New York, New York
March 20th, 2008 Posted in UncategorizedThe Chelsea area of New York City is like a mini Dutch Flower Market. The Blumenveiling in the Netherlands is, of course, the largest flower auction house in the world, located just south of Amsterdam in the small town of Aalsmeer, a flower haven in itself. Millions of blooms go through the auction each day. Many arrive in New York just hours after being sold.While the flower market area of New York is small by comparison, it offers variety that I don’t find in central Ohio. Strolling through the wholesale markets brought back fond memories of seeing floral materials that I either can’t get in Ohio or are so unusual that I can’t even identify them. What fun it must be to be a designer in the City and have access to these floral resources.I always hand select flowers I work with. So while my selection isn’t what I wish it could be, I do get premium flowers. Just yesterday, I bought flowers for Easter weekend orders. Usually I don’t commit to color themes until I see the flowers. I won’t go with a “yellow” theme, for example, if the yellow flowers don’t suit me. This weekend, I will be using a lovely terra cotta Asiatic Lily, blue Dutch Iris, “Green Tea” hybrid Roses, green Dendrobium Orchids, white Calla Lily, a dark plum Calla Lily, orange Dutch Tulips, white Eustoma and white Ranunculus. I found striking Palmetto Palm fronds and of course, my signature green, the versatile Aspidistra leaf. Tomorrow I begin to design with these materials. I can’t wait. Happy Easter.