Winter at the NYC Flower Market
Even with the impending bitter cold, spring is making its way into our hearts yet again with beautiful tulips, peonies and blooming bulb plants. A late afternoon visit to the flower market on West 28th street between 6th and 7th avenues gave me a chance to escape the noise of the city and take in all the vibrant colors. These miniature daffodils are happy and bright!
I was happy to see one of my favorites even in the dead of winter. These peonies are imported from Chile where they are currently in season.
Winter is a great time to get blooming branches like forsythia, quince and cherry blossoms. When you pass by them at the market they might look like dried up sticks but hammer the ends of the stems and put them in warm water. After a few weeks they will be in full bloom and last such a long time! Check out these blooming quince we found in the market.
Another great spring flower with a subtle scent are sweet peas. They come in vibrant colors and are great for wedding bouquets or in a simple vase.
These kumquat branches and ornithogalum are a great shade of orange and offer a fresh look for arrangements. Kumquats are fun to use all winter and have a citrus fruit hanging from them.
French and parrot tulips covered the market along with fragrant hyacinth. Looks like spring to me!
There are so many more and gorgeous flowers at the NYC flower market, even in winter. Stop downtown and take a look at all the great flowers, plants and things they have to offer!
Get inspired!
DINNER AT DE SANTOS FOR DAN RAGONE
This past March, Interview Magazine hosted a special fete in honor of their new president Dan Ragone at De Santos restaurant in the West Village. Interview approached us looking for simple yet elegant arrangements for their intimate dinner. Inspired by both the rustic, Tuscan menu and décor of the restaurant, we put together an ensemble of small,white arrangements for the dinner tables as well as flowering branches for the bar and entranceway.
For the entrance table, guests entered the dinner greeted by a tall arrangement of white cherry blossoms. Additional flowering pear branch arrangements decorated each corner of the bar.
Small arrangements of white Ranunuclus, Hydrangeas, Lisianthus, Ginestra and Bouvardia were placed on the dinner tables in alternating heights and sizes. Each arrangement used only one type of white flower to give a clean, chic look. See below for more photos and a link to Interview Magazine's write up. Enjoy!
Great Bridal Expo in New York
In Bloom New York participated in the Great Bridal Expo held on Friday April 9, 2010 at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square. We were very excited to be involved in this bridal show - it was a great opportunity to meet prospective brides and new vendors. We decided to go against the grain and chose three high cocktail tables instead of the traditional long table. The individual tables allowed us to showcase two different designs and color schemes instead of having a hodgepodge of arrangements and bouquets on a single table.
Our table on the left involved a primarily pink and white color scheme. The tall centerpiece consisted of white Cherry Blossoms, white Cymbidium Orchids, gorgeous Antiqued Hydrangeas, pops of yellow Oncidium Orchids and pink Lisianthus. We left the design very natural and free flowing, allowing the flowers and branches to mix together well.
The matching bridal bouquet consisted of white Cymbidium Orchids and the Antiqued Hydrangeas. We chose not to add every flower included in the large centerpiece to remain clean and simple. We added three sterling silver julep cups filled with pink Lisianthus and pink Cherry Blossoms to complete the look. The heavy-weight cotton linen we chose was in a Berry tone that added beautiful, contrasting color to the overall floral design.
For the second display, we decided to go with a black and white theme using green flowers as the pop of color. We fell in love with this Black Etoile Print heavy cotton linen at Party Rental Ltd and made use of this substantial black glass urn for the tall centerpiece. Since we picked a busy linen we decided on a simple arrangement of green dogwood branches. Always delicate and beautiful, flowering dogwood branches can come in either green, white, pink or red.
We added 6 haning, mercury glass votives from the branches as well as several mercury glass cups filled with green Snap Dragons, Mini Hydrangeas, and green Roses. We created a beautiful bouquet with green Cymbidium Orchids, green Roses, green Hypericum Berries, and green Mini Hydrangeas. This bouquet seemed to please everyone for its simple color scheme yet luxurious texture.
Thank you again to all the brides that came out on Friday to the Great Bridal Expo and who entered in our raffle contest. In Bloom New York appreciates your support. Don't forget to check back this week for a view of our full set up at the Wedding Salon event at the Roosevelt Hotel on Monday April, 12th.
In Bloom Spotlight on Cherry Blossoms
Spring is officially marked as the vernal equinox on March 20th, but I know that Spring has sprung when the Cherry Blossoms are out and blooming! In the Japanese culture, the Cherry Blossom symbolizes clouds since they look like large puffs when they are in full bloom. They are indigenous to Asian countries like Japan and China but you can now find these beautiful trees all over the world. For those of us on the East Coast, The Cherry Blossom Festival in DC is a fantastic event every year and and one that I recommend!
These exquisite branches are so timeless and effortlessly chic in arrangements or by themselves and they last for weeks at a time. Call In Bloom New York to place an order for your apartment or home today!
