+ What does ‘Semper Virens’ mean?

Semper Virens is a Latin term. ‘Semper’ means ‘always’ and ‘virens’ has two meanings: ‘evergreen’, and ‘vigorous’ or ‘flourishing.’ Our designs incorporate lots of unusual greenery and foliage for textural interest and to frame the lovely flowers. I hope my flowers will help you to flourish too!

+ What services do you offer?

We do weddings, bridal and baby showers, birthday parties, corporate events, and sympathy/memorial services. If you have another event in mind, please reach out, we'd love to help you! We specialize on natural, organic designs with seasonal blooms and textural interest. We also lead hands-on floral workshops.

+ What makes your style unique?

My background as a gardener and biologist gives me keen appreciation for all stages of a flower, from bud to bloom to seed, and I use them all in my design work. I strive to create a loose, organic, natural look, mixing lush florals with clean, Ikebana-style accents. I like to convey the unique personality of each flower. Natural beauty is the best!

+ How would past clients describe working with you?

The phrases that my clients have told me are: Listened carefully to my ideas; Made the process smooth and worry-free for me as the bride; Has a breadth of knowledge on plants, color & design; Always receptive to my ideas and feedback; Great creativity and attention to detail; Easy to work with.

+ Do you offer services that fit within my budget?

We probably do! For full service weddings, we have a $3,800 minimum. Intimate weddings and elopements are possible for less. We love to work with couples to figure out how to spend their budget for maximum visual impact and to create a beuatiful look and vibe. And reflect your personalities!

+ What venues have you worked at?

Partial list of venues: MA - The Barn at Gibbett Hill, New England Botanical Gardens at Tower Hill, Andover Inn, MASS MOCA, Long Hill Gardens, Andover Country Club, Oceanview of Nahant, Harding Allen Estate. NH - Fulcino Vineyard, Powder Major's Farm, Lakefalls Lodge, Uncanoonuc Mountain. VT - Old Grey Barn, Lake Bomoseen Lodge & private homes.

+ When are local flowers available? Where are they from?

Local flowers in eastern Massachusetts are available from May through frost (mid-October). I grow many of my own flowers and foliage, as well as source from New England flower farms. These farms provide specialty flowers that are simply unavailable elsewhere, are in better condition than "flown flowers," and usually have a longer vase life. This also supports small, local businesses, yay!

+ How long will my flowers last? What’s the best flower care?

Flowers have an ephemeral beauty, but if you give them proper care, your flowers should last from 5 to 7 days.  Keep your flowers out of direct sun and away from heat sources or fans. Flowers will last longer in cool rooms, or stored in a refrigerator overnight.  

Replace the water in the vase every other day with cool water, and add floral preservative powder or a few drops of bleach or 7-Up to the water. When you replace the water, trim off 1/4 inch from the bottom of the stem, cutting at an angle.  Remove any flowers or greens that have withered, as they detract from the arrangement, can harbor bacteria which causes the other flowers to droop. 

+ What hapens to my flowers after a wedding or event?

One of the disheartening things about the wedding industry is how much goes into the the dumpster after the wedding reception. But with some forethought, the flowers can be taken home by you and your guests, even if the containers are rented. Another option is to donate the flowers to a non-profit organization such as "Power of Flowers, " that uses leftover flowers from events to make small flower bouquets for seniors and veterans in care communities. There may be a nominal fee for providing the used flowers to the organization.

+ What are your environmentally sustainable practices?

At Semper Virens Flowers, we implement a host of practices to reduce our environmental impact, including:

• Using organic practices in growing our own flowers (no herbicides or pesticides),
• Sourcing flowers from local flowers farmers,
• Composting spent flowers and foliage onsite and using that compost in our cutting garden beds,
• Re-using glass and ceramic vases and containers, 
• Recycling metal, plastic containers, cardboard and Kraft paper,  
• Minimizing the use of floral foam, and using alternatives including chicken wire and pin frogs for most floral applications. We re-use our chicken wire mechnics, they're not thrown away. Floral foam is occasionally used for "ground meadows" or tall vertical arrangements.
• As a best practice, our very small quantity of floral foam is air-dried prior to disposal. Solid waste in eastern Massachusetts is disposed of at a waste-to-energy incinerator, which is probably the "highest beneficial use" of this waste product.
• We do not use agrawool or rockwool blocks. The manufacture of these products is highly energy-intensive (think of a volcano or a steel smelter), which results in emissions of toxic air pollutants and greenhouse gases. Its overall environmental impact is arguably worse than floral foam. My background as an environmental remediation consultant for over 20 years informs this decision.
• We also do not use the "Oshun Pouch" at this time, which is made of coir (shredded coconut husk). IMO, it simply doesn't keep flowers fresh for a reasonable amount of time. The manufacture of this product also creates some hazardous water effluent, which may or may not be properly handled in the countries of origin. Finally, this product is shipped from countries in South East Asia to Europe and the United States, and that global transport has a signifcant carbon footprint!

We are always on the lookout for more ways to reduce the generation of solid and hazardous wastes, and to protect and conserve our beautiful planet.    

+ What payment do you accept? When is payment required?

We accept checks or cash. Payment is required prior to delivery. For weddings and corporate events, a deposit is required upon booking the event, with the balance due four weeks prior to the event.