Below, we highlight some of our favorite botanical artists of the moment, with examples of the beautiful cards they make.

Janelle Sing (For Bespoke Monograms)

Janelle Sing’s materia medica of letters makes us wistful about the bygone era when monograms were de rigueur. We love the delicate line weight that Sing articulates on her bespoke cards, which are ideal for weddings and events. Moreover, we also think they’re wothy of framing in their own right (perhaps as a letter on the wall in a child’s bedroom). Increasingly in this era of tech, people want cards that feel unique and handmade, and the artist’s gentle hand and her relaxed sense of composition impart this exact feeling of sentimentality. Lovely.

The Mint Gardener (For Haute Watercoloring)

Sarah Simon, aka The Mint Gardener, favors dark, moody tones in her romantically saturated watercolor cards, which are among our favorites in the genre. Her eye for detail and precise renderings of some of our favorite flowers. The regal poppy, the humble artichoke, make her perfect for art lovers and plant lovers alike. We adore the density and drape of her bouquets and the rich hues she uses to shade her foliage. Each plant is like a baroque version of the real thing.

Rifle Paper Co (For Affordability)

Rifle Paper Co. offers a variety of custom greeting cards, stationery, calendars, prints, wallpaper, and notepads. You name it. But their standard Botanical Stationary Set is a good staple for those looking for a reliable floral greeting card without too much pretense. They offer a seemingly infinite number of greeting cards for every occasion, and florals are a key motif. Pair any one of them with Rifle’s Egg Art Print and you’ve got the perfect matching gift.

Helen Kleores (For Hi-Res Australian Favorites)

Melbourne-based Botanical Designer Helen Kleores knows a thing or two about beautiful floral specimens that feel quintessentially Australian. Bright-orange banksia, bottle brush, red waratah, flowering gum, and ferns are just a few of the many plant subjects she photographs and transforms into chic, minimalist cards. Her White Nature collection includes flowers and flora of every season and color, always photographed on a smart, clean background. Great for greetings and decoration.

Vincent Jeannerot (For Old World Elegance)

Vincent Jeannerot is a famed peintre aquarelliste membre de la Société Française d’Illustration Botanique— one of the most prestigious botanical art societies in the world. Based in Lyon, France, his refined and realistic depictions of onions, peonies, ferns, and other garden staples reminisce of leather-bound textbooks and turn-of-the-century ethnobotanical drawings. Behold beautiful color grading and a keen eye for depth, texture, and light. As a true botanical artist, Jeannerot also teaches the craft of botanical illustration and painting at various workshops around the world.

Catherine Lewis (For Gorgeous Saturation and a Handmade Feel)

Catherine Lewis‘ “Houseplant Collection” and “Species Collection” cards prove that there’s always beauty in simplicity. We love her Monstera Heart ‘Love You’ and her house plant patterns. Her gentle depiction of light on every leaf in her designs makes each card feel special and handmade. The cards, in turn, make lovely gifts for housewarmings and heartfelt Thank You’s. Her intricate illustrations have been translated onto pillows, wrapping paper, iPhone cases, and the like. Get ’em while you can!

Hackney & Co (For The #PlantFolk in Your Life)

Katy Hackney’s penchant for simplicity and detail makes her hand-illustrated watercolors a joy to behold. Even more for those of us who love botanical illustrations and all of their styled minimalism. Hackney & Co‘s Orkney botanical cards are little recordings of the natural elements found around Hackney’s studio in the Orkney Isles, an archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland. Some specimens include Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis), White Nettle (Lamium album), Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis), and Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum). All of them are lovely keepsakes, especially for those who have traveled around Scotland.

On the back of each card in the botanical series, Hackney also includes detailed information about each plant, including where it grows, practical applications, and any folklore surrounding the plant. What’s not to love?

Sonia Cavallini (For Pretty Patterns)

Sonia Cavallini‘s patterns remind us of the whimsical wallpaper of our youth, or at least an imagined wallpaper from the 1950’s that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Prada scarf. We love the simple hues that the Lyon-based artist tends to favor, and the fact that her cards’ shiny surfaces bear the unmistakable stain of watercolor. Those looking for a more refined message will appreciate her “Je t’aime” postcards, while her “Girl Power!” cards are a nice way to say hello to someone in need of a pep talk.

Lou Baker Smith (For Wanderlust and Color Harmony)

Lou Baker Smith‘s images have an inimitable wistful quality that we can’t get enough of. The moments of what we’ll call “slow living” that she captures so eloquently in her scenery. A pot of geraniums, a vase of ranunculi, and a lemon on a cutting board remind us of the subtle moments in our own travels. Like smelling fresh produce at a local market, or treating oneself to a bouquet, ideally foraged from some sort of Edenic oasis in the Cyclades. We also love the delicate color palettes of Smith’s cards and the ways in which they are layered to create texture while maximizing emotional impact. So lovely!

The post The Best and Most Beautiful Botanical Stationary appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

This year’s event featured the expected suite of beautiful roses– adorning the entrance in lovely hanging vessels, festooned to the columns in the spillover cocktail room, and curated together in perfect orbs set atop each table setting. New York Botanical Garden’s first female president, Carrie Rebora Barratt (who came to the organization from the Metropolitan Museum of Art last March) gave the opening statements about horticulturalist and self-identified “plant geek” Marjorie Rosen, who has offered the garden immense leadership and inspiration in her 22 years of sterling service.

The evening’s guests included Ariana Rockefeller, who wore a lovely theme-appropriate rose patterned dress and rose colored heels while exploring the rose garden named after her grandmother.

Other notable guests included Jason Amis, Vera Aryeh, Carrie Rebora Barratt, John Bernstein, Edgar Bronfman Jr., Richard and Maureen Chilton, Barclay Collins, Diana Davenport, Todd Forrest, Charlotte Frieze, Bob Gossett, Jill Joyce, and many others.

Despite a rain shower earlier in the day, many of the guests were able to get out and enjoy the eponymous rose garden before dinner and dancing began– a garden with nearly 700 varieties of roses that continue to thrive in the only surviving New York City garden designed by eminent landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, who did so in 1916.

Renowned as one of the most beautiful rose gardens in America, the Rockefeller Rose Garden has become one of the most sustainable public gardens in the world– and with event’s like the Rose Garden, it continues to welcome support from the enthusiastic community who continue to ensure that it will prosper.

The post NYBG’s Annual Rose Garden Dinner is Once Again a Lovely Affair appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

In reality, summer is an ideal (if better) time to adorn your home with a fresh, handmade wreath. So why don’t people do this more often, you ask? Largely, the “winter” appeal of wreaths has to do with the availability of pine (the main ingredient in Christmas wreaths)– but who says a wreath has to be pine-based?

Jackson & Perkins’ Blue Garden Tapestry Wreath adds a beautiful pop of color and greenery to any home, and it’s the perfect summer wreath for those looking to fill their homes with greenery without committing to houseplants or anything else that needs to be watered.

The post Wreaths Aren’t Just for Winter Anymore appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Prinzing is the founder of Slow Flowers, a site that helps consumers find local florists, event planners, and flower farmers who use only American-grown flowers. In an attempt to draw attention to the Slow Flowers movement, Prinzing started American Flowers Week, which this year runs from June 28th and ends on July 4th and aims to promote visibility while engaging important stakeholders, from policymakers to retailers to consumers.

Below, we’ve put together all the essential info you need about the floral industry as it currently stands: its challenges, and how people are making (exciting!) changes.

What’s at Stake

Though flowers often get written off as a frivolous luxury, the industry is worth some $104 billion globally (that includes plants in gardens as well). More specifically, the total value of cut flower sales come out to $7.5 billion and 80% of flowers sold in the US are imported. Colombia accounts for 78% of the imported flowers, with Ecuador coming in second at 15%. In the United States, California dominates the American-grown market, making up 76% of the flowers grown– which isn’t surprising, considering all the stunning flowers farms you can visit there.

The Toll of Pesticides

At this point, the ill-effects of the floral industry’s byproducts all well documented. In 2000, the National Wildlife Federation released their investigation into the ramifications of widespread pesticide use, noting that “in Latin America, economic pressures and generally weaker environmental laws have created a powerful incentive to overuse pesticides.”

In America especially, consumers are unwilling to accept anything with a blemish, further exacerbating a need to use pesticides.

While it might be tempting to think conditions have changed in the past 17 years, a study published last year in 2016 noted “an average of about 10 active substances per bouquet” in Belgium, which as part of the European Union historically has more stringent regulations around toxic chemicals than the United States.

Unsurprisingly, roses were the worst offender the researchers ran across; among the compounds identified in the arrangements were those known to have “acute toxicity,” which “can generate a direct effect on the nervous system of florists.” Writers of the report added that “many pesticides applied on flowers are persistent, dislodgeable by contact with the hands, and are fat-soluble”– which doesn’t even begin to cover potential interactions between the chemicals, of which very little is known.

The dangers aren’t limited to those who handle flowers either. Earlier in 2017, UC San Diego Health released a report on the effects of pesticides on children in Ecuador, the indirect victims of pesticide exposure. Researchers disturbingly found that “pesticide spray seasons can produce short-term alterations in neurobehavioral performance in addition to the long-term alterations.”

Workers’ Rights

In addition to the environmental repercussions, workers are often subject to abysmal working conditions. Around Valentine’s Day in 2007, Democracy Now! investigated US owned flower farms in Colombia and Ecuador. As reported on the show, workers “earn poverty-level wages, work long hours, suffer significant health problems due to pesticides” and are “unable to organize” in their own defense.

One worker came forward to attest, “We have very low wages. We suffer occupational health illnesses. We are not allowed to organize unions. There is increasing use of subcontracting and short-term contracts. And we are subject to serious cases of discrimination.” Ahead of Valentine’s Day, employees were sometimes expect to work “20-hour days.”

The New Floral Philosophy

Fortunately, the tide is changing. The New York Times recently published a piece examining the changing face of bouquets. While earlier styles have favored roses and other blooms with little regard for time of year, the new trend in arrangements is the wild, over-flowing, seasonal look, which in turn encourages consumers to select according to what is actually available, rather than creating a demand for plants that cannot grow anywhere nearby.

Elsewhere, companies like Bloom That— known as “the Uber of flowers”– are making it easier than ever to get nearby flowers delivered, reducing the need for flowers to travel long distances, which in turn cuts down on the environmental cost of transportation. Other companies double down on social responsibility, like Flowers for Dreams that not only uses locally-sourced plants for their arrangements, but also donates a part of their proceeds to charity.

What You Can Do

While the state of affairs can seem discouraging, there are ways of helping. Slow Flowers has an entire resource for finding florists with US-grown blooms, whether you need them for a wedding or just an arrangement on your kitchen table. Generally speaking, buying in season is also an easy way to ensure you’re minimizing your footprint.

If you’re galvanized and want to contribute even more, check out the Slow Flowers Summit, happening in early in July (it’s being billed as a TED talk for flower lovers).

To learn more about Slow Flowers, visit their website. 

Ready to put those US-grown flowers to good use? Check out our guide to making chic, “two-ingredient” arrangements.

The post What You Can Do To Improve The Floral Industry appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

In the 13th century, this small patch of fertile land close to the river Thames was originally established as the kitchen garden for Westminster Abbey, hence its nomenclature.

By 1600, Covent Garden had become a bustling fruit and vegetable market serving the whole of the fast-growing city spreading around it. Trading eventually turned to flowers and plants, but as London expanded, the area was recognized as prime central retail estate and thus became a property developers’ goldmine.

In the late 1970s, the flower market moved south of the river to a new home in Vauxhall (where it has once again just been ousted to make way for swanky homes and shops, but that’s another story). The romantic-sounding street names include my favorites: Floral Street and Floral Court, whose layout of squares and courtyards along with the original facades of the building remain, to this day, pleasingly unchanged. It was the new tenants and big brands that moved in and turned the area into a tourist mecca, which later became a place to be avoided by sensible locals, as there was scarcely a flower or green leaf in sight to remind us of its history. 

The changing face of the retail landscape in London, however, has caused the landlords of Covent Garden to wise up. In the 21st century, destination hot spots need to offer something different for travelers and locals alike. Why come shopping in London when you can buy the same items from the same super-brands in identically laid out stores in New York or Paris?

Small independent boutiques and artisan producers have been invited in and, best of all for flower-lovers, the area appears to be returning to its green roots.

Slowly but surely, and all for the better, Covent Garden is changing once again. Small independent boutiques and artisan producers have been invited in and, best of all for flower-lovers, the area appears to be returning to its green roots. Exit the tube station on Long Acre and you will find yourself in front of a new vertical garden: 150 square meters of building have been covered with a lush, living wall designed to bring plants up close to the pedestrians. This resulted in stunning year-round color combinations that are attracting birds and bees back to the neighborhood’s busy, urban streets.

For green-thumbed visitors wanting to get their hands dirty, the Academy of Flowers across the road in St Martin’s Courtyard is the place to go for a day’s flower-arranging. If it is planting tips and gardening ideas you are after, then Petersham Nurseries also runs courses and is the garden and flower emporium to top all others. (The nursery’s newly-opened central location brings together the allure and spirit of its Richmond roots, and here you’ll find indoor and outdoor plants stylishly curated alongside unusual homewares, antiques, and hand-crafted gifts.)

Whilst you are in the area, don’t miss the chance to pop into the Rake’s Progress pop-up running until the end of January 2018. This classy, quarterly publication features beautifully-shot images of plants, flowers, and people with accompanying words that are brought to life as a temporary installation at no.13 Floral Street.

With ever-changing floral displays, mini exhibits by photographers and artists, talks, and workshops, there is something here for every flower and plant fanatic.

Covent Garden has also become a top destination for fragrance and beauty aficionados, with more independent or small-brand perfumeries lining its streets than any other area in London.

If flowers and plants are no-go’s in your suitcases, then a scented candle or a bottle of perfume will do. Try Penhaligons for English classics, or, for something fresh and original, visit L’Atelier Cologne, Bloom Perfumery, or Miller Harris. The brand new Floral Street fragrance range is based on its namesake road.

“I connected its nostalgic floral history to the present-day obsession with all things flora to create a modern collection of fragrances, powered by flowers,” says Floral Street founder and creator Michelle Feeney, who has successfully tapped into the origins of Covent Garden and brought them full circle, albeit in delicious liquid form. At her on-site Scent School, guests can spend the day learning about the art of fragrance, the science of flowers, and the secrets of the two combined, all laid bare by industry experts. 

Retire from the hustle and bustle in one of the area’s many eateries or relax with a drink on the piazza and watch the world go by around you. From the garden courtyard of The Ivy restaurant you will have an eye on the street entertainers who have never gone away. Stay a night or two at the Covent Garden Hotel, Henrietta, or on Mercer Street if you really want to soak up the atmosphere.

This is not a place where things stand still. For a full list of details of events during your stay there is an information desk on the West Piazza, where you can pick up your very own copy of The Covent Gardener Magazine— a periodical whose very name harkens to the neighborhood’s past and what it will hopefully continue to become in the future.

Carolyn Dunster is a florist, planting designer, and author of [easyazon_link identifier=”0711238626″ locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Urban Flowers: Creating Abundance in a Small City Garden[/easyazon_link].

The post Reflowering London’s Covent Garden appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

The post What’s Your Florascope? January 2018 Edition appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Baths are often used in rituals and by athletes and parents, too– marathoners and olympic athletes look to ice baths and epsom salt baths to heal tired, sore muscles, and babies are often bathed as part of a nighttime sleep ritual. From baptism to #SelfCareSunday, baths are a classic way to unwind that has pervaded culture since seemingly the beginning of time, and now floral baths are the latest rage among those looking to enhance their “me” time.

Instead of surrounding themselves with candles and reading magazines under a massive pile of suds, people who take floral baths opt for a more minimal experience that focuses on the beauty and wonder of flowers, plants, and the luxurious natural scents that these botanical elements can provide. A basic floral baths involves adding a little milk and non-foaming bath soap to the water (milk softens the skin, while soap cleans) and sprinkling the top of the water with rose petals, peonies, or any other luxurious flower of choice. Use it as an opportunity to meditation, or make it a ritual bath if that’s your jam. In either case, the experience is sure to be beautiful– and that, studies show, has its own health benefits.

Check out some of our favorite #flowerbath inspo, below.

The post Floral Baths Have Officially Taken Over Instagram appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

As gifts, orchids are stylish and great for design-minded creatives, moms, teachers, and millennials (a demographic of people who famously love house plants). We particularly love Jackson & Perkins’ Paradise Orchid Table Garden, which is a pre-made centerpiece that looks at home from the moment it’s unwrapped.

Photo: Andreana Bitsis

Photo: Andreana Bitsis

Photo: Andreana Bitsis

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Dark pink and magenta are colors that are said to induce calm and contemplation, and Jackson & Perkins’ bespoke wooden trowel adds laid back ease to its maintenance (the living plant trio inside includes air plants, moss, and succulents that look truly tropical and wild, and require little to no attention). Invoking warmer weather and a zen garden all at once, orchids also symbolize love, luxury, beauty, and strength– exotic, delicate, and graceful all at once.

Simply place the entire vessel sun (we love keeping orchids near a bathroom window, if you’ve got the space) and give it an adequate water every few days. (You’ll know it needs it when the substrate is no longer moist.) The 17″W x 10″H container can be shipped anywhere as a complete gift that fits in with almost any home décor concept– if, that is, you don’t keep it for yourself.

To order your own Paradise Orchid Table Garden, visit Jackson & Perkins online. For more information about shipping, go here.

* This post was sponsored by Jackson & Perkins. The opinions are completely based on the product experience of our editors. For more information, visit our Terms and Conditions.

The post Why Orchids Make Perfect Holiday Decorations appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

As luxurious as it might seem for most city dwellers to stop and purchase flowers for no reason, in Paris this simple act is practically de rigueur.

Below, we spotlight our carefully vetted picks for the best, chicest, most classic, most artful, and most charming flower shops in Paris. Everything on this list is worth the trip, and for those planning events: florists are worth your time!

Photo: via Debeaulieu

Photo: via Debeaulieu

Photo: via Debeaulieu

Photo: via Debeaulieu

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Debeaulieu (For Audacious Blooms)

The fashion world has fallen head over heels for the graphic, expressive, and non-conformist creations of Pierre Banchereau, one of Paris’ most sought-after florists. Louis Vuitton, Hermès and the Hyères Festival regularly call on his brand, Debeaulieu, for their in-store and runway shows, and he has recently worked with Takashima, Tokyo’s shopping landmark. “We are a combination of flowers, design, decoration, and interior design”, Banchereau explains of his unique brand. “That’s our strength and our difference.”

Presented on white pedestals in tastefully-distressed vases, his flowers play witness to the original creations one can find at Debeaulieu. “People often come to us looking for color and form, for special or rare flowers,” he emphasizes, “but we also love the classics.”

Debeaulieu, 30 Rue Henry Monnier, 75009 Paris

Photo: David Paige

Claire Boreau

Photo: David Paige

Vivant / Cereal Magazine

Photo: David Paige

Vivant / Cereal Magazine

Photo: David Paige

Vivant / Cereal Magazine

Photo: David Paige

Peet Dullaert

Photo: Robbert Jacobs

Peet Dullaert

Photo: Robbert Jacobs

Peet Dullaert

Photo: Robbert Jacobs

Photo: David Paige

Photo: David Paige

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Claire Boreau

Vivant / Cereal Magazine

Vivant / Cereal Magazine

Vivant / Cereal Magazine

Peet Dullaert

Peet Dullaert

Peet Dullaert

Nue (For Sensuous Arrangements)

Presented in a magnificent book of photographs by David Paige and inspired by 17th century still life paintings, Claire Boreau’s floral creations honor Art History– a subject that subsumes all of the florist’s work. “The things that inspire me are changeable, and I want them all to influence my work. Defining what constitutes my identity would be to limit it,” she tells us of her sensuous, archival style. “The second book will be completely different.”

Boreau is often given carte blanche in her line of work, which includes collaborations with Parisian celebu-chef Naiara Sabandar in the inspiring British magazine, Cereal. She instinctively creates arrangements with unusual plants that she choses on a whim on the day that she is commissioned, inspired by music or works of art that fascinate her. “People are becoming more and more aware of the unique nature of the creations I am offering them,” she says. “There’s nothing more boring than a bunch of eucalyptus on a Scandinavian stool!”

For more info on Nue, visit Boreau’s website. 

Photo: via Thierry Feret

Photo: via Thierry Feret

Photo: via Thierry Feret

Photo: via Thierry Feret

Photo: via Thierry Feret

Photo: via Thierry Feret

Photo: via Thierry Feret

Photo: via Thierry Feret

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Flowered by Thierry Ferret (High-End)

Thierry Ferret thinks of his bouquets as being unique, colourful and eclectic floral fireworks that he calls “flowerbombs”. “I mostly create bouquets to be seen from the front, like the Dutch painter, Jan Davidsz de Heem,” he tells us. “I love explosions of color, form, and texture. I use seasonal flowers together with exotic [specimens], like King Protea and dried flowers.” His works could be seen on the autumn-winter catwalk for Jean-Paul Gaultier’s haute couture collection, or at Christian Lacroix 30th year celebration. Ferret’s shop has also recently been beautifully redesigned to include entomological butterfly boxes and rare cacti, as well as very fashionable graphic plants. Even better news: FLOWERED BY has just launched a delivery service in Paris.

Flowered by Thierry Ferret, 37 rue de Chabrol, 75010 Paris

Photo: Lachaume

Photo: Lachaume

Photo: Lachaume

Photo: Lachaume

Photo: Lachaume

Photo: Lachaume

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Lachaume (A Classic!)

This iconic shop on the Rue Royale was loved by Marcel Proust, who used to buy orchids for his buttonholes there. Today, Lachaume is now on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, where Stéphanie Primet and Caroline Cnocquaert are continuing the artistic tradition of the Lachaume family by crafting elegant creations that have attracted famous names from the worlds of fashion and cinema. “Here, we talk about haute couture,” Cnocquaert explains, emphasizing how meticulous their work is. “Lots of our clients call us ‘The Hermès of The Flower World,’ which is a great compliment,” she notes. At the time of this writing she and Primet are said to be inspired by natural looking bouquets, “mixed, like in a garden, using very soft colors, or, on the other hand, very strong ones… a chic but classic Parisian style, simple and with a minimum of leaves.”

Lachaume, 103 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris

Photo: via Arom Paris

Photo: via Arom Paris

Photo: via Arom Paris

Photo: Stephanie Caumont

Photo: Stephanie Caumont

Photo: Stephanie Caumont

Photo: Stephanie Caumont

Photo: Stephanie Caumont

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Arôm Paris (For Ever-Surprising Bouquets)

Stepping through the door of Arôm Paris is like stepping into a parallel universe defined by lush blooms and old-fashioned charm. Saber Lakhdari, florist and chief bargain hunter behind the boutique, has made it a real curiosity shop known for its character-filled bouquets, which often incorporate unusual plants and colors. “Our clients are often looking for the style typified by our shop– a little odd but genuine, bouquets that are the stuff of dreams,” Lakhdari tells us, having decorated catwalks and created sumptuous decor for famous names like the Opéra Garnier, Dior, and Cartier. “We have an overall vision of flowers which we perceive as being a part of the whole, like a plant in an English-style garden,” he says, explaining the style that has made him a virtuoso of floral art.

Arôm Paris, 3 avenue Ledru-Rollin, 75012 Paris


Honorable Mention

We also love the concept, vision, and textural emphasis of the following purveyors:

• L’Artisan Fleuriste (romantic abode) 95 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris
• Muse Montmartre (an old-school Paris staple), 4 Rue Burq, 75018 Paris
• Rambert Rigaud (a Vogue favorite!), 2 Rue de l’Université, 75007 Paris
• Luc Gaignard (near Square des Batignolles), 71 Place du Dr Félix Lobligeois, 75017 Paris
• Fleurs Baptiste (modern and abstract), 4 Rue de l’Abbé Grégoire, 75006 Paris
• Gilles Pothier (lush and whimsical), 97 Avenue Raymond Poincaré, 75116 Paris
• Odorantes (lots of Coco Chanel vibes), 9 Rue Madame, 75006 Paris
• Rosebud Fleuristes (extra whimsical), 4 Place de l’Odéon, 75006 Paris
• Stéphane Chapelle (super artsy!), 29 Rue de Richelieu, 75001 Paris

So many florists, so little time!

*** 

Want more Paris recommendations? Check out our favorite exotic retreats outside the city, or peek inside Paris’s most romantic garden hotels. 

The post The Best Florists in Paris (for Locals and Tourists Alike) appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

I was 21 years old at the time, having been 11 years old when two planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, and at the time I knew little of the personal loss that most people of this man’s age and social status had felt one decade prior. Our speaker that night was a Professor who was working in the second tower when the first attack happened, and it wasn’t until listening to him speak that I realized I didn’t know anyone who had lived in the New York City at the time of the attacks, and his was the first “first-hand story” I’d ever heard about what it truly meant to lose something– in this man’s case: his friends, his colleagues, and his partner of 30 years, all whom died in the attacks.

A year later, when I moved to New York and saw the Freedom Tower and the September 11 Memorial in person, I was immediately struck by a simple gesture that I noticed where the Twin Towers once stood. Throughout the memorial, people had slipped roses into the marble engravings that bear the names of its victims.

Flowers have come to symbolize many different things for many different people— the Language of Flowers tells us that the red poppy is the official flower of consolation, that rosemary is a symbol of remembrance, and that white heather is synonymous with protection— but when it comes to mourning and that truly ineffable sense of loss, the idea that flowers can bring a sense of peace is a beautiful, heartwarming gesture.

We honor unthinkable loss by continuing to believe in beauty.

“The fact that people still leave flowers at the sight of a tragedy speaks to our very human capacity for empathy: despite our unfathomable loss, hope prevails.”

Humans are biologically coded to respond positively to plants— the ability to do so is coded into our DNA– but the fact that we also offer flowers in a climate of tragedy remains an enduring gesture of hope. It teaches those who witness this kind of thoughtfulness to continue to believe in love. How can miracles like the blossoming of a rose exist, after all, if the world were not a beautiful place? A flower’s very existence teaches us that life and its beauty endures. The world keeps moving even in the face of sadness; the flowers blossom every spring, and the sun always rises, even from the darkest night.

To this day, when one visits the Freedom Tower in New York City, one is apt to see dozens of flowers dotting the 9/11 Memorial, no matter what the season or time of year. People tuck rose stems and poppy blooms into the folds of the immortalized metal, canonizing the lives of people most of us have never met like sprigs of hope blooming from the ether. The significance of this gesture is immense.

The fact that people leave flowers at the sight of a tragedy speaks to our very human capacity for empathy: despite our unfathomable loss, hope prevails. Beauty endures, and can be used as a conduit for peace and reconciliation. We will not forget the events of 9/11, but the inclusion of flowers in the memorial is just one of several ways that visitors show respect while simultaneously demonstrating their desire for a better world.

It’s a tiny gesture that underscores an enduring philosophy: in matters of Love and war, Love always wins. This is not a platitude or an empty cliché; it is a fact of the human experience. Beauty triumphs, because it lives within us, nestled within our being like the petal-sheathed bud of a rose. Faith, humility, gratitude, and family persist and are worth fighting for—and flowers remind us of this alienable truth with their own enduring beauty. Every day, on September 11 and otherwise, this an idea worth remembering. Flowers continue to bloom, our yearning for peace prevails, and even in our darkest moments, hope for a better tomorrow remains.

The post On September 11, Flowers Are An Enduring Symbol of Hope appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.