FloraLife Finishing Spray Comparison

Notes from the 'Hands On' Design Class

Earlier this week we held a design class sponsored by Fitz Design, Floracraft, Berwick, and Seagroatt Riccardi, LTD.. 

The Designer/Educator was Joyce Mason-Monheim AIFD, CFD, PFCI, AzMF, who brought with her some of her expert design tips and ideas. For those of you that may have been unable to attend the event, we have below one of the pieces she shared with us as well as the “ingredients” that went into the making of this elegant bracelet.

A special thank you to Gretchen Squires from Schrade’s Posie Peddler, Inc. in Saratoga, NY for contributing her bracelet for this article.

2x - Pink Alstromeria

1x - Variegated Dendrobium

1x - Purple Stock

1x - Boronia

1x - Green Hypericum Berry

1x - Geo Flash Bracelet from Fitz Design

-          This is a special order item, your salesperson will be happy to assist you with these or explore our Wedding & Corsage section for alternative ideas!

1x - Gleaming Corsage Leaves

1x - Ivory & Opal Veronica Ribbon

For more information regarding the products above, including pricing and availability, please visit our website or contact your salesperson today!  Stay tuned for more notes from the class and be sure to sign up for the next event early!  

Staff Picks - Jessica Virtue

IF YOU EVER HAVE WONDERED WHAT PRODUCTS "THE FUN GUYS"  LOVE TO WORK WITH BUT NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO FIND OUT, YOU ARE IN LUCK!

We interviewed sales staff, buyers, warehouse and greenhouse staff and even a few individuals that we aren't totally sure what they do to find out which products they are most passionate about.

What has two green thumbs, a keen eye for design and smiles all the time?   

Jessica Virtue... is one of our greenhouse experts that has the knowledge and experience to recommend the ideal flowering plant for your upcoming event or diagnose an issue with your floor plant that no longer looks as nice as it did when it first arrived in your shop.  

She can differentiate an arboricola from an aralia at a glance from one end of the the greenhouse to the other (not an easy task).  Jessica knows her plant species and how to care for each one.  She also has an inventive quality that has added some new flair to the products offered at Seagroatt Riccardi, LTD.  

The Jessica was named for its creator and has quickly become a popular request from the vast selections of custom dish gardens that are made onsite daily by our talented greenhouse staff.  If you have a taste for something different, stay tuned...there will be newly designed dish gardens available soon made by other dirty hands.

Jess took a few moments from her busy routine of watering, picking, packing, receiving, potting and selling to tell us what her favorites are and why.  (Don't worry, no plants were harmed or neglected during this interview.) Here's what we found out:

1: Jasmine, "(is) a small plant that looks and smells great!"

 2: Purple Wandering Jew, "(is) a 10” hanging plant that is easy to care for and very colorful."

3: Burle Marx, "(is) another houseplant that is easy to care for and very pretty."

4: Gerber Daisies, "...all varieties. They’re my favorite flower."

5: African Mask, "(is) a houseplant for people who are looking for something a little out of the ordinary."

Whatever plants you are looking for, Jessica can help. She can be reached by email by clicking on her name here or by calling her directly at extension 229.  Stay tuned to see which of "The Fun Guys" will be next in the Staff Picks series!

Staff Picks - Sam Saliba

If you ever have wondered what products "The Fun Guys"  love to work with but never had the chance to find out, you are in luck!

We interviewed sales staff, buyers, warehouse and greenhouse staff and even a few individuals that we aren't totally sure what they do to find out which products they are most passionate about.

Salesman Sam Saliba...believes in products that perform well week after week. This trust is reverberated with each phone call he makes and if you can catch him at his desk while not on the phone you should go out and buy a lottery ticket because you have stumbled upon a rarity.

Flower fads with fancy names and new vendors with colorful boxes come and go.  They have to earn their place on Sam's list of favorite items.  Once they make "the cut", his loyalty knows no bounds.

"Consistency beats any flash in the pan product with me every time."

 1: Freedom Roses from Vizcaya (Sagaro & Las Flores). "Year in and year out they are the most consistent." 

2: Alstromeria from Gardens America; "(They have) the biggest flowers and a nice assortment."

3: Carnations from Golden Flowers. "Every week they provide us with the biggest flowers and the best packaging."

4: Purple Mini Carnations from Direct Farms. "Very consistent, nice cut stage."

5: Viking Poms from Tahami, "(are) another consistent performer with nice long breaks too."

You can reach Sam at extension 212 or you can email him by clicking on his name here.  Stay tuned to see which of "The Fun Guys" will be next in the Staff Picks series!

Bargain Hunters Take Notice

Searching for deals cannot be any easier at www.seagroattriccardi.com!

Closeouts, partial cases, special buys and discontinued items are available on our website for purchase in limited quantities and can be viewed by clicking the button at the bottom of the Special Offers section.

These items are offered at a fraction of their regular price and are offered exclusively on the web. We update this section constantly, so be sure to check here often when you want to hunt for a deal!

Balloons, baskets, glassware, stationary...you never know what you will find!  

As always, logging into our site gives you the ability to see pricing and availability of the items you are seeking.

Want to know how great of a deal something is? Click on an image to see more information, including original price, additional description and your overall savings!  

If you are a bargain hunter or have a low budget for an event, be sure to check this section first and save!  

Shop LIVE Inventory Online!

1.2.2013 marks the unveiling our fully redesigned website that will enable full access to our LIVE inventory all day everyday!  Customers can shop for fresh flowers, plants & supplies and place live orders from any web browser!

Some of the great features included in the redesign include:

• Live access to available inventory in the building as well as anything arriving before your ship date selection

• Access to customer account information
• Includes viewing and printing sales orders, invoices or credits

• Easy one click search capability by category or keyword
• Advanced searches allow customers to shop by color and/or price!

• Exclusive Web Special Offers!

• Product Images and additional item details at your fingertips!

• Email confirmation with every order placed goes immediately to the email address on file with us as well as the sales person assigned to the account!

Click here to request your new username and password to start shopping LIVE inventory!

Feel Good Flowers from Seagroatt Riccardi

If you never considered supplying your cooler with locally grown fresh cut product, you might want to rethink that sentiment.  The summer continues to provide an abundance of locally grown products that are beaming with color and are just waiting to be used.  Despite the fact that certain parts of the country are in the midst of one of the most difficult droughts since 1956 across the United States, the sources of these inspiration gems can still be found throughout the Tri-State area.  Perhaps you know of a few that show up at local Farmer’s Markets in the towns you operate in.  If not, we welcome you with the opportunity of making this feel good connection every week as we stock our cooler with a variety of novelty and some everyday items.

Specifically, we are partnering with several self-sustaining farms in Schenectady, Saratoga and Columbia counties for locally grown, cared for and cut flowers.  There is a certain charm with being able to talk with a grower face to face as he or she unloads the fruits of their labor into our cooler.  Most purchases are made today via the internet or the telephone where the human connection is difficult to make.  The ability to offer large novelty sunflowers from a farm in Saratoga County has become less about finance and more about community.  It allows us a glimmer of perspective on an otherwise highly impersonal and fast paced routine.  It makes you want to change the name of this link in the chain to “wholesomesaler”. 

Without getting too carried away in clichés, we want to make a special note that the product we receive from these earthy entrepreneurs and floral fanatics displaces some of the volume we normally have to import from other countries.  The volume of imported large sunflowers, lisianthus and snapdragon are directly impacted.  This is a “buy local” situation that we cannot help but feel proud to be a part of.  Imagine the positive impact on the environment this generates by reducing the heavy carbon emissions from expensive air cargo.      

Plentiful variety is also what keeps any flower shop looking new, fresh, trendy and seasonal.  These flowers scream summertime and are diverse enough to provide you with something different to work with each week.  If you are bored of using the same old “staple” flowers in your design work, imagine using locally cut Fever few rather than Gypsophilia or white wax flower.  Perhaps substituting locally cut Cleome instead of Spider mums, or cut Ageratum rather than purple statice may be the answer.

The list of local flowers arriving at Seagroatt Riccardi can vary from week to week; here are some of the regulars highlighted for our staff on the boards right now:

Ageratum - Blue

Cleome - Lavender

Coneflower - Purple

Coreopsis - Assorted colors

Cosmos – Assorted colors

Feverfew

Gomphrena – raspberry, red, purple

Heliopsis - Yellow

Hybrid Delphinium – Blue, Lavender

Lisianthus- Pink, purple, lavender, purple variegated

Snapdragons (Medium) – Assorted colors

Sunflowers – Novelty, dark center and light center

Verbena

Zinnia – Assorted colors