So you went to the local bodega or your supermarket and bought some flowers! Designing a vase of flowers that you can enjoy at home for over a week is both rewarding and great therapy… It can become a fun hobby and it is not that expensive! In the photographs below you will be able to follow some simple steps to make your first flower arrangement. Have fun!
Step One: Take a long and broad leaf and insert it on the interior wall of your vase. This will prevent the murkiness of the water from showing through to the outside of the vase. Add water to your vase. Fill to about an inch from the top. Round cylindrical vases work best for starters. Your vase can be short or tall. After a little bit of practice you can experiment with different shapes of vases.STEP TWO: Make a grid on the top of your vase using adhesive clear tape. You will notice that there is a ring of tape on the outer rim of the vase. This is there to get the tape to stick to the sides of the vase. This grid is kind of like "cheating" as this is where you will be placing your flowers in a later step!Step Three: Get different forms of greenery that you like (fern, lemon, pittosporum are all good for practice) and place your greens in the vase first. You are going to completely fill the vase (using the taped grids as your guide) to create a bed of greenery. This will be the base onto which your flowers will be placed in the next step.Step Four: Constantly rotatae your vase and place the flowers you selected in equal distance and in symmetry to each other. As you do this, cut your stems to the height that you would want them (one by one). Remember that you can always cut more stem off! BUT you can never add stem back. Dont cut your flowers too much. The length of stem that you need is trial and error. Cut a little and then cut a little more!Step Five: Find your empty spaces and fill them. As you rotate your vase (like a Lazy Suzan at a Chinese Restaurant!) you will find spots that you missed! Take the flowers or berries or stems that are not directly around the missing spot and fill with those in order to keep everyhting symmetrical. Step Six: Enjoy! Voila!!!
To learn more about Starbright Floral Design and the work we do, please visit our website at www.starflor.com or call us at 800-520-8999. You can also become a Starbright Fan on Facebook. We would love to hear from you!
Orchids give us so much majesty and beauty that they sometimes are intimidating and we feel that we cannot take proper care of them, or that we do not have a “green enough thumb” to be able to care for an orchid. We shy away from the most majestic flowering plant simply because we do not feel competent or capable of caring for it. Well for all the glory that orchids give, they do not ask for very much in return. Here is a primer on orchids to help you over the initial fear…
FIRST – Come to Starbright (or any other reputable florist in your area) and purchase a Phaleonopsis orchid plant. They come in a variety of colors but the most basic white or pink will do. Remember that you are not buying this orchid as an expert or as a connoisseur, but rather as a novice trying to learn and to gain confidence that the plant can actually survive around YOU!
When you go home, place your orchid plant in a brightly lit room, but away from direct sunlight. The orchid loves to bask in the sun but the more sun you give it the faster the blooms will open and eventually lose their petals. You want a room that has sunlight but where the rays of the sun never hit directly on the plant. Room temperature is fine. In most cases if you are comfortable so is your plant. This holds true for ANY plant (for the most part). Also try to keep you plant away from sudden drafts. A burst of cold air or hot air will certainly not help the orchid at all.
So far it is pretty simple, right?
Now make sure (at least for your first orchid) that you have a pot with good drainage. Most orchids (phaleonopsis for certain) do not live in a swamp and if the water sits in the pot and does not drain, you are killing your plant. So make sure that your pot allows excess moisture to escape.
Lastly – do not bother your plant. The less you do for your orchid the more it will give back. This is because there is not much that you can really do to care for the plant and in reality the plant requires very little care. Water is about the only thing that it needs.
My advice to folks is instead of water; give your orchid ice cubes. That is right – ICE CUBES. Why? Well for one, because when ice melts it becomes water. It is a slow watering process because the ice melts slowly and it allows for the roots of the orchid to drink the water as opposed to the water running through the plant. You also do not run the risk of the water ever building that swamp I mentioned earlier at the bottom of the pot. So your orchid will get the water it needs and it will never be too much. In most cases if the environment is not too hot or too dry, a handful of ice cubes a week will do.
Eventually the blooms on the plant will begin to wilt. As they do, clip them off because they are unsightly. As time goes on all the blooms will have opened and they will all have wilted. Eventually there will be nothing left but a bare stem. Depending on what stage you had purchased your orchid in (how many blooms were open already, etc), this process should take no less than three weeks and in many cases an orchid will last over two months.
At the end of that period you should feel confident that orchids can in fact survive around you! Hopefully you found enjoyment in caring for a live plant that gave beauty every day. Now it is time to experiment! No time to lose…
What do I do with that long stem that is bare and just sticking out of my pot?
Can I get my orchid to re-bloom?
What other orchid varieties are there?
What colors can I get?
Where do orchids come from?
There is a whole new world out there ready for you to explore! It is a lot of fun and you can delve into it as much or as little as you want to. Short of being a professional “orchidologist”, there are orchid clubs you can join, websites and books you can read from and there are even artists and photographers who have become known around the world simply because of their love for this magnificent plant.
You can go as far as you want to, or you can stay close to home. Either way, it is a relaxing and enjoyable journey or hobby – depending on how you define it.
Here are two orchid websites that you should consider visiting:
I have found them to be informative and worthy of your interest.
Do you have a question? Send me a note at nic@starflor.com. I will always be happy to hear from you and share some thoughts. You can even visit our website (www.starflor.com) or call us at our store at 800-520-8999. Reach out to us any way you would like to. We will always be happy to hear from you and to help however we can.
A little bit about Starbright Floral Design – We are a full service florist located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District (on 28th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues). We are open every day and most evenings till 8PM (Sunday until 6PM). We deliver all over the world and can help you in selecting your gift to fit any taste design or budget.
Starbright was voted on Citysearch.com as the Best Florist of New York City in 2009. We are the most reviewed and highest rated florist in New York.
TheKnot.com has also rated us as The Best Florist in New York City to partner with for wedding and bridal Florals.
We thank you for your support and look forward to hearing from you!
St. Valentine’s Day is only three days away. The red rose invokes the passion of the season and as I was walking in the store today, I took a random photo of one of the 8,000 roses that were in the background. I hope you like it and I hope it and all the other red roses in our store make every Valentine a Happy Valentine!
About Starbright Floral Design… We are a full service florist located in Chelsea. We are in the middle of Manhattan’s Wholesale Flower District and we deliver flowers in our city and all over the world. Give us a call at 800.520.8999 or visit our website at www.starflor.com – We will be thrilled to hear from you and happy to be of service!
Over the years I have had the honor to know and work with one of the true professionals in the Event Planning and Destination Management industry. Anthony Napoli of Briggs NYC is a pro’s pro. He is the go-to person for “everything Manhattan” and “everything beyond”. His clients are in for a New York City experience like no other! For more years than I can count on one hand we have had the privilege to be the florist for the events that are organized by Briggs. Because of Tony and this amazing organization we have decorated at the United Nations, at Ellis Island, at Gotham Hall and countless other landmarks.
Tony has a unique perspective on this weekend and when I received Tony’s February newsletter, I asked him for permission to reprint it on our blog… (thankfully he said “yes”!) – Apropos of Valentine’s Day, here is Tony’s perspective on what to do this weekend – enjoy!
“The stars have lined up for a multiple holiday weekend this February 12th to the 15th. The festivities start off on Friday, February 12th the traditional date for celebrating Lincoln’s Birthday (before Congress passed the Monday Holiday Act – of course they left the Fourth of July alone!). And that evening you can toast Honest Abe while watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Saturday is a major day to celebrate Mardi Gras or as we call it in NYC, Carnevale! Sunday is a double header: Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year’s – the Year of the Tiger! We can all rest up on Monday, Presidents Day! Happy Birthday George! So get out your patriotic songs, beads and doubloons, fortune cookies and dancing shoes cause it’s all “ashes ashes all fall down” for 40 days of Lent!. What a weekend!”
To learn more about Anthony Napoli and his amazing team, please visit their website at www.briggsnyc.com.
About Starbright Floral Design: We are a full service florist located in the heart of New York City’s historic flower district. We are known as “The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps” but this week Cupid took over and we are “The Official Florist of Romance”! Give us a call at 800.520.8999 or visit our website at www.starflor.com. We are open and delivering flowers all the time!
A Sphere of Black Magic RosesA lavander phaleonopsis orchid plantA clutch bouquet of miniature calla lillies
Tom S. is our Creative Director and the Arbiter of Style for Starbright. Tom sees into the future and keeps our design styles ahead of the curve. For Valentine’s Day 2010 he has some thoughts to share and has written the article below… Enjoy!
As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, I stop to ponder Gertrude Stein’s famous quote, “A rose is a rose is a rose.” During this time of year, our store is inundated with requests for red rose arrangements. It is not atypical to have over 15,000 long stem red roses in our fridge during the week of Valentine’s Day. While roses are gorgeous and will always remain a popular declaration of one’s love and devotion, I have to agree with Stein. A rose really IS a rose.
Luckily, we are prepared with other creative and unique options that should appeal to most couples. Why limit yourself to a vase of red roses? During the Valentineseason, the price of roses can be shocking. Our wholesale cost goes up, supplies of the best roses become scarce and customers can see that reflected in the price of a dozen roses. Instead of roses, consider sending a lush, hand tied nosegay of eggplant colored calla lilies. With their sculptural shape that has been eroticizedby artists such as Georgia O’Keefe and Robert Mapplethorpe, calla lilies should evoke a passionate response from any recipient.
Orchids are another option that will both delight and inspire. The exotic shapes, textures and colors of the orchid speak to the tropical fantasies of many lovers. During the winter months, wouldn’t it be wonderful to remind your loved one of your past trip to the islands? Perhaps the flowers will help to promote a future trip. One benefit of orchids that can not be overstated is their longevity. While long stem roses typically last an average of five days, fresh cut orchids will remain lovely for up to two weeks. An orchid plant can last months, and they are deceptively easy to care for. For a masculine approach to the orchid, a floating cymbidium stem artfully arranged inside a glass cylinder is a very modern choice. This option is long lasting and costs about $25 less than a dozen roses.
If your other half is more traditional and may be disappointed if they don’t receive roses, let us become creative to come up witha special mixed arrangement. Rather than the typical tall vase, try a tight and compact cube arrangement. Not only will the flowers be easier to bring home, they will last longer! Low and lush arrangements are a modern trend and appeal to most discerning costumers. Hydrangea, tulips, and roses make a romantic mixcertainto please even the most persnickety lover. Because the roses are being added to other flowers, the cost willbe significantly less then a solo vase of roses. While cost is often not the deciding factor when choosing a gift for someone special, in these times it is very nice to have some economical options.
As a floral designer, my opinion of roses may be negatively influenced by the scars and calluses I’ve acquired from years of Valentine’s Day thorns. However, I have the unique opportunity to see the wide of variety of flowers available to customers during thisromantic holiday. While roses are certainly the star of the show, there are many flowers that are waiting in the wings for their moment to shine. No matter what, when the flowers are sent with love, they transcend and aspire to more than Stein’s observation. “A rose is a rose is a rose…” unless it comes from you!
About Starbright Floral Design: We are located in New York City in the heart of the historic flower district. We are in a loft on the second floor of our building on 28th Street, right by Seventh Avenue. We deliver to all of New York City ourselves (and beyond). This holiday season we have some amazing Valentine’s styles for you to choose from. Give us a call (800.520.8999), stop by (150 West 28th Street, Suite 201) or visit our website (www.starflor.com)
This year, like every year, Tom S. (Creative Director at Starbright Floral Design) takes a two week sabbatical and goes home to California. While there he works with the organizers of the Rose Bowl Parade and directs the floral decor of several floats. This year he helped create three floats and two of the three won major awards!
Check out the photos that Tom shared with us of his great work! We are so proud to have him on our team! For many of our clients, Tom has directed their weddings, their corporate events and even retail displays throughout Manhattan. Tom is an integral part of our organization, a graduate of Fordham University, one of our most commented team members on Citysearch and just a great human being.
All of us love Tom and we love working with him. We hope you like his work as much as we do! Go Tom!
With the start of a new year and a new decade all of us have our sights set really high and our hopes even higher. I truly hope that you were able to take advantage of every holiday moment and to take it all in with the proper proportions of love, family, joy, laughter and happiness. When it is all over we create memories with those we love that will last a lifetime.
To the many lives that have touched our own and to those whose we have touched as well, we are truly grateful for all the opportunities of friendship and service that you have given us. We thank you for teaching us all that we know and for all that we have accomplished with your support. We are excited about our plans for 2010, for the services that we plan on bringing to you, the new ways that we will find to communicate with you and all the great flowers that will leave our stores to reach your special someones!
We wish peace, love, happiness, health and joy to everyone we have come into contact with…
With my warmest regards,
Nic and all your friends at Starbright Floral Design
The Official Florist (of the City that Never Sleeps)!
Starbright Floral Design is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District. Our goal is to bring fresh flowers delivered to every home and every office for every special occasion – we fill every “just because” moment with passion for what we do!
May the warmth of the season touch everyone’s heart. We wish to thank all our friends and clients for your incredible support throughout the year. Without you, we would never have come this far since 1994 and certainly we would not have survived the unique challenges of 2009l
With all of our hearts we wish you lots of X’s, O’s, Ooooh’s and Ahhhhh’s for the holiday season and every day ahead…
The colors of the fall season are here and autumn is in full swing! It will not be long before the season changes to winter and the terracotta tones, the browns, the rusts, the twigs and the amber colors are all gone for 2009… Enjoy them while they are here!
This year year’s favorite fall accent color? Green. The above photos were provided to a client for an autumnal photo shoot and we are sharing them with you too… Enjoy the season, get out, go to the country, see the leaves change color, find a hay ride somewhere, pick a pumpkin, be a kid again and enjoy all that the season has to offer.
Happy Fall!
Nic and the Entire Starbright Team…
A little bit about Starbright. We are a corporate and retail florist based in New York City. Since 1994 we have been delivering flowers, gifts and floral decor all over the world. To learn more about our organization, please visit our website. CLICK HERE or give us a call at 800.520.8999. We would love to hear from you!
An entertainer’s dressing room is their sanctuary. It’s an oasis, where they can relax and prepare in total peace and tranquility. Despite the sacred nature of this space, family, friends, and fans often want to invade this domain with floral offerings. What most people don’t realize is that there is an art and a science to creating bouquets for such an environment. You can’t just simply throw any random flowers in vase and send them over to Madison Square Garden for Beyonce’s green room. Heaven Forbid! There are several key choices that can be made to ensure the flowers are enjoyed and appreciated, rather than being sent directly to the dumpster.
Keep it simple. In most cases less is more. This goes for both the size of the arrangement and the combination of the flowers. If you do something too big, there is a chance the flowers won’t even make it to the dressing room. Often the larger arrangements are left outside or in a separate dressing room. When choosing the types of flowers, one or two varieties is usually best. A lush bubble bowl of cream colored roses can make a better impression than a vase of mixed flowers.
If you can smell it, don’t send it. Many artists are fanatical about keeping their dressing rooms free from scented flowers. Singers are especially known for this quirk. It’s understandable that a sneezing or histamine fueled attack would want to be avoided at all costs. For this reason, never send lilies, freesia, gardenia or tuberose unless they have been specifically requested. Most roses acceptable due to the fact that hybrid roses have had the scent bred out of them.
They’ve seen it all. Most famous entertainers have been sent enough flowers to cover a Rose Parade float. There probably isn’t a combination they haven’t come across. However… that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to keep their flowers unique. A celebrity flower order is the perfect chance for a floral designer to try that new technique they saw in a magazine or book. Ask your florist if they have any unique varieties of orchids or roses they could recommend. Perhaps the florist has an interesting or funky vase they could fill with a bold bouquet of hydrangea. It never hurts to ask.
Flowers are a great gift for celebrities and us regular folks alike. It just takes a little extra care and thought to make the perfect addition to a diva’s dressing room. While roses may be thrown at their feet, you don’t want to have your roses thrown in your face. Remember to keep it simple, scentless, and special and your flowers will be the toast of the town!
This article was contributed by Tom our Artistic and Creative Director. The direction of floral design that Starbright takes is determined in no small part by Tom’s personal creativity. His contributions in all areas of the company and his design elements have been an inspiration to us all.
Starbright Floral Design (starflor.com) is located in the heart of New York City; on 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue. We are in the heart of what has been known for over a century as the Historic Fl0wer District. Many have dubbed us as The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps because of our contributions to the Hiospitality and Special Events markets.
Give us a call (800.520.8999) or visit our website to learn more about us. We would love to be of service by delivering the most amazing flowers to your loved ones – in New York City and beyond!
Blooming Thoughts 