Hand-Picked Posies with James's Daughter

While grand gifts are always fun to give, sometimes it’s the simplest gesture that warms the heart most fondly-- like a handful of flowers, artfully arranged in an heirloom vase. We think the blooms above, tucked into a few of our frosted glass vases by Brooklyn-based florist Lisa Przystup of James’s Daughter Flowers, perfectly encapsulate the effortless notion of a hand-picked posy. With Mother's Day on the horizon, we caught up with Lisa to discuss inspiration, her floral picks for Mom, and how her posy was created.

terrain: What led you to becoming a floral artist? 

Lisa: Before I was in love with flowers, I was in love with words (still am, actually.) I was working as a freelance writer and had noticed a whole crew of really lovely and stylish girls all getting into floral design; I pitched a story about them to New York Magazine and the rest is history. After seeing all those flower-filled studios and spending a healthy amount of time upstate foraging for blooms, I decided to just go for it.

terrain: We love the name of your business-- how did you choose James’s Daughter? 

Lisa: Thank you! I really like the idea of using a boy’s name for a girl-- my dad's name is James and I've always loved that name. It makes me happy that the name of my business is personal to me-- it feels warm. 

terrain: Can you tell us a bit about what inspires you and your work?

Lisa: Old paintings, for one thing. Also, the way flowers just crawl and climb and bloom and spill all over each other in nature, and the many florists that do something magical and amazing with that.

terrain: Which flowers did you choose for this arrangement? 

Lisa: I started with peonies because I adore them and I'm fascinated by with their tuft of yellow stamens. They remind me of something you'd find in the ocean and they have such a great visual impact. Elegant, creamy carnations, kangaroo paw for notes of pale green with subtle touches of purple, thistle, roses, and  frittalaria-- its checkerboard pattern gets me every time! 

terrain: What flowers are you loving for Mother’s Day gifting this year? 

Lisa: Bleeding hearts, peonies, garden roses, and flowering branches. 

terrain: We love all of those, too! Any tips or tricks you use to keep fresh cut flowers lasting longer? 

Lisa: I recommend cutting them at an angle to increase their water intake, keeping them away from direct sun, pulling out any stems that are dying, and changing the water, if you can. Also make sure all the stems are touching water--  it sounds obvious, but sometimes it's easy for a couple here and there to be left high and dry.