Tag: romantic flowers

At Finovate: A Starbright Demo

Exciting times at Starbright Floral Design!  We have been honored to be a part of the Finovate Conference at Pier 92 on Wednesday the 21st of September.  Our Senior Partner (Nic Faitos) will be available to the press during the conference.  We are excited  to be a part of this program and to be involved in new and creative ways to bring our services in front of millions of loyal customers across a variety of platforms.   Read on for some thoughts and ideas of what lies ahead!

We’re excited to announce that Starbright will be featured in a live demonstration in front of nearly 1,000 top banking executives at a conference called Finovate (meaning innovation in financial services).  Why would a florist be shown in a demonstration to bankers?  Because we just began a new marketing program designed to reward our best customers with offers linked to the debit or credit cards from their banks or card issuers.  It’s called a card-linked offer.  The company we partner with to create card-linked offers is Cartera Commerce, who is demonstrating its solution at Finovate, and asked Starbright to participate.

So what exactly is a card-linked offer?  Well, it’s very similar to another type of offer most consumers are familiar with: the Daily Deal.  Every day, many of us get emails from companies like Groupon or Living Social with discounts on products and services from local merchants.  While Daily Deals can help a local merchant get a lot of publicity and drive one-time sales, they aren’t very good at helping merchants reward their best, most loyal customers for their patronage.  That’s where card-linked offers come in.

As a business that focuses on building lasting relationships with our customers, Starbright sees value in programs that “thank” our loyal customers for shopping with us.  Card-linked offers are the latest and most innovative way to do that.  Why?  Because the offers are linked to the cards consumers already have and value.  So instead of having to pay up front for a Daily Deal and print out a voucher that may expire, card-linked offers reward our customers after they buy flowers in a currency they value – whether it’s cash back, points or frequent flier miles – right back on the card they used!

For example, American Airlines customers can now register a credit card, use it when they purchase flowers from Starbright, and earn frequent flier miles.  Imagine that – buying flowers to fly!   Our offer is also available to Priority Club™ rewards cardholders from Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG), who can register a credit card, use it with Starbright, and earn bonus rewards points to use for free stays at a Holiday Inn or Crown Plaza Hotel.

Starbright Floral Design is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District.  We are in a second floor loft space from where our customer’s orders get dispatched.  To learn more about our organization and the work that we do, we would like to invite you to visit our website at www.starflor.com or you may call us at 800.520.8999.  Either way, we will be thrilled to hear from you and to be of service.

Starbright delivers flowers in Manhattan (our home city) as well as world-wide.  In addition to flowers, plants, fruit and gourmet baskets, balloons and the like we are also a go-to florist for events both corporate and personal.  Flowers, Festivals & Celebrations…. It is what we do!

Wishing you a wonderful  day!

Starbright Floral Design

The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps.

website: starflor.com

to order flowers: starbrightnyc.com

by phone: 800.520.8999

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

Marriage Equality: (More) Cause for Celebration!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our warmest regards,

The Official Florist of the City That Never Sleeps

Starbright Floral Design

 

July Birth Flower: Larkspur

The Larkspur

Never heard of it?  Ask a cowboy and chances are you’ll get an expletive filled description of this beautiful flower.   The flower is low maintenance and grows freely in the wild.  It’s when it makes its way to grazing pastures that cowboys have a problem with the larkspur.  It is highly poisonous to cattle and has led to untold numbers of deaths.  The larkspur is a tall beautiful flower variation of the delphinium.  The long spike of the flower reminded people of the nose of a dolphin.  Delphinium is Greek for “dolphin”. The spike also reminded some people of parts of the lark, thus the name larkspur (Shakespeare referred to it as lark’s heel).  Like characteristics of the people born in July the flower stands for lightheartedness and levity.

The larkspur is a great addition to any tall floral arrangement.  Its tall, beautiful spikes come in a variety of colors and accentuate the beauty of all its surrounding flowers or can stand on its own.   The flowers typically bloom in the summer months between  June and September.  Found throughout the world today, its origin can be traced back to the birthplace of civilization, Greece. Shortly after the death of Achilles, at the behest of Athena (Achilles’ mother) it was decided that his armor was to be given to the bravest Greek warrior.  Having proven himself in battle repeatedly and even personally rescuing the armor and body of Achilles from the Trojans, Ajax was the odds on favorite.  To the dismay of most, particularly Ajax, the armor was awarded to Odysseus instead.  Dejected and disgraced, Ajax killed himself.  The Scarlet larkspur began to grow where Ajax’s blood was spilled.  Today, the scarlet larkspur occurs naturally in coastal climates. Canyons and its surrounding areas are a favorite for the Orange larkspur. Blue larkspur is common in the southeastern United States.

Aside from its aesthetic qualities, larkspur has medicinal value as well.  The seeds are ground to a powder and used to treat toothaches.  In the civil war, soldiers used the powder in their hair to kill lice.  Transylvanians used the blue variation of the flower to ward off witches.  New Yorkers include it in their floral displays to ward off the blues.

These scribes are brought to you by Starbright Floral Design.  We are a premier florist in New York City located in the heart of the Historic Flower District.  We deliver flowers for any occasion worldwide.  Our loft is located on the second floor (Studio 201) at 150 West 28th Street.  You may visit us online at www.starflor.com or you may call us at 800.520.8999.  Or better yet, you can pop in and visit us in person!  We would love to meet you and hear from you as well!

Don’t forget to “like us” on Facebook so that you can keep up with all that is happening in our world and see all kinds of beautiful floral compositions form right before your eyes!

We are thrilled to be of service to you….

The Official Florist of the City That Never  Sleeps

Starbright Floral Design

1.800.520.8999

starflor.com

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

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

Seeing flowers in every color is an uplifting experience!

COLOR:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Days to All!

The Official Florist.

Starbright Floral Design

www.starflor.com

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

You can also find Starbright on Facebook by CLICKING HERE.

 

 

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

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

The rose, June’s birth flower is rich in symbolism and myth.  Its image has been utilized  throughout history on such diverse topics as love, war, politics and beauty.

 

The Myths

The first rose of record is said to be in ancient Greece.  The Gods had a tendency to find beauty in tragedy.  It was one of these tragic moments that created the rose.   Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, created the rose when her tears mixed with the blood of Adonis, her lover.  The Romans, not fearful of copying the Greeks like a Xerox machine, created their own legend of the rose’s creation.  According to Roman legend, there was an incredibly beautiful maiden named Rhodanthe.  She was relentlessly pursued by suitors. Exhausted by their pursuit, Rhodanthe sought refuge in the temple of Diana.  Diana was jealous of Rhodanthe and when the suitors broke down her temple gates to get near Rhodanthe, she became furious. Diana’s rage led her to turn Rhodanthe into a rose and her suitors into thorns.    The rose’s appeal was farther reaching then just the west.  The Persians had their own tale of creation.  The Persian legend explains the creation of the red rose as well as the origin of the nightingale’s beautiful voice.  According to legend all roses were originally white and nightingales were ordinary birds who can only chirp.  One day the nightingale met a beautiful white rose and fell in love.   The nightingale’s love was so intense and his need to express his love so great that he was inspired to sing for the first time.  When the nightingale made his moves on the rose and pressed himself up against it the thorns pierced his heart, coloring the rose red.  If you are like me (Greek), clearly the Greek mythological tale is more appealing.  However, fossil evidence suggests that roses existed 35 million years ago, well before any of these myths suggest.

Symbolism

The rose’s symbolic value is not exclusive to England but was most widely used and popularized there.   The rose was first looked upon as a symbol of war.  A civil war that raged on from 1455-1487 between the House of York and the House of Lancaster.   The House of York adopted a white rose, the House of Lancaster was represented by a red rose. The war has been dubbed “The War of the Roses”.  The winner of this war, Tudor Henry VII (The Tudors), merged his Lancastrian rose with the rose of his York bride and thus the creation of the Tudor Rose, the Rose of England.

In later years the rose evolved into a form of language creating a secret means of communication between lovers.   In the mid 18th century the wife of the British ambassador in Constantinople described this language in her letters.  Largely due to the publication of her letters after her death, we have the code necessary to decipher the intricate language of roses.  For example if you want to ask your love interest “will you love me?”, send an open white rose.    Want to ask  “Don’t you love me any more?” , send an open yellow rose.      Want to say “I respect and look up to you” then send a bouquet of white roses.   Red roses signify  “forever I Love You”.  However a bouquet of red and white roses state “Together we are one and united”.  Want to declare your attraction to someone but don’t want to go as far as declaring your undying love, then purple roses are the way to go.  Colors alone aren’t enough to deliver the complex messages of love.  In combination with the colors, the number and degree of bloom of the roses have also been assigned meaning.  A dozen roses says  “Be Mine”.   Thirteen roses tells someone we’ll be friends forever.  Three dozen roses expresses “I’m head over heels in love!”.  Six dozen roses or more says “my love for you is limitless”.  In addition to its Victorian assigned message, this last one says “I’m a Starbright Gold club member”.

Regardless of its diverse assigned meanings, the one constant is the rose’s undeniable beauty.  The recipient of a beautiful arrangement of roses is always appreciative.

This and most scribes on this web log is brought to you by Starbright Floral Design.  We are a full-service florist located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District.  We deliver inspired floral compositions throughout Manhattan, all of New York City and everywhere beyond.  We invite you to visit our website at www.starflor.com.  Here you will be able to gain a broader perspective on our organization and on the work that we do.  You may CLICK HERE to visit our e-portal where  you may place an order for designer-inspired flower vases and arrangements, our orchids, plants and so much more.  We offer  same-day delivery to most parts of the United States.

We will be honored to be of service to you now and for a long time to come… Warm regards from all of us at Starbright, “The Official Florist of the City That  Never Sleeps”.

Flowers, Festivals and Celebrations – It is what we do!

Starbright Floral Design

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

800.520.8999

www.starflor.com

 

Tulips: The First Money Bubble!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All of us at Starbright love tulips…

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

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

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

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

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

Designer’s Choice – Making a case for the ONLY choice in flowers!

Sending someone flowers?  Having a hard time selecting from all the choices on all the websites?  Too many pictures? Confused?  We sure are!

Uninformed consumers constantly are placing orders for flowers from pictures online and then complain that the flowers do not “look like the picture”.  They never will and it is an unrealistic expectation to think that they should.  Here is why:  Flowers are natural living blossoms that are not all made from a mold.  The pictures were taken in a studio under the perfect conditions and designed to entice you to place an order by screaming “me! me! buy me!”.  Some websites are so dishonest that they will “photoshop”  adding colors and emphasis to the flowers so as you will buy something that really is impossible to recreate.

Florists are artisans.  They are artists, they design, they have attitudes (like a chef in a kitchen cooking with a dose of imagination).  Floral designers learn to imagine, create and combine colors and textures to make something bespoke (unique, custom) just for you.  Florists are trained to make compositions that are one of a kind (not from a mold) and are made once  and never to be made the same again.  It goes against the grain of a true designer to ask him to copy a picture.

Can you ask a designer to copy the flavor and design style of a photograph? – Yes… all day long.  To copy and recreate with exactness?  hardly ever and with ZERO job satisfaction.  Do you really want flowers for your loved one made  by someone who hates what they do? Pictures to be copied (especially the ones in the silly little containers with smiley faces) take away the art, the creativity and the spontaneity that the designer has trained an entire lifetime for.

Starbright Floral Design, like every other florist these days, has a million photographs on our e-commerce portal for you to choose from and “yes” we will always do our best to recreate the photo (always adding some spunk, spontaneity and our own style) .  It was a business decision that we had to make and we have offered flowers in the photo-catalog format displaying options for the past ten years… BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU that we did not become the highest rated (by Citysearch and others) florist in Manhattan by being the best at copying photos!  Rather, in the crowded and highly stylized island that we live on where there is a new “in style” every afternoon, we committed ourselves to impeccable  customer service and amazing styles with fresh blooms.

Designer’s Choice goes viral online!!!!

We are now offering that very creativity to our online clients with a twist… We are  taking the leap to ask you to trust us.  Let the inspiration of the moment dictate the flowers that your bouquet will have.  Don’t stress over the decision of “do I like the Sunset Blooms or the Pretty Paradise?”.   What really matters is  that your special someone receives flowers that are fresh, last a long-long time are stylized but not contrived.  They should remind the person of you and your great taste.  It is like having your own personal chef in the kitchen cooking just for you .  You never know what he will come up with, but you know it will be good!

Designer’s Choice Modern and Designer’s Choice Traditional are two new categories on our website that are designed to intrigue, surprise and give  you our very best.  Even if Starbright Floral Design (that is us) is not your florist, if you know someone who has built a name and has a reputation for flair, then PLEASE do not cripple their creativity with a picture.  Just tell them:  “Whip me up something great! She loves pink and green flowers!”

Designer’s Choice is a matter of trust and trust has to be earned.  We invite you  to give us a call and take a leap of faith!

Starbright Floral Design was started in 1994 and is  the most reviewed florist on-line by all the major review sites.  We deliver amazing flowers all over the place and at times that you would not think it is possible to get flowers on a same-day basis.  Give us a call, visit our online event gallery or pop on by!  We would love to meet you!

Cheers,

 

The Official Florist

 

“On the Fun Side of Flowers” – April Fools

Hi there! I am Nic, Senior Partner at Starbright Floral Design.  Sometimes I scribe on this page as The Official Florist.  That name came as a short version of “The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps” – a tag line that seems to have stuck pretty well over the years.

I have always been intrigued by the innocent fun that people have  with each other on April Fools Day.  I have followed the holiday with some interest over the years and I have been inspired by the fun that people and  companies have with each other on this one day when we invent the craziest things to say…

Why Google told us only a couple of days ago that they have developed an email program that works on hand signals.  Remember when Taco Bell convinced us that they bought the Liberty Bell (to help with the deficit) and they were renaming it? Or when Burger King told us all that they had created a Whopper specifically for the southpaw? The condiments were turned 180 degrees to accommodate left-handed people.  Sure.

We decided to have some fun this year and participate in the holiday (it is a holiday, right?).  A lot of planning went into what we were going to do.  Many nights of meetings, creative sessions and ideas were thrown around.  We were new at this “hoax thing” and we put a lot of man hours learning how to spoof.  Next year we think it will be easier.  We are Fool Experts now!

So “The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps” issued a press release late at night on the 31st of March (as a decoy) that basically stated that we funded research that was led by Dr. Aprilia Anoitou (Greek translation for April Fool) in which we were able to genetically engineer a rose so that it would behave like an oyster and produce pearls.   We were endorsed by a non-existent Dutch society that promotes flower buying.  To top it off Poisson D’Avril (French for April Fool) from a fictional tourism board in New York City endorsed this high-end rose as a gift for someone who clearly has everything.

I got congratulatory calls and emails from far away places.  Flower growers from Holland and importers from South America reached out to express their good wishes (the experts were dumfounded!).  A New York City radio personality wanted an interview (I declined) and several on-line publications carried the story.  Friends were even google-ing “The Pearl Rose” because they wanted to be in-the-know.  The spoof was supported by our social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn)

Most marketers would call this a marketing success.  I suppose it was.  We set out to have some fun and did we ever!  The planning, the execution, the fooling, having to answer emails and queries.  It was all about The Pearl Rose.  On most holidays we work ourselves to the point where  work is tyranny.  We never get to celebrate Mother’s Day, Valentine’s, Christmas or anything else.  So finally we have found a holiday on a day that we are not so busy and we can enjoy a day of fun with the rest of the world.  This too will be ruined when some floral industry consultant decides to create a holiday around people sending one another Foolish Flowers! For now we are relaxed and looking forward to April Fools 2012.

The Pearl Rose is history for now.  Maybe someday someone will be able to cross-breed oysters and roses and pearls will be come from roses. Until then life is normal and we can all go back to being true romantics by wooing our honeys with vases and vases of the most gorgeous long-stemmed roses…

It really was The Fun Side of Flowers!

Starbright Floral Design is located in “The Heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District”.  We deliver the most amazing blooms and the coolest floral compositions imaginable to anyone, anywhere  and at any time (except in the overnight hours and to uninhabited places, war zones and to merchant marine vessels while sailing the high seas).

Give  us a call at 800-520-8999 or better yet visit our website at www.starflor.com or our e-commerce portal (where you can buy really great flowers) at www.starbrightnyc.com.  Stop by and  meet us, give us a call or drop us a line.  Tell us you want a dozen pearl roses and we will all smile!

Flowers, Festivals and Celebrations – it is what we do!

 

 

 

The Secret is Out! The History of Valentine’s Day (who created it and why)

For the endless romantic in all of us...
Valentine's Day.... Monday 14 February 2011

Those in the know claim that Valentine’s Day holiday celebrations are derived from Roman tradition. Many pagan traditions, such as Holloween, were adopted in some form by Christianity.  One legend has it derived from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis.  The festival involved the young women of Rome placing their names in an urn.  The young men would then draw a name of a woman who would be their sexual companion for the year.  In 496 AD the Pope in Rome declared it a Christian holiday to be observed on February 14 in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who died in the third century.  The Roman Emperor Claudius II issued an edict forbidding marriage for young men.  Marriage made men emotionally attached to their family, therefore weak soldiers.  It is said Valentine was a Roman priest who was murdered because he held secret marriages in opposition to the emperor’s edict. Thus 14th of February became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint.

England climbed aboard the love train by the 18th century.  Gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine’s Day had become common. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts became popular and handed to one’s love interest.  The tradition spread to the American colonies.  However, it wasn’t until the 1840’s when greeting cards were commercially produced that the holiday really caught on in the United States.  The first mass producer of the card were the brain child of Esther A. Howland.  The conspiracy theorist in me finds it extremely peculiar that the first mass marketer of Valentine’s Day, in an age when women’s rights were reserved to the right to keep quiet, was a woman.

Is it possible that Valentine’s Day was created by the sisterhood of women for the benefit of women for generations to come?  Here are some statistics:

85% of Valentine’s Day greetings cards are purchased by women-average price $1.99

75% of Valentine’s Day flowers are purchased by men-average price $85

75% of Valentine’s Day chocolates are purchased by men-average price $25

72% of Women polled would break up with their love interest if no gift is given on Valentine’s Day (the other 28% would accept a gift the day before or day after instead).

8% of men polled do not celebrate Valentine’s Day (100% of those men are alone)

Conclusion:  Valentine’s Day, from Roman times to today, created by women for women.  For that florists throughout say THANKS!

This scribe is brought to you by Starbright Floral Design, “The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps”.  Along the way we try to find and write about the fun side of flowers.  Starbright delivers flowers all over the world for the endless romantics everywhere.

Starbright Floral Design is the “Official Florist of Romance” and most of the time we deliver flowers, love, passion and hope everywhere in Manhattan and worldwide.  Sometimes we deliver yellow carnations.

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.co

 

Amaryllis – Our Plant Care Series Continues

The Glorious Amaryllis
A bloom with ties to Greek Mythology...

Amaryllis-Beauty without the Beast of Burdensome Care

The Amaryllis, which features large, gorgeous trumpet-like flowers, is a popular gift come the wintertime.  Did you know the Greek mythological tale from which it gets its name?

Amaryllis was a shepherdess who loved a conceited shepherd. The shepherd, presumably a part-time botanist, said he would only love her if she created a flower.  Ingenuity being one of the many admirable qualities of Greeks, she stabbed herself in the heart in order to create a beautiful red blossom.

If you received an Amaryllis plant at any time this fall or winter,  its blooms have probably been open for a few weeks.  Generally they will bloom from 7-10 weeks.  To prolong the life of the bloom, keep the plant in a shaded cool room (65 F).   Keeping a blooming amaryllis in a bright room is not the best environment.  Sunlight and excessive warmth will cause the bloom to wither.  The plant loves moisture so keep the soil wet, but not over-watered.

With proper care, this gift is a gift that will keep on giving.  The bulb will flower again for years to come and each time it will bring a sense of excitement and accomplishment.  Regardless of the variety, from various shades of red, white, salmon, and pink, these flowers deserve the limited effort necessary to bring them back to bloom.  Of all flowering bulbs (tulips, hyacinth, etc), amaryllis is the easiest to bring to bloom over and over again.

After-Bloom Care

After the amaryllis has stopped flowering, unlike those box of chocolates, this gift can be brought back to enjoy again.  After flowering, cut the old flowers from the stem just in back of the bloom, removing the green ‘lump’ in back of the blossom, and the thin stem connecting the bloom to the main flower stem.  When the stem starts to sag and turn yellow, cut it back to the top of the bulb.

 
Continue to water and fertilize as with any plant all summer, or for at least 5-6 months, allowing the leaves to fully develop and grow. When the leaves begin to yellow, which normally occurs in the early fall, cut the leaves back to about 2 inches from the top of the bulb.

 
Put the potted amaryllis in a cool (55 degrees F), dimly-lit place such as a cellar for 6-8 weeks.   If storing in a refrigerator, do not store amaryllis with apples.  The apples give off ethylene gasses which will sterilize the bulbs and prevent future blooms.
After 6 weeks you should water the potted bulb ONCE thoroughly, from top and bottom of the pot and place in a normal indoor temperature.  Do not water regularly until new green growth appears at the top of the neck. If the soil dries out before that time, water no more than once per week.  Excessive watering will rot the bulb and prevent its bloom.   Typically the bulbs will re-bloom in 8 weeks.

Repeat these instructions and enjoy the amaryllis year after year…

These tips are brought to you by The Official Florist.  The Official Florist is the blogging arm of Starbright Floral Design.  We are a full-service corporate and retail florist located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District.  We are at 150 West 28th Street (Studio 201).  To learn more about our organization and about the type of work that we do, please  visit our website at www.starflor.com.  You may also order a gift by visiting our e-portal at www.starbrightnyc.com. Starbright is open seven days a week and we deliver flowers and other gifts in Manhattan and worldwide.  We invite you to give us a call or visit our website.

Thank you for visiting our blog.  Always “at your service”,

The Official Florist – Starbright Floral Design

“The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps”

t.800.520.8999

starflor.com

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