Exotic Flowers in Boston

It’s been deemed the wedding of the decade as fans watched the 53-year-old Hollywood actor, George Clooney, marry the famous human rights lawyer, Amal Alamuddin.  Dating less than a year, the nephew of acclaimed silver screen actress, Rosemary Clooney, had finally found his ladylove after a long career of bachelorhood.  Although details of the matrimonial extravaganza, which took place in Venice, Italy, are still surfacing, the world is on the edge of their seats wondering what this star studded pair had in mind to celebrate their nuptials. 

Believed to have taken place over a three-day span, reports specify that guests were escorted to the seven-starred venue in boats driven through the romantic Grande Canal.  Once they arrived at the Aman Grande Resort, an imperial dinner was served following the couple’s exchange of loving promises atop of a lifted stage.   Official wedding photographs were taken in the middle of the hotel’s lush garden, containing blossoms rich in vibrant color.  A-lister invitees including Matt Damon, Bono and Cindy Crawford who watched as the bride (dressed in a stunning Oscar de la Renta gown tailored with cream French lace) and groom recited vows on a raised platform decorated with white pillar candles.  Red wine flowed and music played on until the early hours of the morning…

 But what about the flowers? 

Floral décor has remained a hushed topic for this event although we have been able to take a peek at a few details revealing first and foremost- that there were a lot of them!  As having been described as a wedding exhuming elegance and grandeur, the palette has been described as mainly white with accents flowing throughout the table centerpieces.  The stunning British advocate carried an all white bouquet of ranunculus and hydrangea, tied together in a traditional European style, while Clooney nixed wearing a wedding boutonnière all together.  We know that massive buckets of white hybrid delphinium were used in several main staged pieces as well Casa Blanca lilies, roses, orchids and lisianthus, again all in shades of white.  Pictures of delicate peach roses and green lady’s mantle were also seen being delivered by florists in dozens of massive buckets.  Floral arrangements included large arches, small bud vases, table rounds and personals, which were included in the estimated $13 million dollar wedding festivity.  Now that’s what you call a wedding!

  Suzie Canale lives in Westwood, MA. She works in the Westwood public library, mother of two boys, an avid chef and gardener who finds time to serve as the Director of The Women's Lockerroom Foundation of Boston. She has published four children's books through the Beantown Tales. 

Clooney wedding photos for this blog from People Magazine and CNN

New England is one of the most spectacular places in the world to celebrate Halloween because our natural environment reaps amazing treats for us to enjoy-specifically pumpkin patches!  Bursting with healthy vines and rotund spheres of orange, pumpkin picking is a popular activity that thousands of Bostonians enjoy during the month of October.  Maybe it’s the simplistic beauty or the wisp of magic that surrounds these mystifying harvest fields, but one thing’s for sure, we have the biggest and best patches surrounding our city giving visitors a multitude of festive locations to celebrate their seasonal activities.  So if you haven’t carved your jack-o-lantern yet, here are a few places in Massachusetts that are sure not to disappoint.

Connors Farm in Danvers, MA is an impressive operation to behold featuring not only a pumpkin picking area of shear perfection but also mazes, which reveres families from all over the state.  Their maze-technology is so sophisticated that they offer options of a gigantic haunted corn maze, regular corn maze or a hale bale maze for the younger guests.  Hayrides are also available as well as a bouncy pillow for children to jump through, petting zoo and zombie paintball.  Parking is free and if you get hungry during your stay fear not.  Connors Farm hosts a picnic area where you can sample from concessions or goodies sold inside their farm stand.  Costs for activities vary with discounted rates available for groups and seniors.

Marini Farm, situated in Ipswich, MA, is a lot of fun to visit because not only do they have a glorious and fruitful pumpkin patch, this location also provides several entertaining booths such as live music, games for kids and a massive corn maze sure to fool even the savviest puzzle manipulator.    What I enjoyed most about my visit to Marini Farm was their simple and authentic style emanating a down home country appeal that provides guests with a real autumn farm experience. 

Carver Hill Orchard in Stow, MA is another hot spot that I would recommend because of their enormous array of fruit and vegetable picking choices including pumpkins, tomatoes, pears, strawberries, peppers, corn, and yes, even flowers!   This orchard also includes a picnic area where kitchen ready foods such as hot dogs and ice cream are available for purchase.  For those who truly love the freshness of pick- your- own styled farms, Carver also features a cut -your -own Christmas tree event where saws are provided starting in the month of December!

And if you're stuck and did not have time to pick your pumpkin from the patch, Exotic Flowers at 609 American Legion Hwy in Boston has pumpkins in all sizes.

 Suzie Canale is local Boston author who has published four children's books, is the director of the Women's Lockerroom Foundation, an avid chef, gardener and mother of two. She also finds time to work at the public library in Westwood, MA.

New England is famous for many attributes including beautiful coastlines, historic landmarks and a spectrum of seasonal changes.  For many, autumn is many Bostonians' favorite portion of the year where sprigs of red, orange, yellow and gold flowers brew all around them.  There is little doubt as to why since all of our Boston’s natural aspects morph into a spectacular spectrum of color right before our eyes once the month of September arrives.  From the trees to the fields, every inch of our landscape seems infused with brilliant rich and warm hues, inspiring an entire theme for design and décor.  Local crafters are savvy to incorporate this gift bestowed upon us by Mother Nature, essentially adding a fresh and exciting approach to their creations.  Boston florists are also taking advantage of this simple, beautiful and economically beneficial trend of designing with fall fabulous products.  Try a couple of these tips to inculcate your floral propaganda!

Pumpkins are not only a delicious additive to just about any dish or baked good this time of year, but also a clever way to display arrangements.  Festive and fun, simply hollow out the inside of a 6 to 8 inch globe and place a bubble bowl within it.  Fill the vase with local seasonal favorites such as mums, coleus, sunflowers, zinnias and lanterns to create the perfect October centerpiece.  Keep in mind to never full the inner holder with too much water since overflow will hasten the aging process of the pumpkin.  Another way you can incorporate pumpkins are to select miniatures to place at the base of large, clear glass cylinders (apples work too and keep in theme with the season).  Smaller pumpkins age slower, minimizing a cloudy water effect over a short period of time.  Suggested flowers for this type of arrangement include branches of willow, grape vine or forsythia. 

A second option for inserting a few of New England’s favorite fall fauna are to select multi-colored tree branches and use them as your foliage instead of the traditional ruscus and leather leaf.  Illuminating a delicate but stunning effect, this rustic style is perfect for hotel accounts where out of town visitors can gaze upon the true joy of living in Boston during autumn.  Be careful not to over-busy the bouquet with uncomplimentary floral varieties or jam the vase with too many stems.  It doesn’t need it.  Keep it uncomplicated, delicate and most of all delightful, by showcasing the naturally infused colors that Bostonians are so lucky to enjoy!

Suzie Canale - 

 Suzie has published four children's books, is the Director of the non-profit Women's Locker Room Foundation, mother of 2 boys, an avid gardener, chef and also works at the Westwood Public Library.