good to your neighbors because they might have something on their property that you might need to cut.

[Taryn]

Yeah, that's true.

[Kanan Marshall]

Magnolia, you know, ileagnus, things like that that you can use for the base of your arrangement to create beautiful arrangements. So I. I use a lot of greenery, too, so that's. That's the impact. Then I put the flowers on top of.

[Caroline]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's good. Okay, so say. Say we want to go to the grocery store and we want to make a flower arrangement for our table. What would you say is what we should look for and try to avoid?

[Kanan Marshall]

So I always say, if you go to a grocery store, you should have $30 in your mind that you would spend on an arrangement.

[Caroline]

Just 30. That's not very much.

[Kanan Marshall]

I mean, it's not that much. So that clear. That forces you to be very creative. So when I go into a situation or store, I think of a budget. And I mean, some people say, you know, don't like you think of a budget. We do. You have to, because we have to go through the whole process. But also, when I go to a grocery store, I even go to a grocery store for my own personal use with flowers, because I think you should have flowers in your home every week.

[Caroline]

Yes, every week.

[Kanan Marshall]

Every week. You shall always have fresh flowers, even by your bedside table. So I think by going to the grocery. I love to grab tulips, you know, I cut em, put em in a clear vase, I put a little vodka in it. We'll get to it.

[Caroline]

Vodka. Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

So vodka makes them harden so they'll last longer. It makes us fall down, but it.

[Taryn]

Makes, it makes them stand up.

[Kanan Marshall]

Okay, but my tulips, like Tito's are great goose. I mean, but it helps. You just do a capful.

[Caroline]

Tulips only or only on tulips?

[Kanan Marshall]

Only on tulips. Only on tulips. So that being said, I think going to a grocery, picking things that you like have a budget in mind and it forces you to pick something so you think you need something to feel, you need something to flow and you need something to make it, bring it all together. So I always say get you some tulips, get you a little greenery, and then get you some roses. Hydrangeas. That's a great filler. And go from there. Just have fun with it. Just be fun with it.

[Caroline]

So something big and kind of bulbous. The flow is like the tulips.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

Or like sewing out, kind of droopy.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

Okay. And then the greenery.

[Kanan Marshall]

Greenery, yeah.

[Caroline]

Got it.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

Do you feel like people forget the greenery? Like not in a, in an arrangement like yours, but like in a home something. They're just.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah. I think even if, like if you got some cast iron leaf outside, you just cut it.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

Wipe it off. Like spray a little glow on it and wipe off all the pollen. Wipe off all the pollen and stick it in an arrangement. Because I think it gives you a different flow. I mean, I'm notorious for clipping things in the house and my friend gets very upset when I do that. So you know, I was like, oh, I can cut this and use it. So you know, I use, I always have things around me that I can use in my home. So plant something. Yeah, plant it around your home so you can use it. Yeah.

[Caroline]

What are, are there any, like, do you, any suggestions within the, in the store? Like, do you ever go for the one that's pre made? Do you. If you do get that, do you redo it?

[Kanan Marshall]

So I think you can do both things. I just so happened. I went to Whole Foods and I walked in and they had beautiful, a beautiful range. Cause you know it's Easter coming up. So therefore I was looking, I was like, oh, that's really pretty. And they had a bunch. I said so. And I was thinking in my brain, I said, if someone take this home, they can cut this, they can de. Like take it all apart, deconstruct it and that can make at least three arrangements. So that's what my brain was thinking. I was like, oh, that's pretty good. Then I can get like tulips or something or you know, roses and add into it and really make different arrangements. Cause really it gives you that base that you need for it.

[Caroline]

Okay, so get one of those and then get something else to add to it.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yes.

[Caroline]

Okay. This is something that I feel like is the hardest part. The flowers can feel tricky, but it's really the container that makes your arrangement.

[Kanan Marshall]

That's true.

[Caroline]

What is your thoughts on containers in general?

[Kanan Marshall]

So I always say containers are the best way to show off your flowers. And a lot of people say it's the flowers, which it is true. But you wouldn't have the flowers if you didn't have the container to show it off. So I think if you want to go for a big. So let's say coffee table, I usually like to use like a vase that is kind of with a small neck.

[Caroline]

Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

Kind of down. So the neck. That means you don't have to use so many flowers in it.

[Caroline]

Right.

[Kanan Marshall]

And it gives you. That gives you that stiff. You can make it fall over and all that. So the opening is smaller. If I'm doing a massive arrangement, we use buckets and chicken wire and we do use some oasis. We really cut back on it because it's not good for the environment and everything like that. So we use oasis chicken wire and we just kind of. I use like to have a bigger container with a bigger neck. Cause I need it to fall over and make it really dramatic. So one thing I always say Ballards always have is great containers that you can use that are lightweight. This is for my flower people that's doing events. They're very lightweight. And you can tote them, put em in your car and get em around and they last forever. I have some from you all that I've had over 20 years.

[Caroline]

Oh wow. Wow.

[Kanan Marshall]

Like it's okay. Let's say about 15 years.

[Taryn]

Yeah, that's quite young.

[Kanan Marshall]

That's the 15.

[Caroline]

So you put a bucket. So you put a bucket in that with chicken wire and then I would.

[Kanan Marshall]

Fill it up with water and then we. And we use the chicken wire as the guide to be able to hold my big branches in place. In place.

[Taryn]

Got it?

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah, we do. So we stick it in, we ball it up, you know, don't make it so that you cannot put anything through it. And that's how we do it. That's just a little tip that we like to do. And therefore we use the chicken wire again because, I mean, we take it out.

[Taryn]

Right.

[Kanan Marshall]

We recycle that. Yeah.

[Caroline]

It's basically like a floral for anyone listening. Like a floral frog. But you can mold it into any.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yes.

[Caroline]

You know, some floral frogs, like you have to put it in a certain container.

[Kanan Marshall]

Container, yes.

[Caroline]

But the chicken wire, you can put it in anything.

[Kanan Marshall]

Even a small container like this, you can cut it, make it form to that and do your flower arrangement out of it. Also we do gridding. We use tape, this clear tape that we get. You can get it from Michael's or you can get it for your local wholesale home house for flowers. And I grid out my container. So I do two, like tic tac toe two and two, four. And that helps you be able to stick flowers in the stand up too. But flowers really love fresh water, so.

[Caroline]

So how often would you change the water in like your arrangements at your.

[Kanan Marshall]

I do once a week. So this is what I do. I do a cap full of bleach in the water.

[Caroline]

A cap full of bleach.

[Kanan Marshall]

Okay. So it makes the water stay pure. And make sure you don't have any foliage in the water. So when the foliage is in the water, it makes. It makes yucky.

[Caroline]

Yeah, yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

And it don't smell too good. So always try to keep the flower, you know. And like if your husband or wife or significant other bring you flowers, cut them and put them in a clear water vase. Just cut them right then. Cause they just came, they just travel. So flowers love water. They love to be cut, they love to be talked to, smiled at.

[Caroline]

Someone described to me once that the end of your stem is sort of like a scab where it sort of dries up. Dries up and you can't see it.

[Kanan Marshall]

You need a moisturizer. So you pre cut it. So I tell people, and I love hydrangeas. Cause of course we're from the south, you gotta have it. Hydrangeas are the only flower that can drink from both ends.

[Caroline]

That's true.

[Kanan Marshall]

How about that? Cut the bottom, you can submerge the whole entire thing. Now some people, it didn't come back up right there. Give it time. When you're dehydrated, it takes us time to be able to come back. So drinking some water.

[Taryn]

But that's really interesting because I keep seeing like folks on Instagram like, will take their hydrangeas and dunk, dunk the head the flowers in.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah. But you've got to think about it. It drinks from the bottom too.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

So you cut that, you could submerge the whole entire thing, and it'll come straight back.

[Taryn]

Okay. So is every flower gonna be okay with a little cap full of bleach?

[Kanan Marshall]

Yes. In a container? Yes. I only use that when I have a clear container. And I know I'm gonna have them in my home, and I don't want, you know, you don't want the water to be mucky. And it's gonna be there for a week. So I always have fresh flowers every week.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Taryn]

And then. Are you re. Trimming the.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yes. So some things, like right now in my kitchen. I don't know. I'm in love with calla lilies right now. I used to thought they was kind of, like, phallic. They just kind of look away. You can't bring it back. Like, it just all just kind of which way. And so you never could really design with it, but you can. And so I have these yellowkalas, and they're absolutely gorgeous. I haven't been home this week, and I came back home. It was. I walked. I said, oh, they're gorgeous. They're beautiful.

[Caroline]

They're so good.

[Kanan Marshall]

They're gorgeous. And so I put a little bleach in the water when I made them, and. Yep, perfection.

[Taryn]

Are you keeping the stems really long on those, too?

[Kanan Marshall]

I love a drape, like, fall over. I love, love, love, love. And I tell people with peonies is my. Another favorite flower. Their true beauty really shows up when they're about to die.

[Caroline]

They really do so ruffly and like. Oh, they just.

[Kanan Marshall]

All the petals. And so I have. I put them. I do them, and I just. I love to have the puddles all around on the table.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

Like, don't clean that up. No, let it rest.

[Taryn]

To this day, it's like a Dutch painting.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. You got me. Yes.

[Taryn]

Okay.

[Caroline]

I have a question about peonies. Occasionally I will. Cause I love peonies too. And, you know, they're always. The Trader Joe's will have them here and there, but not always. And so should I buy them when they're, like, tight, Tight. And then what happens if they don't start to bloom? Because sometimes they don't.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah. So. So let me walk you through the process of panties. So when you see panties in the store, you want them really tight, because they will open up when you cut them. When you get my way of looking at it, I squeeze the top of them. I want them to stay tight when I get them. Home. I cut them. They'll start opening. Now you will have some buds that won't open. And guess what I do with it?

[Caroline]

What?

[Kanan Marshall]

I hit it on the table. To pop the bud.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

Oh.

[Taryn]

So in the garden, peonies have kind of a SAP, like.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah, a scab on top of the bud. Right.

[Taryn]

That ants crawl all over and they eat, and that's what makes them bloom. So you always, if you have them in your garden, you always want those ants on your peonies.

[Kanan Marshall]

But, but a lot of people tell me, a lot of people say canaan, it's ants everywhere. I can't use my peonies inside. So when you're about to transfer them from your garden into your home, I get grits.

[Caroline]

What?

[Kanan Marshall]

And I sprinkle em out there around the peonies. And so it helps the ants to.

[Caroline]

Leave, like literal grits.

[Kanan Marshall]

I just shake em out, shake it out there. And it makes the ants, you know, dissipate. And then you can cut your peonies. I don't know if. Genius. I mean, you know, you know, try error. Try error.

[Caroline]

Up with that.

[Kanan Marshall]

No, it works.

[Caroline]

What did you think of that?

[Kanan Marshall]

I saw it somewhere and I was like, I'm gonna use that someone that others on me. It works.

[Taryn]

All right. Now I'm gonna go sprinkle grits in the garden.

[Caroline]

I mean, not until you're ready to cut them, though.

[Kanan Marshall]

Don't wait till you ready to cut them.

[Caroline]

Wait, I have.

[Kanan Marshall]

You need your ants. You need your ants. You know, you need those ants.

[Caroline]

I did not know that.

[Kanan Marshall]

They smell sweet.

[Taryn]

Oh, they smell sweet.

[Caroline]

So you hit the bud on the.

[Kanan Marshall]

Table to pop it.

[Caroline]

To pop it open and then it'll plume. I did not know this.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah, because it's a scab over top, so a lot of people don't pull the scab out. That's why they won't bloom. So I use, if it's real tight, I go boom. It will not hurt them. It just pop it open and just cut and put in water.

[Caroline]

That is crazy. Can you actually see that it's popped or like.

[Kanan Marshall]

You'll see it.

[Caroline]

Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

You'll know it'll poop open and you'll see it. And I, I, I love panties. So, I mean, they're so pretty.

[Caroline]

I really like those dark, dark purple ones.

[Kanan Marshall]

I, I love coral charm. It's that pink that really Coral. Yeah, they're really rich.

[Caroline]

Yeah, with the yellow inside.

[Kanan Marshall]

Exactly. Right? So, bubble mom, which one you like?

[Taryn]

Oh, I know you guys. I love them all. It just doesn't matter. I love peonies in every color, shape. Like they're just. They're just hands down, my absolute favorite.

[Kanan Marshall]

I had a wedding was last month. And the bride, it was not penny season and that was her only request. Oh, but let me tell you, we found some peonies.

[Caroline]

Oh, good. That is making dreams come true over here.

[Taryn]

That is a pricey request. That is a pricey request outside of.

[Kanan Marshall]

Peony season because we order from a broker and they'll bring flowers to where I'm at in the country. Fantastic. She got em. She found them.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

I mean, we had to have sent somebody to the airport to get them. We were in Hollins, North Carolina, and the flowers were here in Atlanta. So we made it.

[Caroline]

Oh, wow. Wow. Let's go back to containers. Sorry. Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

We can talk all day.

[Taryn]

Yeah, we're back and forth.

[Caroline]

So you're talking about the wider the container, the more flowers you need, the smaller, the less flowers you can get away with. What about. Because I often find. I love to do flowers as well, but I often find friends of mine or, you know, people doing it themselves, they have trouble figuring out where to cut the stem. And I feel like it's all in proportion to the vase. So can you explain to people where they should be cutting the stem? Like where does the bloom? Where should it be in relation to the vase?

[Kanan Marshall]

So I tell people it's a feeling. Right. So I would say designing is a personal experience for yourself. It's kind of selfish. You gotta have to be. Cause it's in the eyes of you. So I can't come up to you and say, oh, I just say it's different. I wouldn't have thought of that way. But it's the way you interpret it. So I always tell people, when you land a bloom, is that where you want it to be? You know, and so I kind of think it's part of you because you create in that moment now with me, when I'm doing it, I get a whole handful of flowers. Cause I'm very fast. I cut across them. I do it kind of in an angle. I just. And then when I'm designing, making really big arrangements, I just look back and poke, poke, poke. And I know where I'm going with it. That being said, when you're placing, arrange putting flowers in a container or vase, if you feel like it's too long, you never can go. If you cut it too short, you never can get it long. True.

[Taryn]

That's my problem.

[Kanan Marshall]

So a lot of people, I tell them just to Sit it in. If you're doing in a vase, stick it in. See where it's landing. If you don't like it, pull it out, cut it, stick it in. And so you can do it that way. So a lot of people, that's how you learn. And so now it's kind of. I just know, because that's how my brain works. But once you get used to it, it kind of is what it is. But I think try first cut it and then try again. So don't cut it so short at the first beginning because you want to be able to play with it. Yeah, that's my problem.

[Taryn]

I love the idea of grabbing a handful and cutting them at an angle so that you have a lot of different. Different sizes to work with. Because that's another thing that I. That I find that while I'm going, I'll cut them, and then I'm like, oh, well, everything the same size.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

Well, I always like to hold my container up to the countertop. Right. Like, I'll pull it up to the edge, and then I'll take my flower and I'll, like, kind of hold it.

[Kanan Marshall]

Oh, you hold it against the container.

[Caroline]

That I can measure.

[Taryn]

Okay.

[Caroline]

Right. So I can know, like.

[Kanan Marshall]

Okay.

[Caroline]

If it's going to hit the bottom of the.

[Kanan Marshall]

That's it.

[Caroline]

Oh, you just stick it in.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah, Yeah, I like that.

[Caroline]

And then I can trim from there. But at least I have, like. Okay, I need 4 inches or whatever off the. Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

And flowers are supposed to feel. You're supposed to feel organic when you do an arrangement. So I always tell people, don't get so uptight. I mean, you're supposed to have fun with it. Just. You never can make a bad mistake with flowers unless you cut your hand off. Don't do that.

[Taryn]

Don't do that.

[Kanan Marshall]

Don't do that. But I think you should, like, play with it. If you cut it too short. You know what? It's more over there if you do it. Try it next time. Or go to the store and get more flowers.

[Caroline]

Turn that into, like, the little bud vase in your bathroom. Put it in a single.

[Taryn]

That's usually what happens.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

Sometimes there's the random ones where, like, the. It breaks off at the top.

[Kanan Marshall]

Right.

[Caroline]

Like, you didn't cut it. But it's just a container.

[Kanan Marshall]

Use it. I float my roses, you know, sometimes they pop right at the top because they're so heavy. I just get a bowl, float them in, throw them in a bowl, leave them, you know, just.

[Caroline]

How long do they last? Like, that.

[Kanan Marshall]

That lasts for a while. It's the same. Same while. Cause you still. The stem is cut and you put in water. It lasts. Yeah. Week or two weeks. Yeah, I like a float.

[Caroline]

Okay. I've seen some videos on TikTok where people are like, opening up the flower. Do you do that? And what is the correct method?

[Kanan Marshall]

We call it reflexing.

[Caroline]

Reflexing, okay.

[Taryn]

Never heard that term.

[Kanan Marshall]

So I usually with roses, we can do it with a couple of different flowers. So with roses, I get stick my hand on the petal. So roses have outer petals. Sometimes you see a rose and you say, oh, that doesn't look good. Cause it's all bruised and all marked up. That's okay. You can pull that petal off. Cause they have other petals. So a lot of people get kind of discouraged when they see a dark rose or it's all look kind of yucky. Use it. You can still use it. Just pull back the layers like an onion. Right. So I pull back, but I bend my petal back all around. And so it opens up. I kind of keep my middle of the rose tight because it's still gotta open. I want it to open. But I like to show true beauty of flowers. You don't have one time to do it. So I want to see the magnificence of the flower when I first do it. Tulips is another thing, another flower that you can reflex. Also, I like to do a little trick. I don't do it a lot, but carnations have a bad stigma. A lot of people don't like carnations because we associate it with what funerals. Carnations can look like a rainocular rose because if you open them up, stick your hand in and pull it out, the center will look like a ranocula rose.

[Caroline]

Huh.

[Kanan Marshall]

So that's a flower that kind of compare two different flowers. Yeah, a carnation and a rose, A racular rose. But it can really be that look the same.

[Caroline]

So you can very different price points.

[Kanan Marshall]

How you doing?

[Taryn]

Right, right. I'm looking at that grocery. Those grocery flowers are like between the bruised roses and the carnations.

[Kanan Marshall]

Which one I'm gonna do?

[Caroline]

Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm doing.

[Kanan Marshall]

But I mean, I think people love carnations, and I think it just has and they last forever, you know. And so I think people were like, oh. And I'm gonna tell you, before I went on the show, I used to look at flowers, look at carnations as funeral flowers. But being around my flower friends on the show luffy and Sara and Antonio and Rachel, and we all. And they show. You know, it's not so bad. You can make that carnation. Cause it come in so many colors. Your point of people to see. And it worked. And we used a lot of them, and it was fabulous.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

So it gave me a new appreciation for them.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Tell us about the show. Like, what other stuff did you learn on there? Did it change your sort of style at all?

[Kanan Marshall]

It did. I like to try an adventure. So, basically, people ask me, when I'm doing a big arrangement, did I sketch it out or think about. Of course I know what flowers we're going to use, but it never comes to me until I get on site.

[Caroline]

Really? Wow. Is that not scary?

[Kanan Marshall]

No, it's just called creative.

[Caroline]

Yeah, but are you ever worried, like, when you get. You're like, I know what I'm doing.

[Kanan Marshall]

I got this. It's plenty trees. It's plenty of flowers. We can create something. And I think that's part of being a true creative. I don't. I mean, of course, my centerpieces and stuff, those are all. We know the counts on that. But with mass arrangements, I don't.

[Caroline]

So you know how many flowers are growing in each centerpiece?

[Kanan Marshall]

I do. Wow.

[Caroline]

That's cool.

[Kanan Marshall]

I do. I do.

[Caroline]

Is there, like a mathematical formula for that, or are you just.

[Kanan Marshall]

I know. So we have. We call. We call them recipes.

[Caroline]

Oh.

[Kanan Marshall]

So we use.

[Caroline]

What's the recipe?

[Taryn]

Tell us.

[Kanan Marshall]

I'm gonna show you what a recipe. You ready for the recipe?

[Taryn]

Let's go.

[Kanan Marshall]

So we call those recipes. So with flour, with arrangements. So say, for instance, I'm doing 20 containers. They're all the same, Right. And so I said, okay, each container needs 10 roses. We're gonna do five hydrangeas. We're gonna do. And so we come up with those recipes for those arrangements, and they all should look the same. So we basically count our flowers.

[Caroline]

So does that make it easier to price, or is that just, like, easier to help other people?

[Kanan Marshall]

Help you to design for me? Yes. Also, I know how many. So basically, I know how many flowers come in one pack of roses. Okay. 25 stems. So I know if I do that divided by whatever, 20, whatever. It gives me what I need to have. But I've been working with my flower broker for so many years. We just know, you know, I just kind of know what it takes. So I said, okay, I got 50 arrangements. This is what we're gonna do. In my brain. I know. I mean, I didn't go to school for Math. But I mean, it's kind of one plus one is what.

[Taryn]

Listen, flower math is good.

[Kanan Marshall]

I mean. I mean, and who cares if you add a couple more stems to it?

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

You know, it might need an extra row.

[Caroline]

You can never have too many.

[Taryn]

You can do.

[Kanan Marshall]

And I would say each arrangement should look directly the same, but, I mean, you might have to show one a little bit more love than the other one.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Put that good one at the table of people you like.

[Kanan Marshall]

Thank you. Thank you. I'm like, y'all show all the front side of the flowers, then keep the back on the back. Yes, yes, yes. But, yes, yes. I think the whole. Where we're at with, you know, love what we do know, what containers we want to have, we want to be able to bring to the forefront. So I think all of it works together.

[Caroline]

Are there any trends in terms of the containers? We talked a little bit about flowers, but what about the containers?

[Kanan Marshall]

Today I did some containers, and people are doing really, like, slim vases and very, you know, very ornate, very whimsical, very modern. You know, they do one leaf and one, you know, and I can do that, too. But also, I like a clothes container. You know, I like something that I can use and I can cover my mechanics. You don't have to see through the mechanics. So mechanics are things that we use to be able to. For the flowers to be able to be stable in the container. So, you know, we, you know, some people use Oasis and they tape it off, and some people use chicken, some people use frogs. So it's different things. Methods that we use to be able to do it. So that's what we do.

[Caroline]

It's so interesting to think about, like, the. Yeah, the mechanics. I'd never heard that phrase before, but I like that.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah, we have to have. So when I make a mass arrangement and we do use Oasis, we. I have people that do it. But for the mass. Mass big arrangements, I do my own mechanics because if I don't do it right, the arrangement will fall. I never had an arrangement. Okay, this is a wooden table. Yes, I probably should say that, but we have been fortunate enough to not have that to happen. But I was. Okay. So I was teaching a class in Virginia for the Virginia Arts Museum last year, and this has never happened. So I was doing this big class for 1,000 people, and I'm just showing out everywhere. And I was just showing out in the container. The base of it disconnect from the. My urn. And so in front of all. And I heard people My back was to them. And I grabbed the container. That's my first auction. And then I let the. I let a jump back and it fell flat. I mean, it was the bottom of it landed right on top of the stage. So the container. But it just wasn't taught. They didn't attach it right. But the thing is, if I did not do my mechanics right, that whole arrangement, I was done. The whole arrangement would have been destroyed. So we lift it up, we put it back on top and it was still fine. They said, well, how did it stay like that? It's cause of my mechanics.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

So I did my own mechanics before I went on the stage.

[Caroline]

So it was chicken wire.

[Kanan Marshall]

I did chicken wire as well as Oasis and I taped that to make it real. And so I stuck it inside of that container. But it wasn't a container. It was the base that was on that made it. Made it.

[Caroline]

The other thing I like about chicken wire is it's so easy to like pick it up out of the container. You can cut the. Cut around it and then just stick it back in. And you don't have to like redo it.

[Kanan Marshall]

Redo it. Yeah. And you can always recycle it too, so it always works.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

Okay. Do you ever, like, is it ever sad installing flowers just for like one event?

[Kanan Marshall]

I knew you was going to ask me that. I knew it. I knew it. So a lot of people say, what are you gonna do with these flowers? And I tell em, howdy, I've seen your flowers all week. And therefore you need to take em home. We need to get em to your home. So I usually, I have part of my team. We'll get all the vases what we can and we'll take to the homes. Now we do have weddings out of town, so I give it to people that's working and we give em away, you know, because I just hate throwing them away. Cause they're so. Like I said, they're tripping true beauty state at that point in time because they're almost like four days old before we got, you know, so it's still a lot of kicking for them. They can still live another week too. So.

[Liz]

Okay, it's almost time for some dilemmas. But before we get started, here's just a little reminder to email your questions to podcastallardesigns.net be sure to include photos of your space so our talented designer guests can give you specific feedback and. And okay. We're excited to try something new. We would love for you to explain your question in A voice memo that we can play on the air. You can absolutely email your question like we've been doing for the last six years. But we'd love to hear your voice and hear your question in your own words.

[Caroline]

So to do that, you'll just record.

[Liz]

A voice memo on your phone with your question, attach that voice memo to an email with some photos, and send your email to podcastallarddesigns.net we'll play your question on upcoming episode and have a designer answer it for you. All right, on with the show.

[Kanan Marshall]

So we give them away, and family members will get them. And, you know, I just say, take them. Take them. And so when my team is breaking down those huge arrangements, they study handing flowers away to people. And, you know, so it's good.

[Caroline]

Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

It's a great way to. For communication.

[Caroline]

So you never. You never feel sad about it. It goes on to another life.

[Kanan Marshall]

I really, really, really don't. Because I think handing people a bouquet, a hand bouquet out of arrangement, they love that.

[Taryn]

Yeah, that's true.

[Kanan Marshall]

They love that.

[Caroline]

Okay, how do you make the ones that are up in, like, light fixtures?

[Kanan Marshall]

Yes.

[Caroline]

That is a big thing in weddings. And I'm always curious.

[Kanan Marshall]

That's the new trend, like ceiling. So now it's bringing your eyes up now. So we do a grid.

[Caroline]

Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

We usually do a grid. So a grid is like how I say, how we tape off is the same way. And we have this structure that we make out of wood, and we can grid it up and we can attach it to those chandeliers. Now, if it's a historic chandelier, it's something that's very old. I say use smilax. Smilax is a greenery that grows in trees around the South. Use around puns and different things. It's a light, leafy material, and you can put around your doors. Y'all don't know about smilax?

[Caroline]

I've heard of it. I don't know about this. I've never.

[Kanan Marshall]

You never heard of that? So it's all around here. Trust me. It's probably been trees around us. And you can put. Pull it off, and you can put it across around your front door. You can put it over the chandeliers and everything. And so that gives you a good effect, too, without bringing something down.

[Caroline]

So it's just like a thick wood vine. And you bend it.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah, you bend it. Cause all these leaves are on it.

[Caroline]

Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

It's a hard stem. And then you can. It's all these leaves, and you can make it Fall where you want it to fall. Nice.

[Caroline]

So would you do that? Do you do that like on doorways?

[Kanan Marshall]

I do. So for the holidays we do that. And now I'm gonna tell you it will dry out. Cause you know, it's a greenery. It is attached to the ground and grows up in trees. But I tell you, you can spray paint it. So for the holidays I glitz it gold. I spray it gold and utilize into my mantle and over the front doors and everything. So we use, I use it a lot.

[Caroline]

It just like gives you structure to things.

[Kanan Marshall]

Structure. Yeah.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

And it gives, it's whimsical. So it makes sure like if it's in a chandelier, it makes it more 3.

[Caroline]

So do you put oasis up there?

[Kanan Marshall]

Like is it water now? If I do it with the smile X, I don't have to have any water. So you still give you that fat. Flowers do last a long time out of water. So we use the cages, smaller cages to be able to. So we'll do the greenery and then we do smaller cages with the flowers on it. So it makes that look. We give the whole look of it.

[Caroline]

Because I'm always just like that has gotta be so heavy up there. Who's up there on, on ladders and like what is the.

[Taryn]

Yeah, it better be secured because.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah. Now I got to know how to you drive Sizzlerless because everything is so high. So I have two guys that work for me and they managed to sizzler. And I will get up there too. I can do it.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

Uh huh.

[Caroline]

Like it's the lifts.

[Kanan Marshall]

The lifts that takes you way up. Way up.

[Caroline]

Wow.

[Kanan Marshall]

So sometimes, you know, usually when I'm doing a mass arrangement or doing something, I have like two ladders. Because I'm so busy creating, I'm. I don't wanna be dragging the ladder around or figuring out I have two clippers. I have an assistant that's standing there and just hand me flowers. So it's the whole process.

[Caroline]

How long does it take you to do like a really elaborate wedding?

[Kanan Marshall]

A whole wedding?

[Caroline]

Yeah, like just like the actual installation.

[Kanan Marshall]

Installation. So I always say give us two days. So we like to get in on like a Friday morning and then. Cause you know, flowers last overnight. And then Saturday I kind of like to do the reception first because I want that done. And then to church, we do it at church and everything on Saturday mornings.

[Caroline]

Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

So we usually try to get in a day early.

[Caroline]

So it takes you a full day just to do the reception.

[Kanan Marshall]

Because if you get as many flowers and as much stuff we bringing in, it takes us half of the day to get it in there.

[Caroline]

And have you already cleaned all of your flowers before you get there? Like cut all of them.

[Kanan Marshall]

So I have a processing team, so we call it processing. So when the flowers come in, they bring them to our studio. So we have two studios, one in Macon, one in Atlanta on the, on the west side. And we process them. So they strip the roses, they cut some of the leaves off, they cut em, they process and put. Processing is when you get your flowers, you cut them, put em in fresh water. And you know that's. We call that processing. Throwing all the boxes, they start to open up. So I like to have my roses least four days prior because I wanted to be able to open and drink and hydrate so. Cause you gotta think about these flowers come from Colombia, they come from all over the world to get to Georgia or get to where I'm at, New York or however. And I mean, they're dehydrated, so I need to drink.

[Caroline]

Yeah, okay.

[Taryn]

Where's the best place to get flowers? I mean, I know not everybody has a wholesale market next to them.

[Kanan Marshall]

That's true.

[Taryn]

And you know, we have our grocery stores, but are there other places where we can think about bringing flowers in?

[Kanan Marshall]

You know, I always tell people when I go to different towns and different, you know, cities and stuff, I look up the local wholesalers. You know, I try to like, help. Like when I'm going, I want to use you. Like I want to use what you all have and what's native around you all. Like they might have something cool that I have never seen before. I did some flowers in Utah. I'm like, ooh. And their peonies, by the way, are absolutely gorgeous. Cause the snow helps them. They are this big, massive. So you know, I was like, I.

[Caroline]

Need to cut some.

[Kanan Marshall]

Can I make an arrangement for you.

[Caroline]

Guys for brides in Utah?

[Kanan Marshall]

I know, I was like, let me cut it. Like, it was amazing. Yeah. But yes, I think local groceries, of course, but also look up your mom and pop flower shops look up things. Because some flower shops, studios, they have extra flowers that they'll sell off. One time I did flowers in St. Lucia and I was like, how in the world I'm gonna get flowers to do this wedding in St. Lucia? Well, I did some research, my assistant and I, and we found a funeral home. So they import flowers to the funeral home too. Cause they do the flowers for their own funerals. And so therefore they were so Sweet. We order our own flowers. They brought them into them and that's how we did it.

[Caroline]

That's cool. That's so smart.

[Kanan Marshall]

Can you believe that?

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

And it was so nice. We had the best, it was amazing. But that, you know, you just gotta be kind of crafty a little bit. Cause I mean, product getting it there. And so my. Somebody said, what's your fear? My fear is the flowers never show up. But I always have a way. So when I'm doing something, I'm expecting for something to go wrong, but I know how to pivot out of it. So just be able to. Don't be so focused on the whole situation. You gotta be able to know how to pivot because the show must go on, right?

[Taryn]

The show is going, the show is.

[Kanan Marshall]

Going, the show is here, the show is gone. We're here, we're ready to go. So like you need to be there and ready to go. I always tell people we only have one time to do it right? This is our time.

[Caroline]

So. Okay, what would be your, what would you pivot to if your flowers don't come in?

[Kanan Marshall]

Honey, I get on that telephone, I call every grocery store, I call every local flower shop and we just buy. Do what we gotta do to get em there.

[Caroline]

Okay.

[Kanan Marshall]

You know, we have to bring em in.

[Caroline]

You use different flowers and you planned.

[Kanan Marshall]

And just use or look around my surroundings and see what I have out there in the yard that we can cut and bring in. So you just gotta be real. So every time I pull up to a place, I'm looking around, I'm always noticing things. I'm like, ooh, you see that tree way down on the bottom? We need a little bit of that too. Let's get some of that. You know, And I just. We never scalp trees. We always very good to our surroundings. We do know how to cut them. And so, you know, I have to say that. But it, you know, I think be familiar where you're around, so you can always borrow a little something from it.

[Taryn]

Yeah. And for those brides out there, just be flexible.

[Kanan Marshall]

It is beautiful. You know, I noticed bride never really see the wedding. I know they know what it happened, but. Yeah. So people are there and you never see it.

[Caroline]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

You know, they know, you know. And so now I'm liking the reveals of the room. I used to hate it, but now I'm like, that cuts off an hour. We need an hour to get it done, you know?

[Taryn]

Right.

[Kanan Marshall]

But now we get it done and then they walk in and just actually seeing the bride and groom crying and it's unreal. That's lovely. It really is. I used to be against it, but they changed.

[Caroline]

Yeah, they got me. Changed my mind. What about outdoor entertaining? Like, we've been talking a lot in our miniseries about setting up your outdoor space, getting your yard looking nice, getting your furniture. So what is it? What about when it comes time to, like, have the actual party? Anything that you think about in terms of entertaining and making it look nice.

[Kanan Marshall]

So I love container gardens. I love that so much. So I do have a lot of containers that I planted out, and they're really beautiful and I got an award because they were so pretty around my home. But I think the first thing I look at when I walk in and out of space least five times. So if I am doing flowers in this space, you'll probably see me walk in and out of it. Because every time I walk in, I see something different that I need to pay attention to. So I always think you like plants if you have containers on your outdoor deck. Cause we have a rooftop. You know, I want to make sure all they look good. You know, I think I go in and out of space, have a position also to start a great party. You might. You have to be a great host and be a great. Welcome people in. So I think you should always be present enough to welcome people into your. Sometimes people are in the kitchen. Like, you need to be at the door and welcome in and, you know, make yourself at home. Like, have your bar already preset up. Have food already out. Don't wait till the last minute.

[Caroline]

Yeah, yeah. Finish like 10 minutes before then make yourself a drink.

[Kanan Marshall]

That's it.

[Taryn]

And like, chill out and chill.

[Caroline]

Yeah, Take a deep breath.

[Kanan Marshall]

Bring that pressure. You gotta go take a shower and get ready.

[Caroline]

Well, hopefully. Yeah, hopefully done that.

[Kanan Marshall]

And come downstairs and like, yeah, hey, guys, I haven't been doing nothing all day.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Kanan Marshall]

Just flow through.

[Caroline]

I love the tip of going in and out of your. Of your entertaining area and trying to notice different ways how people are walking in and approach and yeah, it is true. That's smart.

[Kanan Marshall]

I do it all the time. So that's my.

[Caroline]

My really probably any. Any place that your guest is going to go, like your. Your powder room, your.

[Kanan Marshall]

You know, how you kind of follow their footsteps. You know, you just know what people. And people want to see your home. They want to, you know, you know, people say, oh, I closed this door off. I'm like, well, I want to go through that door. You know, I just. I want to see what's behind that door. Why you close that door? You know, because I just. That's my disperse. I'm like, that door's closed. Why? So always be willing to have a. If your clothes are not in order, get in order because people want to see it. You know, I noticed when friends come in, they're like, we want to see your closet. That's the first thing they say. I don't have a lot of clothes at all. You know, I don't like to.

[Caroline]

Do you let people in your closet when you're entertaining?

[Kanan Marshall]

I do. They really want to see shoes and stuff. I don't know why. I mean, it's just a regular closet. But I just. Because I position my stuff like a store. So I like everything to be color. Everything's in color.

[Caroline]

I hope nobody goes into my closet when I'm having people over. It's not that bad, but it's not great.

[Kanan Marshall]

I know somebody. One of my friends said, hey, the Kane. The best way to clean up fast is stuff all the way at this store behind the sofa. I said, well, that's not good. My sofa floating in the middle of the room. So that's not going to work.

[Caroline]

Shove it in the bed.

[Kanan Marshall]

I know. I prepared. Stuff it in the washer and dryer. No, no, that don't work.

[Caroline]

What about outdoor arrangements for, like, if I'm having people over for a barbecue?

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah. Oh, I love.

[Caroline]

Do you do cut flowers? Do you do containers?

[Kanan Marshall]

See, I think you should do both. I think you should like, easy way to do. Like if you have magnolia in your yard, use it. I have a friend. I love this from her. Her name is Susanna. She owns a magazine out of my hometown. And she gets this boxwood. She has these boxwoods, and she cuts them and she makes these boxwoods arrangements. And so if I'm doing something more outside, I do more natural. Cause you gotta think about your environment. Now. You can get things from the grocery or your local wholesaler to be able to fill in. But I love a all green. Like you see magnolia, you see rosemary because you could smell it, you know, I love things like that. So using outdoors for something very relaxed, I like doing that. I'm real big on that curly willow. I have a succulent. I have two big succulent tall pedestals. And they're just all these succulents. And I had some ivy left from a wedding. I throw that in there and it's huge. And that's their color. People. People love that because now the succulents are all Falling out, and they're beautiful. So, I mean, just keep it natural. Use your surroundings. Cause, you know, you want to be very approachable, but also you have things around you that you can use. So no pressure. No pressure at all.

[Caroline]

Yeah. Use what's in your yard. I like that.

[Kanan Marshall]

Yeah. Use your garden and create. Also. I'll tell people, plant things that you can always use out of your containers. Container gardens. That's the best way to be able to use to go in your flowers. So I use big leaves that I can cut and always bring them in to be able to use in my home arrangements, too.

[Caroline]

Make friends with your neighbors.

[Kanan Marshall]

I know. Hey, y'all do what you got over there. I can borrow. Yeah. Yeah.

[Caroline]

Well, thank you so much for joining us. This was such a delight, and we'd love to have you back. Maybe we can have you back in the holidays.

[Kanan Marshall]

Let's do it.

[Caroline]

Let's do it.

[Kanan Marshall]

We could talk about, you know, I always say, holidays. We do Christmas trees. We do mantles. We do all the things. Wreaths, all the things. So we do everything at home. So it's. Yeah, we do a lot of that.

[Taryn]

Oh, fantastic.

[Kanan Marshall]

We usually start in October.

[Caroline]

October.

[Taryn]

Oh, really?

[Kanan Marshall]

To get ready? Yeah.

[Caroline]

Okay. All right, well, then we'll have you back in September.

[Kanan Marshall]

Let's do it.

[Caroline]

So we're ready in October.

[Kanan Marshall]

Let's do it. Deal. Thank you all so much for having me. It's been such a pleasure.

[Caroline]

Can you tell everyone where they can find you, follow you and see your work?

[Kanan Marshall]

All right, so I'm Kanan Marshall with Kanan Marshall Designs. You can see me on Instagram as Kanan Marshall. Facebook Kanan Marshall. I mean, I know Kanan Marshall, so you can Google. My email is kanan marshall.com. so.

[Caroline]

Okay, reach out.

[Kanan Marshall]

Let me know if you need any flowers. Yeah.

[Caroline]

Thank you so much.

[Kanan Marshall]

Thank you all so much.

[Taryn]

Thank you so much for being here.

[Kanan Marshall]

Thank you all so much. It's great.

[Caroline]

And that's our show. You can find all of the show notes on our blog, howtodecorate.com podcast to send in a decorating dilemma. Email your questions to [e-mail] so we can help you with your space. And, of course, be sure to follow us on social media at Ballard Designs.

[Taryn]

Don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. And please leave us a review. We'd love to hear your feedback.

[Caroline]

Until next time, Happy decorating.