ranunculus

Oh so pretty...  so very pretty!!
In the market, we are finding amazing ranunculus this winter from Japan  and I am in love with them.

What's so amazing is the scale and the quality!
I giggle every time I think about how small Japan is and how big some flowers grown there are.

For someone who came such a long way, they look so beautiful  it's amazing.
I wish I can travel that well!

Keep yourself warm...  spring will come... soon I hope!!

kaz@ibg

dahlia

Just to be on the record...  I LOVE dahlia!!!

We are such happy campers when dahlia season arrives in the market.

Hope you all had a lovely summer!!


kaz@ibg

ranunculus

Ranunculus, but rather unusual one here today.
I've posted quite few ranuculus since we made this blog, probably because I like them a lot.  Their colors are so luminous and beautiful, shaped so charmingly with fluffy multi petals, and best of all, I find ranunculus to be generally well behaving flower.
All flowers are beautiful, but not all flowers are user friendly.(as cut flowers)  So, we try to get to know the personality of flowers bit better by various methods. One of which (and I feel most effective) is to simply spend time with them. So this was a test to get to know this lovely new ranunculus from Japan!

What's so unusual with this ranunculus was the looks. It almost looks like poppies!
If you ask me, it has the elements of ranunculus, poppies, and anemones all together in one.
Very unusual and attractive.

Would it make IBG debut?

We shall see!!

kaz@ibg

hyacinth

Flowers make me happy any season, but there is something especially heartwarming about having flowers in the winter time.
Hyacinth has been one of my favorite flower around this time of the year.  They are highly fragrant, so perhaps not suited for some people, but definitely a lovely flower for those who enjoys all aspects of flowers.


Here they are, beautiful in white. ( I much prefer this white to white of snow!!)

 For us florists, winter in NY creates a lot of extra concerns at times.  Shipments can  be affected by the weather, the freezing temperature would require extra caution for delivery, etc. etc.
So the flowers are indeed precious and treated especially as such!  Ahh the winter challenge...

Stay warm everyone!

kaz@ibg

peony

There were so many lovely flowers which was in season since our last post, but time just flew away somewhere and it's May now!!

Well, can't do anything about the time that past...  so I picked "peony" as today's post, because it's currently in full season!

And, it's simply gorgeous.

This particular beauty is called the Coral charm. Though we have used this variety as a cut flower for a while,  I was just thinking that I haven't seen this variety in anyone's garden. But I recently saw it sold (as a potted plant) in the botanical garden shop.  How delightful.

I love the color, shape, and how they change with time.
In fact, seeing the bud which are so small and tight bloom into this big and beautiful thing is wonderfully  magical.

We have a lot of  "favorites" in May,  but  coral peony is one of the top on my list for sure.

Here it was in one of the centerpiece we designed for a wedding.

Congratulations to the happy couple and the charming family!!


kaz@ibg

rose

I thought this post would be appropriate for Valentine's day month.
One "giant" red  rose!!
Well, I don't think any of the rose growers have discovered a way to grow such a large rose yet.  So until they do, it requires a bit of creativity to achieve this look. This style of bouquet is known as "glamelia" or "composite bouquet".

Whole heaps of roses are taken apart petal by petal, wired, and then reassembled to form the large single flower look.  Relatively simple process, but putting back many many many and many rose petals (you don't even see some of  them!) is almost an endless process...  almost!

But well worth the effort when it was for someone who really loved it.

We were additionally delighted when a link to beautiful photography arrived for us to see. 
What a lovely way to record their happy day!

Click here for more event photos by wonderful Jessica Shmitt Photography

A Happy Valentine's day to the lovely couple, and  to all of you romantics out there!


kaz@ibg

ranunculus

Hello everyone!
A bit of color to warm up your soul!  Oh my it's been so cold  in NY!
Hopefully it will ease up a little this week.

Ranunculus, I actually have not met a single being who doesn't like this flower.
The round cute shape, feather weight delicate multi petals, and beautiful luminous colors...
it's full of attractive features.  Just lovely.
 

I am so happy when they are in season.  They certainly warm up my soul.


kaz@ibg

happy holidays

Happy holidays everyone!
No, we didn't move to the North Pole.  (Though one may think that we did with this very long absence!)

With so much that has happened since our last post,( and which was mostly out of our control),  I almost do feel like we've been to the North Pole and back.
At times an exhausting journey, but it would be wrong to deeply complain.  And that's the honest truth.

Though this greeting comes bit delayed, we hope that you are all enjoying the holiday season and wish you a wonderful, beautiful new year 2013!

May your new year be full of good health, laughter and love.



kaz@ibg

bouquet

I don't know what people would consider the most memorable floral element is in a wedding. It probably differs by each individual. (as in anything.) For me, the bridal bouquet holds a special place on the list. It usually is the first floral thing the bride sees on her special day, and it stays with her for longer than any of the elements we make. (and it's photographed many times!) So we listen very carefully to the bride's wishes and try to figure out what would make her happy and most importantly what would be the best botanical solution to create that bouquet. Often times it ends up being a bit of challenge,(due to seasonality and availability of desired materials) but we try our best to accomplish this part of the project!

Request for this bouquet was to use "dusty muted tones". Also to be natural but not overly natural. I thought the sophisticated coloration suited the bride very well.

Congratulations to the lovely couple!



kaz@ibg

wireplants

It probably isn't uncommon that one has an experience or two ruining houseplants. Even if you carefully tend to it, sometimes it just doesn't work. It happens. That's nature. (so I think) What I am trying to say is that it's not always easy to grow things. So no wonder things such as topiary cost so much in the market. It takes time to make it grow, and shape it! Well, knowing that it may require mighty patience, we decided to make topiaries ourselves so a bride can have them for her wedding table and still fit in her budget. Actually, not us, but Hana did. It was her dedication to go the extra miles.

So for two months, they were pampered at "Spa Hana", going through daily treatments and many hair cuts so they would grow into this shape. It was more haircuts than any of us (Hana Sarah and I) for sure! On the wedding day, they were absolutely the most charming thing. I hope they are all now living happily at some guest's house!



kaz@ibg

peony bouquet

This was our last peony bridal bouquet of the season! It's getting so hot everyday that peonies are already distant memory... We were lucky to be able to make this bouquet with peonies couple of weeks ago!

Another heatwave is coming... Stay nice and cool everyone!


kaz@ibg

single petal peonies

Among many flowers we deal with, and even though it's not anything new we haven't seen as a flower type, there are few of them that makes an deep impression because it was so beautiful. I feel that way about this single petal peonies we came across in the beginning of June. So perfect in every way, I thought it was the prettiest peony I've seen this year! It was a joy to work with them, and a joy to be able to release them to our client!

Wishing you all a wonderful July 4th next week!

kaz@ibg

something blue

Something blue...

Congratulations to the lovely couple :)

kaz@ibg

tulips

For some reason unknown, tulips weren't the most popular flower choice for our clients this spring. Humm...this was quite mysterious to me. Spring is the peak season for tulips, what that means is that it's the most beautiful season for them. The ranges of colors and variations (such as parrot, fringed)they have are especially wonderful in spring!  Perhaps the perceived value of tulips have gone down since you see them at a supermarket or deli all around the city. But why say no straight away to something that is so full of energy and beautiful just because you see them often?   I want to  encourage people to take a chance on re-discovering tulips.   I think open mindedness can often bring unexpected wonderfulness.

I hope you are all having a wonderful spring!

kaz@ibg

pincushion

We recently used these for arrangements to add some textural interest.
The name is "pincushion". Common names of some flowers are so straight forward! There is no doubt that this is a perfect name for it. (though I always think it looks like an underwater creature as well.)







They are definitely unique and interesting!
Available in shades of corals and yellows.


kaz@ibg

anemone

All anemone and just anemone bouquet!
These are almost all of the colors available in the market.
(though no pure white ones were used in this bouquet)
It was so lovely seeing them together as one bouquet.
Simple and happy.
Often the best combination.

Hope you are all having a wonderful beginning of March.

kaz@ibg

Phalaenopsis orchid

You must have seen this flower Phalaenopsis orchid somewhere, at least once or twice in your life. (Probably in white.) It is widely appreciated as a plant, but also available as a cut flower.
The elegant arching formation of the plant certainly adds to the already luxurious look of the blossoms. High-end in looks and price category as well, but they possess elegant qualities that are irreplaceable.
I thought you'll enjoy a dash of passionate pink just in time for a Valentine's day!

By the way, here is a little tip on caring for a Phalaenopsis orchid plant from my own experience : 1. When watering, water well, but make sure to drain well. The roots don't like to sit in a puddle of water. 2. Use luke-warm water. remember their origin is southeast Asia, they like warm temperature.

This works very well and my phalaenopsis orchid plant at home are happy and blooming.


kaz@ibg

a new year

A happy new year to you all!!
We hope you've been well and enjoyed the holiday season.
It's been a while since our last post, but we've been busy and well doing variety of things as you can imagine.

Here at inbetween greens, our new year began working with a small collection of lovey white flowers.
Starting with white flowers felt quite fitting to mark the beginning of a brand new year, like opening a new sketch book!
And being that the occasion was a wedding, it was additional loveliness to start working on a special happy note.






These tulips were my personal favorites among the flowers we used.
There is something about tulips that's very uplifting and refreshing!

We hope your new year will be a wonderful beautiful one!

kaz@ibg

September is one of my favorite month for flowers!
We recently worked on a wedding that was full of beautiful seasonal flowers.





I always enjoy having a long table set up.
Opportunity for so much variety!

















Votive detailing was pretty for this wedding.
I think it added to the romantic feel.
Subtle accent is always nice.







And the bridal bouquet was my favorite.
The bride gave us a lot of freedom which always helps to make it nicer.
We were able to make it uniquely seasonal which was lovely.




What a beautiful couple they were.

Congratulations!!





kaz@ibg

a summer wedding story

One beautiful July weekend at the location called Locustus on Hudson, there was a wedding...

And it began like this.











Theme: bright colors and fun

Motif: polka dots

Colors: turquoise and corals


There were pinwheels!
All of them color coordinated and handmade.











Not just a few... a lot :)
(We lost a count after making 200 of them. We were enthusiastic!)

Watching them spin in a summer breeze were simply joyful.
I realized how much I enjoy "motion" in a space!








Lots of custom made cushions with coordinated patterns...









And now to the tent...








We decorated the field with big polka dots.
This was my personal favorite part.



And they were illuminated at night too.












Escort cards...





Summer flowers...







Fabulous orange chairs!






Candy bar...





Their wish was to have a lot of color presence in the space.
We indeed planned it so...

With additional colors above!












Congratulations to the happy couple!!!!!









I enjoy being a part of an event with personality, and this had a lot of it. :)

Big or small, a wedding decor takes a lot of energy and care to plan, make, and then to deliver. It is a collection of hard work for often many weeks. But in the end, I always feel that it is such a privilege to be a part of someone's special day. There is nothing quite like feeling their joy and happiness in the air. And that leaves me with a huge smile at the end of the day.

Many thanks to our wonderful crew for working so very hard to accomplish this event.


It's going to be a while before we can update our web page, so I wanted to share some of it here.
You can call this our special summer edition!

I hope you are all enjoying the summer!!

kaz@ibg