Andover, CT Florists

Andover Flower Shop News

Ask the Gardener: Holiday book ideas for gardeners and arrangers - Boston.com

Winterlights” this month at three historic gardens owned by the Trustees of Reservations: the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton, Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover, and Naumkeag in Stockbridge.Books make great gifts for gardeners. Many are lushly illustrated with eye candy that will help even dilettante gardeners ward off the winter blues. My recommendations and their cover prices:For the new gardener: “Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening: A Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Healthy Garden’’ by Deborah L. Martin (Rodale, $19.99). Using jargon-free terms, she takes you chronologically from planning in the winter through harvesting the next fall.For the flower arranger: “Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest & Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms” by Erin Benzakein with Julie Chai (Chronical Books, $29.99). Erin Benzakein’s successful cut-flower farm in Washington’s lush Skagit Valley (where she’s been called the “Dahlia Lama”) has inspired a nationwide wave of green-thumb women to grow flowers for market, as well as for fun. A bestseller, this book tells you the best flowers for cutting and their needs, which can be very different than landscape plants’. “Seasonal Flower Arranging: Fill Your Home With Blooms, Branches, and Foraged Materials All Year Round’’ (Ten Speed Press, $25) by Ariella Chezar and Julie Michaels. Michaels is a former Boston Globe editor, and Chezar is an arranger and flower grower who also has pioneered the trend toward more fragile locally sourced bouquets as ... https://realestate.boston.com/ask-the-expert/2019/12/11/books-to-give-gardeners-and-flower-arrangers/

29 Fall Bridal Bouquets That Are Beautiful Beyond Words - Boston magazine

New England.Photo by Katie Slater PhotographyFor this early October wedding at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, the bride requested a modern bouquet with a foraged look. Andover’s Les Fleurs delivered with an autumnal arrangement that included king proteas, roses, astilbes, and hanging amaranthus.Photo by Dan AguirreAt this low-key, seaside wedding at Newport Beach House, the bride carried a bouquet of roses, snowberries, feather celosia, and Queen Anne’s lace by Leslie Lee Floral Design.Photo by Emily MacCabe PhotographyFor a mountaintop wedding in Maine, Bad Rabbit Flowers designed a vibrant bouquet featuring roses, mums, zinnias, and dahlias.Photo by Janelle Carmela PhotographyBride Bridget’s Salem Country Club wedding took on a moody vibe, which Lotus Floral Designs channeled in a bouquet of ranunculus, dahlias, amaranthus, hydrangea, jasmine vine, and other flora.Photo by Kate McElwee PhotographySunflowers (as well as orchids, ranunculus, and spray roses) made a cheerful appearance in this bouquet Garden Designs by Kristen made for a bride tying the knot in September at Moraine Farm.Photo by 26 North StudiosFor their fall festivities at Oceanview of Nahant, a couple chose a coral and burgundy color scheme, which Jeri Solomon Floral Design matched with a bouquet of shimmer roses, dahlias, calla lilies, scabiosa, eu... https://www.bostonmagazine.com/weddings/fall-bridal-bouquets/

Love fresh-cut blooms? Keep 'em coming with a flower CSA - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Flower Child Farm, Andover... http://www.startribune.com/love-fresh-cut-blooms-keep-em-coming-with-a-flower-csa/507837752/

These 16 Local Companies Can Help You Throw the Best Party Ever - Washingtonian.com

This company serves everything from weddings to corporate events, but its colorful selections—stored in a 150,000-square-foot warehouse—make it worth checking out for larger fetes. 1851 S. Club Dr., Landover; 202-722-2900.Something Vintage. Midcentury mismatched china plates and cups (a tea-party package for 30 costs $300), a 1960s brass bar cart, weathered farm tables, and boho-chic serving pieces power parties that look anything but corporate. A fun-to-browse website organizes items into categories like “French” or “Bourbon” and features pre-designed lounge packages including a “Keep Palm and Carry On” grouping of sofas, green side chairs, and a bright Turkish rug you can rent for $1,000 a night. 4826 Stamp Rd., Temple Hills; 202-596-8445.Table Manners. Make an event especially Instagrammable with dozens of colors and varieties of runners, napkins, and tablecloths for rent at this Fairfax showroom. Offerings range from violet sequined linens for glam nighttime affairs to an oversize green gingham tablecloth ideal for a back-yard barbecue. The company also has a factory, so it can make custom-size products. Chairs and tables are available, too. Showroom (by appointment), 8451 Hilltop Rd., Suite L, Fairfax; warehouse,5345 46th Ave., Hyattsville; 301-277-0582.We’re Having a Party. A kid-focused rental company with nearly two dozen bounce houses to choose from, including princess castles and a monster-truck contraption, plus pint-size tables and popcorn-popping carts. For parents, it also has margarita machines. 2300 Perkins Pl., Silver Spring; 301-589-5008.Booze in BulkCostco. The price-club store requires membership to buy beer, wine, and liquor (and most of its Maryland stores don’t sell the harder stuff), but many items cost 20 percent less than traditional retail. It also sells its own Kirkland label of wine, beer, and spirits. Multiple area locations.DC Kegs. More than 800 beers, wines, and ciders by the keg, delivered to you cold on the day of your bash.First Vine. This direct importer specializes in European wines from small Spanish, French, and Italian producers. Many bottles cost less than $20 each. The company delivers to your door.Total Wine & More. This local chain boasts hundreds of wines, from cheap to collectible, plus spirits and beer. You’ll get discounts for ordering by the case and can order online and have items delivered. Multiple Virginia and Maryland locations.Other HelpBarSphere. Hire a mixology pro—or wine-pouring wiz—for your next gathering. Ball-capped bartenders show up with supplies and ice; they’ll provi...

Expert floral designer visits Andover - Eagle-Tribune

ANDOVER — Expert floral designer Julie Lapham will be at the South Church on Central Street at 10 a.m. Nov. 7 to give a lecture and demonstration on creative arrangements with a seasonal flare.Lapham has lectured and instructed garden clubs throughout the region and has taught International Design Symposium classes. In this demonstration, she will dazzle the eye with an array of creative arrangements and will share tips to help attendees decorate with seasonal flare. Her distinctive designs will be raffled off at the end of the program.The proprietor of Julie Lapham Designs (http://www.julielaphamdesigns.com/) in Southborough is a National Garden Clubs Inc., accredited master judge and a Garden Club of America (GCA) approved judge for flower arrangement.She has won awards from both organizations, including the GCA’s 2005 Katherine Thomas Carey Medal for outstanding achievement in flower arrangement education. She has served as garden club coordinator for Art In Bloom at the Museum of F... http://www.eagletribune.com/news/haverhill/expert-floral-designer-visits-andover/article_0ad9ef64-3938-5769-80a1-1a9af4081854.html

Flower shop among many businesses fighting to blossom - The Riverdale Press

That has sent Columbia delivery drivers throughout New York City, as well as New Jersey, Westchester County and Connecticut. Those are some tall orders, especially since social distancing requirements limits the number of workers allowed in the small shop. “We cannot have many people working in the store, so it has been busier for us,” Dennis said. “Most of the time it has just been my sister, myself and one worker. I have even been taking deliveries out myself.”Sales have dipped, but so have supplies in some cases. In late March, as many were trying to adjust to the “new normal,”  Columbia struggled to stock its flower inventory, both in quantity and variety. For example, one thing missing from the store’s offerings has been tulips. Fortunately, most flowers purchased from South America are still available, Dennis said. Pricing hasn’t changed much, but delivery costs have increased since the shop is going without its regular delivery staff.Flowers also are a crucial part of large events like weddings and baby showers. Yet, all events are now canceled or postponed. It’s unclear when they’ll return, but at least one customer found a creative way to repurpose her ordered flowers into a kind gesture.The woman had put together a sizable order for a baby shower, but ended up hospitalized with the virus that causes COVID-19. Fortunately, she recovered, Dennis said. She was so thankful for her recovery, in fact, she sent the flowers intended for her shower instead to the nurses who took care of her.Unfortunately, many small businesses aren’t having the same luck as Columbia, as the coronavirus shutdown languishes on. While many storefronts are shut because they’re deemed “non-essential,” those that can stay open operate at a reduced capacity. The big question is whether many of the now-shuttered businesses will be able to reopen once New York City is allowed to open its doors again. Some businesses — even essential ones — are choosing to stay closed with hopes of being around long-term, said Christopher Rizzo, a board member of the Riverdale Main Streets Association.“Some of these small businesses have such small profit margins to begin with,” Rizzo said. “So staying open when your revenues are cut in half does not make sense for a lot of businesses. They are choosing to stay closed so that they can stay open in the future.” Dennis says she’s thankful Columbia Florist can stay open in some capacity. She receives many calls from customers thanking her for the flower deliveries, especially to funerals, where a lot of people aren’t present. Says Dennis: “Having a flower there makes a big difference.” ... https://riverdalepress.com/stories/flower-shop-among-many-businesses-fighting-to-blossom,71820

Florists Impacted by Coronavirus Restrictions - NBC Connecticut

Connolly.“This year has proven to be a bit of a challenge for obviousreasons,” said Leah Van Ness, the co-owner of the Montville Florist and thepresident of the Connecticut Florists Association.She says many shops are dealing with limited deliveries offlowers, as well as a drop in sales because of canceled events such as proms,weddings and graduations.“Florists are people who tend to be able to very quicklydevelop a new plan and way to make a challenging situation work,” said VanNess. Back in Wethersfield, Notaro says while some business hasdecreased, sadly there’s been an increase in people not being able to attendfunerals and choosing to send flowers instead. She’s run her shop for 11 years and says it was important tokeep it open, though only for curbside service and deliveries.“I felt flowers were a necessity. Everybody loves them,” saidNotaro.Many florists remain closed and some are just reopening forthis week. And they’re stressing deliveries and pick-ups will be non-contact to help ease any worries. ... https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/florists-impacted-by-coronavirus-restrictions/2267250/

‘Going to be insane:’ Mother’s Day flower delivery during a shutdown - CTPost

Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 71 Caption Close Image 1 of 71 A customer shops for flowers at Filanowski Farms on Wheelers Farm Road in Milford, Conn. on Thursday, May 7, 2020. A customer shops for flowers at Filanowski Farms on Wheelers Farm Road in Milford, Conn. on Thursday, May 7, 2020. Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media ... https://www.ctpost.com/news/coronavirus/article/Going-to-be-insane-Mother-s-Day-flower-15256607.php

Love in the time of coronavirus: Weddings postponed - The Advocate

Ginel doesn’t know when she’ll be able to wear the wedding dress hanging in her closet. She had planned her church wedding for May, but when the coronavirus started to spread in Connecticut, those plans changed quickly. “Everything is obviously emotional and disruptive, but we’re willing to work around whatever obstacles come our way,” Ginel said. “When you think about marrying someone, you think about the difficult times and it just so happens that our difficult time came before the wedding.” As of Sunday morning, the state had confirmed more than 225 cases in Connecticut and five people had died of COVID-19, which is caused by the coronavirus. In the past week, Gov. Ned Lamont has ordered all restaurants to close their dining rooms, limited any gatherings to 10 people or fewer and municipalities have closed public buildings, an end to all events, including weddings. House of worship also have stopped public services. At this point, Ginel and her fiance were just wrapping up the finishing touches to the big day — invitations had been sent, RSVPs ... https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Love-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-Weddings-15152335.php