Finding Inspiration in Absinthe

Frequent visitors to the shop know we occasionally partake of cocktail hour. Some of us, intrigued by the news that absinthe, the drink of choice of 19th-century bohemians, is now legally available, procured a bottle. (Given that it's a distillation of the wormwood variety of artemisia, anise, fennel and often other herbs such as melissa, hyssop, veronica and angelica, we considered it 'research.') Our legs did not turn into tulips as Oscar Wilde legendarily reported. If the "Green Fairy" cast any enchantment on us, it was as much for its intoxicating color and the bottle itself. While we heartily encourage our customers to partake of our fabulous selection of vases, we also believe in creative "repurposing." Got a great vase hiding in your home?

From Garden to Vase

Gardeners love Solomon's Seal, a native American woodland plant, for shady spots. We love it on its own or mixed with other blooms in arrangements. Tiny floral bells dangle from its gracefully arched stems, followed in late summer by dark blue berries. Solomon's Seal is related to another of our spring favorites -- lily of the valley.

Happy Memorial Day

Gotham Gardens will be closed Sunday, May 25th to allow our staff to enjoy a two-day holiday. The Great Flower Flag, a graceful design with 34 stars arranged to form the petals of a flower, was popular during the early years of the Civil War. One like it flew over the New York Mercantile Exchange from 1861 to 1863, when West Virginia was admitted to the Union.

Henry Bockstoce, the Energizer Bunny of Peonies

Henry just keeps opening and opening and ... We started watching Henry last Friday when he was just an unprepossessing bud. Today he's reached 7" in diameter and still has more unfurling to do. Will this one make it to 10" as some do? Henry Bockstoce peonies are routinely described as awesome, massive, and dinner-plate sized. So far we can attest to the awesome and massive.

Tulips and Peonies and a Peony Tulip

This new tulip variety looks like it's part artichoke.

Leaves edged in cream add to to this tulip's charm.

The classic Sarah Bernhardt.

Known as a bomb, this type opens to reveal an "explosion of irregular petals."

Tons of petals give peony tulips their lush, peonyish look. 

Tulips and Pansies: The Headdress Affair

Thursday night we took part in Village Care of New York's incomparable benefit where top fashion and floral designers are paired for a truly unique trip down the runway. Jordi Scott, who combines a love of art, glamour and a definitely rocking spirit, designed the perfect dress to wear with a petite bonnet of cymbidum orchids, erynginum, lilies and other blooms. And what could be a more glamorous accent than a fringe of hanging amaranthus? Simon's inspiration? "Vargas girl meets punk rock," he replied. Extra kudos to Simon for designing a headdress our fabulous model didn't have to hold in place while strutting her stuff. Just a slightly different look than last week's hat for the Central Park Conservancy's Hat Luncheon. Read more about the event on Fashion Wire Daily and Style Guru.

Flowering Kale that Actually Flowered

We stopped to investigate a riot of yellow blooms in window boxes along Columbus Avenue several weeks ago only to discover it was a planting we had done for a client last fall. None of us had even seen a picture of kale actually flowering let alone in real life. It's a great plant for fall color with its rich green, red, white and lavender leaves. It thrives in cool weather yet rarely survives the winter without looking raggedy if it doesn't completely crater. We'd have replaced this weeks ago except our client has moved and the space is currently unoccupied. Passers-by never realized what an uncommon show they were enjoying.

Many Events, Nothing to Show!

Last week we did a benefit for Phoenix House at the newly reopened Plaza Hotel ballroom. A wedding at Tribeca Rooftop. A Bar Mitzvah at the Georgian Suite. A hat for the Central Park Conservancy's Frederick Law Olmsted awards, better known as the "hat luncheon." All this and Mother's Day, too. And did we manage to get a photo of any of them?

Give Mom a Rollicking Good Time

One rarely hears gardening books described as "high-spirited, riotously funny, and, at times, deliciously malicious." Unless, that is, the writer in question is Beverley Nichols, a prolific writer, journalist, actor, songwriter, bon vivant, cat lover (he eventually settled on numbers rather than names) and gardener. Green Grows the City: The Story of a London Garden, originally published in 1939, recounts his travails in turning "the ugliest, most desolate strip of ground ever trodden by human feet" into a thing of beauty (and source of serious envy by the neighbors). After the war, Nichols and Gaskin, his Jeeves-like manservant, tackled the restoration of a Georgian manor house and garden. Given the delight of Merry Hall, the first of a trilogy as much about life in an English village as gardening, we should all be grateful. 

Coral Peony: Like Two Flowers in One

What's not to love about a peony? They can be dramatic like the saucer-sized tree peony; fluffy like the Sarah Bernhardt; intensely rich and mesmerizing like the Bowl of Cream or magical like the Coral Charm. It starts off as a colorful ball, then unfolds to reveal a center of golden fringe. Eventually the petals slowly fade to soft pink and finally a rich ivory.