Calleja de las Flores & Fiesta de los Patios

Courtyard Festival, Cordoba, Spain

Rouvalis Flowers is settled into the picturesque neighborhood of Beacon Hill in Boston. One of the things the people visiting the area during the spring and summer always comment on are the luscious window boxes and planters of these historic brownstones. We thought it would be nice to give a shout out to the Spanish city of Cordoba, who clearly has an unparalleled planter game.

During the month of May, residents of this beautiful city all try to out-do each other for the Fiesta de los Patios. Vibrant blossoms in terracotta pots hang against bright white buildings creating what really must be described as a magical fairy tale backdrop..

There is also the Calleja de las Flores. This flower alley is lined with blue hanging flower pots and features a perfectly framed view of the Mezquita Cathedral in the background and opens up to a lovely plaza with shops and cafes. I don’t know about you, but this just made it to my bucket list. Time to start thinking about my next vacation…

Calleja de las Flores

Happy Independence Day!

“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better” -Albert Camus

"America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand." -Harry S Truman

"I believe in America because we have great dreams, and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true." -Wendell Willkie

"We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it." -William Faulkner

“Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.”

-Louis D Brandeis

“Freedom lies in being bold.” -Robert Frost

"May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right." -Peter Marshall

~Summer Break~

Time for a little rest and relaxation.

Bikini bods -check (hahahah)

Towels & flip flops -check check

Cooler full of ice -check!!

Team Rouvalis is hitting the beach. Happy Fourth of July!!!

See you all Monday July 8th!

More plants to love.

We mentioned how in love we are with Pilea, but how can we not include all of the other beautiful greens we have filling the corners of Rouvalis?!

They freshen the air, they brighten a space, they generally elevate the mood. Plants are THE BEST.

From big philodendron selloum (personal favorite) to little spiny cacti. We have ‘em all. Have a friend in a boring cubicle? Try a fern trio. Want to send a classy thank you? Perhaps an elegant orchid plant. For those funky types, how about an armload of bromeliad!

Roses and Rosé

It’s that time of year again!

Roses and rosé is back! Check out the shop, chat with the gals, sip rosé. We’ll be hosting our summer sip and shop Saturdays from 2:00-4:00. There will be different rosy specials each week. Last week we featured an adorable mixed bouquet of feverfew with cream spray roses and a lush Juliet garden rose.

Can’t wait to see you there!

Encore Boston, welcome to the neighborhood!

The infamous Encore Boston flower carousel by floral deisgner Preston Bailey.

From our Charlestown design studio, we have been watching the creation of Encore. Level by level we watched the golden glass panels go up. We’ve seen the traffic patterns rise and fall. Now here we finally are at opening week.

We’re thrilled. We ate, we played slots, we walked the Harborwalk, we ogled the flower installations and ALL of the plants. We are impressed! From a designer’s perspective we would be remiss not to give our total respect. The arrangements and big floral installs are gorgeous and perhaps bordering on insane. What is maybe more impressive are all of the plants, inside and out. We remember what that land looked like before Wynn got here, and it is hard to believe this is the same place.

A big welcome! We’ll be back. Can’t wait to see that floral ferris wheel!

Pilea peperomioides

They’re here, hurry!!!

I am very excited to report Rouvalis has Pilea plants in stock!! These awesome plants have been sprouting up all over social media, but as it turns out, are relatively difficult to find in stores (more on that in a minute). Well, as I mentioned, we’ve gotten ahold of some, so stop reading right now and get your cute plant loving self down to Rouvalis!!

Just kidding, I hope you didn’t stop reading because I have so much more to say and you should know how to take care of the Pilea first. These plants really got my nerdy botanist blood flowing, and a little research only made my interest grow.

We’ll start with care:

Pilea like bright indirect light best. They can do pretty well in slightly shadier situations but it is important to know that the direct rays of the sun can scorch the leaves. I recommend rotating the plant from time to time as they tend to grow towards the light and can become a bit lopsided, but maybe you’re into that (symmetry isn’t everything).

Plant your Pilea in a good rich soil, in a pot with drainage holes. It is important that the roots are not sitting in water, so drainage holes are key. It also wouldn’t hurt to mix in a little bark mulch to add aeration to the soil. It is good to let them dry out between watering but not overly. If you notice the leaves looking droopy, it is time to water. I wouldn’t call these plants difficult to care for by any means, although they do have a few Goldilocks characteristics. Light and water, but not too much or too little.

In short: Bright sunny window, water well once a week. Ish.

Now for some history and other interesting facts:

Pilea peperomioides is a plant of many names. Chinese money plant, sharing plant, pass-it-on plant, pancake plant, UFO plant, missionary plant, and I don’t doubt I’m missing a few. I assume the pancake and UFO nomenclature is in reference to the shape of the leaves. Sharing plant and Pass-it-on plant comes from how easy it is to propagate.

A happy plant will shoot off little sprouts and tubers that can be removed from the mother plant and planted on their own. Using a sharp knife, cut off one of the shoots. From there you can put the base in water until you start to see roots (a week or two), or just go directly into soil. Test it out and then pass these plants along to your fellow plant loving friends. Remember, sharing is caring.

Now for the part I think is really cool. In the late 70’s botanists and plant specialists started being asked all about these little plants, but there was virtually no scientific information about them. The Pilea was somewhat of a mystery to the great European horticultural societies. Seems this plant had secretly made its way onto windowsills in many different countries. The power of sharing, am-I-right?!. After what I assume must have been a very long line of “Oh, this old thing? I got it from so and so…”, pilea peperomioides was traced back to a single Norwegian missionary (missionary plant ahem ahem) who had been in the Yunnan province of China and brought a plant back to Norway with him in 1946. Thirty years of sharing sprouts finally got the attention of plant enthusiasts & scientists and now here we are in 2019 sharing this cutie on Instagram.

I am madly in love.

2019 Mayor's Rose Garden Party

Here we are again! The Ladies of Rouvalis having a fabulous time for a good cause.

Shout out to our man Mayor Marty Walsh

It’s June and that means it’s the season for the annual Mayor’s Rose Garden Party. The event actually happened last week, and I know you’ve all been waiting to see what we came up with for our floral fascinators this year. Just a few examples to keep in mind for your next outdoor summer soiree. Give us a call, let us deck you out. Full flower crowns, a subtle comb, or a swath of flowers to weave into your locks, we can do it all and we want to! Don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging:

Thank you to everyone who came out to support this annual fundraiser benefiting free family programs in City of Boston parks!! We’ll see you next year, and we’re already planning our outfits, so be prepared! Cheers!

Forth of July Hours

It’s that time of year where Rouvalis takes a bit of a hiatus over the 4th of July holiday. We will be closed the following days:

Thursday July 4th

Friday July 5th

Saturday July 6th

We will reopen Monday July 8th normal business hours.

Leaves of three- Stay away from me!

Poison Ivy

It is summer time, the concrete jungle is hot and nature is calling your name. You hop in the car and take trip, maybe to the Fells or perhaps even the Mohawk Trail. You’ve got your trail shoes, a camel pack and you’re ready to immerse yourself in the greenery. You go traipsing through the roughage and have a grand old time. Home and tired after a long day you start to feel an itch, then you notice red rash patches, maybe even some blisters. Hate to be the one to tell ya man, sounds like you have poison ivy.

Rash from poison ivy.

But you’re a city person! How were you to know?!

Here are a few key things about Poison Ivy-

-Poison ivy is a plant with three shiny green leaves as shown above and below.

-New growth in the springtime has a red hue and is very shiny. This is when the rash causing oil is most potent.

-Speaking of color, it also turns a brilliant red in the fall, though less shiny.

-All parts of a poison ivy plant--leaves, stem, fruits, and roots--produce an oil (urushiol) that can cause skin irritation in some (many) people.

-Poison ivy can grow as a single plant, a shrub, or a vine that grows up the side of trees (or a telephone pole).

-Rash causing poison ivy oil can be transferred to humans from your dog. So be mindful if your pup has been plowing through the underbrush!

This was basic, but at least now you know what to look for. Admittedly poison ivy is a pesky miserable little plant, but let’s end on a positive note:

-Poison ivy fights the good fight against erosion near the ocean and on riverbanks.

-Throughout the fairly barren winter, birds feed on poison ivy berries.

Poison Ivy in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.