Sandy Hits Hard, Roses and Blooms Prevails

So as I'm sure you all know by now, there was a hurricane in the Tri-State area this week. Her name was Sandy, and she meant business. I just got back from doing our outstanding deliveries throughout Manhattan and was shocked to see traffic lights out from 42nd Street down. Doing a delivery all the way down at Reid Street was crazy, it is just chaos right now with cars driving every which way and all the buildings are pitch black. An eerie sight. 

We were forced to close Roses and Blooms yesterday due to the storm but were able to re-open the doors today for all the fans of our New York flowers. We are officially open for business and are offering a Hurricane Special to help cheer up anyone who may have been affected by the storm. Check out our facebook page for more information on how to take advantage of this limited time special. 

Now we know we are all of your favorite New York florist and we may spend most of our days at the 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 address for Roses and Blooms, but we do go home occasionally. I wanted to share some pictures of what Sandy did to our neighborhood to help memorialize this historic storm. I took all these pictures myself while driving around yesterday to survey the damage. 

A tree on the power lines. Millions without power. 

Another huge tree just ripped up. Sandy seemed to take the larger trees, not the small ones. 

Just wow. 

Tree on the road and the power lines. It's going to be a long time to recover. 

This farm was just destroyed by the wind. And power lines were all over the road...time to turn back!

Huge Blue Spruces just ripped up and tossed like they were nothing at all. 

This one just snapped in half

Trees ripped out of the ground, roots and all

Hazards were everyone over the roads. No wonder we still don't have power at home!

Just look how Sandy tossed that trampoline

Our thoughts and prayers go out to anyone who was affected by the wrath of Sandy and as the florist New York has trusted for over 25 years, we will be here to help in the recovery in any ways we can. If there is anything we can do, please call Roses and Blooms at (212) 758 7673 visit us at www.rosesandblooms.com or visit us at 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022. We are always standing by with your flowers New York! 

Corporations Can be Beautiful Too!

Imagine a typical office in your mind. What do you see? Desks and cubicles with drones typing away at keyboards? Executives in corner offices practicing their putting skills and putting on conference calls? A dark, dreary place where the only source of joy and laughter seems to be the magical water cooler?

Well those days are over! And yes, we at Roses and Blooms are to blame.

Tall, Lobby Style

Please join us in welcoming our newest addition to our corporate arrangement lineup. We have this in both a tall, lobby style vase as well as a shorter, desk-style one. Now not only is this an absolutely gorgeous vase that blends elegance with simplicity, it also has a very practical role.

Shorter, Desk Appropriate Style

For anyone who has ever bought a hydrangea before, this is a flower that is known for drooping and looking old very quickly. Ours, from our Dutch hydrangea breeders at Barthels, are a very different story. Instead of drooping, they simply dry up. At a quick glance, you aren't even able to tell that they have dried, they just keep their shape and continue looking great far beyond the normal lifespan of a hydrangea. 

So what makes these hydrangea so different (other than their GORGEOUS colors of course)? Instead of being grown quickly and cheaply, these are designed to last. Each stem takes at least a year to produce. They grow slowly so they gain strength and nourishment. During that time, they also become enormous. Just look at the size of those heads! 

At this time, we have these exclusive hydrangea available in pink, green, and hot pink. More colors will be coming in the future and we will be ready to use them to their fullest as well. 

Before long, you can expect to see vases with these unique hydrangea in offices throughout New York. We will help the workers of the Big Apple expand beyond their cubes and see that beauty that nature has provided. If you think that your office could benefit from designs such as this on a weekly basis, bi-weekly or even for special events, please be sure to give Roses and Blooms a call at (212) 758 7673 and we will be happy to assist in creating beautiful designs at the appropriate budget for your company. We also do holiday decorating...we know it is early but it's never too early to start planning for the perfect holiday decor! 

To see this New York florist in action visit our store at 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 or check out our full online collection of New York flowers at www.rosesandblooms.com. We are here to be your florist New York and we will work tirelessly to bring you the very best in flowers New York. 

Chills of Fall Hit this New York Florist

This morning I had to admit defeat. The warm summer months are over. The days or lounging about it shorts and short sleeves are just a fleeting memory. I actually had to go into my closet, dig to the very bottom, and find my SWEATERS! Now that I am sitting in my office, I can say that I'm getting excited for the Autumn weather. Pumpkins, mums, butternut squash, and of course all those beautiful fall colors. Reds, oranges, yellows, browns...that sure put a smile on my face. So, I decided to create a new design to bring that excitement to all of you, and I call it the Colors of Fall. 

Here's our baby! This arrangement combines everything I was looking for in a perfect autumn piece. The colors come primarily from the "Charlie Brown" cymbidium orchids, the bronze callas and the orange ranunculus. To remind us that all life is not leaving us as the evenings cool down, I also included some green and white hydrangea as a base to add a fresh look. Placing everything in an orange DutZ mouth-blown conic really finishes off the look. It's such a shame that so many florists are afraid to use colored glass because it really finishes off the look. And take it from me, there are no better colors in glass than from DutZ, the Dutch glass masters. This is an exciting piece and is available on our website for just $138! What a deal for a hand-made arrangement in a hand-made vase. What do you think of the Colors of Fall? Let us know and share your design ideas as well!

As always, we'd love for you to come and visit Roses and Blooms at 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 to see our designers in action. When you think New York florist, remember that Roses and Blooms is the premier collector of flowers, plants, orchids, vases, accessories, and gifts worthy to be named THE florist New York. We are proud to be the preferred destination for New York flowers and will always do whatever it takes to ensure you leave our store happy and ready to tell all of your friends! 

Dendrobium: To Infinity & Beyond

Our Dendrobium Orchid in Ecri Ceramic Pot

Hello again everyone. First of all, I apologize for the photography on our beautiful dendrobium but all I had with me was a camera phone and I am SO excited about this new item that I just had to share it immediately. It isn't even on our website yet, so be sure to call Roses and Blooms at 212 758 7673 if you are interested! Should be on the website very soon too! 

Roses and Blooms has long been known for being a purveyor of phalaenopsis orchids. Just look at how many we put in our window on a daily basis! And don't get me wrong, I love the classy touch of the phalaenopsis, but I felt it was time to bring a fresh option in as well. And thus, arrived my new favorite...the dendrobium. Just look how it stretches up and and up and up. It goes to INFINITY and even beyond!

Phalaenopsis Orchids

Do yourself a favor and scroll back up to look at it. It's HUGE! This is not an orchid to take up a small corner of a desk. It is a sight that is meant to be seen. What's really neat is that dendrobium orchids are tree parasites. They have the large collection of leaves at their base to collect water so they can survive. They are not located in the ground in nature. That means don't over water them when they are in your home. There is no faster way to kill a beautiful orchid (same goes for phalaenopsis). 

Roses and Blooms Tip of the Day: We often just place a few ice cubes in the pot once or twice a week and let them melt...that keeps you from getting overzealous and pouring too much water in and killing the orchids. They can easily last 6 months to a year with proper care and will grow new buds! 

I love the color of this dendrobium. There are thousands of species of these orchids, with some looking more reed-like, some looking like classic orchids, and others being most appropriate for use as cut flowers. Ours leans towards the reed-like species, with its height and flower spread being its main attraction point. We have planted it in a brown Ecri ceramic pot to make the item even greater. This pot was hand-made by our Dutch friends who craft all of our Ecri ceramics. They recently had one artist retire, so there are now only 3 people in the world who can produce ceramics like Ecri does. 

When you get a chance, take a walk over to Roses and Blooms at 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 to see our orchid garden in action. We will be displaying both the phalaenopsis and the dendrobium for the time being. We plant some in DutZ pots, some in Ecri ceramics, and other in Ecri luster collection pots to make the ultimate gift. When you think New York florist, remember that Roses and Blooms is the premier collector of flowers, plants, orchids, vases, accessories, and gifts worthy to be named THE florist in New York. We are proud to be the preferred destination for New York flowers and will always do whatever it takes to ensure you leave our store happy and ready to come again. 

Using All My Senses: Results of a Parisian Trip

Yves Piaget in Our Fragrance with Fragrance Vase

Recently I returned to New York from a trip to one of my favorite cities in the world, Paris. Not that I needed an excuse to experience all I could from Parisian culture, but I actually made sure to visit the city to visit my old friends, the rose breeders at Meilland. The real reason for my visit was to see the new group of Yves Piaget roses that Meilland has been breeding in recent years. 

Now there is a real reason to be excited about a modernized Yves Piaget, this is a rose with a royal history. Yves Piaget was first bred and made popular in the 1500's and 1600's in France. It was embraced by the French because of its unique beauty, its classical shape, and most of all...its FRAGRANCE! We're all supposed to stop and smell the roses every once in a while, but with an aroma as alluring and present as Yves Piaget, you can't help but stop and smell them every time you come within a city block. Due to this amazing fragrance, Yves Piaget was originally used by the French to create royal perfumes. It is still an important ingredient in natural perfumes to this day. That's pretty inspiring for a rose that's over 500 years old! 

The history is impressive, but also begs the question, why did Meilland have to re-create this rose? The reason is a strain of viruses that nearly wiped out the entire population. Over generations, the breeders were able to select for a strain of Yves Piaget that was able to repel these viruses, and thus the most fragrant of roses was reborn. Meilland are still one of the only sources for Yves Piaget, and they are the only source for roses of the quality level Roses and Blooms demands. The expectations for this rose are a 4-5 day vase life...fragrant roses have much shorter lifespans than traditional commercial roses. Yves Piaget remains a rare rose, it is not one you are likely to come by at the corner grocery store. However, if you are looking for that royal touch and for a natural way to make an entire home smell like a fresh, French garden in...there are no alternatives! So now as I'm back in our Manahttan location, I can't help but take a break from writing and head down to smell the roses...my beautiful Yves Piaget. 

For other arrangements with Yves Piaget, see Elegance with Fragrance, Fragrant Garden Roses with Lavenders, Fragrant Garden Roses in Ecri Gold Vase, and A True Love. As always, feel free to browse our entire selection at Roses and Blooms and visit us at 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Also feel free to call us at (212) 758 7673 to speak with a member of our design team. We are proud to be consistently chosen as a top-ranked New York florist, having been local for over 30 years. When you need New York flowers, we will always be there for you.