Happy International Women's Day (March 8)!

Happy International Women's Day to everyone!

As the floral industry is particularly dependent upon the work of women around the world, we want to take special care to recognize this day - one that is celebrated or honored in most every country except the US. This especially ironic, as much of the momentum for establishing this as an international occasion came as a result of garment worker's strikes in this country at the turn of the twentieth century. The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on NY's Lower East Side (140 women working in sweatshop conditions perished because the doors were locked by the owners) was particularly inspirational for women at that time who fought for women's suffrage and decent working conditions. What a shame that because of such severe anti-socialist and anti-labor sentiment in this country that as a nation we cannot fully join with the the rest of the world in establishing this day as a unique annual and international celebration of women.

One way to promote women's struggles in developing countries is to buy and support Fair Trade. This is can help to ensure that the women working to produce the commodities we enjoy are not being exploited as workers or as women in the workplace.

Tiger Lily Flowers to lead a benefit African instrument-making workshop.

On Tuesday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. we're going to be leading a workshop for the teen group at Teaneck's Chabbad House. We're going to show the kids how to make mbiras (or kalimbas as they are sometimes called.) They will finish and tune their instruments and donate them to Shelter Our Sisters, who will distribute them to children staying in their battered women's shelters.
The Chabbad House youth group is led by our good friend, Rabbi Michoel Goldin. We're looking forward to it!

Homage to our founder, Herman Encke.

Circa 1910, Bogota, New Jersey. The original H. Encke greenhouses on East Fort Lee Road. Standing in foreground: Herman Encke and son, Albert. Herman, a German immigrant, established his business in 1906, growing chrysanthemums and other flowers for the Flower District markets in New York City. He transported his flowers by horse-drawn carriage, taking a ferry to Manhattan from Fort Lee. Encke Flowers is believed to be the oldest continuing retail flower business in New Jersey.

Let us give thanks. Let the flowers be cool....

We think of flowers the way sculptors do.
We can create floral artwork for your feast.

Let us know what we can make for you: a centerpiece for your holiday table, an entry piece to greet your guests or one of designed-to-order organic hand-tied bouquets to thank your hosts for their hospitality.

Special pieces deserve a little time, so please call us in advance to reserve your floral work for next week.

If you have holiday shopping to do, we encourage you to consider shopping local, and shopping Fair Trade. We have a lot of new Fair Trade certified gifts, jewelry and sports balls in stock at our Cedar Lane store.

Encke Flowers and Tiger Lily by Encke are both a part of the growing Fair Trade movement, featuring Fair Trade certified gifts and varieties of cut flowers. Fair Trade certification means that the flowers or crafts were produced in an environmentally and economically sustainable fashion – that is, it is good for the earth and for the people who do the work. Encke and Tiger Lily are currently the only retail florists in the NY/NJ metropolitan area who sell Fair Trade flowers. For more information about Fair Trade and Fair Trade certification, visit http://www.transfairusa.org/.
 
Happy Holidays!

New homepage for forthcoming wedding website

Here is the new look for our forthcoming wedding website. Whatcha think?

Set photos from "Billy Bishop Goes to War"

Here are some images of our set design for Garage Theatre Group's recent production of "Billy Bishop Goes to War". The show closed yesterday. The director is scouting theaters in NYC for another run.

Tiger Lily does theater, too...

You might not have guessed it, but we've got a bit of a background in theater. We just completed a set design for new production by the Garage Theatre Group, based at the Becton Theater on the Teaneck Metropolitan Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University. We invite you to see "Billy Bishop Goes to War" opening this Thursday, October 29 at 8:00 p.m. This journey follows an otherwise ordinary guy from a small town Canadian town - kind of a screw-up, actually - who became the British Empire's most illustrious flying ace during World War I. His journey takes him from the back woods, down in the trenches, up to the skies, through the halls of Buckingham Palace, and inside the human spirit as he attempts to reconcile his love of flying with the horrors of war. This one-man drama with live musical accompaniment is one of the most successful plays in Canadian history.

Our set includes a replica WWI biplane suspended from the ceiling. (No, it is not made out of carnations.) Pictures to follow!
October 29 - November 15 (Thursday - Saturday, 8:00 p.m.; Sunday matinee at 3:00 p.m.)
Billy Bishop Goes to War
by John Gray with Eric Peterson
directed by Michael Bias
featuring Ryan D. Scott
You can order tickets online at Garage Theatre Group or buy them at the door.
Adults: $37
Seniors/students: $32
We hope to see you there!