Around The Shoppe

Greetings from a very wet and rainy Rouvalis Flower Shoppe! Although we were all drenched on our way to work today we really can't complain because Beacon Hill on a rainy day is nothing but romantic. Walking down the rain-washed brick sidewalks amid the old gas-lit street lamps is like taking a stroll back in time. We're warming up in the shoppe with the  glowing pumpkins in our windows and a cut flower display that is just bursting with colors for the fall.   

West Cedar's dancing flame 

Turning straw into Gold for this window display 

a small sampling of our cuts this week 

Warm and dry inside the shoppe

If you do venture out today make Rouvalis one of your stops and bring home some sunflowers on this rainy afternoon!

-Serena Fae 

Fall Mums

Happy September everyone! We always love welcoming our friends and neighbors back to the Hill after the summer months spent away. It can be sad to think of the warm weather coming to a close, but the cooler temperatures mean its time to bring back all the fantastic fall flowers. My personal favorites are the classic Chrysanthemums (commonly called mums). Nothing says fall in New England like these lovely perennials, which can be purchased at our Boston shoppe in an array of colors. September is the best time to purchase Mums, given their preference for cooler temperatures. Keep your mums in bright sunlight and stay on top of waterings (especially when they are in full bloom) and you should be very happy with these fiery autumnal beauties!

Warty Gourd World

Can I officially say welcome back? I think it's time! I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend.  We, at Rouvalis want to also extend a warm welcome to anyone who may be new to The Hill! We've already met some great new neighbors and even sent a few home with some fresh indoor plants for their new apartments. Upon your first visit to the shoppe be sure to ask about our preferred customer card to get you started with some awesome savings!  

I'm excited today because we just got in a HUGE shipment of decorative gourds. Ornamental gourds are awesome for lots of reasons. Here are three reasons to love them! 

1. Shape- gourds are extremely versatile in shape. From long-necked swan shapes to wonky octopus shapes- no two are alike! 

2. Colors- Gourds come in a whole bunch of colors that complement a lot of other fall foliage. My personal favorite are those that come in the bi-colored orange/gold and deep forest green. 

3. Uses- we think of gourds usually as purely ornamental pieces used to decorate but this is only one of their many talents. Gourds have been used for centuries to make musical instruments, tools like ladles and water bottles, and were even used as a currency in  1800 Haiti. Oh and last but not least they are delicious!!  

Welcome to...Our Warty Gourd World!

UFO

-Serena Fae 

Around The Shoppe

Hope everyone is managing to keep cool these days! And though it may not feel much like it today, Happy September!! Personally, I can't wait for the days to turn a little cooler, signaling the most wonderful time of the year- Fall! In the shoppe, we're just beginning to get in some of my favorite fall classics. I've snapped a few photos of what's new to share today and we will have much, much more rolling in as we move into the cooler months of September and October. 

This exquisite decorative kale has a vibrate purple center which pairs well with tons of other autumnal colors.  

Ornamental peppers are another absolute favorite! I love how many different colors can be seen on each plant. 

A large happy Croton, would certainly add a rainbow of color and warmth to any space! Bonus: the leaves make fantastic linings for glass vases! 

And finally I had to throw in  this weeks Hinged Vase Collection because I am so in love with all the autumnal textures! It includes the papery scabiosa seed pods, spiky silver thistle and smooth peach and green berries. 

-Serena Fae 

Anatomy of a Late Summer Arrangement

Hi all! Hope everyone is making the most of these last few summer weekends. Here at Rouvalis we're enjoying a beautiful late summer palette for all of our cut flowers.  I wanted to share with you an arrangement  we made today that I find particularly reflective of this special time of year. 

Here, Emily has  used soft summer classics like the light blue hydrangea and yellow finesse roses for a soft traditional look.  She also brings in a hint of the fall season to come with the sunset orange of the amaryllis  and the colbolt blue of the thistle, Emily was particularly inspired by the red-tinged yellow blossoms of the oncidium orchid.  As you can see she's placed the orchids a bit higher than the other flowers, she told me "This orchid is actually called "Dancing Lady" so I let the blossoms dance above the rest of the arrangement".  Silver seeded eucalyptus and cream hypericum berries ties it all together and we are left with this exquisite arrangement that celebrates the long last days of late August.   

-Serena Fae 

Sidewalk Sale!

Hi everyone!  Hope summer continues to be bright and beautiful for you all! And if you're hanging out here in Boston like us we hope you're managing to avoid those hail cloud bursts! Here in the shoppe, we're beginning to wind down our summer time designs and starting to get excited for fall! Part of this of course means clearing out the shoppe so that we have room for all the pumpkins that will be on their way shortly!! So, we've collected some of our favorite summer time home decor  gifts and to help them get out the door we're dropping the prices by half! This includes all our gorgeous and preserved Summer Wreaths! They'll be on display in front of the shoppe, so feel free to peruse them and don't forget to stop in and say hi! 

We cannot get enough of these summer wreaths! Featuring beautiful classics like these pink roses, purple hydrangea, orange slices and even fun limes! 

Check out these decorative AND practical citronella candles! 

Herb stakes and summer candles,  just a few more of the goodies we must say goodbye to! 

-Serena Fae 

Herb Garden Planters

Summer can be a difficult time to plant due to the high temperatures and often the lack of rain.  If you're having trouble keeping your garden from crisping up consider planting an herb garden! Most herbs are sunlight loving and will provide you with fragrance and fresh taste throughout the summer months.  I've always loved the idea of being able to flavor my food with herbs picked right from my own garden, but as I live in the city and don't exactly have a the space for a sprawling edible garden I've settled for a summer herb planter.  Here are some of my favorites:

Rosemary 

I lovvvvvvve the smell of rosemary roasted anything! We once had a customer request that we include rosemary in an arrangement she was sending to her sister- Rosemary! It was the first (though probably not the last)  time I was very tempted to snack on my bouquet. 

Thyme

This is not the thyme for a bad pun! (seewhatIdidthere?) But did you know there are over 300 different varieties of thyme? The best varieties for cooking are English Thyme, golden thyme, German thyme and my personal favorite Lemon thyme. 

Sage 

I like the subtle flavor sages provide, it has sort of a sweet smoky taste. Its also one of my absolute favorite colors. 

We still have some adorable herb planters available. They make  really fantastic hostess gifts, so if you will be the guests of anyone with a passion for cooking this summer why not bring them something sweet? (or salty, or smoky, or bitter?)

-Serena Fae

Floral Arranging Class with Emily and Serena

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the summer as much as we are here in the shoppe. I wanted to share some pictures from a very special floral arranging class Emily and I had the pleasure of teaching at Millennium Place. The Boston luxury residences invited us to instruct a small group of women on the basics of arranging cut flowers. During the class, each participant created her own hand-tied bouquet first and  then had the option to arrange the flowers in a vase. To begin, we had the participants choose their own stems from a a selection of flower varieties, For this class we had picked out a beautiful pastel palette which included cream double petaled tulips, green immature hydrangea, white lisianthus, pink calla lilies and green hypericum.  

We had a blast working with the ladies and the arrangements were all simply lovely

Emily noted how unique each piece was saying, "It was exciting to see how differently the ladies put together the same floral ingredients" 

Participants learned to angle the stems for a hand-tied bouquet 

Cheers! 

We hope everyone had as much fun as we did and we can't wait to do it again! 

-Serena Fae 

Non-TraditionalVases

We absolutely love when our customers challenge us to "think outside the vase" by bringing in an unusual vessel in which to arrange cut flowers. This could be objects that reflect the theme of a party, a treasured family heirloom or even represent an inside joke! Some of our favorites to date have included a mini apple crate, a collection of sherry glasses and even a Nalgene bottle! For your next event take a peak around your home and see what everyday objects can be transformed into imaginative vases! To inspire you, we've posted some of our favorites!

Delicate and summery, arranging in shells can be a real fun summer project and fantastic centerpiece for the beach house.  

Vintage tins can usually be found with exquisite colors and patterns that naturally complement cut flowers. You can save your used tea cans or look on www.Etsy.com to purchase some. 

What's more fun than a tropical centerpiece arranged in a fresh pineapple? 

similar to the pineapple-vase are these three bell pepper vessels, for a genuine "from the garden" feel. 

As always, we'll be  here at the shoppe to create your ideal fresh floral arrangement and we cant wait to see what you bring in!

-Serena Fae  

Carnivorous Plants

At Rouvalis Flowers, we take pride in carrying plants and flowers that you don't see in your everyday flower shop. We go out of our way to hunt down unique, unusual, and eye catching botanicals. This week, we are excited, and a little scared, to introduce a variety of carniverous plants to our store! We are carrying a range of these bizarre plants, from Venus Fly Traps to Pitcher Plants. Whether you enjoy them for their strange appearance, a conversation starter, or even to help resolve your summer fruit fly battle, we hope you'll find them as interesting as we do!  Here are a few images from plants in our store, and some information on how to care for them. 

Here is a close up of the Venus Fly Trap, probably one of the most recognized of the  carnivorous plants. They make a great house plant, and a great conversation piece! Simply keep the moss or soil they are planted in moist, and remember, they like bright light!  

Another one of our favorites is called a Pitcher Plant. These bulbous pitchers hang from the plant and attract prey such as flies and ants. The plant is full and lush, bright green leaves are complimented by the red and orange hues of the pitchers. The plant likes bright sun and needs watered weekly, keeping the pitchers wet when watering. 

At Rouvalis, we even use some carnivorous plants in our fresh cut flower arrangements. These saracena lillies add interesting texture and style to any arrangement. They are a long lasting fresh cut flower, and are a great addition for someone who enjoys more unique flowers!