Bringing the Outdoors Indoors

 

This time of year, green foliage and colorful blooms are always a welcome sight. Since that’s not happening outdoors right now, why not bring it indoors to your home? There are many green and flowering plants that thrive indoors and can help bring some nature to your space. Here are just a few of the offerings we carry at Derby Farm:

Succulents: These unique, low-maintenance plants are perfect for keeping indoors. These crafty plants store water in their leaves, stems or roots. Their ability to adapt has resulted in a large range of leaf forms and plant shapes including paddle leaves, spiraled rosettes, trailing leaves and more. They make excellent additions to a dish garden! The prefer bright light and can be watered regularly. Just make sure to let the soil dry between watering!

Cyclamen: This flowering houseplant comes in shades of pink, red, and white.  Its foliage is also eye-catching, often with silver marbling. When flowering, Cyclamen reaches about 8 inches high, making it the perfect indoor plant. This is another easy-to-care-for plant, which can be watered whenever the soil feels dry (avoid getting water on the top of the plant).  Keep your plant in bright, indirect light for best results.

Ferns: Bring a forest-like element of green into your home with ferns! They do well in low-light situations, so no need to worry about having a super-sunny spot picked out. Their foliate can range from delicate and airy to dense and dramatic. Staghorn ferns are more leaf-like and make quite the statement!  Most ferns like humidity, as they are often native to forests and swamps. Misting your fern is the best way to recreate their ideal environment.


-- Amie Reardon

Wintry Weddings

A couple of years ago we had the good fortune to work with Julie and Asher, whose wedding ceremony was held at the First Parish in Concord. Julie had a fun sense of style, and wanted a bouquet that would go well with her vintage blue silk dress.  Marlene took Julie's ideas and made this fabulous bouquet.

Its unusual combination of anemone, Star of Bethlehem, berries, ranunculus, dusty miller and the succulent echeveria came together as eclectic and sophisticated.  In this bouquet the contrast of textures makes it outstanding—the soft colors keep it wintery and elegant.

 Introducing our newest body care—coming to you from the hives of Minnesota bee keepers! Worker B lotions and balms are blended with beeswax, raw honey and olive, almond, avocado and other essential oils. They’re all-natural, organic whenever possible, and contain no chemicals such petroleum products, parabens, sulfates, triclosan or synthetic fragrances and dyes...as a matter of fact, all the ingredients are edible!

Walking the Aisles in NYC

Scouting for gorgeous gifts sounds exotic and exciting, but much of our time in NYC is spent passing by dozens of vendors who offer wares more suited to less 'eclectic' shops than Derby Farm. With interest in sustainable products growing each year, however,  there's some exciting goods created from recycled, reusable, and remade materials.

This year my dear friend Nancy Monson embarked on a search as well, and she wrote up her findings for this Viv Mag Blog.  We've already got the cork ipad cases and decomposition books in, and will be getting some other great "earthy-friendly" products over the next month!

Move Over Ned!

Well, we all do love my husband Ned's delicious truffles, but he's in trouble now that we've met Elaine Hsieh!

EH Chocolatiers, based in Somerville, makes artisan chocolates so beautiful and so delicious that I promised to carry them before finishing my first sampling (courtesy of Shannah Hall, customer extraordinaire and Friend of Elaine).

We're carrying a special Valentine's selection, with just a limited number available, but I'm sure you'll be seeing more of these sweet things in the shop before long!