moments from a wedding

this past weekend was a blur of activity. but a few flower moments stand out. there were 12 nosegays , 2 for the mothers, 2 for the flowergirls and 8 for friends and family to carry. each were unique, each were beautiful. the bridal bouquet was big and lush, with red france roses, red charm peonies, antique hydrangeas ,nandina greens and oak leaves.

48 hrs. before the wedding

before the bouquets and the boutonnieres and the centerpieces, comes the basement and the boxes. this is where the flowers are delivered and cleaned, stem by stem, and processed,different water temperatures for different flowers. some stems need a clean cut with a knife, others can handle a sharp pair of clippers, but none need or want to be cut by scissors. ever. during the week, bucket after bucket of stems are carried upstairs and arranged for sale or designer use. tomorrow we are so busy, we will troop downstairs, knives and coffees in hand to join the flowers.

cotton?

saturday's bride requested organic , full, fall arrangements, each different. this one was packed with purple ornamental kale, seeded eucalyptus, blue thistle, tallow berries, and stems of cotton.

imagine

we went to the wholesaler today. you really have to smell it and see it to experience it. but here's a little taste. breathe deeply.

enjoy

full moon outside. beautiful arrangement inside. enjoy!

This Week's Newsletter: Anthurium

From this week's newsletter (see companyflowers.com) anthurium come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. Also, a poem about Fall to quieten your day! And in anticipation of the season of Advent, beginning December first, there are candles to help mark the time of reflection before Christmas. And the goodies for Chrsitmas are beginning to show up, too!

a berry good day

one of our " french wink" arrangments, in fall colors dressed up with all manner of berries. and a beautiful batch of orange rose hips.

the beehive

we have a small spot in the store packed full of treasures, both antique and vintage. old wicker chairs, etchings, prints, vases and plates. it's called the beehive after a consignment store marnie had years ago. before she was a florist she was a collector. well, she still is a collector, and occasionally she brings in a some pieces to sell. i grabbed a few of them and filled them with bits of berries, a few roses, some autumn leaves. we love when people bring their own treasures to the shop and let us do the same. also ,so easy to do yourself. here i've filled an antique glass bottle with a favorite new rose, chili, a touch of tonya berry and a leaf. a toby jug has just 2 rodeo roses , a touch of hypericum berry and a few holland mums. a blue and white gravy boat has 2 coffee break and i chili rose,a few bronze mums, leaves and ornamental chili peppers. simple, personal and charming.

do you see what i see?

tuesday is the first day of my work week, i'm always excited to see all the new flowers that have arrived. the store is packed, in and out of the cooler. fall antique hydrangeas, berries in all colors, grasses and ah, the roses. an esperenza rose, so fragrant,opens up as big as a saucer and lasts a good week. who would not love this rose? who would not love my job?

scenes from a wedding

if it's thursday.....

it must be california. years ago, john and marnie were in san francisco checking out the floral scene. they happened upon a fabulous flower wholesaler full of the biggest, brightest flowers. a deal was struck and every thursday we get a BIG box from that wholesaler filled with, we know not, until we open it. the only requirement is that it must

be cool or beautiful, hopefully a combo of both. here are a few shots taken down under (the basement) of this week's finest. forgive the picture quality , hopefully the flowers speak for themselves. speaking are: incredibly scented garden roses, peppers verging in color from black to brown to orange and richly colored boston ivy leaves.

an alternative to a corsage?!?

another day in paradise

another day surrounded by grasses and berries, rosehips, leaves of all colors. one of today's arrangements was a subtle fall mixture of dahlias, roses, hydrangeas,hybrid lilies, asters and wax flowers, to create an anniversary arrangement for a garden designer to his wife. the other called for a funky design in fall colors, no roses or lilies. no problem! the last shot is one of our outdoor displays: bunches of curly willow tips, leaves, pumpkins both real and woven , yellow dogwood branches all welcome you to coflo (as we call it).

Something New from Company Flowers

hi all, this is jane from the design room. since john doesn't have the time to keep up with the blog, i've offered to give him a hand. i'll be posting pictures of the newest flowers, our favorite arrangements, the most beautiful bridal bouquet, which is every one we do, and whatever piece of jewelry i would want to own. let's start with a few fall arrangements from october .small glass cubes of monochromatic calla lilies with seeded eucalyptus, used for cocktail tables. the next vase is an explosion of fall, i don't know if i can name everything, there are calla lilies, several varieties of roses, bittersweet, rosemary, antique hydrangeas, jasmine, quince fruit,and hybrid lilies. whew. let me catch my breath, more to come!

Current Newsletter: October 8

Featured this week is the amaranth, a vivid red/purple flower that's used worldwide as a grain -- better than wheat -- and its greens make up favorite salads especially in Greece. Read more, and prepare for Halloween in the newsletter, too!

Drama in the Lobby !

Today' effort is one of several created each Monday to place in the lobbies of offices, usually trade associations or law firms in downtown DC. This one features proteas, the unusual grayish balls of a variety of echtoveria with which we're not familiar(from our personal supplier of weird stems from California) , and big ti-leaves, all high-lighted by the bright yellow calla lilies tipped with red -- again, emphasis on the unusual. The second photo shows a close-up of the center of the design, where visual depth is enhanced by the veritcal lines of the callas. Objective is to develop a touch of tropical mystery recognizing that most viewers are hurrying by anyway and won't have time to study the relations of darks and lights.

Typical upscale Design

Here's an example of a daily upscale ($95) design from our shop. Obviously, it capitalizes on the fantastic array of hydrangea colored heads now available. Because it's summertime, of course, there are the zingy zinneas, seveal "green envy" ones. The large garden roses compliment the basic composition, surrounded by the wildy-stringy jasmine stems. Tucked in center (see lower photo) are some vanda orchids and naked-lady lilies. The "brown" touch on the edge is actually brown-growing eucalyptus, to match the seeded eucalyptus on the other side of the design. And eagle-eyed flower lovers can also probably spot the stem or two of clematis added to round out the design. Putting this all together is the designer's task, and this one has been accomplished especially well!

Day's Work: Bridal Bouquets

We're often asked to show what floral designs are created day-by-day at the flower shop. Today a wedding order included nine bridesmaids' (eight plus Maid of Honor) bouquets. Pictured are a few, before the final hot-pink satin trailing ribbons and bow have been attached. Each is composed of four different, huge pink or hot-pink hydrangea heads from Columbia (SouthAmerica) and Holland. Riding astride the pillowy hydrangea clouds are four pink or hot-pink large "field" roses surrounding one centered, white/green rose. The wedding party then took each bouquet and placed it into a glass vase with water (which we supplied) in the center of the nine sit-down tables at the reception.

Pots, Pots & More Pots: Choices

Summertime provides a good excuse to do some house-cleaning! We've been attacking our storeroom where "extras" get stashed, so now there's a plethora of pots available at very reasonable prices -- see the pix as example. Especially in smaller apartment-house settings, selection of the pot is almost as important as the flowers contained therein -- come brouse among the best!

...........Are there guidelines or "preferences" in containers? No easy answer here. Obviously, there are some pots that are so lovely themsevles, the flowers need be only de minibus. An example is on our web site among the first favorites -- take a look!

.............And then the relation of the container to its location is important -- a huge tall vase in a tiny corner seldom works. And then there's the relation of the floral design to the vase, too. A rule of thumb is that flowers should be roughly twice as tall as the container, but there's deviation from the "rule" more than not.

......................What's best? An afternoon at the National Gallery should generate ideas about your own likes and dislikes, your sense of form, your appreciation of depth and shadow, etc. That's what makes the floral design in the pot fun to get, to appreciate, and to cherish as a memory -- just like the first kiss, the memory can often grow more fond with time when you've recieved or given lovely flowers in a lovely vase!