Loretta Stagen Floral Designs

Ribbons are important accessories for a floral designer, and like a custom broach on that little black dress can elevate the tone of any occasion – and move it from exceptional to extraordinary. Over my years in the business I have literally scoured the landscape to amass a collection of ribbons that most designers would envy.  Black tie or country wedding – no problem.  Unusual palette?  I am confident I’ve got just the right ribbon to match in hue and intensity. These are some of the wonderful ribbons I’ve used in recent weddings.  They function beautifully as links connecting bridal and bridesmaid’s bouquets and boutonnieres. I often fashion pew posies and streamers. Talk about eye candy.   I love helping my clients work on these finishing touches. See how gorgeous satin overlaid with organza looks! Photos by Corinne Torkelson

For exuberant flower lovers, orange is a real crowd pleaser.   A number of my clients are opting for shades of orange, in monochromatic or strongly contrasting floral arrangements for a number of striking effects.   Here are some centerpieces that will catch your eye: These flowers are truly sumptuous… for centerpieces as well as bridal bouquets and aisle chair posies: Orange, grey and white flowers, by the way, is one of this year’s favorite mixes…But orange is also spectacular with purple, chartreuse or hot pink. Recently I created the floral designs for a party at the Washington Club.   Party Coordinator, Dana Schulman selected orange colored tablecloths and it was my job to come up with a creative idea for the centerpieces.   I selected pincushion flowers mixed with an abundance of grevillia…arranged in birch bark containers.   The flowers matched the tablecloths perfectly and the fringy grevillia conj...

Maybe it’s because I care passionately about locally grown organic food, but I love to incorporate beautiful fruits and vegetables in my arrangements. Talk about sensory pleasure – and a chance to delve into the flower district as well as my favorite farmer’s markets. And now that the growing season is upon us, how about considering a mix of these elements for that upcoming wedding or special dinner party? I’ve come up with many combinations throughout he years, but here are a few recent favorites: Tiers of eggplant, onions squash, peppers, scallions, leeks and peppers -- gustatory cornucopias –set the tone for a memorable summer dinner party. A hollowed out watermelon was used as the base for this centerpiece of roses, viburnum and okara orchids. Peppers worked wonderfully with min-sunflowers, zinnias and asters for a country wedding. Restricted to a palette of green and peach, I made this sherbet-worthy confection of apples, oranges, pears, hypericum berries, roses and...

By now most people have played with the “thriller, spiller, and filler” recipe for a container pot, only to discover that their pots are still missing something. For starters, it’s crucial to choose plants that will go the distance. There’s nothing worse than having a container peter out in midsummer. I have time-tested favorite plant and plant combinations, and return each year to favorite nurseries to ensure your pots will be chock- full of color and texture. Generally I work with a client’s containers – provided they have plenty of drainage. And I plant generously – no stinting on volume, no assumptions that containers will “fill in.” My pots always arrive looking full and luxurious, and crafted to your color specifications. Take a close look at the containers I’ve designed and planted -- you may have encountered them at a wedding, or on a shopping trip, or beside a neighbor’s front door.  It’s wonderful how these floral...

Perhaps it began with the live trees in the cathedral the day of Kate and William’s wedding, or the stunning white gowns worn by both Kate and her sister, Pippa, but white and green floral arrangements are hot right now, even in the depths of winter.  On the fashion runway in NYC this month many of the models were decked out in bright green sweaters and green eye shadow; designers overall were opting for crisp tailoring and clothes pared of bling and excess. The message:   green is “in”.            I’ve been playing with this palette for quite some time now, and share these photographs to give you the idea.   For the mantel over a fireplace in a Greenwich mansion this past Christmas I centered a bouquet of Dutch hydrangeas in a bed of fresh holiday greens (douglas fir, cedar and Italian ruscus).  At a wedding this summer I placed specimen cut-leaf maple leaves in tall crystal containers. ...