Blog | Rose Red & Lavender

I Love the Philly Flower show. Every year I go with my family to see all the amazing exhibits.

Each year there is a theme, This year it was Great Britain. England has a rich gardening culture and it was fun to see how everyone interpreted this.

The show is divided into four main parts, Exhibition, Floral Design, Plants, and Shopping.

The exhibits are done by companies that have an interest in floral design and horticulture. Florists, garden centers, growers and manufactures strut their stuff and really come up with unique showcases.

My favorites this year were the over the top dinner party, the eggs made of found items, the English Moore and the Vertical garden with the wheelbarrows.

Some of my favorite vendors were there selling their products to the public like Landreth Seeds, Organic Mechanic and Chive.

This show always gets my creative juices flowing. I especially loved the twee little fairy gardens. This is a tough one for me because I think they cross the line a little too much, but I think I will try some out this year. Seems like a natural fit with all the terrariums we have.

Lavender and William were excellent helpers, I gave Lavender my Iphone to take pictures, she really has a good eye.

William was encouraging with his raw enthusiasm for flowers, he really loves color and likes to look at all of the designs and smell the flowers.

And now for some plant porn.

Guastavinos is a gorgeous venue underneath the Queensboro Bridge. It has enormous vaulted ceilings and beautiful lighting.

I was thrilled when Amanda and Steven asked me to create the decor for their wedding.
Here is a sneak peak of the flowers, I am hoping we will get some professional photos soon.

This is such a great space to work in. With soaring ceilings, you have to go tall. We combined hydrangea with babies breath and quince branches to create dramatic centerpieces.

Branch Centerpiece with Lanterns

This wedding was three days after Valentine’s day so we took a quick break on the 15th from being neck deep in Red flowers and switched gears on the 16th to be neck deep in White flowers.

Low Centerpiece

For the ceremony we lined the aisle with candles trimmed with birch and created an arch with willow branches and quince. The arch was made in 2 pieces so it could be taken apart after the ceremony.

Arch

For the head table, we created a more intimate setting with pillar candles, mercury glass pedestals and groupings of white flowers.

Guastavinos

Amanda and Steven loved the results.

Bride and Groom

Mercury Glass Pillars

Unfortunately I was rushing around and didn’t take the time to photograph her bouquet. I can’t wait to see the professional photos.

Congratulations to the newly married couple.

Gramercy Park Hotel is a special place.

The rooftop terrace is amazing and what a great place for an urban-chic wedding. They call it Haute Bohemian.

The Lobby is full of 20th century masterpieces by artists Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, Keith Haring, and of course, Julian Schnabel.

Your party will be spread through several rooms each has the vibe of being in a private club.

I love doing weddings here, and with so much going on, white is a great go to color.

We chose a more wildflower look for this wedding, keeping the floral arrangements more as an accent than a focal point. The vases have a hand made look with a dimpled orb that has irregular edges.

The groom’s family is Persian so we used lots of hyacinths, a traditional persian flower.

A Rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species and they come in all different colors, shapes and sizes. Roses or no Roses on Valentines Day. I can’t decide.

There are two camps of people in Williamsburg on Valentine’s Day. The Classic Red Rose or the I am too cool for red roses.

I am torn. Yes Roses are a cliche, Yes they are over-done Yes they are available all over the place. But, like a good steak, or a glass of wine, when done right they can be beautiful and will be appreciated and they can be so romantic. I have never had anyone, no matter how fashion forward turn down a heavenly scented garden rose.

Lavender Holding a rose

Ornamental roses have been cultivated for a millennia, the earliest known examples found in Egyptian pyramids and Mesopotamian writings.

Floriography is the art of writing with flowers. This art became popular during the middle ages when most of the population was not literate, especially females, the object of affection. Each flower had a particular meeting and when this art was at its height in the 19th century, entire conversations could be had by using flowers.

We know that Mistletoe is asking for a kiss, Gardenia means you’re lovely, Hibiscus means you have a delicate beauty, Ranunculus means you radiate charms, a variegated tulip means you have beautiful eyes. Colored carnation means YES, a striped carnation means NO. Yellow carnation means rejection and disdain, scented geranium stupidity, and an orange lily, hatred. Red roses symbolize passion, true love and devotion.

Roses, have their own special language. a thornless rose means the receiver never fear the giver, a leaf invites hope and a garland indicates superiority and merit. A full bunch of open blooms indicates gratitude and a single, unopened rose means beauty and innocence leading to love.

Where do all of these flowers come from? The number one producer of flowers is Holland, thats where we get all of our anemones, ranunculus, hyacinths, and of course tulips. The number two producer of flowers and top producer of roses in the world is is Columbia.

Colombian Roses

Colombian roses are grown in the Sabana de Bogata region, a highland near the equator that is the site of an ancient river bed. The cool nights, warm days and consistent sunlight
is the ideal setting for a perfect rose.

It takes about 48 hours for flowers to get from a field in Colombia to a warehouse in the United States, and one or two more days to reach a retailer. Flowers are grown on private farms and are sold through growing associations. In the past the cut flower industry was filled with problems associated with unsustainable practices, child labor and un-safe working conditions. Now a majority of the flowers sold to independent retailers are certified by watchdog organizations like Veriflora and Rainforest Alliance to ensure that the flowers are grown in a safe, respectful, sustainable manner.

From the time of harvest flowers enter a cold chain where they are stored in a 34deg. warehouse, sent to the airport in refrigerated trucks, held in refrigerated warehouses at the wholesaler and stored in refrigeration at a retailers shop. Flowers can be held for weeks in this type of environment. Once exposed to heat and the outside world they start to fade. The worst place for a flower to be is outside on the street, which is why deli flowers never last as long as ones from a reputable florist.

When choosing flowers this Valentine’s Day. Give roses another try. Garden Roses like the David Austen varieties are so romantic, I mean really romantic, they are everything a rose promises to be, beautiful, sweet-smelling and swoon worthy. Spray roses are petite and fresh, and multicolored roses like Free-spirit with their ruffled edges and peach hues always make me smile. Purple roses like amnesia or cool water look great when combined with white ranunculus or tulips. Don’t be afraid of the classic red standards like Freedom, they will last for weeks in a vase and when paired with waxflower and and an interesting leaf like magnolia, they can look contemporary and new. Just remember to order early, we always pick the best first, and its first come, first serve.

Garden Roses

I love gardeny arrangements that are natural and free flowing, just as much as I love wearing casual clothing and running around without any makeup on.

Just the same though, I love getting dressed up, having my hair done and putting on a pair of heels for an evening out.

This was one of my evenings out.

Mason Jars, burlap, medicine bottles and found items have been a common thread with weddings that we have done lately. I was thrilled to be able to do something a little different and create some large, formal centerpieces for a wedding at Capitale in Manhattan.

Capitale is a wonderful venue that is the old Bowery Savings Bank. Listed by Racked as one of the most expensive venues in NYC.

This was a great chance for me to show off a little more formal, and over the top style. We made theses centerpieces using hydrangea, roses, and orchids.  The lighting package in the space is dramatic and worth every penny.

I think the results are beautiful.

Sunflowers are in season and they are looking very beautiful this year.

Chocolate and Regular Sunflower

Sunflowers always remind me of growing up in the country and the arrangements that we would put on our tables using goldenrod, laceflower, blackeyed susans and sunflowers.

Those were always pretty, happy bouquets that looked best in an old metal pitcher or a mason jar.

Here are a few of my favorites from over the past few weeks.

Shiny Cement bowl

This is a container that I love using, it is a boat shape and is made of cement that is dipped in metal for a shiny, mirror like finish. I love the juxtaposition of the sleek metal with the cement. I think it is perfect for flowers that one would find growing in random places, like these sunflowers, pennycress, and millet.

Wouldn’t it be nice though if these gorgeous lilies and tuberose popped up everywhere? Alas, they come from costa rica, but are pretty just the same.

Chocolate Sunflower

Here is a chocolate sunflower. The color is amazing and the leaves look like velvet. I like to mix this with wax flower and other types of botanical s that have some hints of burgundy, it really creates a lot of movement and rhythmic patterns.

I am loving how it looks next to the scabosia though with those sagy greens and whites. I think I will try that combination, it seems that those sages would soften the burgandy/chocolate hues a bit so that you can appreciate them more and it would also make the whole piece a little more understated.

Some days I just can’t resist making something that is high contrast. I really love how the chocolate sunflowers look with milky white casa blanca lilies. The lilies have such a long vase life that it makes up for the very short life that some sunflowers can have. Sometimes I pull the leaves off and just keep the centers. I love how the big, dark circles look with just a crown of spiky green leaves around them.

Black Eyed Susans

This Arrangement reminds me of a hot summer day, bees buzzing and long, lazy afternoons spent on the porch. I love these black eyed susans, the little cousins of sunflowers. This arrangement could have been picked from a roadside field with this collection of milkweed, laceflower and feverfew.

The birch container is a perfect vessel for this happy arrangement and is a little more updated than a mason jar or a pitcher.

Modern Take

Here is a more modern take on sunflowers, taking them to another place. I don’t often do arrangements like this so it was fun for me to step out a little and create something outside of my comfort zone. The request was modern, tall and dramatic. Ok. so we will use some sunflowers and see what happens.

These monstrea leaves combined with cobra lilies, milkweed and celosia makes a great combination with the chocolate sunflowers, making them look almost exotic.

Here are some more sunflower arrangements.

Enjoy.

Happy Summer!

Its Summer!! I haven’t kept my promise to write, we have been so busy with weddings.

Peonies are abound. I love peonies and this year has been an especially good season.  These are for a wedding at the Palm House at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, I love using creams and whites and yellows with dusky greens, so lemony and creamy don’t you think? Makes me want some Lemon Tarts or some Key Lime Pie.

Summer is also a time for Lavender and Lemons.

I love Meyer lemons and have a hard time finding them. Luckily, they grow great in containers and make perfect house plants. They like bright light and not so much water. If you have an outdoor space they you can put them outside in the summer, and inside in the winter.We have a full selection in our shop in sizes from one gallon to 45 gallons. We even have a 5 in one tree that has Meyer Lemons, Oranges, and Grapefruit, all on the same tree (I am secretly hoping it doesn’t sell)

Here is our recipe for Meyer Lemon Marmalade, Delicious.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Makes about 12 jars

Warning: This recipe takes three days.

14 to 15 Meyer Lemons
1 sweet orange
Enough water to cover the fruit, about
4 1/2 to 8 lb of sugar, depending on the size of your lemons

Slice the  in half lengthwise, then into thin horizontal slices, removing the pips as you slice and placing them in a bowl.

Place the lemon slices in the biggest bowl you can find (or two bowls) and cover them with water (I use filtered water). Cover with a plate and set aside in a cool place overnight. Cover the pips with water and set aside, covered, in the refrigerator.

The next day, pour the fruit and its water (not the pip water) into a large saucepan or copper jam basin. Bring to a boil and let the mixture bubble at a steady boil for 40 mins, stirring occasionally. Let this mixture cool, then weigh it and return it to a cool place to rest overnight.

The next day, place the fruit with its water, the strained pip water and an equal weight of sugar in a large saucepan or jam basin. Bring to a boil, then let it boil steadily for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the syrup thickens slightly. To test the marmalade, pour a little onto a small plate that you have chilled in the freezer, then wait a minute. Tilt the plate and if the syrup wrinkles, it’s time to transfer the marmalade to jars.

Use 3 part canning jars, Wash jars with hot soapy water and rinse.

Fill the jars nearly to the top and close the lids as soon as you can (make sure the rims are clean). Invert the jars onto a towel and let rest until cool. Make sure that you have a seal on the lid by taking off the ring and seeing if the lid is depressed and makes a bright tinny noise when you flick it with your finger. If not, replace the lid, cleaning the edge of the jar and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

The marmalade could keep for years or perhaps days, depending on how many marmalade-lovers you know.

As far as lavender goes, we just got in our first harvest of Munstead and Hidcote. Oh the smell is heavenly.

Meyer Lemons

So much has been happening, I don’t know where to begin. I always promise myself that I will blog once a week. I don’t Its terrible.

Home Grown Tomatoes

We have been busy beavers over at the shop and have been making all sorts of mischief. Over the past coupla weeks we have totally transformed out outside space into a big, luscious garden. We have also planted a few thousand herbs, veggies and fruits just for you. We like to grow our own so we know its all good and organic, and we can grow all sorts of cool varieties that I never see on the market.

Teapot Vase Featured in Time Out New York

Mother’s Day is around the corner, I peeked in my back yard and saw the first roses. They always bloom around Mother’s Day. The market has been full of GEORGOUS! Peonies and I can’t get enough of them, Lilacs have also been coming around….but this year I have been mad about Hyacinths. Hyacinths have the sweetest scent and I have noticed an incredibly long vase life. We take a lot of care when processing them to make sure that they last extra long. Click here to place your order, we sell out.

Photo by Danny Kim for New York Magazine

Wedding season has begun and we are in full force production. I was excited to see that we where one of the few people selected to be in New York Magazine’s Summer 2012 issue. This beautiful headpiece is made of Wax Flower and Anenomies. I was inspired by some vintage headpieces that I had collected. These can be made and shipped overnight all over the country.

Me on Martha Stewart

Press!! In addition, we were named as one of the top 10 garden centers in New York City by Time Out New York. I was shocked and incredibly honored to be on the same list as Jamali and the Garden center at New York Botanical Garden. Even happier because we didn’t need to have a mascot or some trendy gimmick to get there, just great plants, cool gifts, and sound advice.

Martha!! I was so excited to be on the Martha Stewart Show. OK, in the audience on the Martha Stewart Show. It was a special about Etsy and the great sellers there they featured a terrarium class that I taught at Etsy Labs. My mom was excited to see me on National Television but didn’t understand why I wasn’t interviewed and on the show more, thanks Mom.

Birds and Bees

Speaking of Mascots though…I love bees and our birds. Yesterday I had the pleasure of installing not one, but two packages of Bees. These are Italian honey bees shipped up from Georgia and they are chemical free. I am proud of my organic bees. We put a hive on the roof of our studio along side our Fruit trees that we just planted. Ok. Yes I hauled a few dozen fruit trees onto a

Tara and the Bees

roof, but what the hell. A little exercise won’t kill me. I hope the bees will feel at home. I also put in an observation hive so that everyone can come and see the bees in action.

Tara, is my bee keeper partner. She grew up in Queens and has been keeping bees since she was a little girl, before it became all kinds of cool and trendy and she got me hooked on bees. Last year she got stung and discovered that she is allergic, after all, but was still a trooper and put on the white suite and ventured forward. I can’t wait for the honey and bees wax.

Moss Graffitti

Moss Graffiti. We love moss and taught a fun class on how to paint with plants.

Robb put together a nice presentation and even played MC Hammer to get people inspired to make some graffiti.

We Have been up to our EYEBALLS with Valentine’s Flowers and are sooo so excited about this year.

Here are some special offerings that go beyond red roses. If you love red roses, and we do to, our classics are the best that you can find and once you see them, you will know why they are a classic. Order early because we sell out. Sorry to the young men who I had to turn away last year after 3:00.

Flowers and Plants