“Why” we are a florist is to challenge our imagination, spread interconnectedness in the community, and to do our part in preserving our planet.

The next step we are taking towards sustainability and preserving our planet is phasing out balloons. When we read about the negative consequences of latex balloons, mylar balloons, and helium, we decided not to purchase any new balloons. We will sell the inventory that we have, but you’ll see popular balloons disappearing as options on our website. The first selection we have run out of is our generic Happy Birthday balloons. We do still have a few milestone birthday balloons such as Sweet 16, 40^th, and 50^th, and “Over the Hill.” Just call us to find out what we still have in stock!

If you’re interested in what we’ve learned about balloons and helium, here are some of the statistics that went into our decision:

• Balloons can travel hundreds of miles before they land–which can be in the ocean, lakes, forests, or prairies. Wildlife gets entangled in the strings or ingests the balloons and strings causing injury and death. (https://wildlifecenter.org/help-advice/wildlife-issues/balloon-releases)
• Mylar balloons (the shiny foil balloons) never break down; they just become smaller and smaller pieces of microplastics. Latex balloons eventually break down, but it takes months, and they often affect wildlife before they have a chance of biodegrading. (https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/balloons-environmental-impact/)
• Balloons cause power outages affecting thousands each year, including in our own Arlington, VA. (https://www.arlnow.com/2022/04/20/balloons-caused-large-power-outage-in-arlington-yesterday/)
• “Helium is a nonrenewable resource with many crucial industrial, medical and scientific uses, such as in MRIs, superconductors and weather balloons. The U.S. is fortunate to be rich in helium; we produce 40% of the gas worldwide. But there is a global helium shortage, and projections of future helium demand indicate that we will face serious limitations in the helium supply within only a few decades.” (https://www.caryinstitute.org/news-insights/feature/helium-balloons-impose-toll-our-air-land-and-sea)
• As of 2021, it is illegal to release balloons in the Commonwealth of Virginia. “It is unlawful for any individual 16 years of age or older or other person to intentionally release, discard, or cause to be released or discarded outdoors any balloon made of a nonbiodegradable or nonphotodegradable material or any material that requires more than five minutes’ contact with air or water to degrade. Any person convicted of a violation of this section is liable for a civil penalty of $25 per balloon released or discarded…” (https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title29.1/chapter5/section29.1-556.1/)

Despite phasing out balloons as part of our commitment towards sustainable practices, we have partnered with several like-minded local family-owned businesses for alternative add-on offerings. Check out our River-Sea Chocolate selections, our Grace+Love Candle selections, and our Tea for All Reasons selections!

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River-Sea Chocolates is all of that! They are located just around the corner from us so we were able to tour their bean-to-bar factory, meet the owners, and try their delicious, small-batch, artisanal chocolates. We think you’ll agree that adding one of their chocolate bars or sampler gift boxes to your flower arrangement order is that decadent touch that you can’t get anywhere else!

Each chocolate purchase supports the Amazon River cleanup project called Projeto SUPaneiro in the Amazon Delta region where owner, Mariano, grew up and where his family still lives. As an avid standup paddle boarder (SUP), Margie loves this idea! Even more exciting is the way River-Sea transports their beans to the US. “River-Sea’s first shipment of cacao was the very first Sail Cargo shipment allowed in the USA since motorized cargo became the convention! Over 100 years!”

Why is this exciting? “The shipping industry accounts for over 80% of the world’s trade volume and 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.” ~United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

According to River-Sea, “Sail transport reduces carbon emissions by 99% over conventional cargo transport, while providing a more nimble and efficient sustainable solution for trade.”

But don’t take our word for it! Add one of our River-Sea Chocolates to your order and let us know what you think!

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Why We Chose Grace+Love Candle Company

We were looking for candles from a shop that has a philosophy similar to ours—locally owned and operated, offering a quality product, community-oriented, and focused on sustainability. Grace+Love is owned by the wife and husband duo of Natalie and Jamahl Grace based in Loudoun County. One of their missions is to donate funds towards minority education. You can read about their inspiring story here!

How are Grace+Love Candles Made?

The entire collection is vegan friendly and cruelty free, using domestically grown soy wax, phthalate free fragrances, and lead-free cotton wicks. What does that mean for you?

Soy wax burns clean (no blackened walls) with no toxins, carcinogens, or pollutants. Derived from soybeans, soy wax is a renewable resource and supports American farmers. It’s also biodegradable so it cleans up nicely with just soap and water. Soy wax also burns at a lower temperature than paraffin which means your candle will last longer!

Our Current Fragrances

We’re starting with five fragrances which we believe offer a nice selection of floral, fruity, and earthy. Click on each photo for more information!

Give us a call and let us know what you think! We’re eager for your feedback!

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The type of arrangement you choose will most likely be dictated by where the arrangement will be. For the holidays, arrangements generally fall into four categories: low profile, garlands, tall focal, and short focal.

Types of Arrangements

Low profile are perfect for centerpieces and are low to allow guests to talk to each other across the table. Depending on the table shape and length, they can be round or long. Candles and/or lanterns can also be incorporated into these types of arrangements.

Garlands are a great option if you have a very long table or are working within a budget. If you need most of your table space for dishes, you might want to choose a thinner garland that just adds a line of texture down the middle of your table. Garlands can be all or mostly greenery such as ruscus, eucalyptus, pine, or cedar. From there, you can add woodier herbs such as rosemary and thyme, pine cones, or flowers to pick up the colors in your room or add seasonal festivity.

A tall focal arrangement is perfect on a table in a large foyer to welcome guests or in the corner of the buffet table. You could go with appropriate holiday colors or choose a palette that compliments the home or room that the arrangement is in. These type of arrangements can be three-sided so the flat side backs up against a wall or all-the-way-around. The all-the-way-around variety, when tall enough, can be used as a centerpiece as it allows people to see under the arrangement while talking to other guests.

A small focal arrangement is a good choice for smaller entryways, a guest room, a powder room, or anywhere that you would like to add a pop of color and a festive spirit. These can also be used as centerpieces for smaller/round tables, or several can be used for longer tables.

Thanksgiving Flowers

I love Thanksgiving arrangements because of all the fun textural items that can be added. Mango calla lilies, red roses, orange gerbera daisies, bronze mums, and burgundy dahlias, bring gorgeous fall tones. Add a combination of cat tails, chocolate queen ann’s lace, wheat, dried lotus pods, hypericum berries, salidago, or bupleurum, and you have a unique arrangement from fall’s bounty.

Christmas Flowers

Of course red and green reign supreme in Christmas Arrangements, and mother nature has no shortage of offerings. Almost every flower comes in red such as roses, gerbera daisies, lilies, mums, and carnations. The winter season adds another layer of dark greenery that look and smell like Christmas–pine, cedar, spruce, fir, and juniper. Put these together in unique and whimsical ways. Maybe add beautiful white calla lilies for a more romantic contrast or sparkly ornaments and “ting ting” for playful festivity, and you’ve got a special arrangement to grace your home for the holiday!

Hanukkah Flowers

Mother nature doesn’t have a lot of flowers that are naturally blue, but what she does have are beautiful! Blue delphinium bring a bright royal blue that lends height and dimension to arrangements. Hydrangea come in dark and light blue hues, offer a lot of bang for the buck, and lend an elegant garden-style touch. Blue thistle is long lasting and adds fun texture, or you could try white anemones with their gorgeous blue centers. Whether you’re looking for a tall focal arrangement or a shorter centerpiece, there are plenty of holiday flowers to choose from!

Of course we are here to help! Just give us a call, and we’ll help you come up with the perfect holiday flowers!

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Flowers

There are all kinds of flowers you can include in a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Yellow sunflowers and solidago bring brightness, while red flowering ginger and orange lilies give the arrangement dark color for contrast. There’s also lots of fun greenery you could add. Hypericum berries add pops of color, and seeded eucalyptus offers a unique touch.

Accents

But it’s not just flowers and greenery that make a Thanksgiving centerpiece beautiful; there’s plenty of accents and smaller items that can add a unique touch! Things like fall leaves, lotus pods, pinecones, and other dried elements give a centerpiece a rustic feel. You could even include a little pumpkin or an acorn squash for that fall look!

Size

Size is an important factor in choosing your centerpiece. A long and low centerpiece compliments any table and makes it easy for your guests to see over it to talk to each other. You could also choose some taller arrangements to place on a sideboard or buffet table. And if you have a more high-end event planned, you could order some tall centerpieces that your guests can see underneath!

When you’re ready to order a Thanksgiving centerpiece or arrangement, just give us a call!

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Dahlias

To me, there is no flower more “fall” than a dahlia! These beautiful, round blooms come in a wide variety of colors from pale whites and creams to deep, rich burgundies! Dahlias are sure to add a unique touch to any arrangement when used as a focal flower.

Celosia

There are three varieties of celosia–coxcomb, plume, and spicata–and each is well-loved here at Fantasy Florist! The wide variation in shape and color makes celosia a versatile choice for arrangements, and it can be used for almost any occasion! 

Marigolds

The namesake golden color of marigolds is the perfect complement to a warm, rich fall color scheme! These flowers add a touch of brightness and contrast to the deep reds and browns that herald the fall. They also have a unique fragrance!

Strawflower

If you’re looking for a more unique fall filler, strawflower is one of our favorites! This small flower comes in a wide array of colors and hues, and its distinct texture helps it stand out among the autumn blooms. It’s a natural complement to other fall flowers!

Zinnias

Last in the alphabet but certainly not least, the zinnia is a fantastic flower to add to any fall arrangement! Like the dahlia, it comes in many colors, but it’s smaller and more rounded. It’s well suited to arrangements both big and small!

If these flowers are calling your name, then good news! All of these fall flowers are available from local farms through our partnership with Old Dominion Flower Cooperative. Whether it’s an autumn birthday, a back-to-school gift, or just because you love the fall, order your autumnal arrangement today!

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Single-use plastics are notoriously bad for not only our wildlife and the environment, they are bad for anyone that consumes the wildlife that ingest these plastics. We’ve eliminated one more single-use plastic from our shop, and we’re recycling in the process! Have you ever turned a rose upside-down to preserve it and noticed just how strong the stem becomes when it’s dried? We noticed that too!

It takes a bit of effort and vigilance, but the environment is so worth each sustainable step we can take. We often cut our long stem rose stems to accommodate shorter arrangements or remove them altogether for rose petal orders. Instead of throwing them away, we are saving these stems, drying them, and making slits at one end to hold the envelopes that carry message cards and care instructions.

The next time you receive an arrangement from us, you can compost the sustainable card holder right along with the flowers and greenery!

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Before you give us a call, you’ll want to gather some information, and then the corsage or boutonniere designs itself!

Wrist or Pin-on Corsage?

Most people prefer wrist corsages, but you’ll sometimes find your grandmother prefers a pin-on corsage because that is what she is used to. Wrist corsages are nice because they go with any kind of dress or material. If the dress is strapless or has spaghetti straps, a wrist corsage is perfect because you don’t have to worry about where to pin the corsage. If the dress is made out of a fabric that isn’t sturdy enough to support the weight of a pin-on corsage, then a wrist corsage is perfect.

We have several different wristlet options to accommodate different sized wrists. Just let us know if your wrist is particular petite. You can even come in to try on the wristlets.

Color Palate

Are you trying to match a dress or a suit? Is this for a wedding so you want to coordinate with the wedding flowers? Are there school colors you want to include? For the most part, each element of the corsage or boutonniere can be the color of your choosing from the flowers, to the smaller supporting flowers, to the greenery, and finally the ribbon.

What kind of flower?

Roses are the most popular. For a corsage, we use several spray roses instead of the larger full-size rose in order to accommodate a woman’s smaller wrist size. Roses come in a variety of colors including the standard white, red, and light pink. But they also come in yellow, peach, lavender, burgundy, and orange. If you’re interested in one of the specialty colors, just call us about a week in advance so we are able to order the flowers for you.

If you want something a little more unusual, there are many other flowers that make beautiful corsages and boutonnieres. Orchids lend an exotic look and come in unusual colors such as the larger cymbidium orchid…

…or the smaller dendrobium orchid. Ranunculus offers a delicate look with gradations of color that are unpredictable and whimsical.

Calla lilies bring a classic sophisticated look and come in white, yellow, mango, pink/light purple, and a dark eggplant purple.

Additions

A traditional corsage and boutonniere is comprised of roses, baby’s breath, bakers fern, and a ribbon. We love requests for original designs. Some fun small flower additions are wax flower, solidago, astilbe, and statice.

Greenery comes in lots of different tones and textures including eucalyptus, myrtle, ruscus, variegated pittosporum, or even hypericum berries.

Ribbon

Most people include ribbon, but you don’t have to. Ribbon has so many characteristics including width, sheer or solid, matte or sparkly, or you can even choose two different ribbons.

You can certainly place your order over the phone. But if you’d like something more unique, you might consider visiting the shop. We have a huge selection of ribbon if you want to match fabric or just see the different colors and textures that are available. You’d be surprised at how many shades of blue there are! We can also pull various elements together like flowers, greenery, and ribbon so you get a feel for what the finished product will look like.

Whatever your needs are for corsages and boutonnieres, we’re here to help!

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Types of Flowers

Each arrangement consists of focal flowers and then what we call “fillers and spillers.” Focal flowers are the flowers that people can usually identify such as roses, orchids, peonies, sunflowers, dahlias, etc. They tend to be larger, hence the name focal flower since they become the flowers that draw people’s attention.

Fillers and spillers are equally important but aren’t necessarily the first thing that draws people’s focus. These flowers give the arrangement its vibe and reinforce a color palette. For instance, if you want an English Garden vibe, the designer might add hydrangea, lace flower, and astilbe.

For a wildflower look, the designer might add daisies, gomphrena, and scabiosa;

Some focal flowers are more expensive than others, with peonies and orchids being some of the most valuable flowers. The same applies to fillers and spillers. Solidago, daisies, carnations, lace flower, astilbe, and hydrangea are lovely flowers that add texture and color to arrangements. Astilbe and hydrangea are going to be more expensive than daisies and carnations.

Size and Style

In general, smaller arrangements are going to be less expensive than larger arrangements. The style of the arrangement also impacts price. A short compact arrangement that is about 12” x 12” in total size can be same price as an arrangement that is 24” x 24” in total size because both arrangements have the same number/value of flowers. You can see an example of this in the photos below. The short and compact arrangement on the left has essentially the same number/value of flowers compacted together in a smaller space as the arrangement on the right that is tall and open.

Pricing

A $200 arrangement of just peonies will be much smaller than a $200 arrangement of just sunflowers. This is why our pricing is based on the qualities of the flowers and the style of the arrangement rather than the size of the arrangement.

A standard arrangement will be small with just a few standard focal flowers such as roses or sunflowers and mostly standard filler/spiller flowers such as carnations, mums, daisies, and/or alstromeria.

As you move into Deluxe and Intricate, you have the option of smaller arrangements with more expensive flowers or larger arrangements using standard flowers. This is a nice option if you are looking for a small arrangement, but you don’t want any carnations or mums. If you don’t mind standard flowers, these price points allow for larger arrangements.  

Premium and Extravagant arrangements can be about size or flowers or both. If you would like a large arrangement that takes up a lot of space, Premium and Extravagant arrangements are great. They will be large and showy using a variety of flowers in all ranges.

With Premium and Extravagant arrangements, you can also focus on the more expensive focal flowers such as peonies, orchids, and dahlias while using fewer and more unique filler and spiller flowers such as astilbe and hellebores. With a focus on the more expensive flowers, these arrangements won’t be as large.

As you can see, flower arrangement sizes and prices are dependent on the style and flowers you would like to use. Feel free to call or email us! We’re happy to take orders over the phone and discuss options with you.

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There are a few flowers that actually start blooming before spring. Anemones, amaryllis, and ranunculus are all winter flowers, and all three stay vibrant in the spring. Hellebores, an evergreen plant, also blooms during March, and daffodils and poppies both start waking up around this time. 

As we drift later into April and the weather warms up, you’ll start to see some garden favorites! Bleeding hearts, bluebells, and bachelor buttons bring unique touches to arrangements, and they flourish in April. For a very short time this month–only a week or two–lilacs also blossom. And if there’s one flower that symbolizes spring, it’s tulips! April brings a vast variety of tulips to the shop, and each one is uniquely beautiful!

After winter, early spring flowers are truly Mother Nature’s gift to us. Our Spring Designer’s Choice is a perfect way to enjoy this gift!

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