Tag: Creative ways to send flowers to a guy

Starbright Floral Design: Our Press Kit

Hot off the press this is our updated Press Kit.  It will be distributed to all our friends, corporate clients and to all who consider us as  their florist in the years to come.  To share with our readers and to give everyone an idea of what the Starbright brand stands for, the accomplishments of our team and to let everyone know what we have been up to, we are posting our corporate resume on Blooming Thoughts…. Thank you to everyone for a wonderful seventeen years!

We raise our glass to everyone that helped us get here and contributed so much along the way.  Our clients, the concierges at the hotels we serve, the venues, the event planners, our corporate clients, those who have trusted us with sending flowers to your loved ones… AND of course the entire Starbright Team.  Everyone who has passed through our doors has left their mark.  Thank you for all you  taught us and the footprint you left behind.  Here is to a bright future to everyone we know… Thank you!

Nic Faitos, Senior Partner – Starbright Floral Design

“The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps”

“Located in the Heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District”

Flowers, Festivals & Celebrations… It is what we do!

 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF STARBRIGHT FLORAL DESIGN

Starbright was founded in 1994 as a corporate and institutional florist in New York City with a mission to serve the non-walk-in and non-retail trades.  The focus has always been to serve the corporate floral and decorating needs of our clients.

We occupy production and administration space in a loft on 28th street in the center of the wholesale flower market.  Starbright is open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm.

In the past sixteen plus years we have had the opportunity to develop relationships and execute events at the most known venues throughout Manhattan including most hoteliers and restaurateurs.  In excess of two-hundred of the city’s top concierges at the leading hotels of Manhattan use us as their go-to florist.

Today Starbright is positioned to execute its plans for growth into the future with exemplary customer service and a quality product at a fair price.  Protecting the standard of quality and service that we have set over the years is our priority.  We will always be known as a supplier that offers a customer experience that earns five stars at every level; from the first encounter on the telephone to the execution of our client requests.

‘’When the history books write the Starbright Story, we will be judged kindly if we remembered to always do our best, give everyone we meet a smile and lead our industry with innovation, creativity, quality and service.’’

Statement of Mission, Starbright Floral Design, 14 September 1994.

 

 

 

 

 

CAPABILITIES AND SERVICES

Sending Flowers Anywhere – Through our private network of florists we are able to send exquisite floral gifts (as well as gourmet baskets and plants) anywhere around the world.  From our own store we can deliver anywhere in Manhattan even if the order comes in late in the afternoon.  With about three or four hours notice we can send flowers anywhere in the USA during local business hours.

Weekly Flowers – Seasonal flower varieties in a vase that will alter in style from time to time. The floral varieties will vary with the season and in no two weeks will either the flowers or the design be identical.  The designs will be sculpted to blend seamlessly and complement your décor and replenished weekly.

Event Décor – No event is too big or too small to receive the personalized service and expertise of an experience Starbright representative.  From holiday parties, client hospitality events as well as events at any venue in New York City (or beyond) we can provide consulting services and decorations at any level. Most of the recognized venues in New York City are familiar with Starbright Floral Design as we have decorated at most places on multiple occasions (Ellis Island, Madison Square Garden, The Plaza Hotel, and many others). We welcome you to review a sampling of our work at www.starflor.com

Human Resources and Client Gifting – We are fully capable of delivering a gift of flowers, plant or fruit and gourmet baskets anywhere in the United States on a same day basis and with 48 hours notice worldwide. At any budget that you may have, we will be happy to provide gift flora at anytime and anywhere. As part of our commitment to HR we can either help implement or follow existing flower policies set by our clients.

Plant Maintenance – To many of our clients we provide lush phalaenopsis orchid plants for a pre-set monthly fee and we arrive at the office once weekly to take care of all the orchid plants. When the orchids are fully bloomed and start to drop their flowers we replace the plants with new ones (once about every six weeks) at no additional cost to our client.

Employee Discounts – We offer our services at a discounted rate to the employees of all the companies that we work with. Once our relationship is established, employee who calls upon us and identifies his/her affiliation will receive a discount on any floral (or related) gift that they send at anytime, anywhere to anyone. This is a benefit that they can use repeatedly and has virtually no limitations beyond a low minimum of $35.

We are also involved with many clients and PR firms to create a variety of Co-Branding, Continuity and Cross-Promotional Programs.

 

STORE HOURS

  • We are open and delivering seven days per week.
  • Our Monday to Saturday hours are 8AM to 8PM.
  • Sunday we are open from 9AM to 6PM.

 

CREDENTIALS

Starbright Floral Design is a member of the following professional organizations:

  • NYC & Company – the tourism marketing arm of New York City. We have donated for all their events (including Annual Meetings, Galas, POW WOW, etc) since 1994.
  • Society of American Florists – This is the lobbying body for all florists and cut flower growers in Washington DC. Nic Faitos (our Senior Partner) has been an invited speaker on a variety of subjects with the organization’s conferences, annual meetings, etc.  Additionally, Starbright is regularly quoted in SAF’s industry magazine, Floral Management.
  • HSMAI – The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International.
  • Chamber of Commerce – New York City
  • Teleflora – a recognized leader in flower-by-wire services throughout the world. Starbright Floral Design ranks in the top 50 members in an organization of over 20,000 members worldwide.

 

Recognitions and Awards:

  • The highest rated and most reviewed florist based on user reviews online (five stars across the board) on sites such as Citysearch, Google, Yelp and the like.
  • Was awarded “Best of” by Citysearch users.
  • Selected as “best florist” for weddings by The Knot.

 

CLIENT ROSTER SAMPLING

  • The New York Marriott Marquis
  • All W properties in New York City
  • Gramercy Park Hotel
  • British Airways
  • Ernst & Young
  • BBVA
  • NYU Dental School
  • Baruch College of Business
  • Columbia University Teacher’s College
  • The Kitano New York
  • Open Hospitality
  • Axel Johnson
  • Edelman PR
  • Quintessentially
  • NYC & Company
  • Oscar de la Renta
  • The NBA
  • Jimmy Choo
  • Benjamin Steakhouse
  • Spirit Cruises
  • American Eagle Outfitters
  • World Yacht
  • VISA USA

 

NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE SUPPORT

  • The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
  • Big Brothers / Big Sisters of New York City
  • Jumpstart
  • Coalition for the Homeless
  • The Ronald McDonald House
  • Fashion Fights Cancer

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION….

Our website:

www.starflor.com

Our e-commerce portal:

www.starbrightnyc.com

Our Web Log:

Starbrightfloral.wordpress.com

Social Media:

www.facebook.com/StarbrightFloralDesign

www.twitter.com/#!/starbrightFD

LinkedIn Profiles:

www.linkedin.com/ (search: Starbright Floral Design and Nic Faitos)

150 West 28th Street – Studio 201 – New York City – 10001

800.520.8999

Should baseball ban players from wearing Jasmine flower wreaths?

Every now and again we like to present the fun side of flowers and to inject a bit of humor into our scribes.  The last time we did this, we brought you the genetically engineered Pearl Rose on April Fool’s Day 2011.  See entry here.  There are many baseball fans at Starbright and many teams are represented here.  The New York Yankees take center stage.  Our very own Ted Dee has some thoughts about baseball and how flowers can enhance performance  and the game.  Read on!

Major league baseball has been battling an image problem for years.  The problem stems from steroid use by players seeking to get an unfair edge over their peers.  The public’s outrage over what were perceived to be cheaters was real.  Players were heroes one day and villains the next.  Major League Baseball reacted (a little too slowly) to the problem by implementing a drug testing policy.  Baseball claims its policies are designed to create an even playing field bringing the game back to its pure days.  The federal government jumped on this hot button issue and have spent millions of dollars trying to prosecute Roger Clemons and Barry Bonds.  Steroids have been proven to increase strength and speed.  However, their effect on hand-eye coordination is believed to be negligible.  If Major League Baseball’s goal is to level the playing field and allow us to fairly compare today’s players to our heroes of yesteryear, then shouldn’t they ban substances proven to enhance a person’s hand/eye coordination?

Baseball players are always looking for an edge over their rivals.  Thus the growth of the silly nylon wrapped titanium necklaces worn by many of the Boston Red Sox players.  Those necklaces have not shown any benefits other than a placebo like psychological boost.  Yet, Major League Baseball spent millions in deciding whether a ban should be proposed.

It is undeniable, based on numerous studies, that flower scents have a real and quantifiable effect on the people smelling them.  Dr. Alan Hirsch, director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, has conducted numerous studies of the effect of various flowers scents on humans.  According to Dr. Hirsch, “Jasmine’s scent triggers beta waves in the front of the head…” and thereby increasing hand/eye coordination.  The scent of Jasmine has been proven to enhance athletic performance in sports requiring concentration and hand/eye coordination.  As a baseball fan eager to avoid another black eye on the face of the game’s legacy I urge the league to be proactive.  Waiting until a player dripping in Jasmine oil hits 100 home runs is too late.  Thus far, my warnings have fallen upon deaf ears at the commissioner’s office.  I hope something is done soon.  However, until something is done I will continue to send a bushel of Jasmine flower branches to the NY Yankees weekly.

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.

website: starflor.com

to order flowers: starbrightnyc.com

by phone: 800.520.8999

150 West 28th Street, Studio 201, New York City –

August Birth Flower: Gladiolus (U.S.) or Poppy (U.K.)

Gladiolus

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!

To place  an order for amazing flowers online go to:  www.starbrightnyc.com

Our warmest regards,

 

The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps

Starbright Floral Design, 150 West 28th Street, New York City.

We are on the SECOND floor!

1 800 520  8999

www.starflor.com

 

 

Marriage Equality: (More) Cause for Celebration!

I know exactly what I want my wedding flowers to look like.  Considering that I have met with and executed the flowers for at least a hundred brides during my career as a floral designer, I’ve definitely had the opportunity to formulate my own ideas about my big day.  It was only until a couple of weeks ago that the fantasy was granted the chance to become a reality.  The New York State Assembly voted to extend the right to marry to same-sex couples, thus allowing the dreams of countless loving couples to finally come true.   No, I haven’t recently become engaged.  I will still have to be content with making other people’s boutonnières and centerpieces.  However, now my pool of potential brides and grooms will include a lot more grooms and grooms and brides and brides!  Talk about a reason to celebrate!

Many times I am asked what the differences are between a same-sex wedding and the standard wedding we have been accustomed to.  Truthfully, there isn’t a difference.  Of course, if two men are getting married, it is likely I will not need to make a bridal bouquet.  Other than that, the differences are hard to find.  The emotions, politics, logistics, and ultimately the flowers are practically the same.  Color schemes are agonized over, seating charts are adjusted and the merits of orchids and roses are debated by couples no matter their gender or sexual orientation.

It’s important as a wedding vendor to keep compassion and equanimity in mind when dealing with gay and lesbian couples.  This new marriage equality should inspire equal treatment and consideration across the board.  Most couples will be looking forward to meeting and speaking with a vendor who is as excited about the big day as the couple themselves.  Florists would be wise to be inspired by the joy and new sense of validation and empowerment that their same-sex couples will exhibit while planning their wedding ceremony and reception.  What a beautiful gift our care and enthusiasm will be for these formally disenfranchised pairs.

Of course I am totally biased on this subject.  Growing up, I would have never thought that gay marriage would be a reality.  That certainly never stopped me from contemplating what color peonies I would match with purple Dutch hydrangea for my centerpieces.  I’ve also been blessed with a loving boyfriend who I know wouldn’t judge me for wanting to hold a bridal bouquet if we were to ever get married one day.  (Do you know how many bridal bouquets I’ve made???!!!  I get to have one of my own!!!)  I’m lucky that I’ll never have to risk meeting with a vendor who would try to talk me out of what I want and what I’ve dreamed about for my wedding day.  I hope and pray that the same will be true for all the other gay and lesbian couples who wish to celebrate their union with their friends and families.  Best wishes, Mazel Tov and congratulations to us all.

This scribe is brought to you by Tom Sebenius.  Tom is Starbright Floral Design’s Creative Director and has a part of the Starbright team for most of the modern history of our company. Tom has made countless brides happy and has created some truly magical Starbright moments.  Tom is our most published contributor to floral industry publications and probably the most reviewed floral stylist on all the major online review sites.  We consistently earn five-star reviews on the likes of Citysearch mainly through Tom’s insistence on quality and attention to detail.  A proud member of our team and  a true artist.  Everyone  at Starbright is thrilled that we will one day witness Tom’s ceremony and cannot wait to see  what his creativity brings out on THAT special day! Stay tuned….

Starbright Floral Design is located in the heart of New York City’s historic flower district in a second floor loft at 150 West 28th Street.  Our services include local, national and worldwide flower delivery as well as consultation and execution of social and corporate events.  To learn more about us and the type of work that we do, please visit our website at www.starflor.com.  You may also go directly to our online portal for ordering gifts at www.starbrightnyc.com or to our Event Gallery to see thousands of photographs from our recent work. You may also call us at 1.800.520.8999.  We are always thrilled to hear from you and to be of service in every way possible….

Our warmest regards,

The Official Florist of the City That Never Sleeps

Starbright Floral Design

 

July Birth Flower: Larkspur

The Larkspur

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

Starbright Floral Design

1.800.520.8999

starflor.com

Our Work: Our Latest in Floral Compositions

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Check out the photos in this album they are the latest additions to our website in our Event Gallery.  We invite you to visit our site at www.starflor.com where you can click on  the EVENT link to see our entire portfolio of over 2000 photos of our actual work.

By clicking on the GIFTS link you will go to our e-commerce portal where you can select from a wide array of gifts to send to your friends and loved ones.  Some of the flower selections that are in our gift section  are available for delivery on a national level, while others (Starbright Exclusives – Modern and Starbright Exclusives – Traditional) are available in our own delivery area of Manhattan.  Looking for something but cannot decide what flowers to send?  Designer’s Choice is a great alternative!  Here is a link to a past blog entry that talks about why Designer’s Choice is your best selection and why this is where you get the best value in flora.

About Us: Starbright Floral Design is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District.  We are located at 150 West 28th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues in an amazing loft space – Studio 201).  We have been serving the corporate, special event and hospitality industries since 1994.

To gain a broader perspective on who we are and the work we do, we invite you to visit our website at www.starflor.com.

See you soon!

Nic and the entire Starbright Team…

Flowers: The Feel-Good Medicine Series. Part One: Color

Many theories have been put forth trying to explain the relationship (the cause and effect) between flowers and the blissful emotions they generate.  Today we begin a blog series that will take us on a journey through the therapeutic world of flowers in search of the answer to the question.  Why do flowers make us feel good?

Seeing flowers in every color is an uplifting experience!

COLOR:

The first theory of why flowers make us feel so good is rooted in the psychological effects of color.  Several ancient cultures (the Chinese, the Egyptians) believed they could heal ailments using color.  This is known as Chromo-therapy.  Still used in today’s holistic medicine, color has been shown to have  an impact on one’s mood…

Blue brings calmness and serenity.  There seems to be a mental association between night and the color blue.  Several municipalities have even seized on the theory and installed blue street lighting.  In 2000 Glasgow installed blue lighting to improve its landscape.  It was later reported that the crime rate was reduced in areas that had blue lighting!  In a similar effort to reduce agressive driving, Tokyo installed 152 blue lights on a stretch of highway in 2001.

Pink is associated with love and romance.  There is even a shade of pink called Drunk Tank Pink.  Click on this link to read all about this shade of pink!

Green is the color that symbolizes nature and the natural world.  Researchers have found that green can invoke feelings of good fortune, health and tranquility.

Red is a  bright, warm color that evokes strong emotions.  Red is often associated with love, warmth and comfort.  Red is also considered a strong, even angry color, that creates intense feelings, even excitement.  Consider the many ways that the color red is used in a phrase or colloquialism: red-neck, red-hot, red-handed, paint-the-town-red, seeing-red, the-red-eye.

Every color imaginable is represented by one flower or another. Although it is clear from study after study that color has an effect on people’s moods, these effects are not always positive.  What is certain is that any flower in any color will have a positive effect on those who receive and enjoy them.  It might be a bit of a leap to say that flowers of one particular color have a more positive  effect than flowers of another color.

The moral of the story?  Send someone flowers! If you know their favorite color, then that is great! If not, all the colors are beautiful and you can send those.  Flowers do make people happy and the bright vivid colors bring us joy and happiness.  They lift us up, the help our spirits rise and most of all they make us smile. Send someone flowers today and sit back and wait for the phone to ring.  The enthusiasm that comes through the telephone line will astound you!  What other research do you really need in order to prove  the point?  That loud over-the-top, super-giddy “thank youuuuuuuuuu!” is research enough!

No matter the reason, no matter the occasion, no matter the moment, all of us at Starbright Floral Design are standing by waiting to hear from you  and ready to help lift someone’s day.  We are the feel-good experts!  Helping people smile all over the world every day.  Starbright Floral Design (that is us) is  located in the heart of New York City (in the historic flower district) and because of our ties to hospitality in our great city we have been dubbed “The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps”.

You can visit our second floor loft at 150 West 28th Street (Studio 201), you can call us at 800.520.8999 or you can learn all about who we are by going to our website at www.starflor.com.  No matter where or how you reach out to us… We would love to be of service.

Happy Days to All!

The Official Florist.

Starbright Floral Design

www.starflor.com

To place an order on-line, visit the e-commerce portal of our site at: www.starbrightnyc.com

You can also find Starbright on Facebook by CLICKING HERE.

 

 

June’s Birth Flower: The Rose its history and secret language decoded

The Rose of June - Brought to you by Starbright Floral Design
The Birth Flower of June

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!

Starbright Floral Design

150 West 28th Street – Studio 201, New York City

800.520.8999

www.starflor.com

 

Tulips: The First Money Bubble!

Investors beware! Tulip bulbs crash!
A tulip, known as "the Viceroy", displayed in a 1637 Dutch catalog. Its bulb cost between 3000 and 4200 florins depending on size. A skilled craftsman at the time earned about 300 florins a year.

Do you know a stockbroker or financial professional that has suffered losses recently?  Cheer him up with some tulips! Here is the story and why things no matter how bad they seem can always be worse…

As we celebrate the end of tulip season for yet another magnificent year… I share with you a story about this amazing flower that is sure to surprise you.  The financial bubble that came about was caused by tulip bulbs.  It took place way before the bubble in the stock market, the housing market or any other bubble and subsequent bubble that you may know of.

It was tulip mania or tulpomanie to the Dutch.  This was a period in the Dutch Golden Age during which contract prices for bulbs of the recently introduced tulip reached extraordinarily high levels and then suddenly collapsed. At the peak of tulip mania, in February 1637, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman. It is generally considered the first recorded speculative bubble (or economic bubble).

The term “tulip mania” is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to any large economic bubble.

The event was popularized in 1841 by the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, written by British journalist Charles Mackay. According to Mackay, at one point 12 acres (5 ha) of land were offered for a Semper augustus bulb. Mackay claims that many such investors were ruined by the fall in prices, and Dutch commerce suffered a severe shock. Mackay’s book is a classic that is widely reprinted today, his account is contested.

Research on the tulip mania is difficult because of the limited data from the 1630s—much of which comes from biased and anti-speculative sources. Although these explanations are not generally accepted, some modern economists have proposed rational explanations, rather than a speculative mania, for the rise and fall in prices. For example, other flowers, such as the hyacinth, also had high prices on the flower’s introduction, which then fell dramatically. The high prices may also have been driven by expectations of a parliamentary decree that contracts could be voided for a small cost—thus lowering the risk to buyers.

All we want is tulips in a vase to enjoy them all season long!  They still grow in Holland.  Today tulips are a harmless flower that brings much joy and  is considered by many the first sign of springtime.  They are commercially available as cut flowers from September to May.  In the off-months you can get them, but the quality is not great and they are pricier than at their peak season (March, April and May).

All of us at Starbright love tulips…

This post is brought to you by Starbright Floral Design (www.starflor.com).  Sometimes we like to bring out “the fun side of flowers” by injecting some humor into our scribes.  We truly hope you enjoy our reads and get to see flowers from a little bit of a different perspective.  We sure do.

When you have some time, please visit our website and tell us what you think of the work that we do.  If you would like to order a gift for someone, you can visit our e-commerce portal we always recommend Designer’s Choice as a great option to take the guess work out of ordering flowers for a friend, a loved one or a parent. We deliver flowers on a same day basis (open seven days a week) in the United States.  Worldwide delivery is available  (except war zones, jungles, desserts and merchant marine vessels in the open sea) within 48 hours.

We would love to hear from you!  An alternative to our website is to call us (800.520.8999) or you may visit us at 150 West 28th Street (Second Floor).  We are in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District.  Pop on in! We would love to meet you!

Starbright Floral Design – The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps.

“Flowers, Festivals & Celebrations… It is what we do!”

Lily of the Valley: The May birth flower and possibly Robert Plant’s inspiration to the 70’s song “Stairway to Heaven”.

The lily of the valley is a low-growing perennial plant that usually has two large oblong leaves and small fragrant nodding bell-shaped flowers that grow evenly up the stalk forming what appear to be steps.   Perhaps Mr. Plant, observed the Lily of the Valley’s configuration and penned the song “Stairway to Heaven” (probably not).  However, medieval monks having lots of time on their hands and keen observation skills, viewed the flowers configuration and labeled the flower the “ladder to heaven”.  The flower was considered a symbol for the steps to heaven.

The Victorian era, with its strict rules of etiquette regarding verbalizing feelings of affection, was the golden age of the language of flowers.  When the lily of the valley was given as a gift to a love interest its meaning was said to be “you made my life complete”.  Today its meaning is said to be happiness, humility, purity and sweetness.

Through the years the flower has gained popularity in wedding bouquets.  The reason for this is open to debate.  Some would say it’s the flower’s fragrance and beauty.  Opponents offer that many flowers equal its beauty and fragrance.  The marriage cynics amongst us, point to the flowers’ herbal use as a poison antidote as the reason for its wedding bouquet popularity.   Statisticians claim that polls of brides are flawed.  Many brides are embarrassed to admit fear of poisoning by their groom as the driving force behind the choice of the flower.  Perhaps we’ll never know.

Similarly the origins of Lily of the Valley is open to debate.  One Christian bible story has it that the flower first grew where Mary’s tears fell at the foot of the cross.   Another has the flower first sprouting from Eve’s tears after she was kicked out of the Garden of Eden.  Whatever its origins, the flower provides a beautiful fragrant and visual accent to any floral display.

This post is brought to you by Starbright Floral Design (www.starflor.com).  Sometimes we like to bring out “the fun side of flowers” by injecting some humor into our scribes.  We truly hope you enjoy our reads and get to see flowers from a little bit of a different perspective.  We sure do.

When you have some time, please visit our website and tell us what you think of the work that we do.  If you would like to order a gift for someone, you can visit our e-commerce portal we always recommend Designer’s Choice as a great option to take the guess work out of ordering flowers for a friend, a loved one or a parent. We deliver flowers on a same day basis (open seven days a week) in the United States.  Worldwide delivery is available  (except war zones, jungles, desserts and merchant marine vessels in the open sea) within 48 hours.

We would love to hear from you!  An alternative to our website is to call us (800.520.8999) or you may visit us at 150 West 28th Street (Second Floor).  We are in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District.  Pop on in! We would love to meet you!

Starbright Floral Design – The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps.

“Flowers, Festivals & Celebrations… It is what we do!”

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