New Year Flowers

For the Silvester party itself, statement flowers pay off: amaryllis stands tall and elegant on the buffet, a single strelitzia looks almost like fireworks in the vase. For table settings, combine a few large heads with eucalyptus or ruscus as greenery — it lasts the whole evening, even when it gets late and warm in the room.

The New Year greeting on January 1st or 2nd can be quieter and more hopeful. Hyacinths and the first tulips bring scent and a promise of spring into the grey January light — exactly the right message for the start of the year. White and green read clear and refined, a few golden-yellow accents stand for luck and prosperity without turning kitschy.

What we’d avoid at the turn of the year: anything that looks like Christmas taken down late. Deep-red amaryllis with fir and pine cones is simply yesterday by January 2nd. For festivity that doesn’t stay stuck in the old year, reach for white, clean green and one strong single colour rather than the full Christmas set.

In practice we source in early January exactly what comes through the Veiling Rhein-Maas auction in A1 quality — volumes are tighter after the holidays, but what does arrive is freshly cut. Better a few flawless stems than a full bouquet of leftovers. A family business of 45 years means: we order the beautiful, not the plentiful.