We spent the long holiday weekend in Paris, just getting back this afternoon — so I don’t have a flower arrangement of my own today. But I can offer a few pictures of the windows of two florists in the area north of the Luxembourg Garden: Rosebud and Stanislaus Draber.
On the train to France, I read an article in Paris-Match magazine, “La Fleur Fait Sa Révolution!”
“The flower has become a symbol of an urban renaissance, creative and super-cool,” it said. “One talks flowers with the same appetite that characterizes the foodistas for cooking. The opening of peonies, the Japanese [pruning] knife, and the art of the bouquet are now at the heart of urban conversations.” The trend is “embodied by the explosion of the neo-artisans who are also called the ‘makers’ (les «makers»).”
The article also mentions that the flower-market gardens around Paris “have almost disappeared in favor of the industrialized Dutch market. If nothing is done within ten years, there will be no bouquets of real scented garden roses for the high fashion Parisian florists.”
To see what other gardeners/bloggers/makers have put in vases today, please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
ADDENDUM: There’s an interesting video clip by Rick Steves of a giant Dutch commercial flower auction here.
enclos*ure 
Well we know how much we talk about our vases and their contents on a Monday – does that count?!! Most intriguing to see these Paris blooms – thanks for sharing
Thanks for hosting this meme!
How delicipus and delightful! I love the way the leaf graphic in the last photo looks like lips caressing the Peonies. In my one group of friends who meet for Sat. coffee, the gardeners have to be careful not to monopolize the conversation. So I enjoyed the news article on gardening.
Above is a photo of the shop’s hanging sign reflected in the window.
I haven’t really found my gardening “tribe” here in Stuttgart, which makes this blog and Facebook more important to me as a way to be in the conversation.
Fascinating and just gorgeous…I am so glad you shared these beautiful displays.
Window shopping is one of the great pleasures of Paris.
Fascinating insight both into wonderful florists’ windows – and also the state of the Paris cut-flower trade. Really sad. Thanks for letting us have a look!
We can hope that demand will preserve or create local market gardens for old-fashioned flowers. Although, the price of ‘haute couture’ flowers is exorbitant, and most Parisians will continue to pick up bouquets at more ordinary flower stands.