take a picture of Donny...hilarious
funniest one yet
love these characters

Gosh, I'm so glad you said this was a special treat. The idea of $40 every week for flowers makes me shudder. I waved off a dozen of the most beautiful cream roses (priced at $6) because it seemed too much money for flowers. BUT, I did grab a STEAL, instead; 5 stems of "Sweet Williams" for a a joyful 75 cents total! :)

Where is that flower shop? Please tell us!

It's too expensive for me to buy flowers every week, so instead I just picked some lemons from my lemon tree in my terrace and put them in a bowl - they look gorgeous!

@evajimenezbcn - please send a picture!! And @AriannaKarlisse - 28th Street between 6th and Broadway!

Paperkite - where did you find Sweet Williams for 75 cents??

the gooseneck loosestrife remind me of summer - I just bagged the remnants of a large patch of it from my garden, getting ready for winter. I am loving this 'cure' and don't want it to end.

We are squealing over here--he showed our flowers! So excited.

We have amyrilis bulbs they last so much longer than flowers. In winter we start a new bulb every 3 weeks. I like to buy local and seasonal food where possible and can't really justify flowers being flown half way round the World.

Wow. That place had amazingly beautiful flowers. I would love to go there. Definitely something I would do for a special occasion.

Ever since we started this cure, I've been keeping my eyes peeled for creative "fresh" bouquets. First week was flowers from Trader Joes (that lasted two weeks) then it was apples and lemons, today holly from bushes growing outside my apartment. They definitely brighten up the home.

The video makes me want to come to New York again just to go to the flower market!!

I just became a foster mom to a very nibbly cat, so flowers are out this week. But this video was gorgeous and inspiring.

I came into the 20/20 way late, but can I just say that I love Maxwell's little videos? He's so calm and softspoken. Very relaxing. :)

OMG - I know that market! :-) I'm becoming enough of a New York visitor to recognize things. Apparently Maxwell lives in the areas I frequent in my visits. I love the flower days the best - something about having fresh flowers in the house inspires me to keep the rest of the house tidy around them so they can show off. Buying them (not quite weekly, because mine seem to last up to 10 days) is a treat too. I think I might put a new vase on my Christmas list this year.

I buy flowers every week, but these prices freak me out, is that normal in the USA? Or NY? I am from Amsterdam, Netherlands, and for these two bunches I would pay 10 euro's max (13 dollar).

If you want to have flowers in winter and still be reasonably eco-friendly, you can put hyacinth or small narcissus bulbs in special glasses with water. The water should not touch the bulb. Put it in a dark cupboard until roots have been formed; then take it out into your room and watch how the stems and flowers are formed. I am from Holland and this is something my mother did in winter (not so many greenhouses at that time) and now I do it myself. I only hope you can find the special glasses in the States...

For those of you who live in New York City and work in or around Columbus Circle, believe it or not, the Whole Foods at the Time Warner Center is great for flowers. There are a wide range of prices (I tend to stay in the $8 to $12 range), but more to the point, the ladies at the flower counter will arrange and wrap your flowers so beautifully that they'll make a perfect gift for you, your spouse, or anyone else you want to treat. For free. And, if you're looking to splash out, they'll create bouquets for you--or, if you're feeling design-y (as I was last week), amalgamate a few choices...

For a less expensive but still substantial fresh arrangement try picking any lovely greens you can find outdoors (I call this "roadside'ia" cause I get mine from the side of the road:-) and then compliment your arrangement with a few inexpensive stems of brightly colored flowers.

Justifying the cost of cut flowers has been hard for me in the past. But I found a really wonderful solution! Lately, I've been getting hydrangea plants from Trader Joes $7-8. I cut the bloomed flowers for an instant arrangement. Then I plant the rest in my little garden for more flowers next year!!!!

My flowers from last week still look good!

I buy fresh flowers weekly. They are the best decoration you can buy. :) I gave up cigarettes and hard liquor, so I have no guilt about the $.

I bought cat grass so I can share the joy :)

I love flowers and my friends always compliment me on my flower arrangements. But do we really need 4 installments on flowers? You would think that just once "buy flowers" would be enough... Am I wrong?

Graphist...I have been thinking the same thing. I would love more topics instead, I got the flower message the first time, don't see why it has to be repeated over and over. The fruit was a nice change, but surely there are other options also? Down on bended knees begging Maxwell....madly fluttering eyelashes for good measure...

Since it was the last week, and I'm pretty sure I won't continue this the rest of winter, I splurged and spent $9.99 on 3 LARGE white hydrangea blooms from Whole Foods. They were perfect. Also, because of a previous week's assignment, I have an orangey-yellow begonia in a pot that should keep flowering for a while, a new peace lily that was a happy accident gift to me during the cure, and I will soon buy a poinsettia for the holidays. Yay for flowers!

@RebeccaBea: Kroger! Can you believe it? I laughed all the way home. :)

I am happy that Maxwell posted about the flower market but I wish he went into where to buy blooming branches and palm leaves. I always see great use of them in magazine spreads and catalogs but its not that accessible to find in day to day city life.

In Australia, I'm so spoilt, my local market sells bunches of flowers from $4-$10.

That said, I still love the idea of visiting a market that has flowers from all over the world. An experience in itself.

Mexican sunflowers are going off in my plot in the neighborhood community garden, which happens to be across the street. I can look out my bedroom window in the morning and see yellow blossoms w/dark centers standing tall above the mock orange hedge :). Lucky we live Hawaii!

Maxwell,
You drive that damn scooter like a courier. Spook-key!

I somehow missed the entire 20/20 series, this was the first one I watched. Also, I don't have sound at work so I have no idea what was said but I was shocked to read here that the cost of the flowers was $40. For that, I would expect a much bigger bouquet. I would not pair peonies with loosestrife, but that's a personal choice.
I buy flowers fairly often at a local farmers' market. I love chrysanthemums, especially the spider ones, and right now they go for $1 per stem. They often last as long as 3 weeks.
Also, for $12, I get a huge bouquet of hyndrangea blooms mixed with other flowers - hypericum berries, gerberas, sometimes roses, chrysanthemums - the guy who puts them together is very talented. A few times, when I wanted something special (like for a birthday etc.) I would tell him I want something for $20 and he whips out an unbelievably beautiful huge bouquet. I guess $40 for a few stems is NYC price.

Thanks for showing my (purplepopsny) flower pic Maxwell!

our local farmer's market will sell bunches of flowers for $3 - they last all week (sometimes 2) and I always have a vase of fresh flowers in my house. i love it, brightens up the rooms!

We're losing the NYC flower market to corporate tourist hotel chains that are tearing down the old spaces for their box rooms, so enjoy it while it lasts.

I shifted pretty trays of canistels (egg fruit) to the dining table and avocados to the foyer console. I'll use today's :20 to continue yesterday's cure. Final week, yeah!

Buying flowers is really difficult for me. In my mind, buying something that is going to die in a couple days seems wrong, so in the past I would buy orchids. For me, a potted plant is just like but flowers, only they take longer to die. :)

This time I've managed to select flowers that last. My flowers from Week 1 are still going strong!!! I bought Week 2 flowers in a complementary color and added them to it.

Tonight, I'll buy something totally new and different, I promise.

Last Friday I got a dozen red roses from an attorney whose case we just took over. I'm not sure that's a good sign for the case, but they sure look beautiful on my coffee table and I don't have to buy any for myself. lol

Here in Alaska flowers get expensive! I have several houseplants that bring that green indoors...it helps tide me over until I can get more flowers. If you look for flowering house plants that will provide a sustainable eco-friendly option that will last for years and years. Do not be afraid to plant your own seeds in pots indoors to be able to enjoy blooms off season. My 11 yr. old daughter planted seeds last spring and they are still blooming this winter!

Love the flowers, but...
Not so sure I can justify the cost every week. My cat likes the flowers even more than i do,unfortunately not in the same way. I think I'll try a nice bowel of fruit next week.

Flowers always give me a lift. My favorites are freesias which are more available in spring. One spray can fragrance an entire room. I will light a floral candle as a substitute for now.

Sure, most of us can do something in flowers, but maybe not $40ish bucks each week. Maxwell, your arrangement is gorgeous, but I know from experience that a $4 bouquet of mums from our local grocery store can supply just about as much pleasure. Good tip, whether higher end, or not.

That is really expensive.. $75 for that white bunch?! I'm surprised you didn't faint! I felt uncomfortable watching this.. not sure what it was.. lol. I buy flowers every wednesday from my farmer's market.. I get 2 bunches of whats in season (lately it's dahlias and gerber daisies) and I pay $6 total. I live in San Diego....

I buy weekly flowers too. This week I have a gorgeous $4 bouquet that I split between the dining room table and the kitchen counter. Joy.

I have allergies to most flowers, so I decorate my home with live, lush green plants which I love to take care of weekly :) It gives me more pleasure than cut flowers.

I'll pass on the flowers this weeks. I don't know why, but the ones I bought two weeks ago are still fresh and beautifully orange, so I'll just cut their stems and refresh their water.

Or you go in the countryside and just collect a little bunch....

loved watching the new york flower market....great clip Maxwell. i alternate between a new house plant (then i bring them to work when i'm bored with them), a bowl of gourds and pumpkins right now, and then i'll do something with evergreen swags for Christmas time. not sure what to do in January...maybe that will be the best time for flowers to help us think about spring!