Tag: New York City Florist

At Starbright Floral Design, we’ve recently seen a huge increase in the popularity of succulent plants and gardens.

Succulent Garden
Succulent Garden from Starbright Floral Design

Succulents are notable for their appearance; their leaves or other parts tend to be broad and fleshy so that they can absorb and store water in dry environments. Some well-known succulents include cactus and aloe, but this unique type of plant goes well beyond those household names. From colorful echeveria to hardy sedum, there is a wide range of beautiful and versatile succulent plants that are getting lots of attention from gardeners, landscape architects, and wedding planners. As Pacific Horticulture states:

Succulents are hot! Landscape professionals and home gardeners…are expanding their plant palettes to include these uniquely functional plants. Over the last couple of years, landscape architects and designers have reported…that many clients are asking specifically for a custom-designed succulent garden. This is a big moment for succulents.

Of course, Starbright has some great options to get you started with your very own urban succulent garden. This Succulent Zen Garden comes in a handsome wooden container and would look absolutely wonderful on any mantle. Meanwhile, our Succulent Glass Menagerie would make the perfect centerpiece for a living room table. Whether you choose one of these or another beautiful succulent arrangements from our site, you’ll to know how to care for your new indoor garden. Here are some tips for keeping your succulents healthy and happy.

Succulent Garden
Succulent Garden from Starbright Floral Design

Tip #1: Water only when the soil has fully dried

Because succulents are made for retaining water, you can water them less than you would other indoor plants. Wait until the soil in which they’re planted is completely dry before you add any more water. In a humid climate like New York City’s in the summer, watering once every few days should suffice. Keep an eye out for overwatering by watching out for the stems constricting and turning black.

Tip #2: Give them light—but not direct midday sun

While it can be difficult in an indoor setting, it’s important to give your succulent garden natural light. But be careful: succulents prefer indirect light to direct, so a spot in a nice, bright room away from direct rays should be perfect. Tabletops and bookshelves can often be great spots for this. Some succulents will do well on brighter windowsills, but always be sure to check them for any signs of scorching.

Tip #3: Re-pot your succulents every year

Like many plants, succulents will do better if they are re-potted occasionally—once a year should be perfect. This allows them to continue growing without sacrificing the root structure. As for how to re-pot, Uncommon Goods has some advice:

Before introducing your plants to their new home give the bottom of the existing dirts/roots a bit of a scrunch. Flare the root structure out a bit. This will help it transition better into its new/bigger/better environment. This is something good to remember when planting anything anywhere. If you don’t break up the bundle they are used to having in their temporary store shells, they might be a little too shy to branch out (pun intended) into their new world.

Tip #4: Don’t worry too much about temperature!

Many people think that it’s important to keep succulents in constantly hot temperatures, but in fact, they can withstand cool temperatures above freezing. Since their native desert environments often grow cold at night, your indoor succulent garden should be more than able to survive both during hot summers and during the winter and at evening, when your indoor temperature may drop a bit.

Succulents are a great choice for adding a fresh look to your apartment, deck, or backyard. Nothing brightes up a space like a bit of living color.  Over at Starbright Floral Design will be more than happy to work with you on creating a great succulent arrangement that you can care for easily. 

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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.

June’s Flower – The Rose

June is National Rose Month!

We love June here at Starbright Floral Design – not because of the weather changing (though that’s nice) and not because school’s out. We love June because we get to celebrate one of New York’s favorite flowers – the Rose! June is National Rose Month and the rose is the state flower of New York – which makes it doubly important in our books. For the next few weeks we’re going to be shining a light on that thorniest of buds.

 

Roses are found all around the world – there are over 100 different species. The first rose gardens were cultivated in China over 5,000 years ago. Ancient Rome used rose petals as confetti, and rose hips were among the first perfume ingredients.

 

In 17th century Europe, roses were in such high demand that both the shrub and rosewater extract were commonly used as legal tender. In fact, many of the heritage rose gardens across Europe and on the island of Britain were founded as banks of a sort, a soil-based savings account.
You probably can’t use any of our NEW! June Arrangements to buy groceries, but they’re sure to be fantastic addition to your home, office, kitchen or bedroom! Don’t forget to save your petals for a luxurious confetti at your next event or special night “in.”

 

 

Check out some of the arrangements the shop put together to celebrate roses for this month.

Starbright Arrangement
Lavender Rose Enchantment

Thornless lavender roses say “I loved you at first sight”.

 

Starbright Arrangment
Inspire Me

These red and orange tinted flowers express warm admiration, interest, and excitement.

 

Starbright Floral Design
Falling for you

Orange roses express excitement and overwhelming emotions.

 

Starbright Floral Design
Rise Above

The traditional color of friendship, these roses were designed to communicate a message of support.

 

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

Daffodil Flowers in NYC by Starbright Floral Design- Springtime Collection Continued

The New York City Springtime Daffodil
The New York City Springtime Daffodil

The Daffodil is the March birth flower and amongst the earliest blooms in spring.  Its appearance signifies that the frost has broken and spring is here.  There is little that invokes images of spring and feelings of tranquility more than a field filled with Daffodils swaying in the breeze.  Their rhythmic movements in the wind inspired the famous poem “Daffodils”, by William Wordsworth.  “…and then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils.”

All Daffodil species have a central trumpet surrounded by a ring of six floral leaves.  The traditional daffodil consisted of a yellow color all over.  Today both in the wild and due to breeding, blooms range in colors to include yellow, white, orange, pink, red and green.

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

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 in NYC.  Starbright Floral Design 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

 

 

 

 

Valentine’s Day- “NYC Flower Me with Your Love” subscription flower service by Starbright NYC

Vanda Orchids
Starbright Floral Design – Midnight Sky

It has become common place to give or receive flowers on V-Day.  Everyone knows you can’t go wrong with a floral gift on Valentine’s Day.  What if you want to wow your love and go above and beyond?   What if one day is not enough to express the depth of your affections?  What if you want an innovative way of expressing your love on V-day that will have the effect of reinforcing your feelings well beyond February 14th?  Starbright’s “Flower me with Your Love” subscription flower service is meant for you.

Starbright’s “NYC Flower Me with Your Love” flower subscription service is completely customizable and able to serve an incredible range of clients for budgets large or small. Whether you are interested in a large, elaborate flower arrangement designed to make a NYC statement or something more modest the program will work for you.  Our clients love how quickly and simply they’re able to arrange for weekly, monthly or quarterly fresh flower delivery in NYC. Setup your delivery once and on the agreed upon dates a beautifully designed floral arrangement will be delivered in NYC by Starbright Floral Design. 

If you’re interested in Starbright’s NYC “Flower me with Your Love” subscription flower service, simply email me at nic@starflor.com for the personal service you deserve.

 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….

Starbright’s Frequent Flower Program Unveiled

01 21 2013

Attention Starbright Fans:

Starbright Floral Design is proud to introduce the NYC Frequent Flower program.    Starbright has always rewarded its clients with one of a kind service and incredible floral designs of unequaled value.  Now Starbright has found a way of making sure its loyal customers are rewarded in a money-wise manner and it’s hassle-free!

Here’s how it works.  Create a secure account in a matter seconds. You can start using your account immediately or the next time you send flowers.  Each time you sign in to your secure account, your order will be credited towards your reward gift voucher.  Upon spending $200 on flowers you will automatically receive a gift voucher for $25.  You have full management of your account, including express checkout options, order history, address book, cancellation and even important date reminders.  There is no time limit within which you have to accumulate your $200. Think about it… This is a really cool and effortless way to save or send someone lots more smiles.

Sign up now at: http://www.starbrightnyc.com/frequent_flower.asp

If you have any questions about our program, please contact us at frequentflower@starflor.com.

The Queen of Fall Flowers – The Chrysanthemum….

The chrysantemum is the flower that welcomes the fall season every year since the start of time…

Florists can tell that it’s autumn when chrysanthemums show up in the market. Their large, full heads are the embodiment of the last offerings of the warmer weather, and they are generally found in typical autumn colors- golds, bronzes, reds, oranges and yellows. Some chrysanthemums even lean towards brown, and the green varieties help unify both summer and autumn designs. Chrysanthemums, which are the most widely grown potted plant in the U.S., bloom towards late summer and throughout fall, further making them a perfect symbol of the season.

There are over one thousand varieties of chrysanthemum, which are part of the family Asteraceae. There are actually such an abundance of varieties within that category that they are further divided into thirteen sub-families. Sunflowers, spider and football mums, aster, carnations, gerbers, chamomile and daisies are all part of the Asteracea family! How they are further grouped is dependent upon the shape of the petals, which may lay flat, curl underneath themselves, be reflexed, or even only partially closed in the middle of the petal.

The chrysanthemum pictured is called a football mum, so named for its popularity in use for mothers’ corsages at American football games. Its petals, which are a dark orangey bronze, are a much lighter shade on their underside- a yellow-beige- which make it a visually interesting and quite attractive flower. Although one of the longest-lasting flowers available for floral design, (and gardening,) chrysanthemums have gotten a “bad rap,” in Europe, where they are widely used as funeral flowers, due to their inexpensive cost. In Japan, however, chrysanthemums have been cultivated for so long that they hold a revered place in Japanese history. The emperor’s throne is called the Chrysanthemum Throne, and the highest level of chivalry awarded to Japanese military is called the Imperial Order of the Chrysanthemum.

So next time you call Starbright for a fall arrangement, consider requesting that chrysanthemums be included. There is no more perfect flower than the “Queen of Fall Flowers.” In case you’re wondering, Aster, a member of this same family, is the September birth flower; chrysanthemums are the birth flower for November, officially bringing autumn to a close as the season gives way to winter.

One of the best orders our designers can be asked to fill is a seasonal arrangement. If you call  (800) 520/8999 or place your order online at www.starbrightnyc.com, during fall, we will be sure to make it all things autumnal, be that through the colors or the quintessential chrysanthemum!

Starbright Floral Design is a full-service florist located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District. We deliver flowers and all kinds of great gifts throughout Manhattan, all of New York City and to the rest of the country. Give us a call, stop by or visit us on the web. Many have said that we are the best florist anywhere!