Floral Design Day was instituted in 1995. It serves as both an homage to Carl Rittner (founder of Boston’s School of Floral Design), and a testament to the ongoing dedication of floral professionals. Rittner is widely recognized as the first to consider floral arranging an art form, and his vision is still very much a part of the industry. To celebrate this day, we’d like to introduce you to the woman behind many of our gorgeous designs. Boyd’s Flowers is proud to introduce you to our head designer, Mary, who exhibits exceptional passion and artistic talent every day.
Mary was born in the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. The islands are characterized by dramatic landscapes, green pastures and an abundance of blue hydrangeas. Mary came to the United States when she was 15 years old, and learned design at a New Jersey florist. She rose to her current position the old-fashioned way- starting at the bottom, she processed flowers, washed buckets and learned to make a bow while working under other designers. Now the head designer at Boyd’s Flowers, her favorite flowers to work with include calla lilies and other tropical varieties.
Mary has been creating gorgeous floral designs for 34 years, and for 17 of those years, we have been privileged to have her at Boyd’s Flowers. Her favorite design projects are weddings – from bridal bouquets to centerpieces, these special events have a special place in Mary’s heart, and it shows in the striking results. Still fluent in Portuguese, we suspect that her upbringing in the beautiful Azores has continued to inspire her work in floral design.
Mary has been married to George for 44 years – and has two sons, two daughters-in-law, and two grandsons. When asked the favorite part of her job, Mary simply stated, “I love designing, and the ability to create.” And those are two things she does remarkably well. If you have received gorgeous flowers from Boyd’s Flowers there is a good chance Mary was behind them. On Floral Design Day, we celebrate Mary and all of the other dedicated professionals who make life in Wilmington a lot more beautiful.
