Meet Julia D’Angelo | Florist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julia D’Angelo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julia, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Balance is a tricky term that I find always in flux and constantly pulling you in each direction. I find the concept of time famine and time abundance super interesting and in a way, kind of up to each person to frame in their own light. On one hand, I’m enamored with our industry of floristry and how much joy it brings to our community which ignites a fire to possibly work more than what would be considered in balance. On the other hand, I recently had a sweet baby girl four months ago and all of a sudden find myself wanting to just sit and take her in as she changes so fast. I think at the end of the day if you are generally content in each space (we all know it’s never perfect) even if it’s not a true split then you’ve found your balance. Patience with the here and now is also important. In the floral industry, we go through seasons of intense installs and event work and then have a few months where work is absolutely dead. We crave a break when things are bananaland and then a few weeks into the break we are starving for creativity and start to go a little loopy. Staying mindful of where we are and yet where we are headed keeps me grounded and able to understand what balance means to us when it isn’t always so balanced.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I went to college for music and art history. I always knew I wanted the life of a creative but never considered floristry early on as it really isn’t a normal offering in most schools. After moving to New York, working in restaurants for years, and being generally miserable on the artsy side of things, I began interning at a local flower shop and the rest was history. Each arrangement or even tiny boutonniere is it’s own magic piece of art and because you are working with nature. It’s really a one of a kind moment in time. I think anyone can learn to work with florals but you have to really love them. We often get people who romanticize what we do and while it is magical, it is so much more back breaking physical work, buckets of water spilling, rose thorns catching you off guard, and florals that just suddenly decide they don’t want to go to the party. What makes our work special is we always love having a few surprising blooms in the mix that make people pause to say what is that cool flower?

What sets us apart and what I’m most proud of is our constant effort to make less waste in a very wasteful industry. We are foam-free, compost before and after events, and of course recycle. Mindfulness about where blooms are sourced and drying stems ourselves also help make a small difference. We aren’t perfect angels but we are constantly looking for better ways to bring beauty to people while not being slobs about it. I think we also have a bit of happiness magic with our clients and community. You can always find us dancing on site at photo shoots and if you are a bride who tells us you love french fries, you better believe we are going to show up to your hotel room with your bouquet and some tasty ass fries.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Sit down and buckle up! We’d start at Spa Castle in Queens or possibly Aire Baths in Tribeca to zen out from traveling. For cool spots to check out I am a huge fan of the TWA Hotel with great cocktails, food, a pool, and hilarious pic spots like their twister room. For an early morning excursion we’d go to the lower east side for a classic bagel with lox at Russ and Daughters, then walk to the park to check out the Hua Mei Bird Garden. Do we walk up through Soho for shopping and possibly end at Buvette for cocktails and the best french food? Yes. Duh. All the museums here are incredible but I am especially fond of Moma PS1 in Queens for showcasing new artists and The Frick for great art in the coolest mansion. Win win. If you are a huge art fan plan your trip around the Armory show which is a way to see days worth of art viewing. If you are here during a dog show, you can go and meet the breeds and watch them compete at the piers! Cute dogs? Yes.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh my goodness there are so many where to start?!? One of our wholesalers Van Vliet here in NYC and their team have been the light we needed during the pandemic. With a worldwide flower shortage, famers going through immense hardships, and supply chain issues, we could not have done anything without these guys. Also, on a personal note I was supper pregnant while continuing to create floral installs and the flower market helped me pack my car every single time. That’s true love and support.

We also have to shoutout Astoria Pug! When the pandemic hit, NYC shut down all composting services and so Astoria Pug came to the rescue. Not only is this a service that should be offered to all, we work as a sustainably minded floristy and couldn’t sleep at night putting any floral scraps into contractor bags. To this day we offer free community compost drop off in collaboration with Astoria Pug at our shop and have diverted over 15k pounds of waste from landfills. Other community organizations we admire and love working with are Connected Chef and Earth and Me, which are both doing amazing work for our neighborhood and beyond.

Website: www.fernbotanica.com

Instagram: @fernbotanica

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Image Credits
Karen Obrist Photography; Isabelle Selby Photography; Max Flatow Photography; Megan and Kenneth Photography; Eileen Meny Photography