“I should have known better than to leave Pound Ridge for Hee-Hawville,” said Larry Greene, proprietor of L.H. Greene, Inc. Florist, Antiques and Objects, after returning from Michigan. “I have a heck of a lot of nice customers here. It’s great to be back in town.” His full-service flower shop also offers an eclectic selection of French, English, Italian, African and Chinese antiques, vases and other objets d’art. And the artful owner can make a lamp out of anything—from tea tins, antique wagon wheels, candlesticks, pots and horns.
“Our style has a traditional look. Not modern and jazzy. It’s sort of ‘uptown/downtown, East meets West,” he said as he held up a Rothschild Lily and a Zinnia. For the holiday season, he has a beautiful selection of amaryllis, which has become increasingly popular, undoubtedly because the bulbs bloom freely indoors. They aren’t difficult to grow, and if the plants are treated correctly, they can be brought into bloom every year. The large, showy flowers make a bold statement and are available in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.
“We have three in a pot, with second-stems coming up, so you’ll get quite a long while out of them,” he continued. His amaryllis presentation features ivy and moss, and are surrounded by a hand-made wooden lattice made from twigs found on walks in the woods. “The lattice has a double-purpose: it’s good-looking and it supports the plant,” Larry said. L.H. Greene, Inc., Florist, Antiques & Objects is located at 40 Westchester Ave., on the right as you’re going to New Canaan. Tel: 764-5263. Along with great banter with Larry, you’re sure to get a warm welcome from the shop’s “watch dogs,” Bazzil and Oliver, two adorable Norwich terrier brothers who gently, but firmly, rule the roost.
More local shopping to avoid the utter insanity of shopping malls at this time of year: Along with Cabot’s cloth-bound cheddar from Vermont, Stiltons, and other standbys like Pierre Robert Triple Crème and Ossau from France, or Manchego from Spain, Plum Plums Cheese on Westchester Avenue has Rogue River Blue delivered fresh from Oregon. The cheese, which is wrapped in grape leaves soaked in pear brandy, is only available this time of year since most of the year it’s aging. You’ll also has teas, honeys, jams, Pannettones, organic hand-scrubs, kitchen towels by Jacquard, and Voluspa Candles that sound good enough to eat/smell/sip. They come in Black Chanterelle and Cardamom Flower; Brut champagne, almonds and oak; Satsuma tangerine and lemon; Ruby port, mission, fig and star anise, have a 16-hour burning time so you can be sure your gift-recipient will remember you for at least that long. And if you need an intellectual surge, try Susie’s Smart Cookies. Let shopkeeper Wendy Marilee help you find the perfect gift. For more info on store hours, etc. give a call to 764-1525.
Happy Hanukkah! Despite the rain last Sunday night, a group of hearty Pound Ridgers gathered in the Town Park for the first town-wide menorah-lighting to celebrate Hanukkah. The eight-day festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness. It’s customary to eat food made with oil, such as latkes (or potato pancakes) to commemorate the miracle of the small amount of oil that lasted for eight days. A traditional activity for the children is spinning the dreidel (or top). A few Hanukkah tidbits: Dreidels can also be spun upside down. The longest spin on record was set by Hall Graham on December 1998 at Woodstock High School in Georgia. The dreidel spun for an impressive 2 hours, 15 minutes and 11 seconds.
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