Turtle Boy Gets a Wreath!

Worcester's own Turtle Boy statue gets decked out for the holidays! Wonder how that got there...?

Fresh From the Market

We have an amazing array of flowers this week for the holiday!

Gorgeous cymbidium, mokara, and aranda orchids, seen here with 'Mozart' callas.

Fresh dates on the stem! Yes, this is what they look like cut fresh from the palm trees. (Update - this morning, 1 day later, the dates were falling like hail on the floor. Sometimes you get a dud!)

And veritable buffet of green flowers and cool foliages!

In addition, we also have this week:

ginger - red and pink
James storeii orchids - yellow
olive branch tips with olives
blue hyacinth
'Black' dendrobium
amaryllis - many colors
psiticorum
pink nerine
sunflowers - 3 kinds!
purple lisianthus
orange and yellow kangaroo paw
dianthus
gerbera - hot pink and orange, Canada
fall painted eucalyptus
tuberose
white and antique green hydrangea
australian pine
'Ivanhoe' grevillea - California
broom corn
'Cobra' lily - Holland
XX Large kale - white, Holland
kale - purple, Holland
rosemary
amaranthus 'Yearning' - Holland
godetia - 3 colors, California
freesia - yellow, Holland
stock - lots of colors
coontie fern
matsumoto asters
orange euphorbia - Holland
aster novi belgii
rainbow aster
bird of paradise
campanula - pink and purple
hypericum
winterberry
leucodendron
peonies
phlox
poms - fall colors
roses - 'Circus' - orange, and 'Black Magic' - burgundy
spider mums -green
spray roses - 'Mambo' and 'Macarena'
'Jade' trachellium
acuba foliage
fall mums
aspidistra
monstera leaves
ti leaves

Almost a Wedding!

We did a fabulous renewal of vows ceremony and party this week - it had all the components of wedding, so we kept referring to the happy couple as the bride and groom even though they have been married for 25 years!

We decorated a chuppa in the chapel of Congregation Beth Israel in Worcester for the ceremony. We used lots of birds of paradise, which were used in the wedding in 1983, but gave them a more tropical look than the first time around.

The "bride" left her bouquet to our discretion so long as it coordinated with her copper gown and had birds of paradise, her favorite flower. This was one fun bouquet to make! Magenta anemones, purple dendrobium orchids, and orange roses tie in some of her gown's embellishments. And you'll notice some of the metal details...

...there was a bit of a metal theme...

...that showed up almost every where, although not in the maid of honor's bouquet which was simply elegant with 'Charley Brown' cymbidium orchids, 'Indian Sunset' roses, and dark brown ti leaves.

The "groom's" boutonniere was a section of bird of paradise and the groomsmen had 'Indian Sunset' roses. They also had gold and copper wire wrapped around the stems.

And my favorite part - I had nothing to do with! The 'groom' made the centerpieces! He owns a scrap metal business and everyone decided that it would be great fun and very appropriate for a silver anniversary, to incorporate as much of his metal as possible.

So he made these amazing metal blocks out of all different materials and finishes. We just added a floral accent, as the blocks were really show stoppers!

Thanksgiving Hours

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that we will be open next Monday of Thanksgiving week.

Our hours for 24 -29 November:
Monday 10-6
Tuesday 10-6
Wednesday 10-6
Thursday - CLOSED for turkey!
Friday 10-6
Saturday 9-2

FREE Christmas Wreaths!

So ever since reading Eloise at Christmastime as a child, I have had this fantasy of living in a city where the all the businesses were decked out with wreaths.

This year, instead of wishing it would happen, I have decided to make it happen! We would like to give wreaths away to Worcester MA businesses. A nice green wreath with a big fat red bow, FREE! All we ask is that you call the shop so we can save one for you and that you leave us your business card when you come pick it up.

Wreaths will be available for pick up from November 28 - December 6. (see shop hours and phone number above) In this "down" economy, we'd like to infect everyone with a little holiday cheer and good will and make this city the sparkling place of my childhood imagination!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

The signs that herald Christmas are many, but the one that always puts a smile on my face is the arrival of Christmas greens, wreaths, and roping in the Boston Flower Exchange!

When you work with flowers every day, one of the things that you rarely take notice of is the fragrance - your nose is just overloaded and doesn't really notice the general flower smell that's all around you. But when something different arrives - like winter pines - the scent stands out and is a real pleasure! I love the smell of Christmas!

Fresh from the Market

Bright red ilex winterberries are in! These look fabulous in fall bouquets as well as for Christmas decorating, indoors and out. They're around in November till they get frozen and icy or the birds eat them, whichever comes first!

We also have some nice looking red twig dogwood. Looks really terrific in outdoor planters filled with evergreens; gives you some color contrast against the greys and whites of winter.

In addition, we also have this week:

Port Orford cedar
purple dendrobium orchids
oncidium orchids
kale in white and purple
hybrid pink lily
'Yelloween' lily
safflower - looks kind of like an orange thistle
yarrow
'Jade' trachellium
rose 'Indian Sunset'
cremons and large mums in fall colors
spring asters
Carolina sapphire juniper
burgundy amaranthus
aster novi belgii
astilbe
campanula - purple
gerbera - orange and a pink, Canada
sunflowers
magnolia foliage
ginger - red and pink this week
bird of paradise
fall poms
red hypericum berries
rust kangaroo paws
liatris - Peru
broom corn
millet - California
green wheat - California
lysimachia
papyrus - France
pernettya berry - looks like cranberries on the branch
aranda orchids
calla 'Red Sox' - New Zealand
pincushion protea - orange
ornithagalum arabicum
dracena stalks
lisianthus - purple white two tone