Trend Watch: Terrariums

Even though Fall is upon us why not hold onto a little bit of Summer with a simple and eye catching terrarium. They’ve certainly gone main-stream and can be found in homes, offices, and businesses. Modern terrariums are one of the latest trends in home décor and plant and flower decorating options.

The supplies needed to build a terrarium can be found at most garden stores—from the proper plants to the soil and pebbles as well as glass containers and domes of all sizes. Accent pieces such as orchids, drift wood, sea shells, or any other miniature decoration are also useful to add a bit of color and whimsy to your encapsulated arrangement.

      Supplies:           
      1. Small rocks or pebbles for drainage and texture                                                                                                                      

2. Small piece of charcoal (the type found in the pet supply department for aquarium filters.)
3. Potting soil.
4. Miniature house plants and mosses. Ivy, ferns, succulents, and orchids work well.   5. Sand                                                                                                             6. Driftwood or branches                                                                                     7. Glass container with no lid                                                                                     8. Spray mist bottle of water

Directions:
1. Line the bottom of a glass jar with pebbles—one inch is usually adequate.
2. Place a small piece of charcoal in the middle of the pebbles. The charcoal helps to keep the soil fresh.
3. Add a few inches of potting soil and sand to the layer of pebbles and charcoal.
4. Gently place three or four small plants into the container. Make sure the plants are nestled together but not crowded or root bound.                                                             5. Arrange live moss around the plants. The moss adds visual appeal as well as lending support and anchorage for the plants.                                                                        6. Mist the terrarium and cover.                                                                             7. Place your terrarium in an area with moderate light, making sure that the terrarium is not exposed to direct sunlight.

Maintenance:
Open the lid of the terrarium and feel the soil every week or two. If the dirt is moist to the touch and condensation is built up in the terrarium, it’s fine. If the soil feel dry, mist until dew drops appear on the leaves of the plants and on the insides of the glass.

-Contact Alaric Flower Design for custom one of kind Terrariums for your home or office!

How to Care for Your Fresh Flower Arrangements

Every day at Alaric Flowers we get calls from people wondering how best to care for their fresh flower arrangements. We have a few techniques to help keep your flowers looking fresh and beautiful.

-Fresh flowers need care and the better you care for them the longer they last.

Never leave the arrangement in direct sun, they can actually burn if you keep them too warm or near the sun.

-It is also very important to keep the water fresh and clean. We suggest that every other day you change the water in the vase. If you carefully pour the original water out of the vase and replace it with room temperature water, then there will be less bacteria growth and the flowers will stay fresh longer.

-If you are able to pull the entire bouquet out of the vase, it is not a bad idea to give the flowers a fresh cut as well. This will ensure that the flowers will stay really hydrated and keep them from starting to wilt.

-It is best to cut the flowers at an angle in order to expose a larger surface area to the water. You can sometimes give the vase a quick wash while I have the flowers out of the vase. This ensures that any bacteria that might have started to grow will be eliminated so that the flowers have a truly fresh environment. It is not necessary, however, to wash the container every time.

-All flowers have a different vase life. Some flowers, such as orchids, last a very long time when cut, while other flowers, like hydrangeas, have a shorter vase life. You can always pull out flowers as they expire and either replace them with new flowers, shift the arrangement around, or even break it up into smaller vases. By pulling out the flowers as they expire, you will be able to enjoy each and every stem in the arrangement!

Give Your Mom Something Special for this Mother's Day! Mention QR Code and get 5% off your purchase! Give us a call at 212.308.3794 e-mail at info@alaricflowers.com or use our online store at www.alaricflowers.com to make your purchase.

Same-Sex Flower Tips?

Now that we are celebrating same-sex marriage in New York, here are a few bits of folklore surrounding a some flowers that may or may not pertain to gay marriage! Very interesting...

#1: Violets
- Flower symbolized and used to celebrate same-sex love (though primarily exchanged between lesbians in the 1920s-1940s) Origins of the violet can be traced back to Sappho and her poem about wearing garlands of violets with her lovers.

- In the 16th century, men and women planning to marry would wear violets

#2: Ladslove
- 19th and 20th century English poets used ladslove to symbolize homosexuality and exchange of same-sex love in their works

#3: Calamus
- Egyptians believed the plant was a powerful aphrodisiac

- Walt Whitman used this plant as the centerpiece to his forty-five poems dedicated to homoerotic love

#4: Poppies
- The flower was exchanged between soldiers as a sign of love and romance prior to WWI

- Flower later became known as the flower of the eternal sleep (and used often for those who have died during times of war as a soldier)

- The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz is the only other character who falls asleep in the Poppy Field with Dorothy (representing possibly both the Queer and the ‘eternal sleep’)

(Source)

And remember - we are offering 10% off to the first 10 couples who use our services for their LGBT wedding! There are a few spots left!

Spotted!

Lady Gaga was spotted in NYC last night carrying sunflowers. Very interesting... here are some fun sunflower facts! In addition to being good at absorbing radiation and brightening up a person's day or home:

• The sunflower is the state flower of the US state of Kansas, and one of the city flowers of Kitakyūshū, Japan.
• The sunflower is often used as a symbol of green ideology, much as the red rose is a symbol of socialism or social democracy. The sunflower is also the symbol of the Vegan Society.
• During the late 19th century, the flower was used as the symbol of the Aesthetic Movement.
• Subject of Van Gogh's most famous still life, Sunflowers
• The sunflower is the national flower of Peru, Russia, and Ukraine.
• The sunflower was chosen as the symbol of the Spiritualist Church for many reasons, but mostly because it turns toward the sun as "Spiritualism turns toward the light of truth". Modern Spiritualists always have art or jewelry with sunflower designs.

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Press Release

Last week, the mayor's office tweeted that there had to be a lottery to choose who got to be married first on Sunday: "To serve people fairly, we're holding a lottery for the chance to get married on Sunday, 1st day of marriage equality." Over 650 couples were married! While some may not have been in the first round, we suspect that many will be following suit.

We at Alaric Flower Design are thrilled for our gay and lesbian friends in New York. So thrilled, that we are offering a 10% discount for the first 10 couples to use our services for their wedding. While we have been doing gay weddings for quite some time, we are anticipating a boom come Sunday and couldn't be more excited.

Located in Midtown Manhattan, Alaric Flower Design is a full-service flower design studio that caters to a plethora of businesses and people. The convenient studio location provides added inspiration for creating unique floral designs and a pleasant space for one-on-one consultations for weddings, corporate, or social event planning. Alaric's combination of knowledge, creativity, professionalism, and a deep passion for flowers and floral arrangements makes for a growing list of prestigious and satisfied clientele.

For more information, call Alaric Flower Design at 212.308.3974 or visit www.alaricflowers.com.

Shark Week!

Who is into Shark Week? Anyone? We don't quite get the hype or why it's "a thing" but we do love that The Discovery Channel used Lady Gaga's "Show Me Your Teeth" in the commercial. Hilarious and right on point!

In honor of shark week, if you order anything predominantly red this week, you'll get a free upgrade!