Wild Red Dogwood and Pussy Willows

I took the scenic route from Brooklyn to my parent's place in the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York for Easter and got some nice pictures of wild Pussy Willow and Red Dogwood along the way. The Red Dogwood pictures were taken from Route 20 near Cherry Valley, NY and the Pussy Willow pictures were taken along Route 23 near Hudson, NY.

Pruning Shears: Felco vs. the Knock Off

Pruning shears are our main tools and last week I bought a couple of new pairs. Instead of choosing the classic, Swiss-made Felcos we usually buy (an old pair is on the right), I bought the knock off you see on the left, which were about a third of the price. We use and abuse pruning shears for hours every day, and I figured we should just go for the cheap ones and buy new shears more often, if necessary. After all, a brand new pair of knock off pruning shears should cut better than a beaten up old pair of the originals, right? 

To our surprise the old Felcos still cut dramatically better than the new set of knock offs that looked nearly identical, and when you're trimming branches for hours every day, that makes a huge difference. We'll be sticking with Felco shears from now on, despite the fact that they cost almost three times as much as the knock off - apparently there's more to their price than just the "Swiss-Made" stamp.  

Deer Problems? Be glad you don't have Moose problems

We checked in with our Red Dogwood grower up in Vermont. In addition to the warm weather which has delayed the first harvest until now, they've had to contend with Moose! While the Dogwood is fine, the Moose have devastated many of their other crops. Next time you look out at your denuded backyard and think to yourself that it can't get any worse, be thankful that you don't Moose grazing away on your hydrangeas! 

By the way, the Red Dogwood should be available in the next few days. 

Manzanita Branch Fabric by Joel Dewberry

Manzanita Branches aren't just for your tabletops and vases anymore - you can cover your pillows or make a dress from them too! Above is a fabric design created by Joel Dewberry. It comes in a variety of colors and is part of a whole "Manzanita" collection. Here are the branches in their pre-fabric form:


We were expecting our pictures to show up in various places on the internet, but not on fabric!

The Floral District (and its demise)

On 28th St between 6th and 7th Avenues you'll find NYC's Floral District, one of the last wholesale districts in Manhattan. Here you'll discover thousands of orchids and other live plants, exotic cut flowers, a good selection of branches and all the related supplies from pots, vases to floral wire. This unique place bustles with activity from about 6 in the morning until about noon when the florists and designers have finished their buying for the day. Most of the shops stay open past then for retail customers, but a few of the larger cut flower dealers simply close up shop.

The Floral District is where I bought my first bundles of branches, back in 2002. Then, the residential high-rises were just starting to sprout along 6th Avenue. Even then, trouble for the floral district was brewing. Now, however, 6th Avenue is a forest of high rises and the new buildings are popping up along the side streets, including 28th Street, displacing many of the floral businesses.

On an island where parking spaces go for as much as $225,000, such changes are inevitable. The Fulton Fish Market headed from South Street to the Bronx a few years ago, the packing houses in the Meatpacking District are being replaced with swanky clubs and boutiques (whose patrons apparently don't mind the scent of blood and tallow on a hot August night), and the Garment District, just north of the Floral District exists primarily in name only. Surely the Floral District will come together again somewhere else, but another unique spot in Manhattan will be lost.

If you are in NYC or are visiting, head on over to the Floral District while you still can. Whether it is an orchid (virtually all of them max out at $35 and they are of spectacular quality), a great vase from Jamali Garden, or the perfect Manzanita branch, you'll find something you love and experience a bit of Manhattan that is bound to disappear shortly.

Hand Carved and Painted Kestrel

This spectacular Kestrel was hand carved and painted by a customer in Florida, Wendy Marcin (it is mounted on one of our 10-12" Grapewood Branches). We can't get over how life-like this bird is, and how much work and skill must have been required to produce it.

The Kestrel is a gorgeous small falcon found throughout the world - we even occasionally see them in Brooklyn. Head over to Wikipedia for more information on the American Kestrel.

Sea Glass Island

We made a little island of acrylic "sea glass," surrounded it with a long string of plastic silver
beads Christo and Jeanne-Claude style, then marooned some shells (and cockscomb in bell cups) on it. The thing that really seems to hold this all together is that ring of beads.

An archipelago of islands like these with candles planted in the middle would make a spectacular accent if you are going for a beach or nautical feel. For a more natural look, try using sand surrounded by rope.