We’re just about through the second week of fall. The kids are well-and-truly back to school, Jewish High Holy Days are pretty much wrapped up for the year, and we can see the winter holiday season at the end of the tunnel. Before we get there, though, it’s time for football games, seasonal beers with “harvest” in their name, and changing leaves. We’ll leave you to find your games, and we’re not going to tell you what beer to drink (we’ll leave the know-it-all vibe to Brooklyn) – instead, we’re getting together a list of places you can go check out some great fall foliage without leaving New York City limits. Next week we’ll be running a list of places you and the fam can go Wild Out on some nature.

Before we get there, though, let’s look into why all these trees change color in the first place. Think back to highschool life science classes – you learned about how plants maintain homeostasis (the correct balance of chemicals, temperature, and moisture for sustaining life) by converting energy from sunlight into the ability to process nutrients. The sunlight gets converted by a cellular organism (the “cells that make up a cell,” as it were) called chlorophyll, which resembles a little green pill floating around in the cells that make up leaves. It’s important to remember that leaves, like most living things, are translucent. When the light of the sun shines through a leaf, it has to pass through so much chlorophyll that it makes the leaf look green along the way. In reality, though, that leaf has a color, and it’s probably not green – by the time autumn rolls around, all of the chlorophyll has decayed and is no longer it’s bright emerald green. Now, when the sunlight shines through the leaf, we get to see the plant’s original color. In general, most of the colors are warm – lots of golds, reds, maroons, oranges and browns. As the season wears on, these pigments will start to decay as well – that’s why we see the tones on the trees get more and more “earthy” as we get closer to winter.

Next Tuesday we’ll be running a list of great spots to check out, and later this fall we’ll be sharing some of our shop’s favorite harvest recipes! #allaboutfall

 

Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.

If you’re looking to make a selection of flowers that will last, look first towards varieties with hardy or wooden stems. Roses,  carnations, chrysanthemums, alstroemeria and orchids are all great options for flowers with long vase life.  But don’t feel constrained! By following a couple easy steps, you can increase the vase life of any flower you like. 

 

1. Watch out for debris.

Leaves and other small pieces of floral fallout can cause bacteria to grow in the water. if you see a stray leaf floating on the surface, it’s best to fish it out.

 

2. Check the water.

Flowers need their water and some flowers are thirstier than others. It’s best to keep an eye on the water levels in your vase. Thirsty flowers, like the hyacinth, benefit from a full vase and an occasional spritz of water from a spray bottle.

Its is also good to change the water every 2-3 days if possible. This isn’t always the easiest thing to do and may be something you would like to consider when selecting a style. Generally, the best way to change water is to slowly tilt the vase until the old water pours out slowly. Refill the vase with fresh water. Most stems are happiest in room-temperature water, but soft stemmed flowers like the tulips like cold water best.

Don’t forget to add some flower food to the fresh water. Flowers need three things: carbohydrates for the flowers metabolism, biocides to maintain health and prevent bacteria, and acidifiers to increase water uptake by adjusting the pH of the water. If you have professional flower food, dissolve the powder in luke warm water before adding it to the vase.  If you don’t have flower food, mix up the following to use instead :

            Homemade Flower Food

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon household bleach
• 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice

 

3.  Give ’em a fresh cut. 

Making sure that the flowers have a good amount of clean water is a great start. To go all the way in making your flowers last, you can remove the blooms, one by one, and give the stem a fresh cut above any brown that has developed on the end. This clears the way for the flower to drink the maximum amount of water.

 

4. Watch where put ’em.

Avoid placing your flowers in direct sunlight or near hot lights – these will cause petals to wilt more quickly.

 

6. Plan your next selection

There will come a point when it’s best to let them go. It’s ok to let flowers die. But if you’d like to save them forever, remove the blooms from the water while they’re still looking pretty good. We found this guide from North Dakota University that lists great ways to preserve your flowers if you’d like.

 

 

Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.

 

Quick Notes

Echinacea is part of the daisy family. Considered an herb, the echinacea falls to the ground every fall and it’s seeds bloom the following year. This flower is unique to the areas of eastern and central North America, where you can find it growing in large numbers in open wooded areas and prairies.

Visual Notes

Echinacea comes from the Greek word “echino,” meaning sea urchin, and the flower is certainly reminiscent of this spiny creature. The center of the flower is a spiky, cone-shaped disk, which leads its other nickname: the coneflower. The purple petals that surround the spiky center are removed before the flower is sold, because the petals are very delicate and bruise easily. Their absence makes the sea urchin-like center of this flower all the more striking.

Flower History

Echinacea has been used in folk medicine for centuries. Native Americans originally observed this flower being eaten by elks that were sick or wounded. They adopted the flower for their own use in medicinal practices, and called it elk root. It was used to treat a variety of ailments, including sore throats, headaches, and the common cold. Native Americans passed on their knowledge of echinacea to Europeans, and the plant became popular in European medicine in the 1930’s. Feeling under the weather? Echinacea is still used today to boost the immune system. Just don’t eat the ones we send you!

Insider Information

Echinacea is a great choice if you’re looking for an ornamental or decorative flower for planting, thanks to its unique appearance. You can find it in bloom from early to late summer.

 

 

Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.