Decorative sleeve cover for a floral grouping having a matte or textured finish on a surface thereof

Abstract

A flexible sleeve disposable about at least a portion of a flower pot or floral grouping is formed of a flexible polymeric material having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide a textured or matte finish to the flexible sleeve. The flexible sleeve may also be provided with perforations at preselected areas for removing an upper portion of the flexible sleeve from a lower portion thereof. Methods for wrapping a floral grouping or packaging a plant using the flexible sleeve are also described.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for wrapping a floral grouping with a sleeve having a matte or textured finish on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a floral grouping having a bloom portion and a stem portion;    providing a sleeve having a matte or textured finish on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the sleeve formed of a flexible polymeric material having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide a matte or textured finish, the sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an inner peripheral surface, an inner retaining space, an outer peripheral surface, and a bonding material disposed upon a portion of at least one of the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the sleeve for holding overlapping portions of the sleeve in a crimped position adjacent a portion of the stem portion of the floral grouping when the floral grouping is disposed within the inner retaining space of the sleeve;    placing the floral grouping into the inner retaining space of the sleeve; and    binding the sleeve about the floral grouping by crimping portions of the sleeve together causing at least one portion of the sleeve to overlap another portion of the sleeve, the bonding material engaging the overlapping portions of the sleeve together in a position surrounding an adjacent portion of the floral grouping forming a crimped portion of the sleeve and wherein at least a portion of the stem portion of the floral grouping is disposed within the crimped portion, thereby binding the sleeve in a position about the floral grouping.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is further characterized as having a detaching element for detaching a portion of the sleeve after the sleeve has been bound about the floral grouping.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the method further comprises detaching a portion of the sleeve via the detaching element after the sleeve has been bound about the floral grouping.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, at least a portion of one surface of the portion of the sleeve detached and at least a portion of one surface of the portion of the sleeve bound about the floral grouping are each modified to provide a matte or textured finish thereto.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is provided with a printed pattern on at least a portion of one of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces thereof which provides the sleeve with the matte or textured finish.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the printed pattern is provided by application of a matted ink or a foamable ink to at least a portion of one of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces of the sleeve.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the sleeve is further provided with an embossed pattern on at least a portion of one of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces thereof which cooperates with the printed pattern to provide the matte or textured finish.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are in registry.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are out of registry with one another.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is provided with an embossed pattern on at least a portion of one of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces thereof which provides the sleeve with the matte or textured finish.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the flexible polymeric material is an expanded core polymeric film having a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.  
     
     
         12 . A method for wrapping a floral grouping with a sleeve having a matte or textured finish on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a floral grouping having a bloom portion and a stem portion;    providing a sleeve having a matte or textured finish on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the sleeve formed of a flexible polymeric material having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide a matte or textured finish, the sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an inner peripheral surface, an inner retaining space and an outer peripheral surface;    placing the floral grouping into the inner retaining space of the sleeve; and    binding the sleeve about the floral grouping, thereby holding the sleeve in a position about the floral grouping.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is further characterized as having a detaching element for detaching a portion of the sleeve after the sleeve has been bound about the floral grouping.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the method further comprises detaching a portion of the sleeve via the detaching element after the sleeve has been bound about the floral grouping.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, at least a portion of one surface of the portion of the sleeve detached and at least a portion of one surface of the portion of the sleeve bound about the floral grouping are each modified to provide a matte or textured finish thereto.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is provided with a printed pattern on at least a portion of one of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces thereof which provides the sleeve with the matte or textured finish.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the printed pattern is provided by application of a matted ink or a foamable ink to at least a portion of one of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces of the sleeve.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the sleeve is further provided with an embossed pattern on at least a portion of one of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces thereof which cooperates with the printed pattern to provide the matte or textured finish.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are in registry.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are out of registry with one another.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 12  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is provided with an embossed pattern on at least a portion of one of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces thereof which provides the sleeve with the matte or textured finish.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 12  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the flexible polymeric material is an expanded core polymeric film having a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.  
     
     
         23 . A decorative sleeve positionable about at least a portion of a floral grouping, the decorative sleeve having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide the decorative sleeve with a matte or textured finish, the decorative sleeve comprising: 
 a sheet of flexible polymeric material having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the polymeric material is embossed, printed, or embossed and printed to provide such surface with a matte or textured finish; and    wherein the sheet of flexible polymeric material is formed into a decorative sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an inner peripheral surface, an outer peripheral surface and an inner retaining space into which a floral grouping may be disposed such that the sleeve may be bound about the floral grouping and held in a position about the floral grouping.    
     
     
         24 . A decorative sleeve positionable about at least a portion of a floral grouping, the decorative sleeve formed of a flexible laminated polymeric material having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide a matte or textured finish, the flexible laminated polymeric material from which the decorative sleeve is formed comprising: 
 an expanded core polymeric film having an upper surface and a lower surface;    a substantially water impervious polymeric film laminated to the expanded core polymeric film, the substantially water impervious polymeric film having an upper surface and a lower surface;    wherein at least a portion of at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of one of the expanded core polymeric film and the substantially water impervious polymeric film is modified to provide a surface of the flexible laminated polymeric material with a matte or textured finish; and    wherein the flexible laminated polymeric material is formed into a decorative sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an inner peripheral surface, an outer peripheral surface and an inner retaining space into which a floral grouping may be disposed such that the sleeve may be bound about the floral grouping and held in a position about the floral grouping.    
     
     
         25 . The decorative sleeve of  claim 24  wherein the expanded core polymeric film and the substantially water impervious polymeric film are laminated with a colored adhesive.