06/28/2026
Story time:
In the mid 90’s I lived in North Carolina. I was a very young mom. I went and applied for a job as Valentine’s Day help at a flower shop in the town we were living in.
The owner was an old man named Hy. I thought he was old but really he was in his late 60’s early 70’s. I have a different view of what old is now.
Hy was a true artist. And best of all, even though it was a holiday, he was willing to teach. I had taken horticulture and flower arranging in high school but like any schooling true learning comes from actually working.
I think of Hy nearly every Valentine’s Day. I am unsure of how many arrangements we put out. The few days before Valentine’s Day is an insane time.
My memory for most things is sadly lacking but the way Hy taught me how to arrange a dozen roses in a vase will never leave me. He taught me to “highlight” every rose. This means every rose got a piece of greenery or the filler flower next to it. The rose is the star of the show and you’ve got to make sure the dozen arranged in a vase were head turners or show stoppers. People are paying good money to send love to someone in the form of flowers. Make it special.
I’m sure I’ve done “a dozen arranged in a vase” somewhere in the last 30 years, but Hy was heavy on my mind today as I created these for my portfolio.
I am not a fan of baby’s breath (the white filler flower seeming the photo on the right) I only had two pieces of babies breath so I replaced it with the solidago (yellow filler flower in the photo on the left) .
These are available for $40. This is a steal. Hy got more than that in the 90’s 🤣. All arrangements are at sale prices because I am trying to build my portfolio and show my skills.
