Top 3 Spots in Boston for fall foliage

It's sad to see the summer drawing to a close, but there is much to look forward to in the coming months! In fact, Autumn is one of the very best times to visit our fair city.  Crisp sunny days in New England seem made for Apple picking, cider donuts and taking in the beauty of the changing leaves. Bold reds, brilliant oranges and vibrant yellows are but a few of the shades you'll be treated to on a fall foliage tour and you wont even need to leave the city to take it all in! Here we've shared with you our top three favorite spots to see the season change in Boston:  

1. The Boston Public Garden 

This exceptionally beautiful park right in the heart of Boston is the place to view a large variety of tree species.  

2. The Esplanade 

A stroll or bike ride along the esplanade is a great way to spend a fall afternoon taking in the colors and getting a little exercise! 

3. Beacon Hill

We've saved the very best for last! Ok so we're a little biased, but wander through the cobble stone, lamplit streets of Beacon Hill on a cool fall evening and see if it doesn't become one of your absolute favorite places too!

New Fall Arrangements Are Here.

Glistening ruby tones of astilbe, stunning Hearts roses and Dutch hydrangeas are accented with textural fall flowers and gathered together into a twig and leaf-lined glass vessel.

Succulent Special!

This week we have a special on Succulents in a pot for $20.00 We have a variety of succulents in either white or grey pots.

This deal is only while supplies last. Come on in and pick one up for your house or as a gift!

Rose Festival in Lottum Netherlands underway!

Every 2 years the center of Lottum is completely decorated with roses. Millions of roses are being used in model gardens and beautiful objects,.. a garden fair, rose and floral decorations and a lot of information about the roses are of course not missing during this event.

Dutch floral celebration

 

This passed weekend, flower lovers traveled to a small Dutch town called Zundert for the Bloemencorso Zudert, a day long party celebrating the town’s famous dahlias. The tradition dates back 80-some years, and while the parade may have started out as a relatively modest display of flower-adorned bicycles and horse-drawn carts, it’s since become something crazier and more surreal, involving massive floats covered in hundreds of thousands of flowers. Over the course of the first week of September, float-makers bustle about trying to complete their highly detailed displayed in time for the annual parade, and they can get crazy. Between the moving parts, the intricate designs, the yearly themes and the speed with which the floats are assembled, the Bloemencorso Zundert is as much a celebration of wild invention as it is the Netherlands’ dahlias.

Fall Plantings

It's that time of year again when we begin to re-invigorate our window boxes and container gardens for the fall season. If you're looking for lush full window boxes bursting with life then look no further! The Garden Design team at Rouvalis Flowers is a highly skilled group that has been providing the homes of Beacon Hill with outstanding window adornments for decades. Each window box is designed, planted and maintained with the utmost attention to detail and commitment to  the satisfaction of our customers. We especially love outdoor plantings for the Autumn, as it is the time of year for some of natures most ornate and colorful plants and decorative vegetation.  

Here we've adorned a clients front entry way with a collection of ornamental pumpkins, gourds, dried branches and natural preserved autumn leaves.  

Fall Bulb Planting

• In the fall, you'll find bulbs to purchase just about anywhere! Make sure you buy your bulbs from a reputable nursery or garden center,. Second-rate bulbs product second-rate flowers or don't sprout at all.
• Plant anytime before the ground freezes. For the New England area I would suggest anytime before November.
• See the chart below for type of bulbs by hardiness zone. .
• Ideally, plant your bulbs soon after you purchase them.
• Select a site with lots of sun and well-drained soil. Work a few inches of compost in the soil.
• Plant bulbs generously just in case some do not sprout. And plant them in random order and spacing for a more natural appearance. If you love groves of daffodils and blanketed landscapes of tulips, be prepared to buy and plant a large quantity of bulbs!
• In general, plant bulbs at a depth of three times the width of the bulb.
• After planting, apply fertilizer low in nitrogen, such as a 9-6-6 formulation.  If your soil's sandy, plant bulbs slightly deeper; in clay soils, slightly shallower.
• Water well after planting. Apply mulch to keep the weeds down and hold in moisture.
• Do you have voles or chipmunks? Consider planting your bulbs in a “cage” fashioned with chicken wire.

"Flower Power" Photographer Marc Riboud Dies

A legendary French's m photojournalists, Marc Riboud, whose 1967 snap of a protester confronting US soldiers with a flower captured the movement against the Vietnam war, has died aged 93.

Riboud, equally famed for a 1953 picture of a workman painting the Eiffel Tower high above the Paris skyline, passed away Tuesday after a long illness, a family member told AFP.

A master of black-and-white imagery, Riboud joined the prestigious Magnum agency at the invitation of its founders, photography greats Henri-Cartier Bresson and Robert Capa.

Riboud, whose shots appeared in top magazines such as Look, Life, Stern and Paris Match, was among the handful of photographers who managed to enter North Vietnam in the late 1960s.

Fresh Summer Florals

Saying goodbye to Summer is tough. We're making sure to go out in style by using the brightest, boldest combinations in our arrangements this week. Check out a few of the pieces we snapped on our steps before sending out for delivery! And enjoy the last days of summer! 

High Contrast purples and lime greens for this fun birthday party. 

Warmer sunset tones are softened in this arrangement by the celosia flower, which has a fuzzy texture to it. 

Umbrella fern adds a touch of tropical spice to this centerpiece. 

Anatomy of a Summer Arrangement

    Bold summer colors and luscious leafy textures make this three-sided statement arrangement a real show stopper. " I wanted to create something which included many different elements but didn't look weedy" says designer Serena Nelson. Choosing to make multiple small groupings of different florals and textures has created just that look. Here's a quick guide to what went into making this arrangement: to start, a  monstera leaf is cut and sunk into the glass vase as the base of the arrangement. Next, we see the ball of deep red Heart roses are placed head to head to form an eye-catching point low down. To the left, a spray of mango calla lillies lay in front of stems of oncidium orchids, to draw the eye across the whole piece. At the center, we have a bright mix of pincushion protia, green trick dianthus, mokara orchids and burgandy snap dragons. These make up the body of the piece. Wide deep green monstera leaves and bunches of cordyline extend towards the back of the arrangement, with touches of curly kiwi branches to give it height and depth. One final touch we decided to add  are the two small echeveria succulents tucked towards the right hand side of the arrangement. Cut succulents add a whole new element to the traditional cut flower bouquet, as they can survive out of soil/water for days. Once the rest of the cut flowers pass, the succulents will live quite happily if transferred to a bed of moss or soil in a timely manner. 

 Our team of designers is always on hand to create arrangements like the one shown here as well as others for any occasion.