Astrantia is commonly known as masterwort, melancholy gentleman, or Hattie’s pincushion. It is native to the grasslands and meadows of Europe and western Asia, especially in moist areas near rivers or streams. Astrantia is part of the carrot family.
Visual Notes /
Astrantia can grow to be one or two feet tall. The center of the flower resembles a pincushion, and the flowerhead is reminiscent of a star or firework. Hence the name astrantia, from the Greek word “asteri,” meaning star. The petals are beautiful, vibrant summer colors of red, pink, and white. These flowers are the perfect choice for brightening up your home, because they remain vibrant even after they are cut, and will stay healthy in a vase.
Flower History /
Astrantia is an herbaceous flower and has long been utilized for its medicinal qualities. The essential oil that can be extracted from the flower is used to quell stomach pains. The dried leaves of the astrantia flower are also helpful. Used as an infusion, they are thought to amplify the appetite and aid in digestion.
Insider Information /
Astrantia blooms throughout the summer, and exudes a sweet and pleasing fragrance. Not only gorgeous in the summer, these flowers will also brighten up your winter months. They are durable and resilient when dried, and are the perfect choice for a dried flower arrangement. Choose astrantia to bring some summer warmth into the darker months of the year.
There are several types of celosia flowers, but this article will focus on the spicata variety. Celosias are resilient and will stay fresh for a long time after they are cut. They also make beautiful dried flowers, and are a popular choice for potpourri.
Visual Notes/
Celosia blooms in vibrant, citrus colors like pink, magenta, and violet. The flower grows in an elongated cone shape, similar to a wheat head, which is where it gets one of its several nicknames: the wheatstraw. It’s also commonly referred to as the paintbrush variety of celosia because of its shape. Its vibrant pink color has earned it yet another name: flamingo feather.
Flower Facts/
As celosias grow, their flowers bloom upwards and get taller. The petals near the top of the flower have bloomed most recently, while the petals near the bottom of the flower were the first to bloom. As the flowers grow larger, the vibrant pink color spreads upwards. The brightest colored petals can be found at the top of the flower, while the petals near the stem may lose their citrus shades and take on instead a silvery sheen.
Insider Information/
The name also comes from the Greek word “kelos,” which means burning, and describes the flame-like colors of the flowers. Silvery celosia takes color very well, and can be dyed a wide range of hues. Their strong stems make them especially resilient.
Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.
Over at Starbright Floral Design, we get to work with lots of colors everyday and all of us have our favorites. But why are they our favorites and what does that say? Up this week, my favorite :
Blue
What makes blue so special?
Blue is the most common favorite color in the world. People everywhere associate the color blue with the sea and the sky. Like looking out over the ocean, or gazing up at a clear blue sky, seeing the color blue makes people feel calm. Blue creates a tranquil environment. It is a quiet color that promotes peace and relaxation.
For the bedroom
Blue is a color that enhances trust between people. It is the color of honesty and loyalty. Blue flowers in the bedroom will cultivate the bond between you and your partner. Blue is also the color of peace. If you feel stressed out and need to unwind, try putting some blue flowers on your nightstand. They will promote your mental and physical relaxation.
Ikebana Dreaming in Blue
For the office
Blue flowers will work wonders in your office, whether you work in a cubicle, from home, or anywhere in between. The color blue enhances communication and self-expression. Have clients yelling at you over the phone? Keep a vase of blue flowers on your desk. They’ll reduce tension and stress, creating calm and order instead.
Blue Suede Bouquet
For the soul
Whether you are religious, spiritual, or just plain contemplative, the color blue will bring your practice to a higher place. Blue is the color of devotion. It is the color of the spirit, and of religious study. Blue flowers placed in your area of worship will create a tranquil atmosphere for prayer. The color blue reduces fear, and enhances inner security. Blue flowers in your meditation space, or on your altar, or in any area of the house where you practice devotion, will bring you closer to your inner self.
Hydrangea and delphinium for Hanukkah
Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.
Sometimes refereed to as Queen-of-the-vines, clematis is a member of the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family. It can be found in most countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Clematis grows naturally as a climbing vine / lianasand has been harvested by many cultures for it’s medicinal values. But be careful! Clematis are toxic if eaten.
Visual Notes /
With over 250 cultivars grown around the world, the clematis flower is visually varied. All varieties feature a number of leafy petals clustered around the center of the flower. The colors range widely, but blue-purple, white and pink are especially popular.
History /
Because it’s found everywhere, Clematis is one of the first flowers early botanists and genetic researchers really took note of. As a result, it was widely used in early genetic experiments. Many of the British cultivars are the result of this early groundwork in understanding genetics.
Clematis
Insider Info /
– The name Clematis comes from the Greek word “klematis,” meaning vine.
– Clematis are scented, but their scent is rarely strong enough for perfume making.
– A few clematis varieties change color when between blooming. This is caused by environmental factors, like sunlight.
Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.
At Starbright Floral Design in New York City we’re inspired by the stories clients share with us. Roughly one out of every fifteen weddings we get to participate in decorating this season are for same-sex couples. Each one comes with a unique pair of individuals, with love in their eyes and a desire to give their family and friends an event to remember. We’re excited to share their experiences, and how those experiences have inspired us as we continue through the seasons.
“My partner and I have been dreaming about getting married for fifteen years. Being a same sex couple, I thought it would remain but a dream. When New York gave us the right to make it official we jumped at the chance. We booked a restaurant downtown for an intimate celebration with thirty or so friends. The floral designs were wildflower themed. I told Starbright I wanted it to look like I picked the flowers out of my garden. What they came up with from such limited direction was incredible. We got married in New York, with friends around us, with good food, surrounded by beautiful flowers. It was a dream come true. Starbright’s help in making this dream a reality can’t be overstated.”
– Shared by Jonathan V.
Jonathan and his partner’s earnestness inspired the Starbright team to craft arrangements that would imbue the atmosphere with the same sweet, everyday hopefulness that goes along with a bouquet of wildflowers.
Working With Wildflowers
The trick to successfully using wildflowers for wedding decor is to know which varieties are in season. From early Spring to late Summer, new bloom varieties appear in the shop each week. Some of our favorites re-appear only briefly before they disappear again until next year. In Spring, blooms such as the lace-like aster, sweet smelling lilies of the valley, and the many petaled ranunculus are popular for weddings because they remind us of new beginnings and softer feelings. Late Summer wildflowers are a whole different ballgame. Be ready for bright colors, lots of texture and a trip to the wild side.
Late summer wildflowers tend to be wind-swept-and-wild. The colors, shapes, and textures are a great way to add a twist to standard floral fare. During this time of year, herbaceous florals begin to fill the Starbright Floral Design cooler; small, untraditional blooms stand out amongst twisted stems in shades of green. Great for adding dimension, texture, and scent, herbs first became popular in wedding arrangements during the Victorian era when they were used to also convey specific meanings. For the traditionalists, our favorite herbs to include are lavender for luck and devotion, rosemary to remember friends and family who cannot attend, and sage for a long life together. And for the bride or groom with stage fright, thyme or mint in the boutonnière is a must – the scents will help keep you calm and collected.
Unlike many popular wedding flowers, wildflower arrangements actually look better when they aren’t meant to be identical! The wild nature and shape of these flowers keeps them unified and also unique, just like the couple saying “I do.”
Today, weddings don’t have to mean what they used to. Mix it up! Define what’s right for you and then explore it. When it comes to the flowers, we’re here to help. From all of us at Starbright Floral Design, congratulations AND best wishes to all the happy couples!
Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.
Over at Starbright Floral Design, we get to work with lots of colors everyday and all of us have our favorites. But why are they our favorites and what does that say? Up this week, Marcela’s favorite :
Green is the easiest color for the eye to see and therefore considered balanced. Environments are significantly enhanced by the presence of plenty of green. On a primitive level, greenery reminds us of water and growth, and is associated by color psychologists with good-taste and a sense of security. Psysiologically, green helps balance emotions and creates a sense of calm. Consider a pair of green tinted shades – one study found that reading through a green tinted transparent sheet increased participants speed and comprehension!
For the Home
Give us a call to talk about bringing living greens into your space – we offer select seasonal varieties of . Green is a cool color and has a calming effect. Green is also a reassuring color. In the presence of greenery, people are subconsciously reminded of the presence of water – or the absence of famine.
Money Tree
For the Teacher
Starbright Floral Design’s succulent gardens are a low maintenance solution for a busy teacher. And worth your while as well! A study at The Royal College of Agriculture in Circencester, England, found that students demonstrate 70 percent greater attentiveness when they’re taught in rooms containing plants. The same study reported that classrooms with plants reported higher attendance than those without plants. This effect carried over into a study that showed that students were more likely to join and continue to participate in after school programs and activities that took place outdoors or had greenery present.
The Greenhouse
For the office
What works for students works for me. Green plants in an office space promote concentration and perspective. And why stop at plants? Starbright Floral Design also offers a number of green floral arrangements to satisfy a person’s need for green.
Take Me To The River
Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.
Over at Starbright Floral Design, we get to work with lots of colors everyday and all of us have our favorites. But why are they our favorites and what does that say? First color up for consideration, the king of the color psychology world:
Yellow
How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun. -Vincent Van Gogh
Yellow is most often associated with happiness and competence. Due to the amount of light that is reflected, yellow is the most visible color of the spectrum. Because it is so easy to see, yellow is more attention-getting than other colors. It also stimulates stronger reactions in people than most other colors.
Starbright Floral Designs in Yellow
To an office
A little yellow in an office goes a long way. Physiologically, yellow stimulates mental activity. It can help to increase the speed of analytical processes and logical reasoning.
To support and encourage
A bouquet of yellow flowers can increase the recipients energy, confidence, and happiness level. Bright yellows also relate an optimistic outlook, while pale yellows may be better for also communicating sympathy.
To congratulate
Help aim the spotlight and say “well done!” with an arrangement that calls attention to the recipient.
Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.
Karl Albert Beuher was one of the early Chicago painters to adopt Impressionism. He joined other American artists in Giverny, France, to paint en plein-airin the commune established by Claude Monet. These impressionists developed a style that required quickness in order to finish a piece before the sun moved and the light changed. They wanted to capture their subjects, which were generally natural scenes, as the eye might see them. Instead of hard lines and lots of detail, Bueher’s brush delivered bursts of color and light that seem to illustrate a fleeting moment in time. He wants us to see ripples in the leaves instead of the angles in the bark. He wants us to see a sea of long grasses and field flowers instead of individual blades of grass and carefully represented blooms.
The art of floral arrangement is as varied as any art form. Last week, we showed you our Georgia O’Keefe inspired arrangements and how color and line can be used to suggest energy and emotions. This week we’re looking at another bouquet – this one designed on the same principles as Bueher’s early works.
We’re focusing on the impression of these flowers as a whole, instead of on any one individual “wow” flower. There is a lightness represented in Beuher’s work that we wanted to capture. In regards to the design above, we wanted to create something genuine, unfettered, and at one with the scene. Something that would be memorable for the occasion, but serve to enhance the impression of the overall, rather than draw attention to itself.
Take a look at Beuher’s painting below and the flowers we selected to make up this arrangement. For our “plein-air” bouquet, we want to create a light and feathery texture similar to that of Beuher’s brush strokes. The vibrance of the colors in the artwork are also important. We love how shadows are created with vibrant shades of green and the pink – they create contrast we might describe as “lightness” instead of “brightness”.
Each flower was carefully selected for it’s size, color, and texture. Our wind-swept bouquet of wildflowers is purely fantastical – few of these flowers are native to any one common region. Luckily, here at Starbright, we had no problem getting the flowers we wanted. Our selection included :
1/ Dusty Miller – The quaint name isn’t the only thing we love about this hardy foliage. With it’s silver-white color and soft texture, this leaf adds a wistful element to any arrangement.
2/ Stock – Noted for it’s heady, clove-like scent. This example of the variety, with double flowers, adds texture to our arrangement. Stock also is a symbol of a happy life and a contented existence.
3/ Astilbe – These remind us of wildflowers. The feathery stalks seem to float in this arrangement.
4/ Lisianthus – Native to equatorial areas of the American continents. This delicate, long-lasting, prairie flower has ruffled petals. They represent warmth and geniality.
5/ Dahlia – Sometimes called the “Queen of the Autumn Garden”, the dahlia belongs to the Asteraceae family which is noted for their star-shaped blooms and includes flowers lie the daisy and sunflower. Traditionally these flowers symbolize hope for an everlasting union.
6/ Freesia – Sweetly, citrus-scented and long-lasting, these graceful flowers are perfect for a bouquet. Each wiry stem can have up to 10 flowers.
7/ Ranunculus – The fine layers of petals give this weighty flower a delicate appearance.
8/ Muscari – Small and fragrant, the shape of these flowers is reminiscent of little bells.
Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.
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.
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Blooming Thoughts 