Gladiolus has been dubbed the flower of the Gladiators. It represents strength of character, sincerity, generosity. In the Victorian age with its secret language of flowers it was said to represent “love at first sight”. Gladiolus derives its name from the latin word for sword and is sometimes called the sword lily. As a member of the iris family it contains about 260 species. Only about 10 are native to Europe the rest are native to southern Africa. The species vary from very small to the spectacular giant flower spikes you see in floral designs. The flower stalk of the Gladiolus contains an extended row of trumpet-shaped, fragrant flowers, all of which face in one direction. Their colors include pink to reddish or light purple with white, contrasting markings, or white to cream or orange to red.
Once upon a time Gladiolus were viewed as an upscale, highly sought after flower but fell into the sympathy arrangement niche. However, we’ve recently seen a resurgence of the Gladiolus in NYC. Many upscale restaurants and hotels in NYC have once again incorporated the Gladiolus in their floral decor.
This scribe is brought to you by your friends at Starbright Floral Design… We are an enthusiastic bunch that spends our day making really cool compositions of flowers. Bright colors, great designs and amazing service to our clients is what we are all about. Starbright is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District in a second floor loft space. We spend our days making flower arrangements that we send as gifts on behalf of our clients. People call us for a bunch of reasons (1 800 520 8999)… Sometimes to say “sorry”, other times to wish someone well during an illness or to congratulate on one of life’s major milestones. Sometimes people call us because the caught the romantic influenza and they think someone is super sexy! We even get some really shy customers that don’t know what to say on the card and need lots of help!
Roses in NYC are as plentiful as NYC birthdays. Every year millions of roses are gifted in NYC for any number of occasions. In June, the appropriate floral gift is the rose as it is June’s birth flower. Rich in popularity as a symbol of love and romance it hasn’t always been so. In fact, the rose was first looked upon as a symbol of war. A civil war that raged on from 1455-1487 between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. The House of York adopted a white rose, the House of Lancaster was represented by a red rose. The war has been dubbed “The War of the Roses”. The winner of this war, Tudor Henry VII (The Tudors), merged his Lancastrian rose with the rose of his York bride and thus the creation of the Tudor Rose, the Rose of England.
Roses, Roses, Roses in NYC
In later years the rose evolved into a form of language creating a secret means of communication between lovers. In the mid 18th century the wife of the British ambassador in Constantinople described this language in her letters. Largely due to the publication of her letters after her death, we have the code necessary to decipher the intricate language of roses. For example if you want to ask your love interest “will you love me?”, send an open white rose. Want to ask “Don’t you love me any more?” , send an open yellow rose. Want to say “I respect and look up to you” then send a bouquet of white roses. Red roses signify “forever I Love You”. However a bouquet of red and white roses state “Together we are one and united”. Want to declare your attraction to someone but don’t want to go as far as declaring your undying love, then purple roses are the way to go. Colors alone aren’t enough to deliver the complex messages of love. In combination with the colors, the number and degree of bloom of the roses have also been assigned meaning. A dozen roses says “Be Mine”. Thirteen roses tells someone we’ll be friends forever. Three dozen roses expresses “I’m head over heels in love!”. Six dozen roses or more says “my love for you is limitless”. In addition to its Victorian assigned message, this last one says “I’m a Starbright Gold club member”!!!.
Regardless of its diverse assigned meanings, the one constant is the rose’s undeniable beauty. The recipient of a beautiful arrangement of roses is always appreciative.
This scribe is brought to you by Starbright Floral Design. We are a full-service florist located in Midtown NYC.. We deliver inspired floral compositions throughout Manhattan, all of New York City and everywhere beyond. You may CLICK HERE to visit our e-portal where you may place an order for designer-inspired flower vases and arrangements, our orchids, plants and so much more. We offer same-day delivery to most parts of the United States.
We will be honored to be of service to you now and for a long time to come… Warm regards from all of us at Starbright, “The Official Florist of the City That Never Sleeps”.
Flowers, Festivals and Celebrations – It is what we do!
Gladiolus is the August birth flower. It has been dubbed the flower of the Gladiators and a much-loved flower in NYC. It represents strength of character, sincerity, generosity. In the Victorian age with its secret language of flowers it was said to represent “love at first sight”. Gladiolus derives its name from the Latin word for sword and is sometimes called the sword lily. As a member of the iris family it contains about 260 species. Only about 10 are native to Europe the rest are native to southern Africa. The species vary from very small to the spectacular giant flower spikes you see in floral designs. The flower stalk of the Gladiolus contains an extended row of trumpet-shaped, fragrant flowers, all of which face in one direction. Their colors include pink to reddish or light purple with white, contrasting markings, or white to cream or orange to red.
For some great ideas on summer flowers in NYC please visit our website at http://www.starbrightnyc.com/ and take complete advantage of all the great flowers that the season has to offer!
Hope you are staying cool and are surrounded by the splendor and beauty of Gladiolas!
Sincerely,
Nicodemus Faitos and The Team at Starbright Floral
Poinsettias and Christmas seem to go together like peas and carrots. This association hasn’t always been the case. Its roots stem from Mexican legend. As legend has it, a child who could not afford a proper gift to offer the Christ child on Christmas Eve was left to pick weeds from the roadside. The child was told that any gift given in earnest and with love is valued in God’s eyes. When the child placed the weeds onto the church altar, they miraculously bloomed into a poinsettia with its bright red flowers.
Poinsettias are native to southern Mexico and Central America, where they may reach heights of sixteen feet. They are named after the first United States ambassador to Mexico, Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett. A physician, politician and an avid amateur botanist, Dr. Poinsett sent samples of the plants to the U.S. in 1825 and by 1836 the plant had become commonly known as the poinsettia.
The Aztec Indians prized poinsettias (pronounced oohahargh-do in their native tongue) and considered them a symbol of purity because of their brilliant red color. The Aztecs made a reddish dye from the flowers of the poinsettia. They also made a medicine said to fight fevers from the sap of the plant. One common myth of the plant is that its sap is poisonous. Although not tasty, it has not been found to be poisonous.
Today every festive holiday party is sure to contain the popular plant. Its brilliant colors are sure to brighten any venue.
This scribe is brought to you from all of us at Starbright Floral Design. We are big supporters of all things to eradicate Leukemia. We hope that you will join us in contributing to this fight.
If you would like to read more about Starbright, who we are and the scope of the work that we do, please visit our website.
If you would like to place an order for flowers (worldwide delivery), please visit our e-commerce portal.
Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb in the 15th Century BC. The flower was brought to Japan in the 8th Century and the Emperor adopted the flower as his official seal. The flower was brought to Europe in the 17th Century and named from the Greek for “Gold Flower”, a reflection of its original color.
The Chrysanthemum - November Flower....
These days the flowers come in various forms and can be daisy-like, decorative pompons, or buttons. In addition to the traditional yellow, other colors are available such as white, purple and red.
In the United States, Chrysanthemums are identified as cheerful holiday flowers. Fall arrangements and Thanksgiving Day Flowers in NYC and throughout the country incorporate Chrysanthemums in their decor. However, many European countries (France, Italy, Spain, Hungary and Croatia) have identified Chrysanthemums with death. Accordingly, their use in floral arrangements is limited to funerals or on graves.
Other Uses:
Be sure to bring Chrysanthemums with you when taking a walk in the jungle. The flower is considered a natural source as an insect repellent. The Pyrethins when extracted and applied on the skin in an oil suspension or as a powder can be lethal to insects such as mosquitoes. The Chinese have used the flower for its antiseptic and antibiotic qualities for centuries.
Starbright Floral Design is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District. We are in a second floor loft space from where our customer’s orders get dispatched. To learn more about our organization and the work that we do, we would like to invite you to visit our website at www.starflor.com or you may call us at 800.520.8999. Either way, we would be thrilled to hear from you and to be of service.
Starbright deliverers flowers in Manhattan (our home city) as well as world-wide. In addition to flowers and plants, fruit and gourmet baskets, balloon and the like; we are also the go-to florist for events (both corporate and personal). Flowers, Festivals & Celebrations…. It is what we do!
Wishing you a wonderful day!
Starbright Floral Design
“The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps”
The Marigold is the October birth flower. Its list of uses is as long as its rich history. However, its use in floral arrangements is not advisable. Marigolds do not survive for long when cut. Accordingly, birthday flowers for October babies play off the rich color of the flower and autumn floral arrangements are the norm.
The Marigold is native to southern Europe but do well in North America as well. Seeds planted in April take root in any type of soil in full sun or medium sun locales. Practically no care is required other than weeding and pruning. Marigolds bloom from June until the first frost kills them. However, their death is short lived reappearing with young plants in the spring.
Religious Worship:
In India, the marigold is considered a sacred flower. Hindus devote the marigold to gods and goddesses in religious ceremonies.
Medicinal Uses:
Plant pharmacological studies have indicated that Marigold extracts have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory qualities. Marigold solutions have been used topically to treat acne, reduce inflammation, control bleeding, and sooth irritated tissue. The petals are edible and can be used fresh in salads or dried or used as a replacement for saffron. Eaten in salad, Marigold petals have been shown to relieve abdominal cramping and constipation.
Demonic Evictions: Sixteen century herbalists used the marigold to remove evil spirits from one’s head while simultaneously strengthening eyesight. According to folklore, all Linda Blair and Emily Rose needed was a blossoming marigold plant placed in her bedroom (ironic that a marigold is needed in a rose bedroom). Once the girls stared at the marigold petals their demons depart and would return to the wonderful little girls they were before their demonic possessions. Coincidently, children throughout the New York area have been growing marigolds in classrooms and day care centers as classroom projects since I was a kid. The stated scholastic reason is that it teaches the kids about germination. However, many teachers have been heard branding our children as “little devils” (mine of course, can only be mistaken for angels). Perhaps there’s something else going on.
This scribe is brought to you from all of us at Starbright Floral Design. We are big supporters of all things to eradicate Leukemia. We hope that you will join us in contributing to this fight.
If you would like to read more about Starbright, who we are and the scope of the work that we do, please visit our website.
If you would like to place an order for flowers (worldwide delivery), please visit our e-commerce portal.
The September flower is the Aster which in the language of flowers means love, faith and wisdom. However, since 1918 the Aster worn on your lapel signifies something entirely different and could lead to unforeseen consequences. An Aster on the lapel signifies your unity and membership in the insurrection. Its revolutionary symbolism originated from the Hungarian revolution of 1918 dubbed the “Aster Revolution”.
Revolutionaries in Hungary wore it as sign of solidarity with the rebels of the revolution. The revolution was short lived but the Aster’s symbolism has lived on. Rumor has it, an Aster worn on your lapel today will generate and FBI probe and possibly a trip to Guantanamo (note to those with no sense of humor: this is a joke!) The Aster is known as a hardy flower but surely does not do well under water boarding conditions.
Certain varieties of the flower have been used medicinally for their pain relieving qualities. According to ancient lore the burning of the Aster leaves protects against snake attacks. Perhaps the use of the Aster by revolutionaries was not a random act but a calculated survival tool.
Regardless of its meaning, Aster flowers provide a beautiful addition to a fall flower garden. When so many other flowers are at the end of their growing season, the hardy asters continue to thrive. Their brilliant colors and scent brighten up any landscape or floral arrangement.
Starbright Floral Design is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District. We are in a second floor loft space from where our customer’s orders get dispatched. To learn more about our organization and the work that we do, we would like to invite you to visit our website at www.starflor.com or you may call us at 800.520.8999. Either way, we will be thrilled to hear from you and to be of service.
Starbright delivers flowers in Manhattan (our home city) as well as world-wide. In addition to flowers, plants, fruit and gourmet baskets, balloons and the like we are also a go-to florist for events both corporate and personal. Flowers, Festivals & Celebrations…. It is what we do!
Wishing you a wonderful day!
Starbright Floral Design
The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps.
Gladiolus has been dubbed the flower of the Gladiators. It represents strength of character, sincerity, generosity. In the Victorian age with its secret language of flowers it was said to represent “love at first sight”. Gladiolus derives its name from the latin word for sword and is sometimes called the sword lily. As a member of the iris family it contains about 260 species. Only about 10 are native to Europe the rest are native to southern Africa. The species vary from very small to the spectacular giant flower spikes you see in floral designs. The flower stalk of the Gladiolus contains an extended row of trumpet-shaped, fragrant flowers, all of which face in one direction. Their colors include pink to reddish or light purple with white, contrasting markings, or white to cream or orange to red.
Poppy
All species of poppies are attractive and most are cultivated as ornamental plants. In Europe the poppy is a common weed and found in many locales including Flanders, the setting for the famous poem by the Canadian surgeon and soldier John McCrae “In Flanders Fields”. However, A few species are cultivated as sources of drugs and foods. The opium poppy is so widely used, for both drugs and food, that its worldwide production is monitored by international agencies. It produces opium, opiates, poppy seeds and poppy seed oil.
Poppies have long been used as a symbol of both sleep and death. Sleep because of the opium extracted from them, and death because of the common blood-red color of the red poppy. In Greek and Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead. Poppies used as emblems on tombstones symbolize eternal sleep.
In the United Kingdom poppies are traditionally worn on lapels each November in remembrance of those who died serving their country (symbol coming from Flanders Field). In November 2010 the U.K.’s prime minister and his aides wore the poppies on their lapels during a visit to China nearly causing an international incident and damaging relations between the two countries. The Chinese took offense because the poppy reminds the Chinese of the many Chinese who died at the hands of the English during the Opium wars fought in the 1800’s. The Chinese insisted the Poppies be removed. The Prime Minister informed the Chinese that poppies meant a great deal to them and the English people and refused to remove them.
Artificial poppies (called “Buddy Poppies”) are used by the Veterans of Foreign Wars as a source of financial assistance to disabled veterans who assemble them. VFW conducted its first poppy distribution before Memorial Day in 1922, becoming the first veterans’ organization to organize a nationwide distribution. The poppy soon was adopted as the official memorial flower of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. Today, VFW Buddy Poppies are still assembled by disabled and needy veterans in VA Hospitals. The minimal cost of Buddy Poppies to VFW units provides compensation to the veterans who assemble the poppies, provides financial assistance in maintaining state and national veterans’ rehabilitation and service programs and partially supports the VFW National Home for orphans and widows of our nation’s veterans.
This scribe is brought to you by your friends at Starbright Floral Design… We are an enthusiastic bunch that spends our day making really cool compositions of flowers. Bright colors, great designs and amazing service to our clients is what we are all about. Starbright is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District in a second floor loft space. We spend our days making flower arrangements that we send as gifts on behalf of our clients. People call us for a bunch of reasons (1 800 520 8999)… Sometimes to say “sorry”, other times to wish someone well during an illness or to congratulate on one of life’s major milestones. Sometimes people call us because the caught the romantic influenza and they think someone is super sexy! We even get some really shy customers that don’t know what to say on the card and need lots of help!
For world-wide delivery of flowers, be sure to visit our website at www.starflor.com. We would love to hear from you!
Never heard of it? Ask a cowboy and chances are you’ll get an expletive filled description of this beautiful flower. The flower is low maintenance and grows freely in the wild. It’s when it makes its way to grazing pastures that cowboys have a problem with the larkspur. It is highly poisonous to cattle and has led to untold numbers of deaths. The larkspur is a tall beautiful flower variation of the delphinium. The long spike of the flower reminded people of the nose of a dolphin. Delphinium is Greek for “dolphin”. The spike also reminded some people of parts of the lark, thus the name larkspur (Shakespeare referred to it as lark’s heel). Like characteristics of the people born in July the flower stands for lightheartedness and levity.
The larkspur is a great addition to any tall floral arrangement. Its tall, beautiful spikes come in a variety of colors and accentuate the beauty of all its surrounding flowers or can stand on its own. The flowers typically bloom in the summer months between June and September. Found throughout the world today, its origin can be traced back to the birthplace of civilization, Greece. Shortly after the death of Achilles, at the behest of Athena (Achilles’ mother) it was decided that his armor was to be given to the bravest Greek warrior. Having proven himself in battle repeatedly and even personally rescuing the armor and body of Achilles from the Trojans, Ajax was the odds on favorite. To the dismay of most, particularly Ajax, the armor was awarded to Odysseus instead. Dejected and disgraced, Ajax killed himself. The Scarlet larkspur began to grow where Ajax’s blood was spilled. Today, the scarlet larkspur occurs naturally in coastal climates. Canyons and its surrounding areas are a favorite for the Orange larkspur. Blue larkspur is common in the southeastern United States.
Aside from its aesthetic qualities, larkspur has medicinal value as well. The seeds are ground to a powder and used to treat toothaches. In the civil war, soldiers used the powder in their hair to kill lice. Transylvanians used the blue variation of the flower to ward off witches. New Yorkers include it in their floral displays to ward off the blues.
These scribes are brought to you by Starbright Floral Design. We are a premier florist in New York City located in the heart of the Historic Flower District. We deliver flowers for any occasion worldwide. Our loft is located on the second floor (Studio 201) at 150 West 28th Street. You may visit us online at www.starflor.com or you may call us at 800.520.8999. Or better yet, you can pop in and visit us in person! We would love to meet you and hear from you as well!
Don’t forget to “like us” on Facebook so that you can keep up with all that is happening in our world and see all kinds of beautiful floral compositions form right before your eyes!
We are thrilled to be of service to you….
The Official Florist of the City That Never Sleeps
The rose, June’s birth flower is rich in symbolism and myth. Its image has been utilized throughout history on such diverse topics as love, war, politics and beauty.
The Myths
The first rose of record is said to be in ancient Greece. The Gods had a tendency to find beauty in tragedy. It was one of these tragic moments that created the rose. Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, created the rose when her tears mixed with the blood of Adonis, her lover. The Romans, not fearful of copying the Greeks like a Xerox machine, created their own legend of the rose’s creation. According to Roman legend, there was an incredibly beautiful maiden named Rhodanthe. She was relentlessly pursued by suitors. Exhausted by their pursuit, Rhodanthe sought refuge in the temple of Diana. Diana was jealous of Rhodanthe and when the suitors broke down her temple gates to get near Rhodanthe, she became furious. Diana’s rage led her to turn Rhodanthe into a rose and her suitors into thorns. The rose’s appeal was farther reaching then just the west. The Persians had their own tale of creation. The Persian legend explains the creation of the red rose as well as the origin of the nightingale’s beautiful voice. According to legend all roses were originally white and nightingales were ordinary birds who can only chirp. One day the nightingale met a beautiful white rose and fell in love. The nightingale’s love was so intense and his need to express his love so great that he was inspired to sing for the first time. When the nightingale made his moves on the rose and pressed himself up against it the thorns pierced his heart, coloring the rose red. If you are like me (Greek), clearly the Greek mythological tale is more appealing. However, fossil evidence suggests that roses existed 35 million years ago, well before any of these myths suggest.
Symbolism
The rose’s symbolic value is not exclusive to England but was most widely used and popularized there. The rose was first looked upon as a symbol of war. A civil war that raged on from 1455-1487 between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. The House of York adopted a white rose, the House of Lancaster was represented by a red rose. The war has been dubbed “The War of the Roses”. The winner of this war, Tudor Henry VII (The Tudors), merged his Lancastrian rose with the rose of his York bride and thus the creation of the Tudor Rose, the Rose of England.
In later years the rose evolved into a form of language creating a secret means of communication between lovers. In the mid 18th century the wife of the British ambassador in Constantinople described this language in her letters. Largely due to the publication of her letters after her death, we have the code necessary to decipher the intricate language of roses. For example if you want to ask your love interest “will you love me?”, send an open white rose. Want to ask “Don’t you love me any more?” , send an open yellow rose. Want to say “I respect and look up to you” then send a bouquet of white roses. Red roses signify “forever I Love You”. However a bouquet of red and white roses state “Together we are one and united”. Want to declare your attraction to someone but don’t want to go as far as declaring your undying love, then purple roses are the way to go. Colors alone aren’t enough to deliver the complex messages of love. In combination with the colors, the number and degree of bloom of the roses have also been assigned meaning. A dozen roses says “Be Mine”. Thirteen roses tells someone we’ll be friends forever. Three dozen roses expresses “I’m head over heels in love!”. Six dozen roses or more says “my love for you is limitless”. In addition to its Victorian assigned message, this last one says “I’m a Starbright Gold club member”.
Regardless of its diverse assigned meanings, the one constant is the rose’s undeniable beauty. The recipient of a beautiful arrangement of roses is always appreciative.
This and most scribes on this web log is brought to you by Starbright Floral Design. We are a full-service florist located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District. We deliver inspired floral compositions throughout Manhattan, all of New York City and everywhere beyond. We invite you to visit our website at www.starflor.com. Here you will be able to gain a broader perspective on our organization and on the work that we do. You may CLICK HERE to visit our e-portal where you may place an order for designer-inspired flower vases and arrangements, our orchids, plants and so much more. We offer same-day delivery to most parts of the United States.
We will be honored to be of service to you now and for a long time to come… Warm regards from all of us at Starbright, “The Official Florist of the City That Never Sleeps”.
Flowers, Festivals and Celebrations – It is what we do!
Blooming Thoughts 