I’ve gotten into the habit of buying fresh cut flowers and wanted to take you along on a visit my neighborhood florist. Working with a florist is not nearly as intimidating or expensive as you think. So here we are at my favorite shop, fleur de lis, Baltimore, MD. It’s wonderful. Imagine if Anthropologie had a floral shop inside, this would be it. Christine Rubin started up her shop 17 years ago this month. Congrats, Christine! She did my wedding and I have been hooked ever since. Here’s the big secret to working with a florist–it’s easy as one, two, three.
One, tell them what you want. Two, tell them what you want to spend. Three, tell them what you don’t want. Simple, right. I want an arrangement of white flowers in a small, bowl-shaped vase. I don’t want to spend more than $25 dollars. I would like something elegant and fragrant. I don’t want Gerber Daisies.
My florist starts off with Hydrangeas and Tulips–the last of the white Tulips. It really is best to give the artist (florists are artists!) an idea of what you are looking for and then step back and let them do the creating. They have the training and the vision. You’ll end up with a much better product this way. Believe me. See…no Gerber Daisies.
Something beautiful can be had for just about any price. I started out without taking my own advice. While I had a price in mind, I didn’t tell Christine’s assistant how much I wanted to spend. Distracted. Thankfully, she stopped and asked me. Let’s shoot for the moon and add these Orchids. It’s a special occasion, my friend Kevin is celebrating a birthday. He literally has everything. He’s a big collector. These flowers will make a nice gift.
Look at this beautiful arrangement! I love it. Hydrangeas are notoriously short-lived but, there is a nice mix of flowers here for Kevin to enjoy. The big blooms should last about a week. Hydrangeas need lots of water so Kevin should smash the ends of their stems flat. When the Hydrangeas fade away he can take the Tulips and the Orchids and transfer them out to a vase with a smaller opening. Later he can move the survivors to bud vases. Thanks to everyone at fleur de lis for being so great. They are always busy with weddings but still take the time to give little old me special attention. Lots of love. You can visit fleur de lis at 226 North Liberty Street, Downtown Baltimore, close to the Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Library.
