For those of you with a tiny apartment, where every detail makes a big impact, this is a great, but fleeting, seasonal choice. For as little as $3.00 you can pick up a bundle of flowering branches from the local GreenMarket. As they open up they will become THE focal point, bringing vibrant color and delicate blossoms for more than a week. Drinking morning coffee next to a vase of these makes us feel like we are on a picnic...
The ones I bought last week are cherry and they are just beginning to blossom after a week of slowly filling out, first with brussels sprout-like bulges, then with green leaves, and now with delicate white blossoms on the seventh day.
I also have a tiny bud vase near the bed. It is almost never without a sprig of something from the flower shop. It is the tiniest thing in the entire room, but it has a very large impact. It seems to make a single stem of any plant shine like a jewel. We put two branches in it this past week and they brighten up the entire room. We will be sad to see them fade.
matt at apartmenttherapy dot com
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I adore this look. They look more and more heavenly as the days pass by. It is a subtle, but remarkable reminder of the eternal cycle of nature... and the joy to be found in this wondrous season of spring.
view 2009sunshine's profile
beautiful and more interesting than the usual bunch of flowers
view LaDonnaNichole's profile
Adorable... any suggestions on where to buy a similarly sized vase?
view Anokha's profile
I visiting NYC from LA right now and saw these at the Greenmarket today. Are these available everywhere or is this some kind of magical East coast wunderplant? I've never seen anything like this in LA before but I'd like to be able to find them once I get home.
Thanks in advance to any green(er) thumbs who can help me out.
view Brian's profile
We filled the our gallery space with fresh flowering branches for an art reception this weekend. Its been beautiful coming into work to the smell of fresh forsythia, cherry blossoms, magnolias, and laurel!
view Modfan's profile
Brian, I'm guessing most of these are cooler weather trees.
Fer instance, most of the branches in NYC Greenmarkets are peach, pear, and apple blossoms - and of course flowering cherries which are ornamentals, not the trees that bear fruit. Crabapples also have a super luxe blossom display.
view guido's profile
I have a yard (midwest), but I just can't bring myself to cut my flowering trees while they are at their peak. I guess if I could find a branch that I knew I was going to be pruning.
Eastern red bud's are my favorite, and a bunch of flowering brancheds would probably look great indoors.
view Jon_B's profile
Brian,
I would not be surprised if the LA flower markets get flowering branches shipped in from farther north - however, timing might be a bit different than in the northeast. Keep in mind these are a spring treat - not a year round event. Since California is prolific in fruit production - it is a logical assumption that the ornamental trees do well there too.
Branches are bare and not particularly attractive when sold so they are not typically set out on the street in front of a store. If you like the look, talk to your neighborhood florist - see if and when they carry them. You most likely missed them this year - so you have some time to ask around regarding where to get some. If your neighborhood florist doesn't carry them, they will probably have a recommendation regarding where to find them in your area and will probably know when to look for them
view Alex in DC's profile