Design Show with Rene Van Rehms

Spectacular! The one word that all of us at Bergeron's thought about going to see Rene van Rems recently at a local floral purveyor. We had a fantastic time watching a renowned designer show us his winning ways especially with hand-tied bouquets. His new book called "Rene's Bouquets" has such timeless information. Check out some of the pics from the show.

Also, that day there was a design competition of local designers, of which I competed once again. The competition was strong and it was such fun. We saw some fabulous designs. The theme was to use spring flowers for a centerpiece. The sky was the limit with a $300 budget. You can imagine how beautiful and artistic the designs were in a room full of floral artists! I've chosen some of the designs that you can see from the show as well.

1st Place Winner @ Design Competition

Well how exciting was it that a couple weeks ago I won first place in a regional design competition called "Capital Cup". I was speechless. Our task for the competition was to design something for a "get well" in a hospital setting, so we had height and price limitations. Out of several designs submitted from all over the Washington D.C., Maryland, & Virginia area I took 1st place.

This was a great day not only for me, but also for Bergerons Flowers & Events! Look for the final competition with all the Capital Cup winners of 2008 to compete in the fall. Can't wait!

Bridal Bouquets--Clustered Trends

Bridal Bouquets have dramatically changed over the past 20 years. It used to be common for brides to choose a cascading mix of all-white flowers. Today, the beautiful mix of compact, rounded bouquets have been made the statement of beauty and poise. The colors range from all white to monochromatic deep red with all the colors inbetween.

There are many new flowers on the market that are also hot choices: hydrangeas in many colors; miniature calla lilies in assorted colors, tropical orchids: oncidiums, phaleonopsis, cymbidiums to name just a few.

What fun is it to pick, order, and finalize your choices. Brides really should have fun picking out their flowers to hold on that special day! Check out just some of our selections online: http://www.bergeronsflowers.com

I really enjoy making weddings special and individualized. Who wants to just pick from a grocery store magazine, when you can pick from all sorts of flowers that are in season just by contacting your local florist for a consultation?

Tune in for more updates....I've got a bunch!

Design Show with Andrew Pascoe & Writer Amy Stewart

What a fun day! I spent today watching Andrew Pascoe, a London-born floral designer who now resides in Oyster Bay, New York, designing for many hot customers like the New York Times and featured in Architectural Digest. He was very informative with a truly English garden type design style.

I have to say the best of show in my book was the design done reminiscent of the Flemish artists. The design included David Austin roses, which were spectacular! Imagine a soft peach rose that has about 4x's the amount of petals of the regular hybrid rose with fullness and fragrance to knock your socks off! This arrangement was designed with red ranunculus, red/yellow parrot tulips, single peonies, bells of Ireland and more. Extraordinary.

The afternoon session was filled with hearing Amy Stewart talk about her findings in her book, Flower Confidential: The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers. She has toured the world finding out the chain of the floral industry, from breeding, growing, producing, packing, shipping, right down to the delivery to your local florist. We are local florists are an endangered species with the major changes that are happening in our industry. We, at Bergerons, are still so proud to be here to supply your needs. Keep our business growing! Amy was extremely informative and I even got her to sign my copy of her book.

Spring-the Perfect Time for Flowers

Spring flowers, oh, the beauty!
What exactly are the spring blooms that come to my mind? I love tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, viburnum (which means that hydrangeas are going to come into full bloom as well), ranunculus, peonies...the list goes on.

Keep in mind that some of these gorgeous blooms are phototropic, which means that they bend and curve with the sun and light; and they will additionally grow. So, don't be surprised when you bring home those fabulous tulips that they will need some re-cutting and have a mind of their own. That's the beauty of them, so enjoy!

At your local florist shop, you will find many varieties and colors to choose from. Often times, more choices then the grocery store or big super chain stores might offer. At any rate, enjoy these fabulous flowers while you have the chance.

Buy a bunch of tulips or hyacinths and drop them into a cylindrical vase. Tie some ribbon around the vase for accent and viola!--you have a beautiful presence of nature inside your home.

I'll be bringing some other design ideas on the next blog.
Until then, Happy Spring!

Design Show with Joyce Monheim

My staff and I had the opportunity to go to a design show with Joyce Monheim, AIFD. Boy, were we blown away at some great design ideas as well as some great tips. It's always exciting to see the hottest new trends and fabulous new varieties of flowers that are out there on the market today. Everything from everyday design to design for event work.

One of my favorites was this piece that use a floral sphere covered in blooms set inside a beautiful mix of botanicals. This piece was just calling my name! I love the contemporary work.