Freytag’s Florist Blog

First a little disclaimer. I was born and raised in the North East, but I got to Texas (by way of California) as fast as I could! The Freytag family is indeed Austin born and raised but alas I am not a Freytag, I just have the good fortune to blog for the family business.

Now that’s out in the open I have to admit I miss the spectacular fall colors that you trip over in regions with cooler climates. On this foggy morning in Austin I got wondering, “Is it just the cold that turns the leaves?”, and reaching back for elementary science camp expeditions, I tried to recall the process at hand.

All little memory and a lot of Googling explains it all (of course).

In autumn, a few things happen in leaves of Deciduous trees. Chlorophyll moves more slowly because nights get longer and hours of sunlight diminish. You remember Chlorophyll- the sunlight absorbing pigment in plants responsible for the green color.

During the time when plants are growing Chlorophyll is a dominant pigment, masking all other pigments. When it starts to cool off and daylight hours shorten Carotenoids and Anthocyanins, the pigments responsible for yellows, oranges and reds, are unmasked as chlorophyll dwindles in the leaves.

Moisture in the soil and Temperature have the most influence on how vibrant the fall colors will be. The US Forest Service explains it all in fascinating detail.

Also during this time, a corky layer of cells called the abscission layer seals the leaves off from the stem, blocking water flow. This is what triggers the leaf to finally fall off the trees.

While there are certainly pockets where we are starting to see leaves turn here in Texas there are great road trips out there with stunning vistas you can’t even imagine! So get out there and get chilly!!!

“Look at the stars

Look how they shine for you

And everything you do

Yeah, they were all yellow”

The Coldplay song always reminds me of bright yellow  mums!

Yellow is such a tremendous color. It’s always cheerful and bright, no matter the season. Summer lends itself to yellows easily but using it in your designs year round keeps things cheerful and light.

Nina Garcia’s Yellow Pin Board reminds us Spring 2013 will be a flurry of yellow, thank you ODL!!!!

Around here, the yellow roses of Texas are ALWAYS appropriate!

“So then I took my time

Oh what a thing to’ve done

And it was all yellow”

My personal passion for yellows started with my porch. Inspired by the Upper Crust Bakery here in Austin, because it is the same color as our new house, and they have fabulous yellow benches…bright yellow is now a collection “thing” for me!

My Interior Design mentor says I must keep the yellow outside… but our Lemonade candles keep invading my kitchen! They smell so good …. Can it really be all yellow???

Oncidium spray orchids ALWAYS bring the cheer! One of our Austin Exclusive arrangements, ”The Hippie Hollow” shows them off very nicely!

The pop of color a Gerbera daisy or yellow balloon carries into a room warms the heart! You can’t go wrong with yellow to convey cheerful greetings…

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”-Benjamin Franklin. Prep for New Mexico going well. Guys are working hard & getting ready

-from Mack Brown last week on our Twitter Feed

Getting ready around here for UT Longhorn home games starts with ordering in buckets of ORANGE!

We start getting ready for UT longhorn home games at Freytag’s early in the week by ordering enough orange flowers with varying textures and hues to keep the arrangements exciting. Last week we ordered bunches of bright orange Gerbera Daisies, Pin Cushion Protea, deeper orange Alstromeria and burnt orange mini Calla lilies.

For the first game of the season, the week before,  we started with Hydrangea, Lilies and Roses. The arrangements were stunning with a grand scale and classic elegance.

Repeated form, shapes and colors give even the Darrell K Royal- Texas Memorial Stadium a “decorated” feel. Design rules apply to the smallest house AND the largest event spaces. Rich textures in unexpected places give our home stadium  a unique and sophisticated feel on game days…

Some places are a little more expected than others … this is the Horns y’all, EVERYTHING gets blinged out!

Still don’t know where these trailing pieces ended up at the last game, but I bet they were slated for somewhere in particular. Look at that drop!

The tropicals added in last week really took the UT colors to new places. The Heliconia were huge, vibrant and made a bold statement!

With away games ahead we had a minute to blog about it … We can root for the Horns from here but doing signature arrangements making our competition fabulous just won’t do! You can send our UT arrangement to your favorite fan in Austin any time though:

“Hook ‘em”

Warm fall tones are starting to creep into our cooler, apples stands are popping up on the road side, and I’ve started pulling my sweaters out…

Apples are starting to fill our TUMBLR feed in all sorts of creative ways,

… like these apple vases holding beautiful Fuji Mums,

or this simple and elegant apple garland,

which would be great over a door as well.

Even the apple pie crusts incorporate flowers!

Learn how to craft  a Flower Pie Crust, for your own fabulous apple pie… it’s not too hard, I promise!

Wedding boards on Pintrest are turning rustic…

… and clearly embracing the notion that fall has arrived. While my ferns are still thirsty in our 100 degree Austin weather, I can still dream of cool ribbons of fog and leaves changing colors in cooler places!

The red apples always remind me of pressed cider, my favorite use!!!

… but the red can also warm up an interior. Paired with warm leaves the color saturates a room with fall!

Red or green when you compare apples to apples you can’t really lose!

So with all this talk of fall we’re still in the 100’s here in Austin and my leafy green plants are needing lots of extra TLC. My Century plant however is THRIVING!!! It really motivates me to design more with succulents and cactus in the yard…

Cactus prefer the heat and dry conditions, ie the desert that is my front yard right now!

I found Danger Garden’s blog looking for Pineapple Lily care instructions and went on dreaming of what a fabulous landscape project xeriscaping would be looking at their Southern California Desert Garden photo tour.

Summer colors are always a favorite in design. Vibrant hues and bold textures celebrate the freedom of vacation season and remind us of far away places!!!

Lime green Button Poms pack a punch in floral creations with their distinct color and small perfect circle shape … One of our newest creations, the “2nd Street”, for our Austin Exclusives Collection shows off Poms in a sleek modern design.

Gerbera Daisies with their cheerful and brilliant tones almost always make an appearance this time of year. My favorite (for the moment) combination of hot pink and orange combines Pantone’s “color of the year” - Tangerine Tango with last year’s Pantone pick - Honeysuckle but then turn up the volume. Side note: a design world trick is to combine the industry color from the prior year with this year’s color to keep on trend!

This summer in fashion there are tons of floral prints. Our TUMBLR blog is full of terrific fabrics and designs that play with florals in unexpected ways. This Dolce dress uses texture in such a creative way and another of my favorite color combos… orange and blue.

We get so many requests for blue in arrangements. Naturally occurring blue flowers aren’t usually available and painting the flowers isn’t always the most elegant option. I encourage you to think about using vibrant containers in unexpected hues to start arrangements on any occasion, but especially when you want to pull in a color not usually found in nature.

Over the pond florals stayed a bit demure at the Olympics but Liberty of London put out this gorgeous sunflower print this season… you can always count on Liberty for dynamic, flowery prints!

Like the green grass courts at Wimbledon, Green Trick reminds us of fresh blades of summer grass between our toes! This textural accent has emerged this season as a favorite in modern arrangements.

With all the fun colors of summer we find that you can have your cake and eat it too, if you get creative and EMBRACE THE BOLD!

The Olympics are such an honored tradition around the globe it’s hard not to get excited about every little detail. Event planners and designers work tirelessly before the bid is even won for a city and then, once it has been awarded, all teams work overtime to set the stage for the treasured games, florists included!

This man, Nigel, has been working for years to create wildflower meadows surrounding the stadium… fields of GOLD!!! Read more about these long term gardens for the games coming into the spotlight now, it’s fascinating!

Tonight all eyes will be on London as we celebrate with athletes from all around the globe during opening ceremonies.

Some future champions will be resting up for the most important competitions of their lives and some will be soaking in the tremendous enthusiasm, respect and awe of the world as they take center stage. Every single competitor will be thinking about their shot at the podium, gold medal and hearing their national anthem played on the world stage!

Have you noticed the ceremonial flowers yet? The medal winners all get bouquets up there as a token of their gracious host country. The tradition of congratulatory flowers might just be as old as the Olympics itself, but the floral designs are created fresh and new for each Olympic event.

Check out the story behind the unique green florals presented at the Vancouver Olympics here

Beijing’s design for the  summer Olympics was also a modern nosegay but had it’s own personality, featuring bright red, of course!

And now for “something completely different”, London’s bouquets are clearly inspired by the classic English garden:

So as you enjoy the show tonight, cry and cheer with the competitors in the upcoming weeks, and generally admire London’s style don’t forget the flowers… they’ve been over quite a few hurdles of their own to reach the podium!!

If we haven’t bragged about it before here we go…

We have four generations, count’em 4, here at Freytag’s almost every day. From Ken’s mom Alice through to the newest member of the family Avery, we span 93 years.

It was a joyous occasion this last Friday as Avery turned one! Of course there was a party and flowers…

How can you add playful elements to your floral designs for a youthful look?

A little sparkle can go a long way to add festive flair to flowers… Glittered Ting Ting plays up the princess vibe with bling!

Bright and cheerful colors with whimsical design elements such as a grass wrap add a playfulness to arrangements.

Bright and cheerful colors with whimsical design elements (such as a grass wrap) add a playfulness to arrangements. The Hitomi workshop our team attended a few months back illustrated the fun of mixed textures, vibrant hues and artful use of armature …

Think outside the box with flowers… Pintrest is a great place to brown fun DIY ideas for parties. I dare say the party search is my favorite, so many great ideas! Check out our party ideas I’ve curated from Pinterest here.

It’s their first birthday… such an important year for family, friends and Avery too!

Another idea that will grow with the birthday girl or boy is a plant, but how can you silly that up?

I have to admit I visit this corner of our front shop daily. I love to check in with my cute little friends to see if they’ve been “adopted” yet… A small little 4 inch plant can grow over time with your child, just like those notches in a door frame!

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here! Don’t count on finding a clover to build your luck up this year, get your green strategies going today…

What will you wear???

With SXSW in full swing here in Austin I expect to see some of these crazy hot green shoes on some super cool band members!

If crowds and hipsters aren’t your thing there is a more tradition steeped St. Patrick’s Day Festival benefiting

The Celtic Cultural Center

Shamrocks  aren’t supposed to be hunted but are only considered lucky if stumbled upon. That shouldn’t keep you from adding four leaves to your life… the more green the better and sometimes you just have to make your own luck!

To eat Irish there is of course corned beef and cabbage with potatoes. While you rarely see a quick recipe from Martha Stewart, you can start this recipe today in time for tomorrow’s feasting!

AND of course the tradition of green beer…

Now I prefer a pot of gold to most of these traditions… still waiting for that to appear!

All photos are taken by me at Freytag’s Florist or sourced on our TUMBLR blog.

Spring is in the air! With my windows opened and the warm Austin breezes floating through the house I finally started my spring cleaning this weekend.

Starting with the floor working my way up, I know I have a week of organizing drawers and cabinets ahead of me!  Clearing off horizontal spaces and putting out fresh spring linens is like stretching a clean white canvas. For a moment my house might resemble those shots of perfection in magazines (at least in my mind)!

Tables and dressers beckon for branches and blooms.

Dusting off and polishing up spring vases for beautiful spring flower arrangements inside.

Clear out old garden beds and turn the compost piles for spring bulbs popping up outside.

… do the flowers know it’s daylight savings time? More so than my sleepy head knew it this morning! The simple pleasures of spring rains and wildflowers popping up along the commute makes every day feel fresh and exciting, full of possibilities. Daylight savings means I get to wake up with the sun again too.

On the other side of these spring work days is time for afternoon tennis and evenings on the porch…

…cleaning and preparing the ceramic pots of last year’s transplants, putting up new supports for vines and checking on feeders and bird houses for guests.

With March showers in abundance the stepping stones and pathways get adjusted around the yard this time of year and cleaned up too. New flower beds get “designed” with favorite rocks, statues and blooms but have to be cleverly protected from those beloved dogs and deer!

Time to spring into action all around. Enjoy the buzz and hum of activity before it gets too hot!

All photos that were not taken by me are sourced on our TUMBLR BLOG