Which types of floral items are right for your gift baskets? Here’s the scoop on designing with enhancements.
Guilty as charged
At the beginning of my gift basket life, my choice of enhancements was as bad as my design skills. That’s because I had no idea what to buy. I cringe thinking about the non-attractiveness of each gift.
However, when you begin making gift baskets (or starting a new business in any industry), you learn through education how to blend gifts and goodies with the right floral and fauna.
Basic understanding
Enhancements is the name we give to the faux greenery, flowers, and berries inserted between the goods chosen for each gift basket design. Its job is to do exactly what the name implies – it enhances the theme or occasion the gift represents.
Some designers add enhancements to every gift while other designers add very little or no greenery. The choice depends on preference and design styling, and either choice is approved by customers who buy daily.
There are many types of enhancements available through your chosen supplier, including.
- Floral stems
- Star spray
- Palmetto leaves
- Cattails
- Short picks
- Fruit
- Beads
Each item is decorative, not edible.
Where to buy enhancements
You’ll find enhancements sold in lots of stores. Where you buy depends on your access to each facility. For example, having a business license allows you to buy enhancements at wholesale supply houses where prices are low.
There are times when retailers place enhancements on clearance, and those prices may compete with wholesalers, providing you with the opportunity to purchase what you may not have found at wholesale suppliers.
Here are some places to look.
- Dollar stores
- Discount shops
- Retail variety stores
- Home furnishing retailers
- Wholesale suppliers
- Trade shows
- Online merchants
Is designing with enhancements necessary?
As mentioned, not every designer adds enhancements to their gifts. This is true when looking at gifts designed in crates, boxes, and similar containers. Shred is often used as the anchor between items laying horizontally, not enhancements. Just as choosing either cellophane and shrink wrapping, you can choose to add or not add enhancements.
Sometimes the choice comes down to spending more money on gourmet and gift items rather than on enhancements. Decorative items often cost as much as edible products.
As long as your design style appeals to customers, the decision to include enhancements or not add them is the right choice.
