Exotic Flowers in Boston

by Suzie Canale

Westwood, MA

The colder temperatures are slowly but surely creeping in and many New Englanders are becoming anxious about the demise of their hard worked summer gardens.  Although Mother Nature’s reclaims our green thumb’s efforts during the colder months of the year, there are ways to enjoy some of our hardier favorites year round by learning the techniques of indoor plant weathering.  While it is true that not every growth can be repotted and stored until the thaw of spring arrives, there are some varieties, which make perfect candidates for building an indoor winterized garden. Unfortunately, due to this region’s inclement drop in temperature, not every garden favorite will be strong enough to make the transition from your Boston back yard, so before taking your trowel to begin digging, keep these tips in mind to make sure you are choosing the right species. By keeping your eyes peeled for these hardier varieties, you’ll have a fighting chance of keeping some of your favorite greenhouse treasures year round.  

Many herb plants are wonderful for re-planting once the autumn frosts have begun.   Types such as parsley, sage and particularly rosemary are easily transitioned from the garden to a sunny windowsill and require very little maintenance with the exception of a once a week watering and pruning when stems become spindly and brittle.  Basil is a highly desired herb for transfer but often has disappointing results since the plant prefers warm temperatures and a significant amount of light to thrive.  Commonly, the plants will stay the same size when brought inside until replanted back into their natural environment so the constant need for larger planting containers is rarely an issue.  When removing the roots from the outside soil, make sure you dig far enough down to get the entire system (or as much as possible) to avoid damaging the plant and causing a stressful transfer.  Once safely inside, locate a sunny area with little drafting.  An icy spot can cause an instant droop within the petals and a shorter likelihood of survival.

Several people desire a flowering plant to enjoy within their Boston home once their gardens have gone to sleep for the winter.   Truthfully, it’s a difficult order to fill but not impossible if you choose the right selection.  Scented and unscented geraniums make excellent candidates and seem to thrive both indoors and outdoors if properly cared for.  Be mindful of areas with a lot of sunlight for placement, a weekly watering schedule and the occasional task of removing dead leaves and unhealthy stems.  Plant food should also be put into the mix every few weeks to ensure an adequate amount of nutrients.  Another flowering possibility is marigolds, which seems to also transition easily from one place to the next.  More durable than some of your other garden varieties, these pretty little blooms will provide a cheerful burst of color and appealing scent with little maintenance required.  Winter is just around the corner, so pick out your favorites and start building an indoor garden that will keep you entertained until the warmth of the summer returns once again.

 Suzie Canale is the Founder and President of The Women's Lockerroom Foundation, has written four children books, works at the Westwood Public Library and raises two sons.

Guest blogger Jon Bornstein of Newton, Massachusetts returns to share his insight and observations on autumn in New England. Exotic Flowers of Boston is honored to have our friend Jonathan share is writing skills. We have received great feedback from his guest writing and cannot wait to share his blog posts. Not only is Jonathan enjoyable to read, but he is also an avid flower buyer at Exotic Flowers. Jonathan and his company L. Bornstein are both top clients at Exotic Flowers in Boston where they send flowers throughout the world.

Autumn In New New England

  - Autumn is upon us, and with it arrives appetizing phrases like “pumpkin spice” and “apple cider”. That’s right, kids, the Sandwich Guy’s got food on the brain as usual, and the ushering in of the fall harvest season brings the opportunity to experience home-made and fresh baked foodstuffs of every size, shape and flavor at farm stands, fairs and festivals from Westerly to Waterville. At our DNA’s core resides the vestiges of our ancestor’s hunter/gatherer instincts, so for goodness’ sake heed their call and get out to your local orchards and farms while the weather is inviting and the festival season is in full gear.

I like my fruits and vegetables just fine, but I LOVE baked goods made with them even better. Pie, crumble, cobbler, I don’t discriminate. I love’em all. Heat it up, top it off with a dollop (love that word) of whipped cream and pass me my share and yours, too. I guarantee you won’t enjoy it as much as I will.

This time of year is truly magical with edible adventures. Just this past weekend my family was redirected from one of our favorite farms for apple picking (Apple Crest in Hampton, NH, anyone?) when we got word that there was a Cranberry Harvest Celebration at Tihonet Village in Wareham, MA. Rides and activities for the kids, bog tours by tractor and helicopter for the adults, and most importantly, food of every sort imaginable from food trucks, farm stands, and fair booths for the whole family.

 Don’t get me started on the nearly two dozen vendors plying their tempting fares. Everything from kettle corn to deep fried Oreos and even a raw bar practically put me in a blissful food coma. After all, the fact that we savor our food is what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom, am I right?

 mmmmm donuts.

Ask any New Englander what their favorite time of year is, and chances are they’ll come right back at you with the Fall. But don’t take my word for it. Get out there and see for yourself!

Jon Bornstein

*******************************

Exotic Flowers may not sell those delicious donuts, but we do offer full line of gourmet and fruit baskets. 

I have been collecting baseball cards since 1979. I used to wait for fresh packs of baseball cards to arrive at the corner stores in Roslindale and Scituate. I used all of my money for packs of baseball cards. Thankfully, I rarely chewed the gum. I do miss that smell though as baseball card packs today do not come with gum. 

My card collecting days peaked in 1985. My best cards at that time included a 1976 Topps Carl Yastrzemski, a 1975 Rookie George Brett, 1980 Rookie card of Rickey Henderson and all of Carlton Fisk's cards as he was my hero at the time. 

I have all these cards today. Thankfully, my mom never threw them away. My top cards now are bit a different. I own a 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson along with 1953 Topps cards of Mickey Mantle, Satchell Paige and Willie Mays. I also collect cards of my friends Ted Lepcio, Ron Kittle and Benny Ayala. Exotic Flowers has nice collection of cards of players who have bought their flowers here; David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jonny Gomes and Tim Wakefield to name a few. 

I still buy a fresh box of baseball card packs every year to share with friends and family on Opening Day. It is a great tradition. Baseball remains my hobby. I spend most of my time at Exotic Flowers selling flowers in Boston.  Like Hall of Famer Bill Veeck, I am an avid reader, passionate marketer, lover of flora and fauna (it was Veeck's idea to plant the ivy at Wrigley Field) and huge baseball fan. Like Veeck and myself, Topps Baseball Cards also sees the connection between nature in baseball.  

  (If you are looking to acquire any type of trading card, the best site out there is comc.com)

In 2011, Topps produced an insert set in its Allen & Ginter collection. This subset, known as Flora of the World comprises five cards. The cards were inserted into 1 out of every 144 hobby packs. The coolest thing about these cards though is that they contain flower seeds embedded in the cards. You can actually plant the card itself and it will produce the flowers on the card. How cool is that ? I would love to create a business card like that. Although I do have a pretty cool busines card.

by Suzie Canale

New England is home to beautiful and productive farms cultivating bountiful fruits, hardy vegetables and of course, breathtaking flowers.  Some of which have been in operation for hundreds of generations, several of these family owned operations are taking it upon themselves to expand their services to include a variety of activities resonating a real farming experience!  Clever to utilize the quintessential beauty of the fielded landscape, agricultural businesses across Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire have done a magnificent job capitalizing on the entertainment segment of their operation.   Activities ranging from stuff your own scarecrow to carving jack-o-lanterns have made their way into many local establishments proving to not only boost sales but also re-infuse the business with a fresh pool of patrons.  

Farming industrialists are eager to market these events in an effort to encourage a healthy, fun and educational experience during visits.  While some feature classic games of maze cornfields and hayrides, others have developed a “pick-your own” concept such as blueberries, apples, peaches, pears, raspberries, tomatoes, sunflowers, zinnias, pumpkins and even potatoes.  So not only are you purchasing fresh produce and blooms free of chemicals common to major super market chains, you’ll be able to take part in the process of selecting your preferred items straight from the earth and trees.  Adults appreciate the advantage of purchasing home grown organic food while kids are able to immerse themselves within the farming culture, learning the value of growing your own food and the hard work, which goes behind it.   

The ambition behind this strategy is to one, establish an activity where the property can accumulate a secondary income other than the initial harvest cultivation, two, develop a destination for people to visit as part of their seasonal traditions (most of us have memories of apple picking as a child) and three, to educate guests on the importance of supporting local growers to continue producing chemical-free crops.  As more and more farms adopt this method of intertwining their service of providing quality crops with industry friendly recreational entertainment, New Englanders are taking notice of these fun and festive opportunities being offered by their growing community.  If you haven’t had a chance to include this form of amusement within your travels, here are a few recommendations that are sure not to disappoint.

Applecrest Farms

133 Exeter Rd, Hampton Falls, NH

Specializing is fabulous apple picking, live music on the weekends and the world’s best homemade sugar donuts.

Wilson Farms

10 Pleasant Street, Lexington, MA

Known for its breathtaking fields which can be seen from the road, Wilson Farms also has its own petting zoo and year round food and flower market.

Ward’s Berry Farm

614 S Main St, Sharon, MA

Along with their famously fresh berry picking fields, Ward’s also operates a lovely garden center and offers a wide range of pick-your-own options including tomatoes, pumpkins and potatoes.

Allandale Farm

259 Allandale Road, Brookline, MA

One of Boston’s hidden treasures, this farm may seem small but hosts an bountiful array of events including a farm share program, hayrides and a tomato festival fun for the entire family!

Smolak Farms

315 S. Bradford Street, North Andover, MA

Featuring their own pressed cider, adorable gift shop and a Halloween Hayride where kids will see their favorite fairytale characters, visitors will experience so much more than just your basic apple-picking destination.

 Actress Jean Harlow shows that flowers in your dressing room are not only welcome but appreciated.

Recently screen legend, Sophia Loren turned eighty. With the social media blitz surrounding her birthday, I came across a number of photos of her with fresh flowers. I have always been a big fan of the actress and knew from her cook books that she loved flowers. For example, every Christmas, she looks forward to receving a white azalea topiary from her close friend. 

 (This photo was taken at the Cannes Film Festival.)

In the midst of Loren's social media celebration, I stumbled across many screen legends surrounded by flowers. Hollywood knew then that flowers create a stunning photo opportunity. In the age of Instagram, we see stars like Holly Robinson Peete and Britney Spears  share striking photos of flowers they receive. Publicity and flowers go hand in hand.

Below are some of my favorite photos of screen legends that I discovered.

 Carole Lombard in her dressing room is flanked by two vases of gladioli.

 Audrey Hepburn showing off her skills at the flower design bench.

 Vivien Leigh poses with her Oscar alongside a floral arrangement featuring birds of paradise and gerbera daisies. Editorial note, this floral arrangement was way ahead of its time.

 Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall picking flowers.

Mae West and roses. Ed. note, roses have come a long way in size and petal count.

 I can't help but wonder if Ginger Rogers is reading a card from dance partner Fred Astaire.

 Marlene Dietrich caught strolling in Warsaw with a bundle of lilacs.

 Elizabeth Taylor's love for flowers is well known. This earlier photo of her shows her knack for floral design.

 Greta Garbor is engulfed in flowers.

 Ingrid Bergman looking like she has Rick Blaine on her mind.

 Bette Davis definitely has an idea of spacial organization.

 A rare photo of Brigitte Bardot with a typical floral design of the era.

 Jayne Mansfield picking flowers. Florists often grew their own flowers at that time. Note the greenhouse in the back. Most flower shops in the mid 20th century had their own greenhouses to grow flowers.

 No collection of screen legends would be complete without Marilyn. She even adds grace to a simple carnation.

Hi, my name is Rick Canale and I tweet. I tweet a lot. Days, nights, weekends, you could say I have an addiction. I follow more than 1900 Tweeters and am followed by over 1200. If you are a glutton for information, want your news now or enjoy pop culture, then Twitter is waiting for you. As a matter of fact, you do not even have to tweet to enjoy twitter. I know many voyers on Twitter that have never even tweeted. I love Twitter so much that I even bought their stock. I have compiled a short list of my favorite five on Twitter to get you started. I have also thrown in a solid list of honorable mentions to build your profile and although I am not a huge advocate of following companies on Twitter; I have tossed in a few that seem to get it right. Here is my short five in no specific order.

• @DaveKerpen Dave is considered one of the most influential marketers on LinkedIn. His infectious personality has transformed the social media landscape. Some may remember Dave as the Crunch n' Munch guy. I know Dave as a kind man who loves his family, is a huge baseball fan and pleasure to work with. You can learn a lot from him.
• @chrissyteigen Some may know her as an SI Swimsuit cover girl while  others recognize her as John Legend's wife. Teigen is the blueprint for anyone looking to build their personal brand on Twitter. She also tweets lots of great photos of food, engages her fans and makes you laugh a lot. 
• @RingPRGirl Boston Public Relations pro, Kimberley Ring is a torch bearer for those who want to help others on Twitter. Sharing anecdotes, promoting charities and reaching out to others make Kim a Twitter all star. 
• @BeschlossDC Michael Beschloss is an author, presidential historian and contributor to PBS and NBC. Follow him for a daily history lesson filled with prize winning photos.
•  @megansarahj Megan tweets all day long. Some news, some humor and some great pop culture.