Camilla Flower Shop News
Famous Royal Florist Gives an Enlightening Presentation at the Dallas Museum of Art League's Biggest Fundraiser - PaperCity Magazine
Thursday, April 02, 2020British accent and made occasional reference to the monarchy.)One of his Connolly’s first royal moments came when HRH the Duchess of Cornwall (you know, Camilla Parker Bowles) asked him to design her bouquet and all of the varied florals for her marriage to HRH the Prince of Wales (you know, Charles) in 2005. Then, perhaps the jewel in his personal crown was being awarded a second Royal Warrant of Appointment in 2011. That was for the wedding of Kate and William. As the artistic director, he was the man behind the creations that were seen around the world.His much-ballyhooed parties mirror that international exposure and Harpers & Queen magazine has called his client list “enviable,” but his discretion has been legendary. However, I did hear from a few friends in attendance at the Saturday prior’s Art in Bloom patron party that he had shared some “tea” regarding his thoughts on the other recent royal wedding. Shane Connolly, a florist to the royal family, is known for his whimsical, elegant arrangements, as well as a fabulous personality. (Photo by Eva Nemeth)But, I digress. Back to his enlightening presentation. One of his PowerPoint slides was of an entry gate he had created for one of the royal palaces. That image also, unfortunately, caught what he deliciously shared was a “woman simultaneously attempting to curtsy and kiss the Duchess of Cambridge on the cheek.” Apparently, neither was done well.Despite my lack of floral arranging prowess — my attempts always look as if a serial killer has been at work — I jotted down quite a few of Connolly’s tips. First off, he shared that one needed a myriad of vases to achieve true floral whimsy and elegance. If one only has a few to choose from, he compared it to “only having four pairs of jeans in your wardrobe and then wondering what to wear to a wedding.” I immediately ordered a flower brick, which he worked with on stage and likened to the “floral equivalent of painting by numbers.”I was pleased to see that so many in the room were intrigued by his thoughts on sustainability. He shared of the horrible destruction done to our environment by items that we rarely consider, such as floral foam. His advice on creating structure in an arrangement is to use nature. Simply bundle twigs together to create a foundation upon which to layer greenery and other colorful items from your garden.“Gardeners make things flourish,” Connolly sai... https://www.papercitymag.com/society/dallas-museum-of-art-league-art-in-bloom-florist-shane-connolly/
Royal wedding florist makes Dallas museum fundraiser an eco-friendly affair - CultureMap Dallas
Thursday, March 12, 2020British humor, and the tiniest tidbits of royal insidery-ness. About that: Northern Ireland-born Connolly in 2005 was asked by HRH the Duchess of Cornwall (aka Camilla) to do the floral design for her wedding to Prince Charles. This resulted in a Royal Warrant of Appointment from The Prince of Wales and then the big ask: to be the artistic director for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s 2011 wedding-watched-round-the-world. While his discretion is legendary, he called the royal family "the nicest people and perfect clients that you could possibly want, and thoughtful and kind and appreciate nature like you wouldn't believe." Early in his presentation, he showed several photos from the Cambridges’ wedding and revealed that all of the flowers, plants, and trees had been planted in royal gardens afterwards. “They’ve got more wisteria on their house than most people,” he said to chuckles. “Their whole ethos was that they wanted everything to be ‘of the land’ and to be recyclable,” he said of their decision to line the aisles of the historic abbey will trees. “And it provided this framework for a couple, gave the hope of everything really, and I think it wasn’t marred by anything that was going to be unrecyclable afterwards." This “framework of simplicity” guides Connolly’s artistic designs but makes them no less visually extraordinary than, say, super Instagrammy flower walls (which he does not “heart.”) The power of flowers, he said, can be in what they represent — in capturing the ethos of nature, with a sense of place — and not in the sheer “wow” that they elicit. Many cut flowers are imported from around the world, sprayed with weed-killers and insecticides, he warned. And that floral foam widely used to arrange them? It’s plastic that’s not biodegradable, and water from it can pollute water systems, he said. (He calls it “the f word.”) After some valuable lessons in sustainable design, Connolly got to work arranging gorgeous floral designs that incorporated both foliage ... https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/society/03-10-20-art-in-bloom-royal-wedding-florist-shane-connolly-dallas-museum-of-art/
Royal florist reveals the drama behind creating Prince Charles and Camilla's wedding flowers - HELLO! Magazine
Tuesday, January 08, 2019April 2005 December 12, 2018 - 11:02 GMT Sharnaz Shahid Royal florist Simon Lycett has opened up about the challenge he faced ahead of Prince Charles and Camilla's wedding. He was the man behind the royal couple's flowers on the big day... He was the man behind the incredible floral masterpieces at Princess Eugenie's wedding and has often been picked by the Queen to decorate some of the historic royal palaces. And while royal florist Simon Lycett has created some of the most fabulous decorations, things haven't always been smooth-sailing - particularly when it came to providing the arrangements at Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall's wedding in Windsor on 9 April 2005. The wedding date had been set for 8 April 2005 but had to be postponed by a day, so that the Charles could represent Her Majesty at the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall married in 2005Speaking exclusively to HELLO!, Simon revealed: "The most dramatic incident we had was when we created the flowers for the Prince of Wales wedding to the Duchess of Cornwall at Windsor Castle. We were creating the reception flowers and his holiness the Pope died so the Prince of Wales delayed the wedding by a day." Elaborating fu... https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2018121265519/royal-florist-reveals-why-prince-charles-and-camilla-wedding-flowers-challenging/
Royal wedding inspires Greenwich designer's floral fascinators - CT Post
Tuesday, May 01, 2018Meghan ... more Photo: Nancy Adler / Contributed Photo Image 4 of 12Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the Diamond Jubilee Thames River Pageant in 2012 in London. Hats have long been a part of formal events in Britain. In recent years, fascinators, favored by the Duchess of Cambridge, have been seen in spades at formal events. It is expected they will be in full force for the May 19 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. lessQueen Elizabeth II, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the Diamond Jubilee Thames River Pageant in 2012 in London. Hats have long been a part of formal events in Britain. In ... more Photo: WPA Pool - David Crump / Getty Images Image 5 of 12Image 6 of 12Britain’s Santa Palmer-Tomkinson and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson arrive to attend the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London. The ceremony was awash in fascinators, decorative headpieces that are a bit less substantial than a hat, but more decorative than a simple barrette or comb. It is expected the fashion item will be back in full form forthe wedding on May 19 of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. lessBritain’s Santa Palmer-Tomkinson and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson arrive to attend the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 i...
How Newport Became the Most Exciting Beach Town in New England - Travel+Leisure
Tuesday, March 27, 2018Montauk, on the eastern tip of Long Island, has long been known. "Don't tell me Newport is trendy now," groaned Camilla Hammer, a friend who grew up summering there, when I told her I was writing a story about the city. Perhaps not yet, but Newport is becoming an increasingly appealing Northeastern beach alternative to the overcrowded Hamptons or Cape Cod. That's thanks in part to newcomers, like McGowan, who've set up businesses in Newport after being drawn in by the natural beauty and quality of life. There are also plenty of native Newporters who've returned after getting burned out by big-city life — like Rizzo, who brought home Studio Choo, the flower shop she cofounded in San Francisco. Rizzo grew up in the Fifth Ward, a working-class Irish neighborhood where many of the domestics who worked in the great mansions settled in the 19th century. When she was younger, the city felt alive to her only during summer, when it filled with visitors who came for events like the celebrated annual jazz festival. "Now it's a year-round town," she told me.Floral designer Jill Rizzo of Studio Choo prepares an arrangement at one of Newport’s historic estates.Brian W. FerryGiven Newport's Montauk vibe, perhaps it's not surprising that an actual Montauk business has recently arrived in town. Last spring, Gurney's, the hotel and spa known for its brand of carefully disheveled luxury, opened a second location here. It's in a former Hyatt on Goat Island, which is connected to downtown Newport by a short bridge and was once inhabited by, yes, goats. I got there by taking a train to Kingston, Rhode Island, followed by a short car ride, though high rollers can access the property via seaplane from Manhattan in less than an hour. When I arrived, two couples in the lobby were sipping Aperol Spritzes and snacking on avocado tartines while debating the finer points of the Bruce Springsteen catalogue. After getting settled in my room, which had a view of the harbor and Newport beyond, I went on my sunset boat trip with McGowan and Rizzo before making my way back to Gurney's for dinner at Scarpetta. This is another New York import, the sixth outpost of the sophisticated Italian restaurant with locations in Manhattan and Montauk. I sat outside and let the charmingly bossy Italian waiter talk me into a tasting menu that included tuna crudo with preserved-truffle oil, seared scallops with English peas, roasted beet salad with ricotta, and spaghetti with fresh tomato and basil. The next morning I woke up early to meet up with Rizzo on Bellevue Avenue, Newport's fashionable main thoroughfare. She was tending to the floral arrangements at La Forge Casino Restaurant. A Newport institution that overlooks the grass courts of the neighboring International Tennis Hall of Fame, it is undergoing its own transformation. "New owners took over here a few months ago and started replacing the dusty tchotchkes and pink tablecloths and fr... http://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/newport-rhode-island-beach-town
Toilet paper over tulips: How the floral industry is being affected by COVID - UNF Spinnaker
Monday, April 27, 2020San Francisco on March 19. Scott Shepard, former wholesaler at Cut Flower Wholesale in Atlanta, Georgia and current creator of the Flower Podcast, expresses concern about the uncertainty this pandemic has caused. “I don’t see how we can continue business as usual,” Shepard says. “We’re just now wading into this pool. I don’t think we fully know the impact this is going to have.”But wholesalers represent just one part of the floral industry. After suppliers come the small businesses that are dependent upon their community’s need for cut flowers: retail flower shops and event floral designers. Of course, with many people suddenly left unemployed, the last thing on their minds is buying flowers from retail shops. “Discretionary spending is one of the first things that’s impacted, and that always hurts the floral industry,” Shepard says. “Right now people are more concerned with toilet paper than tulips.”Several shops have developed creative ways to continue business while remaining socially responsible and adhering to recommendations from the Center for Disease Control. St. John’s Flower Market in Jacksonville, Florida transitioned to an outdoor shop, where customers can pull up and decide what they’d like from the safety of their cars. They also implemented free non-contact delivery to drive sales. However, Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry ordered all non-essential businesses to close, which includes St. John’s Flower Market. General manager Katrina Thiesen is already thinking about the long-term impacts this closure could have. “I’m worried it will continue through Mother’s Day, which is what carries us through summer,” Thiesen says. Sign outside St. John’s Flower Market, Photographed by Markus ThiesenStill, other floral designers derive their income solely through events. As of March 15, the CDC recommended canceling or postponing events with more than 50 people to prevent the further spread of the virus. This dashed the hopes of many spring brides as well as the incomes of their chosen florists.Freelance florists have also experienced a blow to their income with event cancellations. To combat this, New York City florist Kathryn Hinish, known as Flowerwitch, organized a Go Fund Me. New York freelance florists can apply for funding that’s made possible by donations. “I will be focusing on the NYC area to start, as this is the area that has fostered my growth as a florist and I want to support this community as best I can,” Hinish says on the GoFundMe p... https://unfspinnaker.com/83395/latest-stories/toilet-paper-over-tulips-how-the-floral-industry-is-being-affected-by-covid/
The Gardeners Who Planted for US Presidents - Prescott eNews
Thursday, March 12, 2020Virginia.George Field (Served 1875–1877, under Ulysses Grant.) The first English gardener at the White House, Field's floral fame came after he left the White House. He opened a garden center on Georgia Avenue NW with his brother Thomas. Field was responsible for naming and promoting the 'American Beauty' rose, originally selected on historian George Bancroft's estate as 'La Madame Ferdinande Jamin.' Field supplied the cattleya orchids for Alice Roosevelt Longworth's bridal bouquet in 1906. The Washington Post described him as an orchid specialist. He was an active member of the Florist Club of Washington. In 1916, he sold his stock of orchid plants for $15,000.Henry Pfister (Served 1877–1902, under Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt.) A native of Zurich, Switzerland, Pfister trained in the conservatories of a Swiss banker and at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. He made his way to Cincinnati and then to Washington, where he was hired under Hayes. Pfister managed the greenhouses, designed and planted the ornamental beds around the White House lawns, and provided all indoor floral and plant decorations, including the wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom. He later opened his own florist and landscape design business on Connecticut Avenue.George Hay Brown (Served 1902–1909, under Theodore Roosevelt.) The son of a landscape gardener in Perthshire, Scotland, where he learned the family trade. In 1850, the family immigrated to the United States. In 1858, Brown took a job in Washington D.C. at the government experimental gardens. During the Civil War, he served with the Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans. By 1890 he was back in Washington D.C. as a public gardener with the War Department. Brown worked on the Capitol grounds, city parks, and the government propagating gardens and greenhouses near the Washington Monument, as well as the White House. He taught Theodore Roosevelt's children how to propagate plants in his greenhouses.Charles Henlock (Served 1909–1931, under William Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover.) A Yorkshireman, and proud of his horticultural training, having worked for Lord Mowbray in Yorkshire, Lord Denbigh in Warwickshire, and Lord Harrington in Derbyshire before spending five years with the Royal Horticultural Society. Henlock arrived in Washington D.C. just before President Cleveland's wedding in 1886 and was hired as a foreman gardener at the White House, and grew to the propagating gardens and city parks. Henlock was the White House head gardener in 1909, where he was responsible for the first shipment of cherry trees sent from Japan as well as the successful plantings around the Tidal Basin.William Saunders Reeves (Served 1931–1945, under Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt. William Saunders Reeves was the first American-born White House head gardener.) His grandfather, William Saunders, was the chief of experimental gardens for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and founder of the National Grange but is perhaps best remembered for introducing the navel orange. Reeves worked under both Roosevelt's, starting as a groundskeeper at the White House during the Theodore Roosevelt administration in 1903. Through World War I, he was gardener-shepherd to Wilson's flock of sheep. Reeves became the head gardener and chief floral designer while Hoover was in office.Robert M. Redmond (Served 1945–1962, under Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and John Kennedy.) Born in 1907, the tall, red-haired Redmond started mowing lawns at the White House as a teenager during the Coolidge administration. "Red" became superintendent of the White House Grounds under the Truman administration. Redmond was the last head gardener at the White House also to be responsible for indoor floral decorations. Jacqueline Kennedy appointed Rusty Young to the n... https://www.prescottenews.com/index.php/features/columnists/mountain-gardener/item/34856-the-gardeners-who-planted-for-u-s-presidents
Fresh Flowers: Colorado natives open Bloom Bar & Co. boutique in Rockrimmon - Colorado Springs Gazette
Thursday, March 12, 2020Oliver said.Before landing in Colorado Springs, Maraia and Oliver were traveling nurses who spent time in Denver as well as parts of Washington, California and Georgia.One of the key features that makes Bloom Bar & Co. unique is their drive to support local trade and industries, sourcing only the best and premium flowers, often from Colorado farms, which allows them to skip wholesalers, bringing more value to the customer and extending the longevity of the flowers and plants they sell. Customers of the craft floral boutique have the opportunity to take a seat at the “bloom bar,” where a team member can assist with designing and arranging from a wide variety of floral and foliage pieces, giving customers the opportunity to understand, learn, create and re-create wonderful centerpieces for all occasions.Bloom Bar & CO. also provides services for all special occasions, from weddings and funerals to special events. Same-day flower delivery is available “anywhere in Colorado Springs,” Maraia said.“We want to help you create the event of your dreams, and nothing makes an event like gorgeous flowers! With over a decade of floral design, our master florist is adept at accommodating a variety of budgets and themes. Our experience ranges from small, intimate backyard weddings to grand hotel events,” states the Bloom Bar website, bloombarandco.com.Instead of Happy Hour at a bar, customers of Bloom can enjoy “Flower Hour” daily from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. During that time, Bloom offers a 30% discount off the bloom bar stems.The boutique also offers wares from “local makers” including BonBon Bombardier, Blue Owl Preserves, Lockhart Honey, the Queens TEAAApothecary and Ladyfingers Letter Press.In February, the business will be restarting its popular floral design classes. The classes accommodate up to 12 people at the Rockrimmon location and include seasonal drinks and snacks for students to enjoy. Group classes can be arranged, as well as alternate class locations, for larger groups for all occasions.From 6-7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, Bloom Bar is hosting a floral design class at Building3Coffee in Colorado Springs for $30. The class includes all flowers and supplies for a unique flower arrangement and instruction by Walker. Register by calling the shop at 548-8646 or via the Facebook invite: facebook.com... https://gazette.com/woodmenedition/fresh-flowers-colorado-natives-open-bloom-bar-co-boutique-in/article_1946e186-3d78-11ea-a5c5-47394e19e645.html
From Wedding to Nursing Home: Flowers Bloom Again In The Hearts Of The Sick And Elderly - NBC 6 South Florida
Thursday, March 12, 2020Amanda chose what used to be her favorite number, 4, to be a part of the name of the organization. Her plan is to one day run Blooms4Smiles from an office building. Her family is moving to Georgia soon, and Amanda said she already has contacts there who can help her get the operation going.For now, though, she has her fingers crossed while waiting to hear back from the Silver Knight Awards, which are sponsored by The Miami Herald and recognize outstanding high school seniors. Amanda was nominated for the business category.She is graduating from St. Brendan in May, and said she was glad the school had allowed her to bring Blooms4Smiles to her classmates. "They're doing amazing!" she said with a smile in regards to her friends' bouquet-building abilities. "They're really just making the arrangements beautifully, and I think it's going to turn out beautifully when we deliver them." After nearly two hours of flower-arranging, mini-bouquets were lining every table on the patio, and Myrna had not even returned with the additional vases needed. The students, mostly girls, kept themselves busy by organizing the ready vases into boxes, cleaning up the trash and finishing inserting special Valentines' day messages into every arrangement. It read: "You are worthy, you are loved, you are enough, you are irreplaceable." ... https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/how-a-miami-teen-is-recycling-flowers-to-bring-smiles-to-nursing-home-residents/2189871/