Pictures From Josh & Marisa’s Wedding 11/20/10

Berberian Floral Design & Event Planning — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:08:45 +0000

Photos taken by my very talented friend Blake Schwier. He is a freelance photographer in the Central Jersey Area. You can view more of his work and contact him on his Blogsite at www.blakesphotosolutions.wordpress.com

Nitya & Sundeep’s Wedding

Berberian Floral Design & Event Planning — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:41:40 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

I had the honor to do the Event Coordination and some of the flowers for Nitya & Sundeeps wedding at Rasoi Banquet Hall in Monmouth Junction, on Saturday August 28th. This was my first Indian wedding and honestly it was a wonderful expeirence. Everyone was so wonderful and loving. I truly can say i enjoyed every minute!

Berberian Floral Design & Event Planning — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:42:33 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

Are Those Plants REALLY Deer Resistant?!

Berberian Floral Design & Event Planning — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:09:10 +0000

I have been asked a number of times which plants are deer resistant… I hear the same thing over and over again. “I just planted my garden and all the flower heads are gone!”. Well folks this is an issue that unfortunately will not go away. Its a challenge that all gardeners alike face each year especially in the Northeastern United States. There are methods to this madness that can be helpful and decrease the deer population in your yard. Lets start with a little history as to why deer may be encroaching into your property.

The White Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have inhabited this area for hundreds of years prior to disturbances and habitat fragmentation created by man as well as natural causes. Dramatic urbanization and development fragments the habitat available for wildlife species therfore deer densities often exceed ecosystem carrying capacity in remnant natural areas.
Studies have shown that landscape composition, deer density, and food availability effects and determines a deer’s home range characteristics. If deer densities exceed ecosystem carrying capacity, intraspecific competition increases and available food resources decrease. Hypothesizing that the combination of small preserved “fragmented” forested land for habitat, overbrowsed vegetation prompted deer to expand habitat into residential areas, YOUR YARD!! Fertilized lawns, flowers, shrubs, and ornamental plants provide nutritious food for urban deer. Additionally, competition for fawning sites in high-density areas may force subordinate females into neighboring areas to raise fawns. In laymans terms….Fragmentation due to human growth and urban sprawl have created smaller habitats for deer to graze and mate. Therefore increasing their population and deer density per square mile.

Ok so now that we are ALL experts lets discuss some methods to deter deer from your property. Deer pretty much LOVE anything that smells sweet and looks AWESOME. Here are some natural ways to deter deer from your yard that are safe for you, other wildlife and your pets:

1. Get a Fence. If you REALLLLLLY love your garden that much then put up a fence! If you REALLLLY love your yard then put up Fort Knox! Just kidding. Fencing is probably the best way to keep deer out of your yard and out of your flower beds. You can choose to use traditional board on board fencing (but at least 10 to 12 feet tall.. which may not fly with your township or development) or if you are looking for the extreme then you can get specialized deer fencing. (not so pretty) but may be good for those of you that have many beautiful acres of untouched land.

2. Human Hair Some people have found this to work really well. Sometimes combined with egg shells and egg yolk.

3. Liquid Fence Available at www.liquidfence.com, is a nontoxic mix of egg and garlic that lasts a month before it has to be renewed.

4. Plant Deer “Deterring or Tolerate” plants. Below is Bowman’s Hills Wildlife Preserve’s site. They provides a great list of Deer Tolerate & Resistant plants and are well known in the Landscape and Environmental Preservation industry.
Bowman’s Hills http://www.bhwp.org/native/impact_of_deer.htm
Another great list was put together by the Rutgers Agriculture Department. They have broken down native and non native plants into subsections by intensity of damage.
A = Rarely Damaged
B = Seldom Severely Damaged
C = Occasionally Severely Damaged
D = Frequently Severely Damaged
http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/

5. Carnivore Urine Fox urine may be easy to find at your local garden center and is also available at www.predatorpee.com

6. Netting. I have found that the netting works fairly well. Once the deer know that they can’t get to the plants they will usually give up and move on to your neighbors yard. You can purchase the netting from your local garden center as well.

Honestly, if a deer is hungry they will eat ANYTHING. Just remember WHY they are in your yard!

Please leave comments or suggestions!
Thanks!

Valentine’s Day!! NEED IDEAS?? NEED A FLORIST IN YOUR AREA TO DELIVER??

Berberian Floral Design & Event Planning — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:38:56 +0000

Well looks like Valentine’s Day is nearing! Most people in special relationships will stick with traditional gifts such as flowers, candies and a nice romantic expensive dinner. I think the best way to show someone that you love them is by treating each and everyday as if it were Valentine’s Day. I’ve always been unsure as to why we as American’s dedicate ONE day to love your significant other or family members. Everyday should be a special loving day! Also remember this Hallmark holiday is for everyone! NOT just the ones in a relationship, but for all. Love your family, love your mothers, sisters, brothers, fathers, grandparents, cats, dogs, and especially YOURSELF!!! In honor of the holiday, I have included some links that may help the creative lover or family member for some great ideas & tips!
** Remember, if you are getting flowers, you are not the only one! so think ahead… call your local florist at least 1 week ahead and place the order with them so they are prepared and can ensure you will the best of quality! Also if you have something specific in mind you will need to realize that you may pay more than what you would normally. so try to keep it simple. Less is more sometimes **
Ohh and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FLORISTS!!! Here are some great florists in the Central NJ area that I personally love and have worked closely with.

http://www.viburnumdesigns.com
http://www.gildedlilyflorist.com/
http://www.martinsvilleflorist.com/
http://www.floweramanj.com/belleville-florist/valentines-day-flowers-94c.asp
http://redwoodflorist.net/default.aspx
www.celebrations.com/valentines-day
http://www.marthastewart.com/holidays

Holidays Are Upon Us!

Berberian Floral Design & Event Planning — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:39:56 +0000

I would say that this is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the smells that fill the home during this season and the beautiful holiday decor. But it is certainly not easy to buy all the presents and all the decorations that we were able to only a couple years ago. Life as we know it has changed and honestly we all must make the best of it. This is the perfect opportunity to bring our families together and celebrate the joy of the holidays. The love we feel during the holidays can last for the entire year! Since I seem to have a running trend on ways to save money, here are some more links to some of my favorite sites with great holiday ideas to do with the entire family!

http://http://www.bhg.com/holidays/christmas/indoor-decorating/holiday-place-settings

http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/christmas-gifts-cards-decorations/christmas-decorations

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/easyxmasdecorate

http://www.diynetwork.com/topics/christmas/index.html

http://www.marthastewart.com/holidays

Great websites that have unique and interesting ideas with a budget in mind!

Berberian Floral Design & Event Planning — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:24:59 +0000

Oh NO! Only a couple more days till Halloween!!! Are you still looking for a costume?! or you’ve been working so much at the office you need some quick ideas to make your home ghostly, and haunted? Well check out some of these websites, they have great ideas and concepts that will also save you money!

http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-parties
http://www.celebrations.com/halloween-party-ideas
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/pumpkins

The Factors and Questions to Think About That WILL SAVE YOU MONEY!

Berberian Floral Design & Event Planning — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:32:13 +0000

- Whens the Event?
When speaking with venues, caterers, florists, event coordinators, remember to ask about discounts on certain days of the week and certain times of the year. Events during the wedding season or event season can be very costly! Try to have your event during Jan-March or Nov- Dec. You will save a ton of money that you can put towards your new home, a honeymoon, or a great vacation! If you cant work with the off season months then try for different days of the week. Always ask the questions!

- Have a Plan!
A Schematic rough sketch, color swatches, images, list of venues are always great to bring to your first meeting with your florist or event planner and a BUDGET! Have a list of questions with you to review and keep it documented in a binder along with your event. This will ensure that you and your planner are both organized and on the same page.

-Do your Research!
Many florist in the NJ, PA, NY area are very talented and will all offer unique designs, and a pricing quote for your event. It is always best to get comparable quote…BUT also remember that a florist can offer discount pricing, but is the quality design there? Is the quality product there? Make sure to speak with them on the phone and speak IN PERSON!!! Email is inpersonable and you and your florist or planner will never get a sense of detail that your event needs.

- What type of Flowers?
Remember, the more unique and out of season the flowers are the more costly it will be. Working with colors is your best option and your florist will make suggestions of flowers that are in season and that will keep you within budget!

- How many arrangements are you looking for?
Get an idea of how many tables you will have if you will be having a sit down dinner. Will you have a cocktail hour? Did you want arrangements or centerpieces for those tables? Card Tables? Headtables? Sweetheart tables? Stage area? All should be considered.

Highly recommended Flower Shop In Washington DC!

Berberian Floral Design & Event Planning — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:56:06 +0000

Allan Woods Floral Design

I recently had to order flowers for someone locate in Washington DC and as you know if your a florist or have work in a floral shop.. sometimes the RTI or DOVE system will pick out the WORST florist in the area! Well since I do not currently work in a floral shop anymore I still have the skill to find a really great high-end Florist with really reasonable prices in the NW Washington DC area. Allan Woods Floral Design. I discovered this floral shop simply by a google search and was immediately enthralled by their layout and design of just the website. I find that a lot of floral shops do not spent the proper time and thought to put together a really great website that REALLY sticks out and represents who they are and what they can do as designers. I research a couple more and really found that this site was it. From the moment I got on the phone with the customer Service rep I knew he knew EXACTLY what he was doing and walked me right through the whole process. Now, I have a lot of experience behind the phone in a floral & non floral customer service environment…and this rep has had the level of experience that I felt was superior and professional that I felt was in conjunction to the business representation they had on their website. Even though I’ve never step foot into their store I knew and felt an immediate trust with the rep. As a florist I want all my clients to experience the best quality service and design that they can possibly receive. I felt comfortable knowing that this Shop represented flower arranging in a way that I knew I would as well. If you are ever in the DC area or delivering flowers to the DC area…. Allan Woods Floral Design is HIGHLY Recommended!!

The Music Garden

Berberian Floral Design & Event Planning — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:17:41 +0000

About 5 years ago my Professor from Delaware Valley College introduced my environmental design studio class this concept design. Its so interesting to me because ever since I was a little kid I was able to listen to music and create/interpret a beautiful piece of art or pattern in my head. So this concept was something I latched on to simply because of my passion with music and landscape design. I love this design for many reasons obviously but the coolest part about which makes Julie Moir Messervy such a great designer, is all the considerations she had of the existing built environment, but also incorporated different plants and textures that provide a certain musical quality or look themselves. Not only did she design the garden utilizing the images that music can create but vise vera in the particular plants choices she had made.

Inspired by the pictorial element in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma collaborated with a number of artists to produce Inspired by Bach Bach/ Music Garden

Toronto Music Garden Designed by Julie Moir Messevry