Are Peonies Overrated? Which Stems Last The Longest? Rob Palliser Of Scotts Flowers Has Some Hot Takes

Bringing one's work home is rarely desirable, unless of course your work is flowers!

Though he grew up in the floral world, Rob Palliser was late to bloom when it came to entering the family business. Now alongside his brothers, he helps run cult favorite luxury florist Scotts Flowers.

Sourcing their stems from growers across the globe, Rob helps curate a menu of arrangements sure to make a statement. Curious to learn his tips of the trade?

Your family has been in the flower business since 1982 - did you and your brothers always know you'd follow in your dad's footsteps?
Nope! All three of us went to college thinking we would pursue other careers – overall, we all organically ended up joining the shop in different capacities from 2011-2015. I joined full-time in 2011 and handle a lot of the website/creative process.

What's something you wish people realized about the flower industry?
That it’s not so rosy on the inside. We get told a lot, “Wow it must be so fun to work with flowers every day!” and while that is definitely true to a certain extent, we still have our ups and downs as a small business in New York City.

In your professional opinion, was Charlotte York right when she said that carnations are "filler flowers?"
While we do not carry or sell carnations at Scotts Flowers, I would not view them as a filler flower. If used well and if you use a high quality carnation, they can be a beautiful accent flower in an arrangement. 

What are some of the most expensive stems out there?
Dutch hydrangea (bigger petals and longer-lasting than South American hydrangea), king protea, anthurium, and novelty garden roses.

Any tricks to making an arrangement last?
Refresh the water daily, cut the stems 1 cm every 2 days, keep away from direct sunlight and cool drafts. The most important thing is to keep it well-hydrated!

Which flowers tend to last the longest?
Roses and orchids – good-quality ones, of course.

When it comes to fragrance, which stems are the best?
Hyacinth, freesia, and lilies – all very fragrant, especially hyacinth! A vase of hyacinth will freshen up your entire room.

Which flowers would you say are the most underrated?
Anemones and ranunculus – anemones are known for that black that stands out and makes it super unique. Ranunculus have multiple layers and come in so many beautiful colors.

How about overrated?
Hot take, but peonies! Don’t get me wrong, we love a good peony at the flower shop, but there are so many other beautiful varieties of blooms out there.

Any color palettes that are particularly popular these days?
Blush and pinks always takes the cake! Our number one seller year-round. Another popular color palette has been blues, pinks, and light tangerine. You can find this color palette in our Cobble Hill arrangement.

How often should one be buying flowers for their significant other?
It depends! How invested are you in the relationship? Flowers on a first date are nice, but I think the minimum is birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day (if the holiday is relevant), and at least 2 more times in between all that. It’s more about the action than the actual flowers.

How often are you switching up arrangements?
Seasonally – sometimes multiple times within the season depending on the flowers! For example, dahlias are included in our Autumn Collection but they go out of season in the middle of October, so we have to pivot.

We like to keep florals that are in-season; we take pride in carrying the best of the best. Sure you can get peonies now but they’ll be expensive (even for us buying wholesale) and not the best quality. 

Orchids are obviously the chicest plants, how often are you really supposed to water them?
Great rule of thumb – 1 oz shot glass full of water, every 10 days. This is per stem – if you have a double orchid, it’ll be two shot glasses, etc. Most people tend to over-water them, so when in doubt, underwater them!

You can also put drop a standard sized ice cube (per stem) in the soil 1x a week. 

Thoughts on fake flowers?
There’s definitely a time and a place for them. They can be very cost-effective, however, at the end of the day, artificial will be artificial. Real flowers will always bring a space to life in a way that artificial can’t.

How would you dress up a bouquet of bodega blooms?
Go for things that tend to be more on the premium side: roses, orchids, tulips. Swap baby’s breath for eucalyptus or another type of greenery to really dress it up!

[Photos courtesy Scott's Flowers]