Tag: flowers in new york city

New York’s Historic Flower District

1904 flower district postcard
From Ephemeral NewYork blog post New York’s Gilded Age Flower Vendors

One of the things that makes Starbright Floral Design so special is our unique location in New York City’s historic Flower District. The Flower District is located on West 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, in the heart of Chelsea, and it stands as one of the most striking blocks in all of Manhattan. A walk down the street gives the passerby an incredible array of sights and smells, with shops and wholesalers lining the sidewalks with an amazing display of plants of all kinds. For the flower shopper, there is no better place to go to find exactly what you’re looking for. As the great blog Scouting New York says:

When people talk about a greener New York, I always think of the lush sidewalks of West 28th Street. Few of Manhattan’s numbered streets have the ability to so transport a pedestrian to what feels like a different world, and it’s always a welcome detour in my scouting travels.

The District’s beginnings can be traced to the early 19th Century, when vendors began congregating on 34th Street, near the docks, to sell flowers that had come from Long Island. As is the case with so many of New York City’s great neighborhoods and industries, the Flower District was a melting pot of immigrants who worked hard to start businesses and lives in America. Many of these early inhabitants of the Flower District were newly arrived from places like Germany, Poland, Greece, and Ireland, and the businesses they started, in many cases, would stay within their families for generations to come.

By the 1890’s, the Flower District had moved away from the Hudson and over to Sixth Avenue. Setting up on the Avenue of Americas, from 26th Street to 29th Street, the sellers gained closer proximity not only to the elegant residences of Fifth Avenue, but to “Ladies’ Mile,” a swath of blocks that was home to many of the day’s most fashionable department stores, including Bergdorf Goodman, Lord and Taylor, B. Altman, and Arnold Constable.  

Over the course of the century that followed, the Flower District would grow into one of the world’s premier locations for flower selling. From a 2004 New York Times article:

The flower district soon became entrenched and flourished there… In its heyday, it drew buyers from throughout the metropolitan region and even from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. More tons of flowers changed hands in New York than anywhere in the world except Amsterdam, according to a 1977 newspaper article.

Although the District has shrunk geographically to its current home on West 28th Street, its bustling spirit is still very strong. If a visitor gets to the block at 8 am–after the licensed designers and wholesale merchants have come and gone–he or she will be treated to a shopping experience unlike any other. In fact, that’s one of the best things about New York’s Flower District; unlike Amsterdam’s Bloemenmarkt and the London Flower Borough Market, this Manhattan market is open to the public.

Holiday Flower and Planting Inc
Outside Holiday Flower and Planting Inc in the New York Flower District
Dutch Flower Line
Outside of Dutch Flower Line in the New York Flower District


Foliage Garden
Curlon leaning on the door of Foliage Garden in the New York Flower District
Adam loading the Starbright van
Adam loading the Starbright Van!

And while most of the sellers in the District are strictly wholesale, Starbright Floral Design provides a retail option for those looking to take home fresh, beautiful flowers at a reasonable price. Located on the second floor of 150 West 28th Street, above the delicious Korean HIT Deli, Starbright is an open design studio, meaning you can watch our professionals put together your lovely arrangement while you wait. In addition to custom arrangements, we also offer a wide selection of ready-made designs for your convenience. Some arrangements currently on offer that we highly recommend include the delightfully pink Full of Life, the subtle and elegant Peony Garden Fusion, and for you Beatles lovers, the gorgeous White Album, featuring white lilac, cream roses, white hyacinth, white amaryllis, white hydrangea, and white phaelonopsis bloom, accented with dusty miller and lily grass loops.

150 west 28th street New York
150 West 28th Street – see us up there on the 2nd floor?

Starbright is truly lucky to call the New York City Flower District our home. With such a deep history and with a community of sellers who are passionate about high-quality flowers, it is one of the most remarkable areas of the city. We invite you to come visit and see the magic of the District for yourself!

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

 

Got the morning grumps? Let flowers turn your frown upside down.

It’s cold, it’s dark, and a single digit number glows back on the alarm as ear-piercing beeps cut the silence.

A full ten percent of the population actually enjoy this experience. For the other 90 percent, a mandatory 7:00am alarm is less than desirable. 

Society, work, or familial pressures keep us bouncing – very few people have the luxury of  subscribing to their preferred sleeping patterns. In fact, instead of maintaining a natural sleep schedule, many people stay awake later and wake up earlier than their body would like.

What do we get for pulling extra hours? In a study of young employees, lower amounts of sleep caused an increase in tension, nervousness, and irritability. These symptoms were especially present in the morning hours and tended to naturally wear off as the day progressed. 

Good news for the habitually groggy! 

 

“The morning blahs, it turns out, is a real phenomenon, with positive moods — happiness, friendliness, and warmth for example — manifesting much later in the day,” says lead researcher Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D. Doctor Etcoff is referring to her research that confirms

“flowers might be the perfect pick-me-up for millions of Americans who do not consider themselves “morning people.” 

-Nancy Etcoff, PH.D.

The study, done at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital studied the effects of flowers on the emotions of participants. These participants noted that they generally felt least positive in the morning but reported being happier and more energetic after looking at flowers first thing in the morning.

Doctor Etcoff continues “By starting the day in a more positive mood, you are likely to transfer those happier feelings to others — it’s called a mood contagion.” We’re thinking of it as an emotional domino effect and it’s wild – check out more info on the Wikipedia page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_contagion

The best part? Flowers don’t discriminate – the positive effects work for women, men, and even children and adolescents. 

Want to try it out? Our reading suggest that the effects are strongest when flowers are located in communal areas or in the immediate surroundings.  Some ideas from starbrightnyc.com :

Marcela
From Starbright’s table to yours

For the bedroom : 

Try a posy of something sweet and aromatic. Lilies, lilacs, stock, sweet peas, and freesia are examples of scented flowers to look for. 

For the kitchen :

Whether in a home or an office, families and friends tend to come together in kitchen spaces – try something bigger and brighter for this room.  We also love simple and colorful.  A bundle of tulips maybe? 

For the desk :

Something elegant, contained, and unlikely to spill might be best.  Check out these callas as an option or these orchids.

For the office :

When you’ve got a bit more space, a flowering orchid plant will help keep you company. While white orchids are always elegant, this purple Phaleonopsis orchid is a great way to include Pantone’s 2014 Color of the Year – Radiant Orchid in your space.

With Starbright’s subscription service, you can have seasonal flowers in your home or office fresh weekly.  Give us a call to find out more.

 

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

 

 

A bouquet En Plein-Air

Karl Albert Buehr - The Parasol
Karl Albert Buehr – The Parasol

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-air in 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.

Wedding bouquets

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”.

 

Flowers used in bouquet

 

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.


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

Georgia O’Keeffe and a Colorful Bouquet

Georia O'Keeffe inspired bouquet

 

Georgia O’Keeffe was inspired by what she saw in nature – over here at Starbright, we’re inspired by her perception and the images she shared.

The painting above is Ms. O’Keeffe’s Music, Pink and Blue No. 2. This abstract expression of music has an informal balance that gently flows across the canvas to create a soothing rhythm. The pattern, created by repeating circular lines and colors creates the impression of layers. Even the color harmonies mimic music.  The deep pools of concentrated color create a base (or bass!) for the sweeping mid-values to stand out against. The orange and white splashes, which are only partially visible in the above image, add focus – like lyrics, they sit slightly towards the foreground of the painting and give the eye something to pivot around.

Armed with inspiration, it’s easy to interpret O’Keeffe’s interpretation back into the natural.  The medium – flowers.

The bouquet in the above image was composed of the following flowers:

 

flowers

1/ Ranunculus : These bright orange flowers have crepe-paper thin petals. We’re reminded of the layered feel of the pattern in Music. The bright color is creating bright points of focus in these arrangements. Ranunculus come in a brilliant variety of colors. Giving a ranunculus says “I am dazzled by your charms”.

2/ Calla Lily : These undeniably elegant flowers mimic the central shape in Music. The washed pink color also reminds us of the calming shades of pink in the painting. These flowers represent abundance and beauty. 

3/ Sweet Pea : These richly colored, sweet-smelling flowers come in a variety of colors and represent blissful pleasure. The flowers themselves are about one inch big and resemble butterflies with folded wings. We chose a purple shade.

4/ Rose : This rose variety has a color gradation effect in its petals – the outer petals are light pink and get darker near the center.  According to The Language of Flowers, a pink rose represents perfect happiness. 

5/ Cornflower : These brilliant blue flowers are often called bachelor’s buttons.  The name comes from an old folk tradition that claims if worn by a young man in love the flower can divine the feelings of his beloved.  Because of this tradition, the cornflower has come to represent hope in love.  We’re going to use these in the groom’s boutonniere. 

6/ Hypericum Berries : These smooth peach colored berries add another texture to our arrangement.  We especially like how clean they look against all the ruffled petals. 

7/ Thistle : Ok, these are a little out there for the inspiration, but the rich blue/purple color and spiky prickles add great color and texture.  The thistle is also a Scottish symbol of noble character – which we think is pretty fitting for a wedding.  

The inspiration can be seen throughout the bridal parties pieces.  Below is the groom’s and groomsmen’s boutonnieres.

Georgia O'Keefe inspired Boutineers

We had a lot of fun making these colorful pieces!

Congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple!

 

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Starbright Floral Design began as a husband and wife team who had a passion for hard work and floral artistry.  Over twenty years later, we continue to stand by these founding principles. Looking for flowers in New York City? visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com

 

 

NYC Summer Flowers Series: Gladiolus

NYC Summer Flowers:Gladiolus
NYC Summer Flowers:Gladiolus

Gladiolus

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

Spring has Sprung-Springtime Flowers in NYC by Starbright Floral Design NYC

Visit our website for amazing tulip choices!
Tulips are at that peak of their season. The Dutch varieties come in amazing colors!

New Yorkers it is time to rejoice. Spring flowers are here to whisk away the winter blues. Bright colored blossoms a plenty.  A plethora of flowers to choose from. Where do I start?  A good place would be with perhaps the most symbolic and popular images of spring; the Dutch Tulip.

Originally a wildflower growing in Central Asia, the Tulip was introduced in Europe and the Netherlands in the 17th century.  Colors, textures and shapes never seen before contributed to the Tulip’s meteoric rise in popularity amongst Europe’s elite.

Today they are commercially available all year long but their vibrancy and quality are peaking in springtime.

Starbright is fortunate to be situated in New York’s Flower Market making every variety and color Tulip available to our clientele.  Let Starbright Floral NYC help liberate those spring smiles from the winter blues with flower delivery in NYC.  Choose from a vast array of springtime NYC flowers from Starbright’s Springtime Collection.

For pictures follow this link.  Click here for another blog entry on Dutch Tulips!

This scribe is brought to you by Starbright Floral Design, NYC, Voted NYC’s “Best” florist.  Along the way we try to find and write about the fun side of flowers.  Starbright NYC delivers flowers all over the world for the endless romantics everywhere.

Starbright Floral Design is the “Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps” and most of the time we deliver flowers, love, passion and hope everywhere in Manhattan and worldwide.

Give us a call, visit our website or pop on in!  We would love to meet you….

Passionately yours,

The Official Florist

Starbright Floral Design

Located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District

150 West 28th Street, Studio 201.

T. 800.520. 8999

Web: www. starflor.com

E-commerce portal: www.starbrightnyc.com

2012 – Florist’s Look at the Year in Review

2012 Year in ReviewEvery year we grow and learn from the prior year’s events.  The following article is Diary of Events for the year 2012 with an emphasis on the role that flowers played.

 

 

 

A quick note from our attorneys:  Contents herein may be too intense for some readers.  No part of this publication should be taken seriously in any form or by any means. All the characters and events contained in this publication are based on real people but the events may have been altered for artistic, interpretive and entertainment purposes. This material should be approached with an open mind and studied carefully but forgotten soon thereafter if not prior to.  Author not responsible for direct, indirect or incidental damage to reader resulting from the perusal or study of the subject matter herein. Wherefore, the terms contained, delineated and otherwise implied herein are agreed to by the reader, indication of said assent being implied by the continuance of reading and/or breathing.

Jay-Z and Beyonce welcomed in their new baby girl “Blue Ivy”.  Much was said about the choice of the name and its origin.  Those in the know are well aware that the name was derived from a Starbright Floral Design hospital flower green plant basket containing Ivy and wrapped with a blue bow. Although many celebrities choose Starbright as their florist, we never discriminate against the everyday American.  There are plenty of options in our catalogue for the ninety eight per centers.

The Grammy Awards are held with Adele being a big winner.  During interviews Adele repudiates claims that her heart wrenching songs were inspired by the unrequited love of her boyfriend.  She went on to explain that her pain was caused by the multitude of shoddy floral arrangements she had received.  Credit Starbright from preventing New York City from being a song writing hub.

A record $656 million Mega Millions drawing resulted in three very happy people splitting the winnings.  Numerous doctors have hypothesized that the closest most people will come to the euphoric feeling of winning a multi-million dollar lottery is by being the recipient of a beautiful, artistically designed floral arrangement by Starbright.

Millions of Americans feel the pain of tax day.  The IRS feels the heat from millions of angry Americans suffering the pain of tax day.  The agency responds by proposing a small floral bouquet accompany each refund check as a token of the agency’s appreciation.  The measure is later nixed when it was discovered they were planning on 1099ing each recipient.  Their actuaries assessed the value of the smiles induced by the flowers at $1,000.00.  Starbright recipients were to be assessed a surcharge for their increased enjoyment value.

Hugo Chavez informs the world that he has been re-elected president of Venezuela.  His inauguration address is flanked by bouquets consisting primarily of “King” flowers.

President Barack Obama is re-elected president of the United States.  Analysts theorize that the election was won due to the higher floral budget of the Democratic convention. Republicans lost sight of flower power.  Starbright was their florist of choice for the 2004 Republican convention.  Incidentally, it was the last time they won.  Coincidence?

To learn more about Starbright Floral Design, please visit our website at http://www.starflor.com.

Would you like to order the most amazing flowers anywhere for a friend in need of a smile or a loved one?  Here is where you order flowers: www.starbrightnyc.com

Give us a call at 800.520.8999 or visit us on the second floor at 150 West 28th Street.  We would love to see you!

Happy 2013!!!

The Starbright Team…

Our Creative Director Speaks at an Industry Conference in Florida…

Tom Sebenius is the Creative Director at Starbright Floral Design and for the better part of the past decade he has given direction and style to our organization with his eye, his creativity and forward thinking for what is next in floral design.  In the paragraphs below Tom shares his experiences from his attendance at the annual convention of the Society of American Florists.  The conference took place at The Breakers Hotel in September of this year.  Please read on!

Display of Floral Varieties at the Breakers Hotel

The Society of American Florists has been leading the charge in keeping the floral industry thriving and robust for over 129 years.  This important organization champions education, publicity, standards and practices, even going so far as lobbying for and sponsoring government legislation to entire floral community.  Growers, wholesalers, retail flower shops and ultimately retail shoppers all benefit from the efforts of SAF.   Starbright Floral Design has been a strong supporter and proud member of SAF for 16 years.

Last month I had the honor and pleasure to attend the 128th SAF annual convention in Palm Beach Florida.  Not only was I thrilled to be attending the convention to represent Starbright Floral Design but I was also asked to participate as a speaker during one of the educational sessions.  The topic I had to speak about?  “Why I Love My Job”.  How great is that!?!  Obviously, I had a lot to say.

Professional conferences should be required by law.  After three days in Palm Beach, I returned to Starbright with new found passion and vigor.  I learned so much, not only in the many sessions I attended but also just from communing with my fellow SAF family.  Being surrounded by people who share the same common goal and interest was energizing and very validating.  The career that I have spent the past 10 years pursuing had never felt more relevant or appreciated.  Seeing the shared excitement and enthusiasm throughout the venue was more than inspiring.

The people and their passion were definitely the highlight of conference, but I would be remiss if forgot to mention the flowers!  Flowers practically covered every inch of the gorgeous Breakers Hotel.  Roses, lilies, orchids, gerberas, clematis, sunflowers, and heliconia are just a fraction of the breathtaking blooms on display.  Not only were new varieties of flowers being showcased but also new vases and containers were on display.  I felt like a kid in a candy store!

My session of the conference was the last presented on the final day.  I was nervous but luckily I shared the stage with three wonderful women.  Kate Penn, the editor and chief of Floral Management magazine, the monthly publication produced by SAF expertly moderated our panel.  My fellow panelists speaking on the topic of job satisfaction were Ali Cruz from Fresca Farms in Miami and Yvonne Ashton of Mayesh Wholesale in Cleveland.  The talk was presented in an Oprah style format with Kate acting in the role of Oprah.  The members of the audience were encouraged to participate and ask questions during the proceedings.  It was such a fun experience getting to lend my thoughts on how business owners could improve the moral in their shops or wholesale operations.  Ali, Yvonne, and I were all so flattered to have been asked to speak on such an important topic.  It felt wonderful to have members of the audience come up to us afterward to thank us for our candid advice and observations.  It was clear that our session had been a success.  Thank goodness!

A Flower Display at The Breakers

The final evening of the conference was capped by an amazing awards dinner.  This exciting evening paid tribute to companies and individuals who have dedicated themselves to bettering the floral industry.  Hearing the stories of these men and woman brought everything I had learned to the fore.  I decided that I too needed to direct my action towards the greater goal of furthering the industry.  Not only were my efforts needed at Starbright, but I must extend my reach and push myself further and outside my comfortable boundaries.  Loving flowers is no longer enough; there is more for me to do and further for me to go.  With the support of my Starbright family, I look forward to learning more and lending my talents and efforts to create more excitement and interest in our industry.  Hopefully, I can inspire the same feeling in my co-workers and perhaps our customers as well.

You can bet I’m already looking forward to next year’s conference!  Thank you SAF!!!

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 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting FREE 1.800.520.8999 end_of_the_skype_highlighting . We are always thrilled to hear from you and to be of service in every way possible….

 

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month…

September is the month to send flowers and support Leukemia research

September is Blood Cancer Awareness month.  In a partnership with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of New York that started almost a decade ago, Starbright Floral Design has ramped up its effort to increase awareness and support.

A special Starbright page has been set up where flower arrangement ordered generates a $20 donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of New York.  To see this extraordinary selection of flowers, CLICK HERE.  This page features seven unique arrangements our designers created especially to commemorate what this month stands for ad the cause it represents.

Each arrangement incorporates premium flowers, in shades of red, white, or orange (the featured composition LLS001 is in  the colors of the logo of the LLS).  Every time you purchase one of these gifts from this section, $20 is donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of New York. This is an organization whose research and support enables scientists around the world to offer safer, more effective cancer treatments, provides research dollars and offers comfort to those who are touched by this terrible disease.

The LLS has been actively contributing to the fight against cancer since 1949. They accept a wide variety of contributions, all of which can be found on their website. Starbright is honored to be able to facilitate a good deed for our customers, while at the same time maintaining our standard of beautiful flowers.

Starbright Floral Design is located in the heart of Manhattan.  We deliver amazing flowers, arrangements and all kinds of amazing gifts on a same day basis.  You can visit our website at www.starflor.com and place orders on our e-commerce portal at www.starbrightnyc.com.

Thank you to all our friends and clients,

 

The Starbright Team

150 West 28th Street, Suite 201 | New York, NY 10001 | 1-800-520-8999

 

 

Celebrating the Cymbidium Orchid…

Green Cymbidium Orchids floating atop polished river stones.

From time to time a flower variety comes around that earns the top spot at Starbright Floral Design as the gold-standard in most of our floral compositions.  Orchids have earned their rightful place in the sun at Starbright and you can expect to see one of the many varieties of orchids in pretty much every flower display that we create.  There are more varieties of orchids in our world than one can even imagine.  The cymbidium orchid is prominently featured throughout the year in many of our flower centerpieces for event and in floral arrangements that are sent as gifts. This orchid rightly deserves its position in the forefront of floral design, for it is beautiful, versatile and comes in a wide array of colors.

Cymbidiums grow from a large plant with enough long, slender leaves that it often looks bushy. A single stem will show anywhere from seven to fifteen flowers. On its own, a single stem makes quite a statement, especially when used in a very simple arrangement. For some clients, we will occasionally place polished river stones at the base of the vase, maybe a swirl of lily grass atop those, and then the cymbidium fills the rest of the vase. Outside of the vase, a cymbidium will hold its own when placed simply with some curly willow branches or a broad tropical leaf.  Entire stems of cymbidium can also be used in taller arrangements, usually of the scale and type that would be appropriate for a corporate event or large celebration.  In these instances, cymbidiums ramp up the sumptuousness of the arrangement.

Additionally, the individual blooms of a cymbidium can be cut from the main stem and put in water tubes, to then be used in a medium or short arrangement, or even in bouquets. Often Starbright has used white, cream or green cymbidiums in traditional bridal bouquets. Cymbidium blooms are a favorite for corsages and boutonnieres, for they are simultaneously delicate and bold enough to make a statement. Using cymbidiums for personal flowers-to-wear has an extra benefit, as cymbidium have one of the most delicious, clean scents of any flower. The individual blooms can also be used for a simple, quick accent decor which we loosely refer to as a “floaty.” This involves a small, short vase, probably no more than four or five inches in diameter and four inches tall, with a half-inch of water at the bottom in which the cymbidium rests. Stones, gems, sand and a variety of other materials can be placed under the cymbidium for additional color or texture.

A full cymbidium orchid stem inside a vase with polished river stones and willow branches as an accent.

Cymbidium orchids are a flower which has been prized for a long time. In ancient Greece, they were a symbol of beauty and strength. It was believed that if a man ate large cymbidium tubers, he would have a boy, and if he ate small shoots, he and his wife would have a girl. In Victorian times, cymbidiums came to symbolize luxury. The star-shaped flower, whether used as a whole stem or an individual bloom, certainly adds elegance to any arrangement.

We are located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District and we are open and delivering amazing flowers and gifts seven days a week.  You can reach us by telephone from anywhere at 800.520.8999 or you can visit our websites… To send someone a Starbright Gift you can go to our e-commerce portal at http://www.starbrightnyc.com/ or you can visit our main site at http://starflor.com

You have a friend in the flower business!