September 30, 2008 | poems and quotes
by
Jacqueline - Editor
"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"
By William Wordsworth
1770-1850
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company;
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth to me the show had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
If you're a flower fan who also loves to read, email me your favorite floral literary references and you'll get a coupon for 10% off your next Teleflora order.
Flower Fact of the Day: Daffodils are also known as narcissus, jonquils and “Lent Lilies.”
September 29, 2008 | floral trends
by
Jacqueline - Editor
A few weeks ago, I wrote about bringing flowers to a Friday night dinner party. For that night, I planned ahead, bought and arranged my flowers Thursday night, and delighted my hostess with a bouquet of lilies, celosia and spray mums. I love to arrange flowers!
Last Friday, I went to another dinner party, but didn't have time to buy and arrange ahead of time.
My solution: After the party, I jumped online and sent some fresh flowers, which took about 10 minutes tops. Also meant I didn't need to make an extra stop beforehand at a bakery, cheese store or wine shop, sorting through the plethora of choices, trying to guess what might be a good complement to the meal.
My friend who hosted Friday is a wine writer with impeccable taste so this is no small task. ... And you know that flowers fit in just about anywhere.
Turns out, I'm part of a trend.
"Flowers as hostess gifts are really popular now," says Tim Farrell of Farrell’s Florist in Drexel Hill, PA, farrellsflorist.com. "Not so much as a centerpiece but something fresh and fun that the hostess can pop on a kitchen island or elsewhere in the house. It's a great way to say thank you."
Farrell also notes that customers are having fun with citrus-toned accents well into the fall season. So, I kept that in mind when choosing the bouquet.
I'll keep you posted. Flowers are such a terrific surprise, I'm sure my friends will enjoy them.
Flower Fact of the Day: Chrysanthemums, pansies and violas are fall/winter favorite flowers. And the growing season isn't over. Read more at: http://www.ktka.com/news/2008/sep/29/gardening_tip_20_dont_
assume_ flower_growing_season.
September 26, 2008 | floral trends
by
Jacqueline - Editor
Mums are underrated.
Yes, they lack the delicacy of an orchid and the heavenly fragrance of a rose. But with so many varieties to choose from, mums are experiencing a resurgence.
“Like the carnation, it became unpopular,” says Frances Trzuskowski, a botanist for Teleflora. “If it’s out of style, growers slow production. That’s true for any flower. But now mums have some very elegant looks.”
More variation coming from South American growers means that these new types of mums offer a decidedly modern twist to bouquets. Button mums, for instance, offer bright bursts of color. The blend of sleek and spiky that comes from spider mums is anything but frumpy.
Staff at Edelweiss Flower Boutique in Santa Monica edelweissflower.com told me earlier this year that button mums and spider mums are especially popular among younger customers.
They’re also economically priced, long lasting, and available in almost any color you can imagine. Right now, hot colors are chartreuse and acid green.
Maribel Gonzalez, owner of The Park Florist in Plainfield, N.J., www.theparkflorist.com “most definitely” agrees that choices in the mum category have burgeoned over the last several years.
“They’re pretty funky,” she says of the electric hues. “But it’s more of an accent for us. Most customers stick with the more traditional colors.”
(Maribel’s business was recently profiled at: mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080926/BUSINESS/809260319/1022/rss07.)
Button, cushion, daisy, duet, spider, Fiji …To help you keep the terms straight, I found this terrific list from Yoder Brothers, Inc., a leading breeder of all types of mums: yoder.com/gardeners/chrysanthemum/spraymums/
spraymum_terms.aspx.
So if you’re entertaining this weekend, try adding a few mod mums to the mix to express your floral chic.
Flower Fact of the Day: Australia’s Floriade (Canberra), a flower and entertainment festival, inspired by Keukenhof in the Netherlands, keukenhof.nl/nm/english.html is in full swing. Learn more at: floriadeaustralia.com/floriade21/See.cfm.
September 25, 2008 | flower facts
by
Jacqueline - Editor
In a tight economy, we’re all looking for ways to save a few pennies and get the most out of what we buy. Fresh flowers dress up any space and instantly make us feel good. (Kind of a no-brainer but research proves they boost our moods and help us deal with stress.)
Pretty and potent as they are, flowers have a practical side too. Here are five ways to get more out of your flowers, once you’ve enjoyed them in a vase.
From bloom to bow. A flower that’s a few days old and still fresh looking is an excellent addition to a gift. Wrap the box, add a ribbon and tie on a blossom, a large daisy or sunflower perhaps. Just one or two will do and it truly perks up a package.
Again and again. Hydrangea is one of many flowers that can be dried, stored and reused. Be sure to cover while in storage to protect from dust. For more details on how to preserve flowers, read Sonia Uyterhoeven, gardener for public education at the New York Botanical Garden: nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=9050082.
Sans stems. Rose petals look beautiful in a basket or bowl or loosely scattered among candles on a tabletop or perfume bottles on a bathroom shelf.
Be an A-lister. A colleague of mine used burgundy pansy petals to adorn her wedding invitations. It was a small wedding, but you could do the same for shower, birthday or anniversary parties.
Note it. Take a photo of your flowers, print it out and paste it in a notebook. Keep notes on what flowers were used, how many and how they worked in the arrangement. The more you design and record it, the more adept you’ll become. This is also a great tip for gardeners. Plan it out before you plant.
Flower Fact of the Day: Amaranth is a flower as well as a grain and weed. Read more about this plant at: http://ethnobotany.suite101.com/article.cfm/amaranth
_is_grain_flower_and_a_weed.
