Real Roses On Fondant Cake---How Do I Do That!?!?
Decorating By HIPrincess Updated 17 Apr 2008 , 10:18pm by HIPrincess
The bride is looking for a cascade of real roses on a fondant covered 5 tiered cake. I am looking for all the suggestions that you can throw at me. I am concerned about them staying fresh looking, how to attach them, etc. ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
TIA 
Oh my, I subscribe to the Tombi Peck philosophy and I am attaching an article in full from The_Dinosaur an original poster from another thread I belong to....
The following is an excerpt from an article written by Tombi Peck - editor of The British *Sugar---craft News
The trigger for this article was a letter asking if there was a list of poisonous flowers available. Tombi says that after much research she compiled a list which was too lengthy to print in full so she chose to include only those plants and flowers which have appeared in *sugar---craft books over the past few years or were so highly toxic they needed to be on the list. If a bride is looking for ideas in a *sugar---craft book [but is wanting fresh flowers] she may think that because they have been done in sugar they are non-toxic, which simply isnât the case.
During her research Tombi spoke to John Quai Hoi, a chef and florist from Australia. He pointed out that flowers grown commercially are habitually sprayed with nasty pesticides to rid them of things which might eat them or kill diseases. These chemicals may also be hazardous to people if in contact with icing.
The writer of the original letter asking about poisonous flowers also did some research herself and was told by a florist that although you would think that roses were safer than other fresh flowers, lilac roses attract bugs like a magnet. To counteract this problem the growers spray the roses very liberally with insecticide. This is why lilac roses are softer than other colours.
Here is the list of flowers:
Amarylis, AngelsâTrumpet, Anthurium Flamingo Lily, Arum Lilies, Calla Lilies [lords and ladies], Autumn Crocus, Azaleas, Bird of Paradise, Bittersweet, Black-eyed Susan, Bleeding Heart, Bluebell, Burning Bush, Buttercup, Caladium, Chincherinchee, Christmas Rose, Christmas Cherry, Chrysanthemum, Clivia, Cobra Lily, Common vetch, Corncockle, Corn Poppy, Crocus, Daffodil, Jonquil, Daphne, Delphinium, Dragon Arum, Flame Lily, Fly honeysuckle, Foxglove, Goldenchain tree, Guelder-rose, Golden Trumpet, Hardy Passionflower, Holly Berry, Horse Chestnut, Hoya, Hyancinth, Hydrangea, Iceland Poppy, Iris, Ivy, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Larkspur, Lenten Rose, Leopard Lily, Lily-of-the-valley, Lily family, Lobelia, Lupins, Marsh Marigold, Mistletoe, Monkshood, Morning Glory, Narcissus, Night Blooming Jasmine, Oak, Oleander, Opium Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Peace Lily, Peruvian Lily, Philodendron, Primula, Rue, Snowdrop, Scarlet Pimpernel, Star of Bethlehem, St.Johns Wort, Hypericum, Sweet Pea, Sun Flower, Tobacco Plant, Tulip, Virginia Creeper, Weeping Fig, Wisteria. LOW TOXICITY: African violet, Busy Lizzie, Chinese Lantern, Clematis, Fuchsia, Grape Hyacinth, Honesty, Mahonia, Poinsettia.
Tombiâs conclusion is fresh flowers are more trouble than they are worth. Do we really want fresh flowers on cakes? The answer is a firm NO
Flowers list in alphabetical order using their common names. I have placed an asterisk next to some of the more highly toxic plants.
Not all parts of these plants are necessarily poisonous, but as we are talking about putting them on food I have erred on the side of caution. I was interested to see that apple seeds are considered poisonous, and in the Canadian list Chives were listed as being poisonous.!
Amaryllis (Amaryllis belladonna, Amaryllis vittata)
Angelâs Trumpet (Datura innoxia)
Anthurium, Flamingo lily (Anthurium andraeanum)
Arum lilies, Calla Lilies, Lords-and ladies) (Zantedeschia, calla palustris)
Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnalle)
Azaleas (Rhododendron)
Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia)
Bittersweet
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia serotina)
Bleeding heart (Dicentra, Dicentra Formosa)
Bluebell (Hyacinthoides nonscripta)
Burning-bush (Euonymus atropurpureus)
Buttercup
Caladium (Caladium bicolour)
Chincherinchee (Ornithogalum)
Christmas rose (Helleborous niger)
Christmas cherry (Solanum)
Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum indicum)
Clivia (Clivia miniata)
Cobra lily (Arisaema)
Common vetch (Vicia salvia)
Corncockle (Agrostemma gitbago)
Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
Crocus (Colchicum)
Daffodil, Jonquil (Narcissus)
Daphne (Daphne)
Delphinium
Dragon Arum (Dracunculus)
Flame Lily (Gloriosa superba)*
Fly honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum Lonicera tatarica)
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Goldenchain tree (Laburnum)
Golden Trumpet (Allamanda cathartica)
Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus)
Hardy Passionflower (Passiflora caerulea)
Holly Berry (Hex)
Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
Hoya (Hoya australis)
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus)
Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule)
Iris (Iris)
Ivy (Hedera helix)
Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
Larkspur (Consolida ambigua)
Lenten Rose (Helleborous)
Leopard lily (Dieffenbachia)
Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis)
Lily family ( Too many to list, most lilies are potentially poisonous)
Lobelia
Lupins (Lupinus)
Marsh Marigold
Mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum)
Monkshood (Aconitum napellus)*
Morning glory (Ipomea violacea, tricolour)
Narcissus (Narcissus)
Night Blooming jasmine
Oak (Quaercus)
Oleander (Nerinum oleander)
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum)
Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale)
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum)
Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria ligtu)
Philodendron
Primula (Primula obconica)
Rue (Ruta graveolens)
Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)
Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum)
St. Johns Wort, Hypericum (Hypericum)
Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
Sun flower (Helianthus annuus)
Tobacco plant (Nicotina)
Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana)
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Weeping fig (Ficus)
Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda)
Low Toxicity
African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha)
Busy lizzie (Impatiens)
Chinese lantern (Physalis alkekengi)
Clematis
Fuchsia
Grape Hyacinth
Honesty (Lunaria annua)
Mahonia
Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulchirrima)
Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum)
St. Johns Wort, Hypericum (Hypericum)
Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
Sun flower (Helianthus annuus)
Tobacco plant (Nicotina)
Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana)
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Weeping fig (Ficus)
Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda)
Sorry to be such a wet blanket with the deaded fresh flowers but hope you understand that we are talking about food and forgein objects on food and with many people so sensitive with allergies I will not take the chance.
HTH
*Sugar---craft is hypenated as CC blocks this word.
I use fresh flowers on many of my cakes. when I arrive there is a bouquet usually waiting for me that the florist has dropped off. The flowers will stay fresh for quite some time after that, so unless it is ridiculously hot (in which I'd be concerned about cake too) then freshness will be fine.
**I cut the stem lengths long enough to poke into cake, then I wrap them in green floral tape before sticking them into cake. make sure they're wrapped well before sticking them for 2 reasons:
-you don't want the tape to come off inside the cake. gross.
-wrapping it enough will very much minimize the risk of any poisonous contamination.
Since the cake is fondant, as you should know, not much sticks to fondant, not like BC anyway. so as far as the poisonous thing goes, no, I'm not an expert, but I feel pretty safe putting fresh flowers on a fondant cake, as long as the stems are wrapped.
besides, if the flowers were so ridiculously poisonous, would you see pictures of cakes on thousands of websites with fresh flowers all over them? : )
hope that helps!
I've put fresh flowers on a cake, but I always use a posy pick. I tape the flower stem with green florist tape, then insert that into the pick which is in the cake.
I wouldn't want to push a stem into the actual cake in case the tape came off and I don't think that a flower should be pushed straight into a cake.
I think all flowers should be checked if they're ok to go on a cake as some probably are more toxic than others if they come into contact with food.
Thanks for all the great information. It will all come in handy.
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