Today we are working on a wedding that called for blue hydrangeas for the bridesmaids.  The hydrangeas we bought are huge and we can't get over the shade of  blue.  It's a true periwinkle. We've paired them with cornflower and gentiana in the small bouquets shown here ($40).  By the stem, these gorgeous hydrangea are $15. 

  The Jersey City Historic Downtown Special Improvement District has organized a farmers' market at the Grove Street PATH station plaza.  The farmers' market operates every Monday from 4pm-8pm. We are very excited to be a part of this great addition to Jersey City, and we're featuring summer bouquets from local  flower farm, The River Garden, in upstate New York, as well as small arrangements to pick up on your way home. The farmer's market is the perfect way to help change the environment by buying locally grown produce for dinner, and locally grown flowers for your table!

 

Summer is a great time to start a kitchen herb garden. If you have a sunny windowsill, you can grow herbs and even small lettuces such as rocket and lolla rossa to use for cooking.  Antheia sells local organically grown herbs in terra cotta pots for $10.  Here's a recipe for salad dressing from Antheia co-owner and chef, Mike Schwartz:

1.    Puree in blender or with hand blender everything except the buttermilk.
2.   Stir in the buttermilk. Season with salt and pepper

Mike isn't good at making small amounts of anything. You could probably cut this recipe in half for a normal sized portion!    

 

People are always a little shocked when I say tell them I don't have a green thumb.  "But you're a florist!" is the inevitable response.  The keyword there, florist, refers to flowers, not plants.  But I do love plants and I love having them in the store, and fortunately I have a great staff that knows more about keeping plants alive than I do (come meet our newest member, Irena, who also has her own landscape design business). I have also discovered succulents in the past few years. These hardy plants hold water for long periods of time like cacti, and they don't need a lot of maintenance. Some, referred to as "air plants",  can even survive without soil, just place them on a shallow plate with some river rocks and a little water.  Succulents only need to be watered about once a month and can be put outdoors in summer for a fabulous terrace or patio display. See our plant suggestions here.

Today is Earth Day and with all the talk of "going green", this year should be even more special.  At Antheia we are investigating ways to offer organic, fair trade and sustainably raised flowers. We're not able to guarantee fully organic yet, but we do buy organic and local when it's possible.  In the summer we'll have more information about our favorite local flower farm, The River Garden www.cenyc.org/greenmarket/ourfarmers .  Today we are featuring Eco Herbs by the Japanese company, Style Meets People www.smpstyle.com .  Eco Herbs are available with rucola (arugula), lemon balm, basil and aojiso (a Japanese herb also called perilla), the perfect size for a sunny windowsill. The pot is biodegradeable and can be put right into the ground. Eco Herbs are $16.