Celebrate Fall Foliage in New York City

Leaves

 

New York City might be a Concrete Jungle, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not also a great place to catch some fall foliage. We’re in the thick of October, which means that the next three weekends are going to be among the best of the year for viewing fantastic local color. This week’s blog is a collection of great places to catch some great trees without leaving New York City limits.

Without further ado, here’s our breakdown for Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan:

QUEENS:

1 – Alley Pond Park’sYellow Trail” – Alley Pond is an interesting park. It sits more-or-less in a glacial moraine, which is a land formation composed of many mixed materials left behind by the glaciers that created Long Island and Manhattan. As a result, Alley Pond Park has a highly diverse ecosystem, with a whole bunch of trees. There are mostly hardwoods, oak and hickory. Alley Pond also boasts a public high-ropes course!

2 – Astoria Park – The color here is offset by the mixed-blues and greys backdrop of ocean, sky and Manhattan Skyline. While you’re here, you might as well get some great Greek food at Stamatis on 23rd Avenue or BBQ at Strand Smokehouse on Broadway.

MANHATTAN:

1 – The West Village – There are a ton of trees here. Every block looks like a movie set for “old timey New Yawk,” if you can ignore the fro-yo shops. What’s cool about a West Village foliage walk is that you can also do some shopping, stop at Magnolia Cupcakes, or expand your world percussion collection at the same time.

2 – Central Park – But you knew that, you’re a smart cookie. I mean, there’s over 23,000 trees there, which is an average of over 1,000 per acre. Anywhere you go, it’s going to be great.

BROOKLYN:

1 – Prospect Park – The same rules as Central Park apply – there are a ton of trees here, and it’s beautiful everywhere.

2 – Ocean Parkway – If you’ve got a car, try heading for a ride down Ocean Parkway, from the Prospect Expressway down to Coney Island. It’s tree-lined the whole way down, and passes through a wide range of neighborhoods. The drive is a real slice of old-skool New York City, taking you through the real Brooklyn.

 

And if you can’t make it outside – don’t forget that Starbright Floral Design is happy to bring the season to you. We’re featuring a ton of autumnal arrangements with colored leaves, fall foods, and seasonal weeds (the pretty sort).

not edible
Apples are showing up everywhere!

 

And because we can’t help our seasonal joy – today we’re sharing a special New York style apple pie recipe from the Starbright team! Happy Fall!

BIG APPLE PIE

In New York, sometimes there just isn’t room for kitchen equipment – it’s a cold hard fact that can really cramp one’s cooking style. This recipe comes from one our team, who first learned how to make this recipe entirely by hand! She’s since then added a food processor to the process, both methods are listed below.

PIE CRUST :

  • 2 1/2 cups flour (the general sort)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 cup of butter (still cold! cut into small cubes)
  • 1/3 cup water (ice cold)

1. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl – give it a couple gentle stirs to mix.

2. Add the butter – mix the butter and dry combination until combined and looking like course meal.

  • By Hand : Use a wooden or metal spoon to sort of mash the butter into the dry mix repeatedly against the side of the bowl, while turning the bowl for the best leverage – cold butter can be uncooperative. Be careful to not overdue it though, the goal is to keep the butter cold throughout this process. Chasing just the big lumps of butter into only the very dry floury leftovers will help. And get ready, this hand process won’t be quick
  • By Food Processor : Add your dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and pulse for 2 seconds to combine. Next, add the butter, and pulse again until the mixture looks like course meal – about 8 seconds.

3. Add ice cold water.

  • By Hand : Add about half of the water and combine gently. Add more water slowly until the dough holds together. The goal is to get all the dough to hold together with the least amount of water.
  • By Food Processor : Add the water in a steady stream through the processor’s tube until the dough just holds together. Do not process for more than 20 seconds to combine the water.

4. Turn out the dough onto a surface and divide into two roughly the same size balls. Press the dough flat (by hand). Wrap the flattened balls in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least an hour.

 

FILLING :

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

  • 1 lemon, squeezed – about 2 tbsp juice
  • 8 apples (your choice!)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt

1. Peel and cut apples into slices or wedges that are about 1/4″ thick. Toss with lemon juice to prevent browning.

2. Combine remain ingredients in a bowl and mix until apples are fully coated with sugar.

 

PUT THE PIE TOGETHER

  • 2tbsp butter (cut into small cubes)

1. Roll out one of the flattened dough balls and lay it into a buttered pie plate to form the outside crust. Let any over hanging dough stay there for a minute.

2. Add the pie filling to the crust. It’ll look like there’s too much – pile the filling mound higher at the center.

3. Press the butter cubes into the filling – spaced out.

4. Rollout the second dough ball on a floured surface. This will be for the top of the pie. Wet the edge of the bottom of the pie crust and lay the top on evenly.  The wetted edge will help them stick together. Look up some decorative designs if you’d like to make yours unique!

5. Make sure the pie crust has a vent. If the crust is left solid, it will probably break and ooze apple filling…A lesson learned after one memorable mess. Cutting 4 or 5 slits in the top crust should do the trick.

 

BAKE IT!

1. When the oven is at 450 degrees, slip in the pie. Bake for 20 minutes.

2. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and continue baking until the pie looks done. “Looking done” requires about 45-60 more minutes and a golden-brown crust.

3. If you don’t want to globby mess, allow the pie to cool completely before serving. It’ll take about 5-6 hours.

 

ENJOY!

 

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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.

Flower Files: Cabbage

cabbages
cabbages
Quick Notes /

Cabbage, and yes, we’re talking about the vegetable here, is a great addition for an autumn arrangement. No, but seriously, despite their less than exotic origins, Cabbages have layers of leaves that overlap in a spiral pattern from the center of its head. The leaves can be either smooth or ruffled, open and large or tightly furled and resembling a rose. The alternating leaves can be lobed or wavy and even highly vained. There are varieties that feature a waxy coating on the leaves. And all of those great attributes come in a variety of colors. From the clean and classic white and green cabbage to the fancy purples and reds there’s a cabbage for all occasions. And while the cabbage plant grows really sweet, little yellow flowers, we don’t bother with them in arrangements. The big, bold, and hyper textural cabbage heads are far more our style.

 

Flower History/

Native to Britain and continental Europe, today’s cabbage were developed as a crop way back in before 1000 BC. As a food staple, cabbage made its way around the classical world and was greeted with either great devotion or great antipathy. Great people including Cato the Elder and Diogenes considered cabbage superior to all other vegetables. In Europe, cabbage found great popularity during the High Middle Ages, when other crops were in short supply. From Europe the crop spread to Mesopotamia to Egypt as a winter crop and from there it followed the trade routes  and continued to spread. There isn’t a lot of evidence that the colorful crop was used in a decorative manner, but here at Starbright, we can imagine that the purples and greens that last well after most flowers drop, have always been a sight for tired eyes. It isn’t a surprise that at some point, someone started cutting the smaller heads for filling vases.

 

Inside Info /
  • Babe Ruth used to place a cabbage leaf under his hat before each game.
  • The world’s largest cabbage was grown in 1865 in Durham, England by William Collingwood – it weighed in at a whooping 123 pounds!
  • At one time, Russian princes paid tribute not only with racing horses and jewels, but also with potted cabbage plants.

Color Profile : Red

Ever wonder where flowers got their “meanings”?

Color psychologist don’t. And they have loads of studies backing up their theories. The general model of color psychology relies on six basic principles:

  1. Color can carry specific meaning.
  2. Color meaning is either based in learned meaning or biologically innate meaning.
  3. The perception of a color causes evaluation automatically by the person perceiving.
  4. The evaluation process forces color motivated behavior.
  5. Color usually exerts its influence automatically.
  6. Color meaning and effect has to do with context as well.[1]

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 :

Red

Red is for Romance
Roses, amaryllis, orchids, hypericomb berries and autumn leaves

Did you know that red is the most common color used on national flags?  Or that red is generally considered to be a good luck color in Asia? Or that red is the traditional color for 40th anniversaries?

What makes red so special?

Red is the color of extremes. It is a warm color with a lot of energy. It is the second most visible color to the eye, though about 8% of the male population cannot see it. Many people think of red as the color of action. To the ancient Greeks, red was the color of super-human heroism. And while we’re certainly not going to knock that association, it’s also worth mentioning the color’s current day connection – romance.

 

For Someone Special
roses are red
Roses are red

“As it happens, red is an exquisite ambassador for love, and in more ways than people may realize. Not only is red the color of the blood that flushes the face and swells the pelvis and that one swears one would spill to save the beloved’s prized hide. It is also a fine metaphoric mate for the complexity and contrariness of love. In red we see shades of life, death, fury, shame, courage, anguish, pride and the occasional overuse of exfoliants designed to combat signs of aging. Red is bright and bold and has a big lipsticked mouth, through which it happily speaks out of all sides at once. Yoo-hoo! yodels red, come close, have a look. Stop right there, red amends, one false move and you’re dead.”

From NYTimes.com

If you’re not convinced, check out this article, “Red Alert: Science Discovers The Color of Sexual Attraction”  from Psychology Today. It’s action packed with useful information.

For the Home
Orchids
Orchids

 

Decorating a home means balancing style and utility, favorite colors and what’s available, space and lack of space. Red is one of the top two most popular colors, but many people stay far away from it when picking their color schemes. Contrary to popular belief, red is a great color to bring into your space. Whether your looking to add feelings of warmth and comfort or richness and luxury, red is a favorite of feng shui experts and interior designers alike. Known for increasing appetites, red details are especially great for the kitchen and dinning areas as well as the bedroom. But be careful to use reds in moderation – too much red can be over stimulating and cause restlessness.

 

For Body, Mind, and Soul
Starbright Arrangment
Inspire Me

Dealing with life can require an extra kick sometimes. If you’re not a big coffee drinker, consider adding a bit of red to the area. Physically, red can cause a bump to your blood pressure, speed up your heart rate, and motivate you to action. Red flowers can also increase the sensitivity of your senses and lend feelings of boldness, courage and action.

If red is your favorite color, you might be a strong person who craves independence. And if you have a particular aversion to the color red, it could mean you tend to be impulsive and could use some calming influences. Mixing reds with teals, blues, and greens (as in the arrangement above from StarbrightNYC) can balance strong red shades enough for even the strongest red-dissenter.

 

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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.

Gentiana

Gentiana
Gentiana, about to bloom

 

Quick Notes /

Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants with about 400 species! That’s a large species group! These blooms are most notable for the trumpet like shape and vivid coloring. While they are often brilliant blue in coloring, they can also be white, yellow, red. The main blooming season is Spring, but these flowers can rebloom throughout late Summer.

General Notes /

Gentiana are most at home in alpine environments.  These delicate flowers can be shy about blooming outside of their natural habitat. The stiff stems have oppositely arranged leaves, sometimes is a basal rosette. The flowers grow in groups, spaced along the stems. Gentiana is polymorphic and can bear blooms of multiple colors.

Flower History /

The name, Gentiana, is attributed to the Gentius, an Illyrian king who is attributed with having discovered the medicinal uses of the plant back around 500-1000AD. The plant’s medicinal uses vary from treatments for upset stomachs to easing depression – but don’t forget – the Gentiana in you floral arrangements are not for making teas, poultices, or any other edible concoction!

Insider Information /
  • Gentiana yields the most bitter chemical substance on Earth.
  • In Southeast Asia, there is a variety of gentiana that can grow up to 100 feet tall!

 

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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.

Celebrating 20 years!

Starbright-anniversary

Nestled in the heart of New York’s historic flower district, Starbright Floral Design has been delivering arrangements of the highest quality for over twenty years. We celebrated our anniversary last week in the shop with lots of arrangements, delicious food from Niles NYC, and birthday cakes for the shop and for “the man that makes it happen”, Costas!

 

Celebrating with food and flowers
Celebrating with food and flowers at Starbright Floral Design – Thanks Niles NYC! It was delicious!
Cake time!
Nic and Julia set out birthday cakes for the celebration!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blowing out the candles
Team Starbright blowing out the birthday candles!
Faitos Family
Faitos Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And while the team took a break to chow down on some delicious treats and talked shop. Starbright has a unique studio layout – over 75% of the floor space in the suite is devoted to designing and producing floral arrangements. If you enter the shop and look to the left, all the way down in the back of the shop you’ll see a row of desks – this is where the office staff work, manning the phones. One of the first things you’ll notice is that there isn’t a wall or door or glass window or blind or anything between these two sides of the business. The design and shop staff and the business operations personnel share one space, and one mission – that makes it real easy to come together and let loose, like a big family.

Starbright is known for the flowers, but if you ask anyone who works here what makes the joint special they’ll tell you “it’s the people!” We’re going to break the fourth wall here – we’ve worked with a long list of multi-national businesses and local standouts. Starbright Floral Design is unique on that list because of the incredibly diverse range of experiences, backgrounds and motivations that come together to compose the team. Design isn’t just about making something look nice, or just about pleasing a client on-time and on-budget – design is what happens when someone considers their life story, and funnels those experiences into your life story. Below is a gallery of some of the faces you’ll see when you visit our 28th St location:

“Starbright is the perfect Manhattan florist because, like the city itself, its staff is made up of all kinds. Everyone here works hard, likes to laugh, and brings their own area of expertise to the table. We can learn from each other as well as challenge each other, and altogether have staff hail from all five boroughs, as well as boasting international members. There is no other florist more cosmopolitan than Starbright, and hence none better to service and represent the great city of New York!”

– Barbara

Eddie
Eddie can’t help but make it beautiful

Wondering who’s been at the Starbright Floral Design table longest? Eddie has been with Starbright for well over a decade! With a quick wit and a ready laugh, Eddy brings life to arrangements through color and texture. It’s been a pretty awesome year here for Eddie – the Society of American Florists featured Starbright Floral Design and published a photo of this guy on the cover!

Ana - Queen of the roses!
Ana – Queen of the roses!
Petal Bomb
Byron PETAL BOMBs Ana

 

 

 

 Ana has also been with Starbright for over a decade! And even though her favorite flower is the anthurium and tropical arrangements are her jam, Ana is also our “queen of roses”. Whether it’s one dozen or three, she knows exactly what to do with those long stems.

Happy 20 anniversary Nic and Family!

I thank God for letting me know you guys for so many years and giving me this opportunity to be part of your team – which is like a family. After many years in the flower business, I am still learning new things day after day. From the bottom of my heart, I wish Starbright many more years to continue growing. Long live Starbright.

With love”  – 

Ana 

Barbara
Barbara whipping up some boutonniere

 

And this is Barbara! With over a decade of floral design experience and about six years in this shop, Barbara is another Starbright veteran and a huge part of the team.

Have you attended a party with Starbright flowers recently? Or a wedding? If you have, there’s a big chance Barbara is responsible for the pieces. Barbara’s style can be described as lush – whether it’s  modern or traditional, somehow Barbara’s pieces seem richer than the budget would lead you to expect.

Starbright212

But don’t be fooled. This girl’s got edge – check out her great tattoo – but also a huge heart. As a mother of three, Barbara is an expert listener. I don’t know how she does it, but somehow, Barbara always knows just what people are hoping for.

 

Starbright-251Sokratis recently joined us from Greece, where he and his wife both worked as floral designers. Creating natural looking forms from flowers – Sokratis brings a technique and style all his own. He is known around the shop for his daring composition, utilizing flora in atypical fashions to achieve top flight results.

 

Viktor? Where'd you go?
Viktor? Where’d you go?

Viktor? Where’d you go? Just kidding. Viktor is a little camera shy himself, but that’s not at all the case for the arrangements that he makes! I snapped a shot of the design table where the elusive Viktor can sometimes be seen. Stop in the shop someday and wave to the left-most design table. Hi, Viktor!

Take Me To The River
Take Me To The River

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Byron
Byron is one of the most recent designers on the table. His pieces tend to have a touch of modernity, simplicity and elegance

 

 

“Working for a flower company like Starbright is amazing. It has been a great opportunity to grow as a floral designer and to learn from the best coworkers ever. Working as team, we’re making the Star brighter than ever!

I design floral arrangements with a passion for our client’s satisfaction. It is a pleasure to know that my work might cheer up a person’s day or bring a smile to their face. I am very grateful to have such an opportunity. Today I would like to congratulate the man who came up with the idea to start this company, twenty year ago a Star came over New York City to make it Bright.

After all  these years Starbright is still shining, thanks to the man, friend, coworker and owner who never sleeps Nic Faitos.

God Bless this company because we are Starbright Floral Design. Cheers!!!!”  

-Byron

So designers design the arrangements and build them out, and office personnel handle orders and paperwork. Doing everything else – literally – falls on the broad shoulders of the Starbright Shop Team. These cats are among the most level-headed in the office – they have to be, since they’re the glue that binds the place!

Happy delivery!
Happy delivery!
Jesus and Anson
Jesus and Anson at the delivery station
Carlos on flower prep
Carlos on flower prep
Joe with balloons
Joe, on the left, hangs out with Nic and Stephen
Tony
Tony grabbing a snack
Prepping flowers at the table
Prepping flowers at the tabl
Antonio on the orchid table.
Antonio on the orchid table.
Stephen and Spiros
Stephen and Spiros in the office

And from the office! These ladies and gentlemen are on the phones 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.  One Account Manager told me that the Starbright “management shows a strong dedication to a friendly, pleasant environment with an almost family interaction with the staff. When you have a smile on your face and happy to be at work, customer service is simple.”

Starbright Office
Starbright Office

 

Still with us? Great! Way down here, tucked away at the bottom of the blog post, we’ve put a special gift for our supporters – Nic got together with our camera team last week to talk to us about where Starbright came from, and how it got to where it is today.

 

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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.

Flower File : Crocosmia

Crocosmia
Crocosmia
Quick Notes /

A favorite flower in August, crocosmia is a common flower in the grasslands of southern and eastern Africa. In the United Staes, these lovely blooms are often referred to as Coppertips or Falling Stars. They grow as evergreens or as deciduous perennials and come back year after year to please the senses with their trumpet-like shapes and bright colors. 

The genus name is derived from the Greek words krokos, meaning “saffron”, and osme, meaning “odor” – from the fact that dried leaves of these plants emit a strong smell like that of saffron (a spice derived from Crocus – another genus belonging to the Iridaceae) – when immersed in hot water.

Visual Notes /

Crocosmia is distinctive for its colorful inflorescence in shocking orange and reds. The stems branch out and display a number of blooms along one side of each stem near the end and nod and sway gracefully above your flower beds or your late summer arrangements.  The Crocosmia leaves are long, pointy and have parallel veins along their length. They grow in clumps in bloom in a spectacular

 

Insider Information /

Crocosmia are great for attracting hummingbirds to your garden.

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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.

Color Profile : Purple

Ever wonder where flowers got their “meanings”?

Color psychologist don’t. And they have loads of studies backing up their theories. The general model of color psychology relies on six basic principles:

  1. Color can carry specific meaning.
  2. Color meaning is either based in learned meaning or biologically innate meaning.
  3. The perception of a color causes evaluation automatically by the person perceiving.
  4. The evaluation process forces color motivated behavior.
  5. Color usually exerts its influence automatically.
  6. Color meaning and effect has to do with context as well.[1]

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 :

Purple

 

Purple Orchids
Triple Orchid Delight
What makes purple so special?

Purple is the color of harmony. It combines the spiritual aspect of blue with the powerful energy of red. This union of introspection and action makes purple flowers unique. They expand your imagination while simultaneously grounding you in reality. Purple flowers will connect you to your deepest thoughts, while quelling any anxiety that may arise alongside them.

 

For the Studio
Hydrangea and Orchids
Hydrangea and Orchids

Purple flowers are perfect for artists because they stimulate the imagination. Musicians, painters, designers, and all other creative types have a lot to gain from keeping a vase of purple flowers in their studios. Purple is the color of creativity. It encourages free and independent thought, thinking outside the box, and going against the grain. Purple flowers will bring a sense of the magical and mysterious into your studio. If you’re suffering from writer’s block, stop by and pick up a bouquet of purple flowers, and watch your imagination bloom.

For the Nursery
Purple Dahlia
Purple Dahliahhh!

 

Purple flowers are a great choice for decorating a baby’s room. The color purple evokes unconditional love and selflessness. It also encourages sensitivity. Purple flowers in a nursery will help cultivate compassion in your relationships with others, especially your children, or other people who depend on you. Do you find it difficult to be giving in stressful situations? Keeping purple flowers nearby will enhance your sensitivity to the needs and emotions of the people around you. At the same time, purple is the color of power. Purple flowers in your child’s room will give you the wisdom you need to maintain help the elusive balance between flexibility and control.

 

For Body, Mind, and Soul
Purple Rain
Purple Rain

Life is a constant struggle between highs and lows, the good and the bad, sickness and health, ups and downs. Purple flowers can help you find the middle road. They harmonize the body, mind, and soul. Purple flowers in your home or at work will help you feel grounded even in the craziest situations. They make the perfect centerpiece for your yoga studio or meditation space. Purple evokes the future while also grounding us in the present moment. Purple flowers will encourage you to chase your dreams instead of worrying about what could go wrong.

 

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

Flower File : Asclepia

Asclepia
Asclepia
Quick Notes / 

Asclepia is more commonly known as milkweed. This flower is a vital source of nectar for butterflies and has a powerful, sweet fragrance. Asclepia has a particular way of pollinating: when a butterfly lands, its leg slips into a slit on the asclepia flower. Then, when the butterfly takes off, the pollen is pulled free and carried with it to the next flower. Asclepia is one of the only sources of food for the larvae of monarch butterflies – asclepia is a great option for your butterfly garden!

Visual Notes /

Alsclepia is an herbacious perennial. The photo above is of Butterfly bush, but other great varieties available throughout summer, include the pink and white asclepia syriaca, the purple pink asclepia speciosa, and the bright yellow and bicolored yellow-orange asclepia curassavica or tropical milkweed.

Flower History / 

Asclepia gets it’s name from Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, because of the flower’s use in folk medicine. The indigenous peoples of South America and Africa applied the toxic milk of asclepia to their arrowheads. While in North America, people often used the high fructose levels in the plant’s nectar as a sweetener. More recently, during World War II, asclepia filaments were hollowed, coated with wax, and used as an insulator.

Insider Information /

Asclepia is great for the plants surrounding it. It repels a variety of harmful insects, especially wireworms. It also contains toxins that deter caterpillars from doing damage in the garden. As if that wasn’t enough, asclepia also has a beautiful, strong fragrance.

 

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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.

Making the most of your consultation

As seen on Edge!

Weddings are tough.  Want to look as happy as these guys? This month, Eric Strauss, a long time friend of Starbright, shares his memories of getting ready for the big day. Check out the post on Edge on the Net: Conversation Counts – Making the most of your floral consultation.  

 

Eric and Jasen
White men CAN jump – arm and arm (into the future). Congratulations, guys!
Eric and Jasen
Eric and Jasen
Eric&Jasen Wedding Party
Look at all the ladies in white!

 

Jasen's boutonniere
Jasen’s boutonniere

 

Eric & Jasen
Eric & Jasen

 

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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.

Flower File : Echinacea

Echinacea cone
Echinacea cone
Quick Notes :

Echinacea is part of the daisy family. This flower is unique to the areas of eastern and central North America, where you can find it growing in large numbers in open wooded areas and prairies.

Visual Notes :

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

Flower History :

Echinacea has been used in folk medicine for centuries. Native Americans originally observed this flower being eaten by elks that were sick or wounded. They adopted the flower for their own use in medicinal practices, and called it elk root. It was used to treat a variety of ailments, including sore throats, headaches, and the common cold. Native Americans passed on their knowledge of echinacea to Europeans, and the plant became popular in European medicine in the 1930’s. Feeling under the weather? Echinacea is still used today to boost the immune system. It’s great as a tea, but don’t try to boil anything from an arrangement – these guys have been drinking flower food which makes them unsafe as human food. 

Insider Information :

Echinacea is a great choice if you’re looking for an ornamental or decorative flowers, thanks to its unique appearance. You can find it in bloom from early to late summer. The cone will dry exactly as it looks and is great for decorating. 

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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.