Asters are a classic fall flower that comes in a variety of colors, including purple, white, and pink. They are easy to grow and attract butterflies and bees. They add that nice little pop of blue-purple that really completes a palette!
Chrysanthemums are another popular fall flower. They are available in a wide range of colors, from bright yellows and oranges to deep reds and purples. Chrysanthemums are also known for their long vase life. Here in New York, there are several farmers expanding our options with new, large heirloom cut mums. Many look like dahlias or other expensive flowers, and have tons of sturdy petals. This is a great option for larger designs likewedding arches and Chuppahs.
Everyone knows dahlias are a beautiful and diverse flower that comes in a wide variety of shapes and colors. But did you know they're an Autumn rockstar? They are native to the higher altitude mountain regions of Mexico and Central America, so they can be grown in most parts of the United States and they LOVE that crisp Autumn air. Dahlias are a great choice for fall weddings and other special occasions with their large size and abundant quantity.
Goldenrod is a wildflower that is often overlooked, but it is actually quite beautiful. It has golden yellow flowers that bloom in late summer and fall. Goldenrod is also a valuable food source for bees and butterflies. When used en masse, it's great to fill out large designs for weddings and events, and perfectly blends in with Autumn color palettes. It also grows super tall which is great in meadow designs.
Zinnias are so cheerful, and come in a wide range of colors. They bloom from early summer to late fall and are a great choice for bouquets, boutonnieres, and table flowers.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the many locally-sourced flowers that are in season in New York in October and November. When you buy local flowers, you are significantly reducing the carbon footprint of your event. Beyond that, you are supporting your local economy so much more (see this blog post). So next time you need flowers, make sure you look for locally sourced blooms.
]]>There are a few things you can do to identify sustainable flowers:
Here are some other important factors in truly sustainable flowers:
If you are unsure whether or not a particular floral design is sustainable, ask your florist. They should be able to tell you where the flowers are from and how they were grown.
Conclusion
By following these tips, you can help to ensure that your flower purchases are sustainable. Sustainable flowers are better for the environment, for your health, and for the workers who grow and harvest them as well as your florist.
]]>What is the environmental impact of the global flower industry?
The global flower industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems. Did you know that up to 78% of flowers and foliage sold in the United States are grown in other countries?1 This drastically increases the environmental cost. While there is not yet a study on US flowers, one study on local British flowers found a UK-grown bouquet produces 10 times less carbon emissions than an imported bouquet.2
How does sourcing flowers locally reduce environmental impact?
Sourcing flowers locally reduces environmental impact in several ways:
How to find a sustainable florist
Lemon Terrace Florals is the only retail florist in Westchester County that primarily sources our flowers from local farms during the growing season. So you can be sure when you buy from us that you are receiving these sustainability benefits. If you are sending flowers somewhere else, I recommend a few ways to find a sustainable florist:
Conclusion
There are many benefits to buying flowers from a sustainable florist. Sustainable florists reduce their environmental impact by sourcing their flowers as locally as possible, as well as other sustainability initiatives I will cover in later blog posts. They also support the local economy and create jobs in the community.
If you are looking for a way to reduce your environmental impact and support sustainable businesses, I encourage you to buy your next bouquet from a sustainable florist.
]]>Moving - PHEW! But I've rested up and now the gorgeous Summer flowers have begun their epic parade so I'm happy to be back to the fun stuff. The next eight weeks are what farmers and florists live for each and every year. I'm so excited and I'd love to get some bouquets in all of your hands, so:
In celebration of our new space, I'd love to gift you $10 off $50+ and $20 off your $100+ orders. No code needed!
Out of town? No worries - feel free to schedule your order as far in advance as you'd like! Take advantage now to get those Anniversary flowers ordered <3. Or take the opportunity to treat yourself to some pampering. I've been watching a LOT of Queer Eye to hide from the heat and I can say with a ton of certainty that we should all be treating ourselves so much more often than we are.
In town? Perfect! Use your gift on our next workshop, Floral Design 123 on Thursday July 20 6:30pm.
Hope to see you soon!
]]>(this image taken by outstanding freelancer John Shepard)
A few notes on the design:
Then, after the photos were taken with the Bedeken, we moved the Bedeken urns to the cocktail area. Can you find the single branch of dogwood? This urn also has campanula (a favorite bell-shaped flower of mine), peonies, fragrant stock, and blueberry branches.
Finally, once the venue staff re-set the tables to an interior ballroom, we were able to place the centerpieces. The wedding party hadn't told us that the tablecloths would be lavender - that was a suprise! - but we had little touches of purple from limonium, sweetpea, and just-ripening blueberry branches throughout the centerpieces so it turned out really pretty and coordinated.
It was a gorgeous venue that we hadn't worked in before, but would love doing more events there! Reach out if you have any questions or want to book a similar look with us via our inquiry form!
]]>I have defined our style as "Natural Floral Landscape" work. When someone praises my designs as looking like walking through a flowery meadow, I couldn't be more pleased. But these designs require fragility, long stem lengths, and sometimes flowers that are more ephemeral (shorter-lasting). Big, corporate farms that ship their product to another country aren't able to provide any of those three qualities - the product would be crushed or die in transit. Further, there is a farm-to-table phrase that I always think of: "what grows together, goes together".
There are a hundred mini-cycles within a growing season, and yet somehow, the things blooming in the same week just happen to complement the other things in the field at that moment in time. I don't feel that the mid-2000's trend of "Garden Style" really captures what my aesthetic is about, with it's dominance of garden roses and peonies and dahlias. My work brings in more of the grasses, the greenery, the branches, the sweetpea tendrils and vines that sway in a Summer breeze. It's not an English Garden chock full of blowsy blooms, it's more like a clearing in the woods during Peak Bloom...a Natural Floral Landscape, if you will.
I thought I'd also share the mock-up I made so you can see how it translated into real flowers.
And here is the whole design:
My guidance for the Aeolidia team was that the name be totally unique and not include anything on a list of words I've commonly seen in floral work, and yet still evoke the sunny, charming, garden-like floral oasis vibe that we've built. When the copywriter sent over the first draft of possible names, Lemon Terrace Florals very clearly stood out to me as both completely unique and completely capturing the vibe of our shop and work. The imagery of a lemon is juicy, ripe, and always sunny. The idea of a terrace evokes the terraced garden style and also a literal sunny, urban terrace with cute little potted plants and a sweet, colorful café table, both images that I love to have associated with our floristry.
When it came to the branding the name naturally led to certain colors & illustrations. I wanted the colors to be more vibrant than the wild flower colors as I am just personally over muted colors after hiding indoors for the majority of the pandemic. There's a lot of variety and the plan is to rotate seasonally and always be able to create new images, graphics, and cute merch & collateral with them. And the illustrations! Omg. What florist can resist some majorly cute botanical illustrations? Not I, friends. In addition to the main illustration of the lemon branch they are a clematis, hellebore, and baptisia, because I didn't want a rose, peony, or poppy that are popularly used. I loooove the way the illustrator captured the unique magic of these gorgeous stems and the way they bring movement to our floral designs.
The new website is still forthcoming (we're planning a launch later this year), but I hope you've enjoyed this little deep dive into how our new brand came to light. Do you have any questions? Do you have a favorite element that you hope to see on some merch soon? Let me know!
]]>If so, congratulations! We wish you all the best in your wedding planning, and would love to help you with your wedding flowers!
]]>We craft gorgeous events from the same locally-grown flowers that we use in all of our work. If you're looking for lush or ethereal wedding flowers - look no further!
We can set up your small or large restaurant wedding or event space decorations to your personal style with our professional event staff. We've worked at many locations in Westchester including Harvest-on-Hudson, Goosefeather, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, as well as local churches and synagogues.
We're happy to set up your events throughout Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Irvington, Tarrytown, Yonkers, White Plains, Eastchester and beyond. Contact us today to discuss your event florist needs!
]]>If you're hosting a dinner party, it's easy to upgrade and still receive your normal 10% off. If you'll ever be out of town, just give us a call, text, email, or DM and we'll skip that week's bouquet.
Monthly flower subscriptions make an excellent gift that the receiver will be excited to look forward to each time. We hand-deliver locally to Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, Dobbs Ferry, NY, Irvington, NY, Tarrytown, NY, Eastchester, NY, White Plains, NY and Yonkers, NY so you know that your flowers will arrive in the same great condition as you purchased them!
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