Plaza Flowers, one of our New York affiliates created a beautiful centerpiece of peonies, hydrangeas and roses, in an antique Baccarat for designer Dennis Basso’s dinner party highlighted in August, 2008, Town and Country magazine.  Visit their site at www.plazaflowersnyc.com

Matthew Robbins of Artfool, has an impressive four page spread featuring his striking yellow orange, and red designs in Martha Stewart’s Weddings magazine, Summer 2008 issue.

He uses yellow cattleya orchids , lemon phalaenopsis orchids, calla lilies with apricot-tinged parrot tulips; lady’s slipper orchids, frilly gloriosa lilies, butterscotch ranunculus, and blush colored tulips to make his boutonneires, bouquets, and table arrangements. Red and orange poppies, hot-pink sweetpeas, jasmine and finged tulips fire up an outdoor summer wedding reception. Vintage silver cups, a variety of silver pieces, shiny ribbon, copper mugs, compotes, and kettles contain Matthews amazingly lush arrangements.  Visit his site at www.artfool.com.

Clifford Miller of TFS Studio and Event Design in Los Angeles, is featured on the “End Page” of In Style Weddings magazine, Summer 2008 issue. For the prairie chic summer wedding of actress Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell, Clifford Miller created a green and white bouquet of roses and geraniums with steel grass. Evoking a country feeling, he used contrasting gingham fabric and vintage grosgrain ribbon. White ranunculus and fresh field blossoms filled rustic pitchers that were placed around the ceremony site.  www.tfsstudio.com.

Amy Marella of Hidden Garden floral Design in L.A. added her magic to an all-white color scheme, using two textually different blooms, white roses and white gardenias for the wedding reception of Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jeff Weaver and Jillian Malnofiski at the Ritz Calrton in Marina del Rey, California.

www.hiddengardenflowers.com

Winter seems wintry-er these days, with more snap to the cold than ever. In my neck of the woods, more often plagued by smog than snow, the days have been short, gray and nasty. As one long-spoiled by a mild, sunny clime, I’m having a heck of a time believing spring will ever come. To keep the faith, I’ve begun tricking myself – with a little pot here and a little pot there. And though I’m playing mind tricks with myself, it’s not the kind of pot you might think. The pots are full of daffodils.

Nothing cuts through winter’s drear better than a bright bundle of posies. Better still if they’re blooming in the pot. A stand of bright red cyclamen or a flourish of fragrant paper whites can fool you in to thinking spring is days away. Go for a big punch of color – pots of kalanchoe in hot pink or yellow, pulsing orange pincushion plants, or daffodils in their slicker-yellow shade are a great surrogate for sun.

If frilly little blossoms aren’t your cup of sunshine, a cactus or two might do. The giddy Christmas cactus, so named because it bursts into bloom at the holidays, is a virtual fireworks display of lurid fuchsia flora. Other long-lasting delights can be found in the orchid family. Easy-care “moth” orchids (phaleonopsis) in purple-veined chartreuse or intense magenta offer a welcome shot of visual heat in a pale room, or swirl nicely into a décor done in saturated colors. Don’t turn up the furnace when the gray days grate – crank up the color!